MERRILL CAME by the shed in Noah’s backyard. He wanted some hash. Since Noah and Francis and Terry didn’t have practice anymore they spent most time in the shed after school. Francis took the lawnmower and almost everything else out, the empty red plastic gasoline canister, the round-headed shovel, the half-full bag of manure, the green metal rake, the orange extension cord, stored all of it in the space between the rear of the shed and the wire fence. He found a small metal trashcan behind the shed and brought it inside, moved it close to one of the slot windows. He built a small fire in the trashcan with broken sticks, brown leaves and lighter fluid, torn pieces of brown paper grocery bag. He piled more broken sticks at his feet and he leaned over the fire, small and orange against his forehead and his nose, and he dropped small pieces of stick to the fire, and they cracked in the fire and sent small sparks up to the top of the shed.

Merrill was quiet. He stood across from Francis and looked down at the flames and the smoke pulled by the high cold at the open window. He kept both hands inside his pockets. He didn’t smoke cigarettes.

Noah twisted the hash up with some pot and tobacco, lit one end and put his eyes on the paper and watched the red ash skulk toward him when he pulled. He coughed. He put a hand against the shed door.

That’s his girlfriend, Merrill said. You need to understand that.

Terry nodded. Merrill was pale in the floodlight.

I understand that.

I don’t think you do. You can’t talk to her like you did.

His eyes and voice were quiet, and dark. Terry went to look him in the face, but he couldn’t. Merrill knew things that scared most people. That sort of peace scared Terry

It’s not right, Merrill said. What you did. Not even a little.

He lit a cigarette and handed it to Terry, and he got another and put it to his mouth.

Can’t talk to anyone like that, Merrill said. You talk at me like that, I’ll break your goddamn face.

Terry pulled at the hash.

There are things there you don’t want, Merrill said. I’m saying that now. Now and here.