More Than I Thought

4

The road had been hard to follow with all the tree growth and undergrowth. But we had trudged until we could trudge no more, really late, Rom called it a night. Slipping off the road and into a small bowl-like area between two downed trees she laid out two thermal blankets and then pulled out her tent to make us a shelter. In the end, it wasn't pretty but I had never been so happy to cuddle up with my friends in the woods. The sun arrived way too soon.

"If I ever decide to go camping again, and that is one HUGE mother truckin' IF. But if I do, Rommie is packing my shit." Nan says as Rom hands out some more energy bars and water gets passed around.

"Where did you get the water", Greg sounds real suspicious as if Rommie was holding out on him.

"The river is only 100 yards or so down there", She tells him pointing off to my left. "I slept on the outside, when I got up I took care of my business and refilled all the canteens." She tosses him some, I wouldn't have.

"Yeah, having a street rat around has been good," Andrew says as he stretches.

"Andrew, that's not nice. Apologize, right now." I tell him, I am so embarrassed he'd say something like that.

"Why would you say that man", Nan says, punching him in the chest.

"What"? Andrew wails as he rubs his chest, where she punched him.

"It's fine man. They're just tired. Ignore their asses." Greg heads out into the forest as the rest of us get up and help get things packed away. I so wish I had prepared better.

Rom looks at me, I signal for her to wait. She is over the attitude of the guys. I don't blame her but if she leaves them they will die out here.

"What did he mean by 'street rat'" Charles asks, as he catches up with us. We'd been on the road for an hour or so and the trees were beginning to thin out.

"Charles, don't", Mark demands. Mark is always defending us from Greg and his guys. I haven't figured out why he hangs out with them.

"No it's fine, I'm not ashamed of my life." Stopping to take a swig of water, Rommie looked Charles in the eye. "There was a point in my teens when I was homeless and lived in an alley."

"Why" Charles was pissing Mark off with his questions?

"My guardian died."

"Getting answers from you is like pulling teeth. Just tell me what we all want to know." Charles had moved into hostile boredom, and he had no problems fighting to entertain himself. He had no problems making everyone else uncomfortable.

"Gee, I hadn't realized I was on 'So this is Your Life'. Where's the camera I want them to get my best side." Snarking off, Rom moved faster. My entire body protested but I refused to be left behind.

"What? Thought you weren't ashamed of your life decisions." When we got out of this I was editing my life and Greg and his guys were on the delete list.

"Fine I'll tell you but if you don't keep up and don't hear a part do not ask me to repeat it." Everyone bunched up as we moved on down that seemingly never-ending rutted old road. Rom told of how her parents had her too young and were forced to be parents. About how they died and her Uncle Bo took her in. Man, I remember him being so sweet, him in the kitchen covered in pink icing because Rommie had wanted a pretty pink unicorn cake. He hadn't realized he needed to order it from the bakery, Rommie thanked him for that ugly smeared cake. He was the best. She told about him dying and how she'd run from the state lady and how the lady had stolen from her and destroyed her home. How mom had taken her in and how one of Bo's friends had sued the state for the lady and for how Bo died.