Souls in Peril by Sherry Gammon Read Free Book Online Page A

’ s actions. Max turned and left before it could get worse.
    He stood in the middle of the room, wondering where JD ’ s locker was and feeling sick. He ’ d have to ask coach. He didn ’ t want to see him, let alone talk to him. Coach adored Max, and Max thought of him as a second father. If a secretary who didn ’ t even know Max hated JD, he could only imagine how Coach would react. Max forced himself up to Coach ’ s office door and, for the first time in his life, timidly knocked.
    “ Enter, ” boomed Coach.
    Max pushed the door open and stepped inside. Coach looked up from the papers spread across his desk and frowned. Max immediately dropped his ga ze to the floor. Coach was a big guy, about six-foot-three and weighed a good two- twenty , w ith a slightly bulging tummy and rapidly receding hair line . Max guessed him to be about thirty - five years old.
    He came around the desk and right up next to him. “ How is everything going, JD? ” Max almost didn ’ t recognize Coach ’ s voice. Instead of the usual booming baritone sound, it was soft, gentle. Max ’ s heart warm ed . JD likes Coach .
    “ Um, okay. Some of the kids are pretty mad at me for what happened. I promise, Coach, I wasn ’ t drunk or anything. It was an accident. ” Max looked up into Coach ’ s kind green eyes.
    “ I know. My brother ’ s an attorney. Don ’ t say anything, but he told me last night the y won ’ t be filing any charges against you. ”
    “ Really? ” Max ’ s grin went ear to ear.
    “ Really, son. ” He patted Max on the shoulder. “ But remember, you didn ’ t hear it from me. ”
    “ No, sir. ”
    “ I ’ ll talk to the team today at practice, tell them to lay-off. ”
    “ I don ’ t know if that ’ s a good idea. They will probably just be sneakier about the abuse. ”
    “ Good point. But if it gets to be too much to bear, you let me know. You ’ re not alone, JD. P lease remember that. I know we ’ ve talked about things going on at your home a little, and I want you to know I ’ m here for you. ” Coach walked around to his chair and sat back down. “ There haven ’ t been any more mysterious marks across your back, have there? ”
    “ No. ” Max didn ’ t have a clue what Coach meant .
    “ Good. I know you swore up and down to me that no one beat you, but if I see them again, I ’ m calling social services. ”
    Someone beat JD? Certainly not his mother. It had to be Tim .
    “ Did you need something, son? ”
    For a moment , Max forgot why he was there. “ Oh, I can ’ t seem to remember where my locker is, or the combination for that matter. ”
    “ M aybe you should sit out for a few days. I heard you went through the windshield. Besides, we ’ re doing softball today. I know how much you hate softball. A head injury is a perfectly good excuse not to play. ”
    “ Softball? I love softball, ” Max said. Though not exactly baseball, it was close enough. Maybe when the other kids saw how well JD via Max could play, they ’ d back off. Maybe Coach would even let him play for the team . Max knew that was a stretch, but he lived his life pushing his body to the limit, so why not try?
    “ You really did hit your head, ” Coach laughed. He handed Max a slip of paper with the locker number and combination. “ Suit up. ”

Max hustled to the locker and grabbed JD ’ s clothes from inside . They smelled terrible; Max almost retched. A couple guys around him laughed.
    With a great deal of effort, Max put the stinky gym clothes on and headed out to the field. He braced himself for the abuse he knew was about to com e his way.
     
     
    Chapter 6
     
    “ Lumpy Larry, ” groaned Jeff. Never in his life had Max been chosen last. Not ever. The humiliation choked him. He hung his head and moped over to Jeff ’ s team. He hadn ’ t seen this cruel side of Jeff before. They had played baseball on the same team since ninth grade , and never had Jeff been so downright nasty to anyone, at