Ronnie watched as Zack went from one side of the pond to the other, his eyes slightly narrowed. Zack was a fast learner, he'd give him that, but why so slow? Zack had just gotten the hang of skating around the cones with ease but now, it didn't make any sense.

"Pick it up, man"

"I'm going as fast as I can"

"Not as fast as last Thursday" Ronnie told him.

Zack huffed and put his back into it as the wind started to pick up. Ronnie watched as he sped down the lane but right before his turn, Zack skidded and slid near the bank. Ronnie quickly skated off towards Zack as he struggled to get up, tears already running down his face.

"Hey, buddy, you alright?" Ronnie knelt down next to the little boy.

Zack sniffed, "I think so"

Ronnie reached for Zack's pant leg as he said, "Here, let me take a look"

"No!" Zack straightened himself up, "I just need to rest, that's all"

"You landed on your leg kind of hard, Zack" Ronnie told him, "I just need to make sure you don't get a nasty bruise after that fall"

"I don't feel anything" Zack's voice wavered as he moved his leg away from Ronnie.

Ronnie stared him down as he noticed that Zack's crying hasn't gone away since he landed on the ice. He watched as Zack was trying not to clutch onto his leg and keep a straight face on as if nothing was wrong. He glanced back over in the direction of their homes, not seeing Megan walking down the street to tell them that time was up.

Ronnie turned his attention back over to Zack, "Is there a reason why you don't want me to take a look at your leg?"

"Why would you ask that?" Zack asked.

"You don't want me to check you" Ronnie pointed out, "You're moving a lot slower than you normally would and you're crying a lot more than how much you should be from just a normal fall"

Zack's eyes just stayed at the ice as he sucked in a sudden breath, shaking, but Ronnie wasn't too sure it was from the cold. Ronnie licked his lips and then whispered, "Is there something going on inside your house?"

Zack turned and looked to him, "What?"

"What I guess I'm trying to ask is…" Ronnie took in a deep breath, "Do you feel safe in your own home?"

Zack was quiet as he looked down to his leg, making Ronnie believe if what he asked was truly the stupid move until he heard, "Sometimes"

"What do you mean by that?" Ronnie asked.

"It's great most of the time, we sit and eat and catch up with each other and when mom and dad have the same weekend off we go on little day trips" Zack looked back to his leg, "But then there are times when things get… tough"

"He hits you" Ronnie stated.

Zack's face contorts before he roughly wipes away the tears, "He doesn't mean to, it's just that he gets stressed out at work, you know?"

"Zack… he's not supposed to hit his kids, no matter how bad his day gets" Ronnie reached out to place a comforting hand on his leg but then thought the best of it as he slammed his hand back into his pocket.

Zack shuddered before something dawned on him as he looked at Ronnie, "You can't tell anyone this! Promise me! They'll just take me and Megan away and we won't be able to see each other again! Arian, you have to keep this a secret! Please!"

"Okay, okay" Ronnie waved up his hand as if it would stop him but then figured out it was the wrong move as Zack's eyes suddenly widened as he flinched back, "Sorry… I didn't mean to frighten you"

Zack swallowed before he mumbled, "It's okay"

"But, if I'm going to keep this a secret, I need you to do something for me also" Ronnie told him, making the boy look back at him, "When things go bad in your household, you have to let me know. Send me a text as soon as you can, do you understand?"

"What are you going to do?" Zack asked.

Ronnie sighed as he answered honestly, "I don't know yet but I would rather have you feel safe knowing that I will be there for you if this happens again"

Zack stared at him for a moment before he finally nodded and said, "Okay, I will"