Jade woke up to find she had fallen asleep on Hunter’s shoulder, and he fell asleep with his head resting on hers. Since he was still sleeping, she slowly moved her head from under his. When Jade moved, Hunter slightly fell to the other side and curled up, facing the window. Chris looked up at Jade in the rear view mirror. "How was your sleep?"
Jade rubbed her eyes sleepily and smiled. "Good. There’s something I don’t understand, though. Why are you doing this?"
"What?" Chris asked, a little confused.
"Why are you helping Hunter and I? You hate both of us. I mean, you tried to kill me."
"I lived in Miss Thomas's house once. I guess you could say I was her punching bag. She thought it would be cute to tell me my parents were dead. I was only five at the time, so of course I would believe her. Just three years ago, I found out my parents were still alive. Once my parents found me, they fought for me back; they won. But, Miss Thomas and Crystal promised to make my life a living hell. That’s when I turned to the gang and smoking pot. Made me forget what she did to me and what she was putting me through. I don't want to see that happen to you or Hunter."
"Thanks, but if you didn't want that stuff to happen to me or Hunter, then why did you beat the crap out of both of us when we got here?" Jade asked, confused.
"To show off. And, I'm sorry about that. I didn't do a lot of it. Not that that makes it any better." Chris stared ahead at the ongoing road as he went on. “And, I’m really sorry about what Charlie did to you.”
“Why does everyone keep saying that? My sisters were acting like something happened to me in the woods. Yeah, I got beat up. Big deal!”
Chris shook his head. “There’s more. See, this guy was trying to fit in, so he, well, he raped you. I’m really sorry that I have to be the one to tell you this!! I’m really, really sorry that I couldn’t have stopped it.”
Jade stared at her hands. She could feel tears in the corner of her eyes just screaming to come out, but she fought back. She wasn’t about to start crying. She just kept thinking to herself that she’d get through it. That everything would get better.
"Okay, if you just got back to your family, then why do you want to leave again?" she questioned, hoping to change the subject to get her mind off of what she just found out.
"They weren't who I thought they were. And I thought they would never accept me. A lot of shit happened when I was at Miss Thomas’s house. I’ve never been able to get that out of mind. That’s another reason why I’m helping you. I want to get as far away from her as I can."
"What about him, then?" Jade asked as she pointed to Chris's friend in the next seat.
"He's been jumping from house to house. His parents died last year, and he didn't want to live with Miss Thomas. My parents have been letting him live with us for the past few months. I couldn't leave and leave him there. He doesn't like my parents as much as I don't. So, what about you? Why back to your house in Vermont? You know your parents are dead."
"Yeah, I know they are, but my relatives aren't. If I could just get home, I could find where they live. I just don't know where Hunter would go. I don't know if he has any relatives left, and I don't want him to go back to Miss Thomas's," Jade replied as she looked over at Hunter.
Chris nodded. "I understand,” Chris smiled as he continued. “If I didn’t know any better I would think you were starting to like Hunter.”
Jade half smiled and continued to look at Hunter. "I don't know. I guess. He's really been a great help since I got here."
"Well, if you want my opinion, I think he likes you. Why else would he help you out soo much? Plus, I don't understand why he wouldn't." Jade smiled when she realized that Chris was hitting on her.
Just then Chris's car started to sputter and slow down. Upon looking at the gauges, he slammed his open hands against his wheel. "Damn it!"
With that, both Hunter and Chris's friend shot awake and started to look around.
"What?" Chris’s friend asked him.
"The tank is dry. The last gas station I saw was about two miles back," he replied as he leaned his head back against the seat.
"Damn it, Chris! I told you to fill it up before we left your house," his friend scolded him.
"I know. I know. My mind just wasn't with it. Hunter, Jade, do you two want to go back? I have a gas can in the trunk." Chris looked back and smiled at Jade.
"Sure. We'll be right back."
Chris got out of his car and walked around to the trunk to get out the gas can and handed it to them. Then he dug into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet, handing Jade a ten and a twenty. "Get something for us to drink while you're there."
Jade nodded. "Got ya."
With that, Hunter and Jade headed towards the station. "You actually trust him?"
"We talked a little this morning. Was he ever at Miss Thomas's? Like, did he ever have to live at Miss Thomas's?"
"Yeah, only for like two years while I was there. His parents found him and took him back."
"Then I believe him. Every word." Jade smiled, and they continued to walk to the station.
When they got to the station, Hunter filled up the tank, and Jade went to get something for them to eat and drink. As she walked to the cash register, she happened to look up at the billboard of runaways. She couldn't believe how many kids ran away from their homes in the past few years. That's when she saw Hunter and his brothers. She stared at the picture posted of them as she paid for everything and quickly left. "Did you run away, or did Miss Thomas tell you your parents were dead?!"
Hunter bit his bottom lip and looked away.
"You guys ran away! Why in the hell would you want to run away? Then go and lie to me and my sisters!" Jade demanded, furious that he had lied to her and her sisters.
"You don't know what it was like where I was living. Arin was hospitalized four or five times. Levi came close to death about three times. Dade and me got the shit beat out of us everyday after school for no reason. We had reason! Trust me. I mean, how would you like to live in a house like that? Our parents made us wear the same outfit for up to a week, sometimes longer. Sometimes they would make us sleep out in the snow, or worse yet in the pool in the dead of winter in shorts and no shirts. I got pneumonia five different times. All five of those times, I had to stay with my grandma. Those were the best times, when I had pneumonia." Hunter looked at Jade then to the road. He hated his past; that was why he and his brothers lied about it. They were afraid people would stop talking to them if they knew what they went through.
"Hunter, I'm sorry. I didn't know." She threw her arms around his neck and proceeded to give him a hug. Hunter smiled as he hugged her back.
"There's a pay phone over there. I think we should call Dade and Harmoni,” Hunter insisted as he pointed to the phone just outside the door into the convenience store.
"Okay," she sighed as she walked over to the phone. Upon getting there, she dropped in several quarters and punched in the number for the agency.
"Hello, Thomas's adoption agency,” Levi answered, nonchalantly.
"Aren't I just lucky you picked up?"
"Jade, how are you and Hunter?" Levi asked in a whisper.
"Good, things are good. There is one thing. Don’t lie to my sisters. Hunter told me the truth that you guys ran away. You have to tell my sisters."
"Oh, yeah, that. Did he tell you about how our parents treated us?"
"Yeah, that's why I forgave him. Anyway, tell my sisters that I'm on my way to Vermont. Chris and his friend are taking us. That’s a long story. Just to you know, we’re at some gas station in New York. So, how's Zoey?"
"She came home today, and she’s looking good. Harmoni’s talking; she first started talking to Dade. Now one thing has led to another and they’re going out. Miss Thomas is going to have the cops called tonight because she doesn’t want you guys away. She’s doing pretty good acting like she worried."
"I’m going to let you go before you get caught. Tell Harmoni I'm going to kick her butt for not talking to me first, and I think it's cute her and Dade going out. Later."
"Later." With that they both hung up their phones and went back to what they were doing.
Jade casually turned to Hunter. "Let's go."
"Anything new?"
Jade smiled and pretended she didn’t hear him and started to walk back to the car.
“Come on Jade. What’s going on down there?” he pleaded with her.
Jade smiled. "Well, Dade and Harmoni are going out, Harmoni is talking and has been for a while, but only to Dade, Zoey came back from the hospital today. Levi says she's looking better. Miss Thomas is going to call the cops tonight 'cause she's pissed that we're gone, and she can't torture me."
"Sounds like Miss Thomas," Hunter stated as he ran to catch up with Jade. As she watched Hunter get closer, she started to think about what he and his brothers had gone through. She started wondering why Hunter didn't just go to the cops when he was little. He could have at least told someone what was going on.
"So, now what are you running from?" Jade asked Hunter when he caught up with her.
"What do you mean?"
"Leaving Miss Thomas's. There has got to be something. Some reason why you came along. Then what are you going to do when I get to Vermont and find family? There’s no way I'm not letting you go back to Miss Thomas's!"
Hunter smiled quizically at Jade. "Why not?"
" 'Cause she'll let it rip on you. I don’t want to feel like it’s all my fault that she’s treating you like shit."
"Thanks."
"No problem. Oh, hey, Hunter, what did you do with the joints I gave you?"
"I put them somewhere in my room," he replied as he looked everywhere except at Jade.
Jade stopped and looked at him. "You're not using them, are you?"
Hunter’s eyes started to wander even more. "No. I gave that stuff up."
"Why do I not believe you?" Jade questioned as she turned and started walking some more.
"Because I'm lying to you," Hunter replied as he stared at his feet. "I figured if I acted like I didn't want you to do it, then no one would think I was smoking the stuff that I was taking from you because I didn't want you to." Hunter looked at Jade sympathetically. "I'm sorry. Really I am."
Jade closed her eyes as she stopped where she was and turned once more to face Hunter. "Okay, Hunter, we got to make a deal. We both give that stuff up. I toss what little I have left and you toss whatever you brought with you. First off, how long have you been doing this?"
"Five years," he replied under his breath.
"But, what about when I wasn't there? What’d you do then?"
"I had my ways." He shrugged as he started back down the road.
"It may be harder for you then," Jade sighed as she ran to catch up with Hunter.
Hunter rolled his eyes as he responded. "I kind-of don't like this idea."
"Hunter, please. For me, please!"
Hunter turned to look at Jade and noticed the pleading look in her eyes. As much as he didn't want to, he finally agreed.
"Fine," he replied as he huffed out an angry breath.
Jade smiled as if she had won and started back to the car once more.
When they got back to the car, Chris was sleeping in the passenger seat. Hunter decided not to wake him up since he was kind enough to drive them all night, so he filled the tank. When the gas can was empty, he climbed into the back seat, still a little upset with Jade.
Chris's friend, A.J, stopped Jade before she could get in. "Why are you leaving, anyway? I mean, what goes on at that house? Chris hates it, you hate it, and so does Hunter."
"Miss Thomas is a bitch. That should pretty much sum it up. I mean, she’s got her daughter recruiting some of the kids to be druggies. Now, one is being an ass and won't quit!"
"Hunter?" he asked as he directed his attention to Hunter, who was staring out the window in the back seat.
Jade shook her head. She looked at Hunter, then turned her attention back to A.J. "What should I do?"
"What are you doing right now to get him to quit?"
"I told him I would stop if he did. We would both get rid of whatever pot we have left."
"How long has he been doing this? Just think about it; it could be really hard for him if he has been doing this too long," A.J reminded her. “It’s not that easy to quit by the snap of the fingers. Trust me.”
"Five years or about there. At least that’s what he told me."
"See? If he quits, he could get really bad. I think you should find out where his pot is now and take it. No questions asked. It may be dangerous because he'll start getting all weird. He'll have little fits, he’ll get shaky from not having any drugs in his system, and this could be really dangerous without being in a hospital. Especially with how long."
"You don't get the shakes and everything from smoking pot, do you?" she asked, a little confused.
A.J shook his head. "Okay, maybe you're right. Maybe Hunter won't be that bad. Unless, of course, he's on something else, but even if he was, he could still use it, and you or anyone else wouldn't know. So you wouldn't be able to help him."
"I understand. Thanks, A.J. I'm going to do this tonight, so you guys are going to have to help me. I have to be in the back with him, so it could be worse for me 'cause I have to be right next to him."
"Don't worry. Chris will pull over and help if it gets too bad back there."
"Just a question, but does Chris like me?"
"Don't tell him I told you, but yeah."
"Thought so.” Jade smiled. “Well, we should get going again. You know how to get to Vermont, right?" she asked as she opened the door to get in the back seat.
"Yeah, I have a map up front for Chris. I'll just use that." A.J and Jade both got into the car on the driver's side. When Jade got in, she extended her hand in front of Hunter.
"Give me whatever pot you have on you, and I want to see your empty pockets. If it's in your backpack next stop, I'll take it."
Hunter glared at Jade as he reached into his pocket and took out a handful of pot and handed it to Jade. Having done that, he pulled his pockets inside out showing her that his pockets were empty. "Now you!" he commanded.
Jade reached into her pocket and got the few out that she had and added them to what Hunter gave her. Then she showed Hunter that her pocket was empty by doing the same thing he did. As she was shoving her pockets back, she rolled down the window and threw all of it out onto the road. They rolled farther and farther away from them, scattering all over the road.
Hunter looked out the back window and watched as they disappeared. "I should have never told you that I was still smoking,” he sighed.
Jade looked at Hunter, shocked. "Yes, you should have! That stuff could kill you!"
Hunter rolled his eyes as Jade looked out the window. She really wanted to cry, seeing how mad Hunter was at her and seeing him hurting upset her more than anything. She looked up at the rear view mirror as A.J looked back at her; he nodded. She simply closed her eyes. Once she opened them up again, she turned her attention to Hunter. She was really starting to like him.
Once night time rolled around Miss Thomas quickly called the cops. Again, they informed her that she would have to wait until tomorrow rolled in before they could do anything. Since Hunter had run away before they figured that he had again, and would be back soon for his brothers.
While she was sitting in her office trying to think of some way around waiting 24 hours, a young couple called. "Miss Thomas, you're our last hope,” a young woman’s voice sobbed. “We have been trying to adopt for a long time. We are good people, but whenever we wanted to adopt, the kid wouldn't work out. You have got to help us!"
"I got to tell you, some of the kids here aren't the best. But if you’re still interested you could come over tomorrow if you would like."
"Can we come tonight? Please?" the young lady insisted.
"When will you be here?" Miss Thomas asked with a sigh.
"Twenty to thirty minutes."
Miss Thomas nodded. "See you then. You can just walk in. One of the kids will show you to my office."
"Thank you." With that, they both hung up their phones.
After she was off the phone, Miss Thomas went upstairs and got the Michealson boys and the Stone girls. All she informed them was to get downstairs and it had to do with Jade and Hunter. Afraid that Miss Thomas had found out what they were up to, they all made sure they were downstairs right away.
The all met up in the kitchen where Miss Thomas told them to stay there. Neither of them had any idea why they had to wait there or why they were even all down there.
"Thank you soo much for letting us come tonight," the woman told Miss Thomas, as she shook her hand. “I’m Clara Daniels and this is my husband, Greggory,” she informed them.
Miss Thomas nodded her head.
"Well we were looking to adopt two teens. A boy and a girl."
Miss Thomas nodded. "Okay. There are three girls and three boys. All of them are around the ages of 17 and 16. The oldest girl, though, was just diagnosed with AIDS.”
Clara looked as if she were thinking hard about it. "How about one 16 year old girl and one 17 year old boy?"
"I know the two best ones,” she replied, deviously. “Harmoni Stone and Levi Micheals. Now they’re leaving their brothers and sisters, so they may complain about that for awhile. Don’t worry. They’ll get over it."
The couple nodded as Miss Thomas got up and walked out into the kitchen. "Harmoni, Levi, you two have just been adopted. Follow me."
Harmoni felt the tears well up in her eyes as she got up to follow Miss Thomas. She looked back at her sisters, but when she looked at Dade the tears got the best of her. Several tears rolled down her cheek as she turned and walked into Miss Thomas's office. As she walked into the office she swore to herself that she would not talk from this point on.
When Levi looked over at Harmoni, he began to feel really bad. She had finally started talking again after watching her parents die right in front of her. To add to it, she was loaded down with even more pain and hurt upon arriving at the adoption agency, having her sister start smoking pot then her other sister gets AIDS. Now she was going to be forced to leave right after things were starting to get better. She was talking again, and she was happy with Dade.
Harmoni stood silently in the doorway as Levi walked in and sat in the last remaining seat. The couple looked at Levi and Harmoni and smiled; they were just what they were hoping for. Miss Thomas made her way around her desk and took a seat. "Harmoni just lost her parents in a car accident; she's a little shaken up, though."
The couple looked sympathetically at Harmoni and smiled. "I'm sure she will love our place."
Smiling proudly, Miss Thomas told Harmoni and Levi to get upstairs and quickly pack their things. They were leaving tonight.
When Dade saw Harmoni run upstairs, he quickly jumped up and ran after her. "You’re going to call me when you get their, right?"
Harmoni nodded as she tried not to look at Dade. She knew that if she did it would only make her cry even more and that was something she didn’t want. She was too strong for that.
After everything was packed up, she headed downstairs with Dade following. At the bottom of the steps Dade stopped Harmoni and gave her a hug. As he moved away, he gave her a kiss. “We’ll get through this. Jade’s probably in Vermont; she’ll find family and get you and your sisters out of here.”
“I’m not going without you!”
“Don’t worry. I’ll be there too,” he replied as he kissed her again.
Then Harmoni walked into the kitchen, where she gave both her sisters a hug then proceeded to follow the couple out to their car. Once Harmoni and Levi were going, Zoey painfully ran upstairs, having left her crutches downstairs. When she got to their room, she threw herself onto her bed and cried into the pillow.
That night, Jade couldn’t and didn’t want to sleep. The whole time she sat in the back seat, watching Hunter to make sure he was doing okay. Hunter had gone to sleep still extremely mad at Jade for what she did with the pot. On the other hand, Jade was still upset and worried about him. She knew deep down inside that he wasn’t just on pot. If he could go on that long without telling his brothers or anyone else what he was doing, than there was no doubt in Jade’s mind that he was hiding even more.
After sleeping all day, it was now Chris’s turn behind the wheel while A.J slept. The whole time he was driving, he would keep checking on Jade to see if she was okay. A.J had informed him the last time they stopped about what was going on, and he knew that Jade would be upset about it.
Jade looked out the window and then over to Hunter. "Jade, you okay?" Chris asked after one of his many checks in the rear view mirror.
"No, not really."
"Why?" he asked as he passed under a sign informing them that they were now entering Vermont. Jade smiled when she realized what the sign said. Almost home, she thought to herself.
"I'm really worried about Hunter. I don’t know if A.J told you, but I found out Hunter was still smoking pot today, and I actually got him to give me it all. Then A.J brought up a really good point; this may not be the only thing he's been on. What if he's doing something else? I wouldn’t know what to do."
"Well, we'll find out if he's on anything else soon. He's going on what now? Two days? If he is on anything else, he would be really edgy because he hasn't had anything else. Trust me. I went through it all already."
"I know. A.J told me." Jade casually looked out the window and smiled as she thought about A.J telling her that Chris likes her.
"What else did A.J tell you?" he asked, slightly worried.
"Uh. Nothing else,” she lied. “Oh, just so you know, you take the next exit."
Chris nodded and continued to stare ahead. "He told you I like you, didn't he?"
Jade continued to smile as she nodded. Chris laughed as he looked at A.J. Then he turned on his signal and got in the lane to get off at the exit. "Where from here?"
"Turn left and go two miles then turn right down a dirt road. My house is the only one on that road. It's big and sea green."
"Gotcha," he replied, as he turned left and headed down the road.
Jade sighed as she turned to look at Hunter again. He was starting to shake, and his forehead was already covered with sweat. Nervous and scared, Jade reached up and tapped Chris on the shoulder. "You mean, we would notice him doing something like this?"
Chris looked back at Hunter and drew in a deep breath. "Yeah, we would notice something like that," he sighed.
Jade sat back in her seat. More than anything, she felt like crying. She had trusted Hunter and was even starting to like him. Now she didn’t know. What she did know is that she was worried about him. She wanted his brothers there and her sisters, then maybe they could help her. Help her get through it, help Hunter to get over it. She really didn’t know if she could do it by herself.
After driving for about five more minutes, Chris pulled into Jade's old house. Happy to be home but upset about Hunter, she slowly got out of the car and stared at her house. It was obvious that no one was living there yet. Everything they had in the windows the day of the accident was still up. As she stared up at the house, she really felt like crying. The thought that she was home finally kicked in, and she ran up to the porch. Just like the outside, everything was there exactly how they had left it when they left. Nothing new or changed, it was like they were coming home from the mall and nothing was ever wrong. Only it wasn’t. Her parents were still dead, Zoey still had AIDS, and her sisters were still in Pennsylvania in that adoption agency. The power was, also out, since no one paid the bill.
After standing downstairs for a while and staring at what was left behind, she ran up to her room and sat on her bed. In the dark, she felt around for the picture of her parents setting next to her bed. By the time she found it, her eyes had adjusted to the darkness, and she could see their faces. She missed her parents so much. After seeing her parents’ faces once more, she started to cry even harder. “I miss you soo much!” she informed the picture as she ran her hand down the frame of their faces.
Chris reached over to the passenger seat and hit A.J. "Come on, man. We're at Jade's house. Let's get a nice place to sleep."
A.J sleepily looked over at Chris as he hit him once more. "What was that for?"
"For telling her I like her. " A.J laughed as he got out and headed inside.
Chris reached back and hit Hunter. ”Wake up, man. We're at Jade's house."
Hunter opened his eyes and looked out the window. For some reason, he thought he remembered that place. There was some familiarity about it. Something that brought back so many bad memories about what his brothers and him had gone through. He shook his head to wake himself and to get the memories out of his head; then he wiped his forehead with the back of his hand.
"Hunter, what the hell are you taking?" Chris demanded.
"Nothing, now that Jade took my pot!" Hunter said, still a little upset about what Jade did with the left over pot. Hunter pushed open the door and went to get out, but Chris grabbed his arm and pulled him back in.
"What the hell are you on?! I promise I won't tell Jade."
“Promise?” Hunter asked as he sat back in the seat.
"Promise,” Chris stated, crossing his fingers behind his back.
"A little this, a little that. Seriously, pot, cocaine, and I did try steroids, but I gave that up a long time ago."
"How long have you been on cocaine?" Chris asked more seriously.
"Four years or about there. It feels really weird 'cause I haven't had any for two days now, and I left my stash at the agency." Hunter looked out the window and felt a chill. He shivered.
"Did you really give all your pot to Jade?"
Hunter sighed. "I figured I hurt her enough. I couldn’t stand to hurt her anymore."
"If you don't want to hurt her anymore, tell her what else you are doing. She wants to help you. She worried about you, but she can't unless she knows what else you are on." Hunter just rolled his eyes as he got out of the car. Chris sighed and jumped out to run after him. Once he caught up to him, he grabbed his arm and spun him around.
"You hurt her anymore, and I will kick your ass!"
Hunter looked at Chris, slightly stunned. Then he proceeded into the house where he passed out upon entering the doorway. A.J ran into the hallway as soon as he heard the noise. "Jade, get here quick! Hunter passed out!" he called up to her.
Jade wiped away her tears and quickly ran downstairs. By now, Chris was in the house and standing next to the passed out Hunter. Chris knelt down to pick up Hunter and moved him to the couch. While Chris was moving Hunter, Jade ran into the kitchen and got a wet rag; then she ran back into the living room. When she was by Hunter’s side again, she put the rag to his forehead.
She turned her attention to Chris, knowing that he knew what else Hunter was on. Chris looked down at her and replied as if reading her eyes. "Give him time. He will tell you,” he assured her.
Jade nodded as she held back the tears. She wanted to know, so she could help him. She didn’t think he would ever tell her, though. She may have trusted him, but he obviously didn’t trust her as much.
Seeing that Jade was upset, Chris grabbed A.J’s arm and pulled him into the hallway. Then they made their way upstairs to look for somewhere to sleep.
Once Jade heard them go upstairs, she couldn’t help but start to cry again. "Hunter, why are you doing this to yourself? Why are you doing this to me? I thought I could trust you, and now you're lying to me. It's going to take me forever for me to regain your trust."
Hunter blinked his eyes a few times and looked at Jade. "You're crying. Why are you crying?"
"Gee, Hunter, I don't know. You tell me." Jade sighed as she looked down then back up at Hunter. "I thought I could trust you."
"I'm sorry. Jade, you got to believe me. I'm soo sorry," he pleaded with her as he sat up.
"See, I still can't believe you. I know you are on something else, but you won't tell me." Jade started to get up, but Hunter grabbed her arm and pulled her back down.
"I'm on cocaine, okay? I was also on steroids, but I gave that up." Jade looked at Hunter, hurt. "Jade, I'm sorry. I'll quit. I swear."
"It's not that easy,” she sighed as she yanked her arm away. “How long have you been on cocaine?"
Hunter looked down. "About four years."
"It's really not going to be easy." Hunter nodded his head. "I'm sure it will be harder for me than for you."
"Jade, I'm really sorry."
"I know. I am too." Jade felt a few tears roll down her cheeks. "Do you have any with you?"
"Left it all in my room at the agency and, Jade, please don't cry."
"Get some sleep. I'll see you in the morning." Jade ran upstairs to her room. Once she was there, she slammed her door and locked it. Again, she picked up the picture of her parents and again started looking at it. She began to remember her, her mom, her dad, and her sisters going hiking in the woods behind their house. How they would play baseball and volleyball in the back yard on the weekends. She wanted so much to bring back all those times they spent together. To a time where she didn’t have to worry about helping the guy she liked through “rehab”. Frustrated she threw the picture across the room. The only sound she heard was the glass shattering and the frame falling to the ground.
Hunter sat up on the couch when he heard the glass shatter and the frame hit the ground. He was about to go upstairs, but he knew he had to let her think. They both needed to think. Since he was sitting up, he took the time to look out the window. He was starting to forget how before the stars were at night in a rural area. He began to think how much she must have loved living here as a kid; he knew he did. He began to wish he were with his real parents, but then he remembered how his uncle treated him and his brothers. Then again, maybe if he were home, he wouldn't have been on this or hurting the person he really liked. Maybe he could have even gotten help for his uncle.
Chapter 6
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