LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 6: Chapter 6
The flight back to Los Angeles felt longer than the trip to New York. Franklin kept his face pressed against the window until the last lights of the city disappeared beneath the clouds. His Yankees cap sat in his lap - the same one Jerome gave him years ago, now worn around the edges but still his favorite.
"You're quiet," Lisa said, touching his arm.
Franklin shrugged. After a week of Yankee Stadium, Times Square, and late nights playing video games in Jerome's basement, going home felt strange.
Marcus slept in the aisle seat, worn out from the trip. When they landed at LAX, the LA heat hit them like a wall. Their house looked exactly like they'd left it, the patch of brown grass in the front yard baking in the sun.
Franklin went straight to his room and lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling. The street sounds were familiar - distant cars, a dog barking, music from the neighbor's party. He fell asleep still wearing his Yankees cap.
Three Years Later
Franklin ducked under another punch, his feet dancing across cracked pavement. Three boys from the grade above him had cornered him behind the school, looking for trouble.
"Think you're better than us?" the biggest kid said, swinging again. "Walking around with that Yankees cap like you're somebody."
At eleven, Franklin was tall for his age but skinny. He'd learned to be quick - had to be, in this neighborhood. He slipped past another grab, looking for an escape route.
"Ain't running today, Saint."
A fist caught him in the shoulder, spinning him around. Franklin stumbled but kept his feet. His Yankees cap fell off, hitting the ground.
The sound of a car horn made the bullies jump. Mr. Rodriguez, Franklin's science teacher, leaned out his car window.
"Everything okay here?"
The boys backed off. "We were just talking," the big one said.
"Better do your talking somewhere else."
They scattered. Franklin picked up his cap, dusting it off.
"Need a ride home?" Mr. Rodriguez asked.
"No thanks. I'm good."
Franklin waited until the car drove away before touching his shoulder. It would bruise, but nothing too bad. Nothing worth telling his parents about.
At home, he found his mom in the kitchen, talking on the phone with Uncle Jerome.
"That's great about the new job... Yes, he's doing fine in school... Getting tall, just like his father..."
Franklin tried to sneak past, but Lisa caught his eye. She saw the dirt on his clothes, the way he favored his right shoulder.
"I'll call you back," she said into the phone.
"It's nothing," Franklin said before she could ask. "Just playing basketball."
Lisa gave him a look that said she didn't believe him but wouldn't push it. Not yet, anyway.
"Uncle Jerome says hi. He sent you something - it's on your bed."
Franklin found a package wrapped in brown paper on his bed. Inside was a new Yankees jersey - a real one, like the players wore. A note fell out:
"For my favorite nephew. Heard you made the honor roll. Keep making us proud. - Uncle Jerome"
Franklin pulled the jersey on over his t-shirt. In the mirror, he looked different - older maybe, or just less like a kid who got pushed around after school.
The front door opened - his dad coming home from work. Voices drifted up from the kitchen, his parents talking about normal things: bills, work schedules, what to have for dinner.
Franklin touched his bruised shoulder and looked at himself in the mirror again. The jersey felt like armor somehow. Next time those boys tried something, maybe he wouldn't run. Maybe he'd stand his ground.
Outside his window, the sun set over Los Angeles. Franklin put his old Yankees cap on over his new jersey and started doing his homework. Mr. Rodriguez had promised to recommend him for advanced science classes if he kept his grades up.
The phone rang again - Jerome calling back to make sure the jersey fit. Franklin smiled, remembering the games they watched together at Yankee Stadium. His uncle might live across the country now, but he was still looking out for him.
That night, Franklin hung the jersey carefully in his closet. Tomorrow he'd wear it to school. Let those bullies say something about it. He wasn't afraid anymore.