His father slowly walked over to the edge of the road and waved for Sam to stop. The way he moved, Sam thought Justin must have told on him for throwing the buckeye at Rufus. He jammed on the brakes and cut the handlebars, leaned hard and let the back end fishtail, stopping right beside him.
“Lunch is ready,” his father said.
He got off his bike and bumped it over the grass, walking beside him.
“Hey,” his father said, “have you seen Sarah’s watch at all?”
“No,” he said automatically.
He tried to remember where it was. Maybe in the pocket of the shorts he wore yesterday, somewhere on the floor upstairs. His mother would find it when she cleaned up.
“You know what it looks like. It snaps onto your belt loop.”
Sam pushed out his lip in a shrug.
“Well if you see it, she’s looking for it, okay?”
“Okay,” Sam said.
“And please, wash those hands before you eat.”
Sam leaned his bike against the buckeye tree and followed him inside. His mother was working at the sink, so he went into the downstairs bathroom, not bothering to turn on the light, and used the green squirt soap. He pushed back his upper lip with two fingers to look at the bloody hole in his gums. His dollar was upstairs somewhere too, and the change he’d stolen from the dresser.
His father didn’t know, or else he’d be mad. He was just guessing.