“I’m not supposed to go inside when my aunt and uncle aren’t here,” said Fisherman. “And I’m not allowed to touch the guns.”

We were standing in a wide dirt area between the trailer and the barn. There was an old truck with a flat tire parked against the barn, and I could see a shiny orange tractor parked inside a shed.

“Your aunt and uncle live here?” I asked.

“Yeah. They manage the ranch. The owner is some rich guy from L.A. who never even visits. My uncle says the guy just likes telling people he has a ranch.”

Just then a black-and-white dog that looked as old as rocks came out from behind the barn. Its knees didn’t really bend, so it tilted from side to side with every step when it walked.

“Willy!” said Fisherman, sounding happier than I’d ever heard him sound before. “Hey, buddy.”

He got down on one knee and scratched the old dog behind its ears. Its eyes were a little bit cloudy, and it seemed like it might be mostly blind, but it was happy to be with Fisherman.

“Willy’s the best,” said Fisherman. “I love him.” Then he turned bright red and coughed, like he’d said something stupid or like we were going to make fun of him.

“Nice dog,” I said, so he wouldn’t feel bad.

Ben nodded.

“Yeah.” Fisherman stopped petting Willy even though the danger of us laughing had passed. “What do you guys want to do?”

I was praying Ben didn’t ask more about the guns. This was how accidents happened.

My armpits were sweating and I hoped the guys couldn’t see. I even felt a little dizzy. Maybe I could say I was sick and go home. Or I could pretend to get a message from my mom and say she wanted me home. But I didn’t want to wuss out in front of Fisherman and Ben.

“I’ll show you guys some stunts,” said Ben. “But are you sure we can’t get a little snack first?”

For a second, Fisherman seemed like he was going to say no again, but he probably wanted Ben to think he was cool. He thought for a second and then said okay. Fisherman made us turn around so we wouldn’t see when he got the key out of its hiding place. Ben peeked though.

“Wait here,” said Fisherman, and he disappeared into the trailer.

“Have you ever been here before?” I asked Ben in a whisper while we waited for Fisherman to come back.

“Nah. I never even really hung out with him before. But we get along at school.”

I nodded.

“You’re bringing people together, man,” said Ben. He was grinning.

His words made me feel good, which was a nice change from scared.