Fall Rising: Chapter 1

Everything hurts. But nothing as bad as seeing what was done to my son. My ribs are bruised. My face and neck. All my money’s gone. But that doesn’t matter. Not when I look at my four-year-old and see that he was marked by this. He fell asleep with an ice pack on his face. When I called Legend she said that’s it. When she moves this fall for school, we‘re going, too…

Jess hurriedly closed the notebook where she’d written about the night she’d been attacked outside the grocery store. She and her son Christian had been ready to go since seven o’clock this morning. Three hours had passed, and now she sat at the little table in the hotel room, where they had lived for several months, waiting for her best friend, and her parents, to come and take them out of here.

She had gotten a good look at herself in the mirror that morning - probably too good. On better days, Jess liked her brown eyes, and thought her curly dark hair was fun and made her unique. But today her eyes appeared huge and scared instead of relaxed and kind, and her hair was frizzed out, adding to the frantic look. Her pale, smooth face was dotted with freckles, that stood out when she was stressed. And then there were the bruises. Ugly ones along her jaw and around her neck. She also had them around her biceps and all over her ribs and stomach. It hurt to breathe. It hurt to do pretty much anything. She was glad to cover most of the evidence of the beating under her shirt. Jess knew she wasn’t really pretty anyway - and she was still heavy from her pregnancy. But that didn’t really matter.

She was nervous about college, but knew that she didn’t have a choice. She had to do what was best for Christian. Besides, she couldn’t very well have prayed for months that God provide a way out and then not take it because she was scared.

But she was. So scared. She hadn’t even finished high school, since she had Christian over Christmas break in her junior year. After that, she just never went back. Not until Legend’s parents explained how she could get better jobs if she had her diploma. So she’d studied hard, between shifts at her crappy job to take the General Educational Development tests. Nobody told her she might not pass them all the first time. But she kept at it, asking Legend’s parents for help when she had no other choice. She had eventually done it. She’d even gone to community college to get some classes under her belt, just in case - half-heartedly going for her AA degree. But that never happened. Instead, she’d been stuck working a crappy job as a server at a hole-in-the-wall restaurant, where all the male clientele grabbed her butt every time she walked past the bar.

She still didn’t have much money saved, though. Between paying for the room, laundry, groceries and stuff for Christian, there was hardly any left. Jess never knew how they made it month to month. Then, she was attacked. Legend, her best friend all through school, had armed her with a can of pepper-spray, some basic self-defense knowledge, and a promise. Jess and Christian could come and live with her when she started college again in the fall. Legend would work on getting Christian on the waiting-list for the on-campus daycare/preschool program. The catch was that Jess had to enroll as a student.

So, Jess, who had loathed everything school and learning related as far back as she could recall, spent time looking through options for majors. She knew she had to get work as soon as possible, and when she was between dental assistant and nursing, Jess chose nursing easily enough. Her rationale? She hated dentists.

Now, she was set to start taking classes towards her new career choice. She didn’t flinch the anatomy and physiology course she signed up for, even though with the class came dissection of animals and organs - Jess could handle that. If it would help her provide for her son, Jess was all for it.

The clock radio was on the contemporary Christian station, like it was twenty-four hours a day, so CJ could listen for TobyMac, his favorite artist.

“Libby…Emily…Morgan…” Christian sang to himself in time with the music, clutching Legos in one hand, and a cracker with cheese in the other. He concentrated on the cracker. He had used the spray-cheese to make a C, for his name.

Jess smiled. Her little boy was sitting on top of their single box of possessions, practicing the names of their new roommates. He wore camouflage shorts and a red tee shirt with SpongeBob on the front. He’d successfully kept the outfit mostly clean for several days, except for a streak of cheese down the front. But Jess didn’t comment on it. She knew she looked more grungy than that in her blue and grey pajama pants and gray tee shirt. She had nothing else clean, and they’d have access to laundry soon enough. Christian’s curly mop of dark hair fell in his eyes as he studied the cracker and said the names again.

“Hey,” she teased. “What about me and you? What about Legend?”

“Mom! I know that, silly,” he giggled. Suddenly he looked up at her with serious brown eyes, “Is Morgan a girl Morgan?”

Jess bit her lip, to keep from laughing. “Yes, Morgan’s a girl. All the people at our new apartment are girls,” she explained.

“But I’m not,” Christian countered, sounding concerned at the thought that his mom could have forgotten such an all-important fact.

“Nope. You’re Mom’s special boy,” Jess told him certainly, crossing the room to give him a kiss. “How’s your owie?” she asked sympathetically. The bruise under his eye had turned an angry purple in the recent days.

Christian shrugged. He held out the cracker.

“Look I made a C on here.”

Inside, Christian felt the bad feeling come back, when the robber got his mom and beat her all up. He remembered going to the store late because they needed milk and cereal for breakfast. They went outside where the cars were, and a robber came and said for his mom to give all her money.

His mom shoved him away very hard behind her, and said their secret word called Legend. The one that meant call for help. He ran as speedy fast as he could back to the hotel but the door was locked up tight and no people let him come in. Christian could still hear his mom screaming, so he went back.

When he saw the robber hitting his mom and kicking her, Christian got so mad inside he ran to push the robber off. But the robber did swears at him and hit him very hard, so his eye turned into a bruise underneath. Christian fell down and hit his head and started crying. He didn’t like to think about that time. So he showed his mom the C he did on the cracker instead.

Jess looked at the cracker. The C looked malformed, but she praised it anyway.

“That’s awesome! What starts with C?” she quizzed.

“C, C, Christian!” he said proudly. He wrapped his arms around his mom’s neck tightly, and said into her ear, “I‘m just like you, huh?”

“You bet you are,” Jess agreed, trying not to wince at her son‘s chokehold on around her bruised neck. What kind of a mother would she be if she discouraged her son from hugging?

“’Cause I have your kind of hair that’s curly. And your kind of brown eyes. And your kind of smile, like this,” Christian tried out his best one, showing all his teeth.

Jess giggled. “You are such a goofball. Come on, do you have all your stuff?”

Christian nodded, tossing his little Lego boat into the plastic bag that held a book from the cereal box, and his dirty clothes.

Jess walked down the hall, holding Christian’s hand, knowing that most people assumed he wasn’t hers. That most people looked down on her for holding the hand of a little boy who wasn’t Caucasian like her but biracial. She loved his brown-sugar skin, dark eyes, and curly hair. She hated that most people couldn’t see what was obvious to her: he had her dimple, her laugh, her personality. He was hers. Even if they didn’t match, he was just like her.

Standing outside, holding his bag, Christian studied the people, and squinted. “Mom? Is God’s favorite color brown? ‘Cause there’s lots of brown people. And only one pink person,” he pointed out, looking at her.

Jess blinked. It wasn’t the first time that she and her little boy were subconsciously thinking of the same thing at the same moment. “I don’t know… What do you think?”

Christian considered this. “I think…God’s favorite color is probably every color He makes people, ’cause He loves everybody,” he finished thoughtfully.

Jess felt her heart swell at the love in her child.

Christian saw a big truck coming. It was red. Then he saw Legend’s puffy hair.

“Mom!” he screamed. “Legend’s here!” He made his feet stand still and not run out to the car until it stopped all the way, like his mom taught him, even though he was very excited.

Jess watched as Legend jumped down out of the driver’s side of the huge truck. If Legend had topped five feet tall, it was news to Jess. Her best friend was still built like a child - her tiny compact body easily fitting into clothing from the girls department. Jess envied her curly afro, and skin that was just barely dark, due to her mixed parentage. And even though Legend was small, her name fit her big personality perfectly.

Legend got out the minute the truck stopped and ran up to them, taking the single box from Jess and the plastic bag from Christian.

Jess had her auburn hair pulled back haphazardly in a ponytail. Tiredness hung in her deep brown eyes and freckles stood out sharply on her nose and cheeks because she was so pale. Horrible bruises still ringed Jess’s neck and blackened her face. Even little Christian had a black eye. It made Legend sick, and angry enough to break something.

“Hey, guys,” she greeted, walking up in flip-flops, a light purple tee shirt and gray sweats. At least Jess never needed to worry about feeling underdressed next to her friend.

“Sorry we’re late. Daddy had to stop for some doughnuts. Did you get breakfast?” Legend asked, tossing their meager luggage in the back of the truck. She was glad she’d thought to bring the extra futon she’d begged her parents for, and never really used, except when Jess spent the night. There would be no way she was going to afford a box spring or mattress.

“Doughnuts! Woo-hoo!” Christian cheered.

“I let him finish off the crackers and spray cheese this morning,” Jess said. “I didn’t see the point in getting more food just for the car trip.”

Legend nodded, understanding what her friend wasn’t saying: the move had come just in time.

“Hey, Jess. Hey, Christian. Y’all ready?” Legend’s dad, Joe, asked from the driver’s seat.

Jess made sure CJ was buckled securely in the middle back seat, between herself and Legend, trying to fight the irrational guilt over not having bought him a car seat. She didn’t have a car. What sense did it make? Still, she was nervous that Christian wouldn’t be as safe as he could be.

Once they were settled, Legend’s mom, Jody, handed back the doughnuts.

“All ready to start a new adventure?” she asked, looking sadly at Jess and Christian, still so badly bruised.

“Yay!” Christian cheered happily.

Beside him, Legend opened the doughnut box and that made Christian feel like doing his happy dance. There was chocolate doughnuts, and sprinkle doughnuts, and sugar doughnuts. There was yucky doughnuts, too, with jelly, but Christian didn’t look at them.

“Which one do you want?” Jess prompted, knowing her son’s affinity for anything colorful.

His eyes were huge, as he indicated a very specific doughnut with sprinkles. Jess picked it out and handed it to him with a napkin.

“Thank you, Joe and Jody,” he called, without being reminded.

“You’re welcome, honey.” Jody answered.

As Joe tuned the radio to the station she and Christian spent day and night listening to, Jess felt like hugging him. She didn’t know what she would have done without Legend and her family.

Jess knew that her own parents didn’t care about her whatsoever. She hadn’t seen her mom since she was three, and her dad disowned her after she told him she was pregnant. She had grown up in the Miller’s house, and Jess especially looked up to Jody, who was beautiful - with a healthy body, kind blue eyes and sandy brown hair. She wanted to be just like her when she grew up. She loved her family and was always there for them. She kept a nice house, had a great job as a nurse, and always made everybody feel welcome.

Legend’s dad was nice too. He was black, and really tall. Jess always thought he should play a sport, but Legend had always maintained that he didn’t know how, and that’s why he was a lawyer. Jess had to admit Legend was closer to him than to her mom, and Jess never knew why. To Jess, Joe was tough, and strict with high expectations. But that was the way Legend thrived.

When Jess and Legend were eleven, and he confiscated the new CD (the one her dad didn’t know Jess had shoplifted earlier) and said the girl on the cover was dressed “like a hoochie” and the lyrics of her songs “invited abuse” Jess had gone on the warpath. When Legend’s parents had gone out, and she and Legend were there alone, Jess had searched their house, high and low, to get the CD back. She called Legend’s parents Communists, and Legend had rebelliously agreed, even though Jess had known she really didn’t think that. Joe and Jody had gotten home earlier than expected, and found her searching their bedroom closet.

Jess leaned her head against the window and looked out, having accepted a chocolate doughnut for herself. She stared at the scenery, feeling glad they were leaving their past behind, and starting fresh in a new place.

Letting her mind drift again, Jess thought back to the night that had changed everything for them. She had known it wasn’t smart to go out near midnight for cereal and milk, but Christian had to eat, and he hadn’t gotten supper that night, because they were out of everything.

They were on their way back, walking through the lot, when Jess heard the familiar voice behind her:

“Gimme all your money.”

She would have laughed - she recognized the voice as James’ - her first boyfriend in high school - but she could feel the knife at her back. When James moved around her, to confirm her suspicions, Jess gave no indication to her young son that she knew who held her at knifepoint, she just shoved him behind her, and said their code-word: “Legend.” It was the word she taught him if, God-forbid, anything like this ever came up.

Jess heard his little feet retreating, and focused on the man now in front of her. “What do you want?” she asked, trying not to sound as terrified as she felt. He had always been a jerk, even violent sometimes, but had never pulled a weapon on her.

“Girl, I told you!” James complained. “I need money, and I know you got some. You know, if you just get rid of that kid, we’d be good to go,” he told her, kissing her hard. He was up against her in a way that let her know he had more than money and kissing on his mind.

Jess lashed out, scratching his face, hitting him, screaming - until he laid her out on the ground with a well-placed kick to the stomach. Jess curled up and felt his fists and feet reigning blows on her.

But her body jerked when she heard Christian’s voice, felt his little body try to wedge between them.

“Stop it! Don’t hurt my mom!”

He sounded so desperately grown, the way no child his age should ever have to. Jess couldn’t see anything, but he heard the sound of the rough backhand - the sting of flesh on flesh, and the names her child was being called.

She heard Christian crying for her.

So when the creep crawled on her, and tried for one more kiss, shoving his hands in her pockets and his tongue in her mouth, Jess bit him, merciless, after the way he’d hurt their son.

When he screamed and reared back, cursing at her, and bleeding everywhere, Jess made her move. Legend had taught her wrestling moves when they were kids, before she went to work as a self-defense instructor, and because of that Jess knew how to take advantage of a distraction.

She wiggled free and grabbed Christian, who was cowering in the lot as people walked by, doing nothing. Quickly, Jess ducked back inside the store, holding tight to Christian’s hand.

They hid in an aisle, and Jess urged him to be quiet, for nearly an hour until she was sure they could walk back to the hotel without James being there. As Jess stood, staring at the canned tuna and Spam, and feeling her child tremble in her arms though the danger had passed, Jess made a decision never to tell him that the man who stole six dollars from her that night was the same one who had stolen her dignity, and self-respect for years before that.

Jess would never tell Christian that the man who attacked them was Christian’s father.

--

When they pulled up to the apartment three hours later, Christian was stir-crazy and Jess was sore and stiff from not being able to stretch out. She took one look at her son, and knew they were both in a mood. He knew it, too. But Legend and her parents were oblivious, busy unpacking.

“I’m hungry,” Christian whined, sitting defiantly on the grass.

Instead of demanding that CJ stand up and act like a big boy, Jess leaned down and painstakingly scooped him into her arms and let him bury his face in her neck.

“Legend,” Jess called, as she walked past them, helping her dad haul her dresser to the door. Jess could imagine the time they would have walking that up the stairs.

“What?” Legend grunted, adjusting the weight of one end of the set of drawers.

Suddenly, Jess found herself face to face with a dark-haired girl, about her age. She looked like some kind of model for name-brand clothes - a little fashionista. She had on leggings, a bright cropped top, about five necklaces, bangle bracelets and make-up that looked professionally applied.

“Oh, my God, he’s so cute!” she gushed, holding out her arms. “Hi, sweetie. I’m Emily.”

Christian clung to Jess. He got shy when strangers wanted to hold him, and he wasn’t sure if he liked Emily that much.

“Hi, I’m Jess,” she introduced, shifting Christian so she could shake Emily’s hand. “And this is Christian. It’s nice to meet you.”

His mom was giving him the Mom face, that kind of serious one. So, Christian mumbled, “Nice to meet you,” real quiet.

“Oh, my God!” Emily exclaimed suddenly, jumping back. “What happened to you?” It finally registered that the dark smudge under Christian’s eye wasn’t just a weird shadow, but a bruise, and when she tore her eyes away from his adorable face and looked at Jess, she almost fell over. She’d never seen anybody look as beat up as her, except on the movie network, where all the dramatic ones played.

Christian perked up. “The robber did that when we got mugged,” he offered eagerly. “I fighted him really good, and he did this to my eye.” He pointed importantly to the bruise, but didn’t touch it.

“Christian! Overshare,“ Jess told him sharply, laying a finger gently on his lips.

“Well, that really is what happened!” he protested.

Irritated, Jess turned and searched the lot for Legend. She had lost her when Emily intercepted them. “We don’t tell that to people we just meet,” she told Christian.

Pouting, Christian wiggled to get down. He saw a big teenager boy with a mattress, and smiled, and got ready to do a big flying jump onto it.

“Christian, don’t you dare…” Jess warned, seeing the gleam in her son’s eye that meant trouble.

“No fair! I can’t do anything…” he whined.

“Help me look for Legend, and then tell her you and me are going to get groceries.”

That word groceries still made Christian feel funny in his belly, but since it was daytime, it was okay to buy stuff in the store. So Christian pretended he was on a spy mission and spied for Legend. When he saw her, he did a cool army crawl over to her. She was pushing a little cart thing filled up with a bunch of moving stuff. She bumped him just a little with it.

“I gotta ask you something,” he whispered.

“Why are we whispering?” she asked, whispering too.

“’Cause I’m on secret mission… Mom wants me to tell you, we’re going to the store. If we don’t come back, send in the force.” Christian nodded seriously.

Legend nodded, though she felt sad at his lingering hesitancy to do something that used to give him so much joy. “I’ll send the reinforcements, I promise,” she vowed. “Here, give this to your mom,” she told him, pulling out two twenties. She smiled as she heard Christian’s excited voice, as he tore across to Jess:

“Mom! We got two dollars!”

--

Libby Wright was distracted as her brother, Liam drove them toward his college campus. It was going to be hers, too. But he was almost done with school, while she was just beginning. Liam hadn’t stopped talking about the sermon about being a witness they heard in church that morning.

“That’s the whole reason I wanted to go to High City instead of some college in the Christian bubble,” he continued. “We can still grow as Christians ourselves, with me leading the Bible study on campus. But there are people living in sin, people who need to know Jesus as their Savior, and you’re just not going to have that opportunity to witness at a Christian school.”

Libby thought again of her new roommates. Two of them in particular. She hadn’t heard much at all from Morgan, but Emily had sent a letter, and Legend sent an email introducing herself, as well as her best friend, Jess, and Jess’s son. She had even sent pictures. Libby knew that as passionate as her brother was about loving people and them being saved, he wouldn’t be thrilled to know that she would be living with an unwed mother, with a four-year-old son who was biracial. Liam wouldn’t think the housing situation was appropriate for her.

So she prayed harder than she prayed for anything recently, that Jess and her little boy would be gone when they arrived, on some big venture that took a long time. Once she was all moved in, Libby knew, there was no way Liam could get her to move.

--

Legend was busy setting up Jess and Christian’s room when Legend heard more unfamiliar voices coming in the apartment. She ignored them, letting Emily be the welcoming committee. Legend’s mom was taking care of her room, and her dad was still hauling things and setting up the TV. Legend thought the least she could do was make this new room feel like home to Christian and Jess.

Out in the living room, Emily was escorting Libby to the bedroom she was ready and willing to share.

“We’ll be right back here,” Emily told her. “Legend and Morgan can share. Morgan’s not here yet, and --”

Libby squeezed Emily’s arm and whispered, “Don’t mention Jess and her son. My brother wouldn’t let me stay if he knew.”

Nodding solemnly, Emily whispered, “They’re shopping anyway, won’t be back for a while.”

Emily had already decided that she and Libby would be best girlfriends. They were the youngest there, next to little Christian - who she was not allowed to mention - she reminded herself. Libby was absolutely gorgeous with arresting clear blue eyes and brown hair. She dressed a little plain, just a brown, gross-looking tee shirt and worn dark blue jeans. But Emily had it on good conscience that she could fix that, and promised herself she would give Libby the makeover her natural beauty just begged for.

“Legend’s in here,” Emily said, taking Libby past Jess and Christian’s room, expertly leaving their names out of the conversation.

“Hey,” Legend said, standing and walking over to shake hands. “Are you Morgan or Libby?” she asked, a comical smile on her face.

“Libby,” she laughed.

“We haven’t seen Morgan yet, but she’ll be with you,” Emily advised.

Legend nodded, relieved. She didn’t want to admit that Emily’s personality was already a bit much. She had seen how she reacted to Jess and Christian, and she didn’t like it. But she was willing to make due with whatever it took to ensure her friends’ safety.

--

Liam was trying to figure out what to do with Libby’s desk. The Emily girl already had one, and it took up most of the spare space along one wall. There would be no room for it in that little bedroom. Determined, Liam tried to heft the bulk of it into the trailer he brought. It weighed more than a skinny guy like him could ever bench-press.

“Hey, want some help?”

Turning, Liam stopped short at the sight of the most beautiful girl he’d ever seen. She looked fresh from an island where all you did was eat pineapple and relax. She had a sweet face, stunning brown eyes slanted slightly at the corners - reminding him of the faces his parents had shown him, in pictures of their second honeymoon in Hawaii. She had long dark hair and a ready smile. She wasn’t that tall, but she was strongly built. He admired the cut of her arms in the bright orange tank top she wore.

“I’m Morgan,” she introduced, taking the other end of the desk and stepping up inside the trailer so he could follow with the rest.

“Nice to meet you,” Liam gasped, once the desk was safely put back. “I’m Liam, I think you live with my sister, Libby,” he extended a hand to help her down, though it was sore would probably blister soon.

Morgan smiled a little. It couldn’t be easy to be such a puny-looking guy. But the way he reached out to help her down was kind of sweet. Plus he had the coolest grey-blue eyes, and weird straw hat that looked like it did wonders keeping the heat off him.

“Nice hat,” she commented, amused that he was following her. She wondered if Liam knew he was walking in the opposite direction of the apartments, and instead toward her car.

“You bring any manpower with you?” Liam asked, looking around for similarly beautiful people.

Morgan shook her head. “Just me. It’s fine, I didn’t bring much anyway.”

“Let me run and get the cart from Legend. I’ll help you.” Liam was already off, running so fast he had to grab his hat to keep it on his head.

He rushed up the stairs taking them two at a time, and down the hall to where the Libby’s door stood ajar. He backed up a few paces, not seeing Legend in there, or his sister for that matter.

“Legend, Morgan’s here,” he said breathless, finally spotting her in the kitchen.

“I’ll call the newspaper,” she dead-panned from the sink, where she was washing all the dishes Emily brought, trying not to wince at the garish orange and purple color combinations on the plates and cups.

Liam’s eyes darted around, searching. “Where’s the cart?”

“You ran by it in your frenzy,” Legend quipped, rolling her eyes. “It’s in the hall.”

Taking off again, Liam nearly ran into Morgan who was coming in with her arms full of her pillow and a comforter in a laundry basket. He chivalrously took it from her, as Legend yelled a greeting from the sink and directed them both to the room she’d share with the newcomer.

When Libby saw the way her brother was rushing around helping Morgan, she knew she might as well kiss Liam’s help goodbye. Libby flopped dramatically in the single folding chair that occupied the kitchen.

“I’m hungry,” Emily complained, following suit, sitting on Libby‘s lap and nearly crushing her. “Do we have anything to eat?”

--

When Liam got back to his apartment an hour later, and went inside, he found it full of people. There was a blond guy on the couch looking on as everyone else moved stuff around. Since he was the only one not busy, Liam approached him. “Hey, man. Liam,” he introduced, his hand extended, waiting.

“Jonathan,” the guy responded. Ignoring Liam’s outstretched hand, Jon called out, “Dad! When are you going to get to the TV?”

“When I get to it,” a disembodied voice said from somewhere else.

Jonathan was dressed way too nice for a day sweating and moving furniture. He had a face that girls would go nuts for. The brown eyes that could get someone to do anything for you.

“Jon. Manners,” a woman’s voice reprimanded.

“That’s my mom,” he vaguely gestured behind him where three women stood, none of whom resembled Jonathan. Two red-headed kids ran by, screeching and giggling. “The two rug rats are my sister Anna’s.” Again, the vague gesture to the kitchen. “Quinn and Kendall, you better not be messing with my books!” he yelled belatedly.

Liam suddenly had the uncomfortable sensation that he was being watched. He turned quickly, making the guy standing there flinch.

He was dressed like he was somebody important, in a smart-looking dress shirt and tight jeans. Even his shoes were high-class. He was tall, and darker-skinned. Like some of the kids at the inner city youth program Liam would soon be working with. He was muscular and in good shape. It figured that Liam should be the weakling and the least attractive of the bunch.

“I’m Nathaniel,” the guy spoke softly. As his mother walked by, he caught her and pulled her close. “This is my mother, Amy.”

Nate remembered the fun they’d had organizing his room together. He just loved the closeness they shared. She and his younger brother, who was eighteen, were everything to him. They were a little family, but they loved each other. Nate regretted the times over the summer when he’d done dumb things, like getting drunk days before he was legal, or having people spend the night he wasn’t supposed to have, because his mom didn’t allow it. He was always doing stupid stuff like that. And then his mom would turn around and be just amazing. They still ate dinner together, even if they hadn’t been happy with one another earlier. Last night, she had indulged them both, buying them ice cream and lots of toppings while they watched a movie until late, all sharing the same blanket and giant bowl of popcorn. He had snuggled close to his mom, and his brother rested his head on Nate’s shoulder. Those were the moments Nate would miss being away at school.

It didn’t take a genius for Liam to see that Nathaniel and his mom didn’t exactly match. She was Caucasian as anybody got, and Nathaniel was, well, black. Light black, but still. Liam bit back the question that burned to be asked. Was he adopted?

Nate could see the reluctance written all over Liam’s face - reluctance to even touch him. He could see the wheels turning too, the way he stood there, gaping at them. He was wondering if they could possibly belong to each other naturally, and then dismissing the thought. Nate smiled inside, wondering what this guy would think if he met his brother, Joey - who was technically his half-brother - and as white as his mom.

He hated that all these people were milling around, that Liam more easily accepted Jon as a suitable person, even though all he’d done since he and his family had arrived two hours before, was sit on his ass, and demand that people do things for him. The place was crawling with adults and even a couple red-headed kids, who poked their heads in to see what he and his mom were doing. Nate was used to keeping his world small. It was safer that way, and he had less of a chance of being hurt.

Liam finally shook both their hands. He fought not to wipe his on his pants after Nathaniel’s sweaty one touched his.

Quickly, Nate excused himself, and Amy followed, knowing she had to get home to Joey before too long.

“You call us, okay?” Amy told him, reaching up to give him a hug.

Nate nodded. “Tell Joey I miss him. And you’ll hear from me soon. Don’t worry,” he said quietly. He already had plans to send them flowers.

“We love you,” she told him fiercely, trying not to cry. She didn’t want to leave her baby in this apartment with a spoiled slacker and a guy who was obviously intolerant or overly sheltered.

“I love you, too,” he responded gently, opening the door for her and letting her pull it closed.

Nate walked back to the living room, feeling empty and alone in a room crawling with strangers.

“I wonder if Coby ever found a place…” Liam mused, oblivious to Nate‘s discomfort.

“Who?” Jonathan wondered.

“This dude who wanted to room with us, but was too late,” Liam elaborated.

--

In the kitchen, Coby took screws from his little sister, Riley. She sat in the middle of the floor with him, in her little league baseball shirt that advertised a pizza place, and her cute, matching red hat. Her dark hair was pulled through the back in a ponytail. She was only eight, but Coby let her use the screw gun.

None of them had brought a table, so Coby was making one from pieces he had his brother pick up at a furniture store. He didn’t mind. Coby liked building things.

“Could you keep it down?” Aaron yelled. “The lemurs are gonna do something!”

“What are they gonna do?” Riley asked, craning her neck to see the television. She was interested in lemurs. She used to love watching the show with the puppet-lemur when she was in kindergarten. She even thought it was real.

Aaron shrugged. Actually, he didn’t mind the noise and thought it was pretty cool that Coby had a tight relationship with his sister. It reminded him of his own relationship with his sister Sofia - even though Sofi was fifteen. She and his mom had already been there and gone. If he could say one thing about his little family, they sure were efficient. Now, he was just chilling - a bandanna on his head, no shirt, and a Coke in his hand.

“Where’s Blake at, anyway?” Coby grumbled.

“In the truck, pouting. He said he’s done helping,” Riley piped up helpfully.

“Hey. Who wants pizza?” a new voice called from the doorway.

“Ooh, Bryan’s back!” Riley squealed, abandoning her pile of screws and rushing to hold the door open for Bryan and his mom and sisters.

“Coby, come sit down,” Bryan’s mom, Flora encouraged. “Bryan will help you fix that later.”

Gratefully, Coby used his own bandanna to mop his forehead, and accepted the plate from Bryan’s family. Blake had driven with Riley from Montana, but his dad was working, just like Bryan’s dad. Aaron’s dad wasn’t in the picture as far as Coby could see.

Coby was pretty sure he’d lucked out with roommates. Both Bryan and Aaron seemed like easy-going guys. They didn’t have agendas or an unidentified weird factor like Liam, the guy Coby almost moved in with. Both were Latino, both were close to their families. Coby hadn’t met Aaron’s mom and sister, but Flora was awesome, and seemed very close to the eldest daughter, Nessa. Bryan was best friends with Angie, who was Coby’s age, and Riley had singled out Bryan’s youngest sister, fourteen-year-old Raquel, as her new best friend. Aaron seemed very easy to get along with, and Bryan was warm and open, and dressed in sweats and tee shirts. Aaron, it seemed, preferred only jeans, and neither one minded that Coby dressed “like a badass”, as his dad called it.

“Hey, Ry?” Coby called to his sister, who had made herself comfortable on the floor beside Raquel. “Go see if Blake wants some pizza.”

“I think he’s sleeping,” Angie offered, smiling.

“We’ll send some home for the two of you,” Flora promised, making Riley grin.

Coby was going to miss that when they left - Riley‘s smile, and the way it took next to nothing to bring it to her face. He let his eyes stay on his baby sister an extra second, before biting into his pizza, and simply letting himself enjoy the moment.