" Helloooo!!! Anybody home!!?" John knocked hard on the side of Jim's head. The boy didn't flinch or move, he just sat there, staring up at the dark night sky. John laughed and turned to his friends.
" Lokie here, guys. He's a tard!" Jim didn't even acknowledge their presence, and John resumed his knocking, well, punching the side of Jim's head.
" What the hell are you doing?" Jim's eyes looked away from the sky and turned to Bones, he smiled and waved. Bones walked in front of John and crossed his arms.
"Aww, It's nothin, McCoy, just trying to knock some thought into this tard here." John went to knock on Jim's head, but Bones grabbed his hand.
" Jimmy's not a tard. He just doesn't talk much." The boys laughed.
" Yeah sure...he can't talk! He's a mute, and a tard." Bones knew for a fact Jim wasn't mute, and he was probably one of the smartest boys in the entire school.He just hadn't said much since his big Brother Sam packed his bags and left the sate. The school knew that too, that's why they were sending him to the Tarsus Academy to get a better education than a tiny Georgia town could provide.
" Leave him alone. He's only six. He don't have to talk a lot if he don't want to." Bones grabbed Jim's hand and walked away. They walked in silence for a while as they walked in the cool night, out to the peach orchid Jim's step dad owned.
" Hey Bones?" it was a tiny voice, tiny and sad.
" Yeah Jimmy?" The grip Jim had on Len's hand tightened and he walked loser.
"I love you. You're the best big brother in the world." Bones smiled, and looked up at the stars. Glad he could do better than Sam did.