American Outrage
A Novel
Chapter One
SAM'S HEAD WAS BACK against the wall, his eyes painfully closed,
wearing the look of a refugee. Crusted blood caked the edges of his
nostrils and sloppy crimson smears marked the trail that must have
run down either side of his mouth and off the chin. His white
Yankees T-shirt, oversized to hide a stomach that spilled over his
belt, was stained and rumpled.
Jake's jaw tightened and he drew deep breaths of air through his
nose. He flung open the door and Sam looked at him, blinking back
fresh, seventh-grade tears. The principal, Ms. Dean, burst out of
her office, shooting her glare at Jake, then at Sam, then back to
Jake. Ms. Dean wore a frumpy blue dress. She had a small,
grandmother's face, with curly white hair and petite round glasses,
what you might expect on a can of baked beans. ... read full excerpt from American Outrage ebook
