Heart's Desire

one

   I don't remember falling to sleep whatsoever, but somehow, I ended up waking up outside of a large building, still in Levi's car. At least he hadn't tried to move me. He was standing talking to some tall guy that seemed to own the place like I wasn't even there. They both looked pretty friendly with each other, but it didn't matter how friendly they got, I didn't like them. Cops can't be trusted and bosses are money hungry, and I didn't like people in general.
  "Oh! Speak of the devil," Levi said, turning around completely as he finally noticed me being awake. "This is Xavier himself. Xavier, this is Reese, my brother." I nodded, assuming that they simply had one different parent at least. Reese went to extend his hand to be shaken, but Levi at least had the wisdom to shake his head and move his hand. I'm not sure I could have kept my cool if he had touched me. "Hey, why don't you tell him about the rooming situation instead?"
  "Right! Your roommates will be down shortly to show you out to your room. They'll tell you which bed—"
  "I'll sleep on the floor," I mumble, scratching my face and looking around. I already hated this place enough. "I don't need a bed. How many people do I share with?"
  "Three. All male and a similar age to you. They'll show you around and tell you everything you need to— Xyah! Hyde! Over here." two boys came over smiling and looking me up and down, observing that I was still in the car covered in a blanket. "This is Xavier. He insists he sleeps on the floor, so just show him where you stay."

   It was a long walk from where I had gotten out of the car, and I enjoyed long walks, but the guys seemed to be patient with my looking around. Every time I stopped to take a peek around the corner or at art on the walls, they stopped and waited for me too. Eventually, we did get there, though. Our shared room was a large room, or at least it was much larger than what I had at a home. Much tidier too. With me here, it probably wouldn't last all that long. I wasn't naturally messy, but things always ended up on the floor.
  "We should probably introduce ourselves. I'm Hyde, that's Xyah, and Navaeh will be back pretty soon. We have another roommate that leaves in a few weeks, his name is Kayden. He's rarely even here, though." the tallest one said, watching me as I pulled the blankets and pillows from the spare bed to make my own space on the floor. I made sure that I put it out of the way, tucked in a corner, though. Hyde was so tall, I wouldn't be surprised if his giraffe legs accidentally caused him to step on me. "Why are you doing that?"
  "I don't like the beds. I like the floor better."
  "So. I heard you were abused." the other one mumbled, biting his nails as he looked away. "I believe them."
  "Nobody ever fucking said that," I snapped, kicking him over. All I saw was red. He had no right to assume stuff like that about my family. "No-one ever fucking said that so don't you dare assume that you know anything about my life at all."
  He stood up, staring at me like I was insane. This guy was insane, thinking he could say things like that and get away with it.
  "Dude, please. Not liking beds, the whole thing in the car, not liking touch, temper, bruised wrists from the cuff, and you look like you haven't showered in about a month. You also didn't have cuffs on in the car and they bring everybody in with cuffs on. Talking about the car, you came in a freaking car instead of the bus. If that doesn't scream 'I was abused' then I don't know what does." I punched him, and Hyde quickly pulled me back. I didn't fight against it. Hyde had done nothing wrong, but if the other guy said anything else, he wouldn't be enough to hold me back.
  "Xyah that's enough. There's no need for any of this. Don't fight, you'll only get a strike on your first day and that's bad enough."
  "I'm just saying. It's his first day and—" I cut him off, getting ready to start a fight with him.
  "My first day and you'll be sleeping on a fucking hospital bed if you don't keep your mouth shut. You're a fucking dick and you need to learn to keep it shut before I get real fucking creative in getting you to be quiet."
  "Spoken like a true drug trafficker." said a blonde boy, and I looked up. His face was scarred from his eyebrow to his chin, thick and brutal. "What side of the town did you work in?"
  "I'm not a snitch," he chuckled and raised his brow at me.
  "It ain't bad to snitch sometimes. Just know who your friends are and who your enemies are. I'm just warning that I can be just as creative as you are, so don't go making me not like you. Treating them..." he pointed at Hyde and Xyah with a small smile. "Like shit is a way to do that."
  "Tell your boys to not make assumptions about my life. If I choose to sleep on the floor and your boy tries to claim I was abused again, he won't have a friend out of me." he takes a breath and nodded, smiling at me when I backed off.
  "Look, I'll talk to him about it, but you can't be threatening us over something like that. You've only just gotten moved in. Sleep on the floor, nobody minds it, just make sure you're not being stepped on."
  "Right. I won't be stepped on there, will I?" he looked to where I had settled the blankets and shook his head, and I noticed that Hyde was looking at him with shock. "What?"
  "Nothing. I just haven't seen him—uh, what's that word? Terms and stuff..."
  "Negotiate, babe."
  "Negotiate, right. Haven't seen him do it like that with anybody since he got here." Navaeh nods and hugs them both.
  "Most people who come here on drug charges are just one time dealers, he knows his shit. Someone snitch?" I shrug and pull up my sleeve to scratch my arm.
  "I don't know. We were on the last run of the day and then there were gunshots. I could have run further away but they shot me. Seen anyone new called Alex? He's short and looks like he could be broken in one punch." he took a minute to think about anything and everything, before finally nodding and grinning. Completely different to moments ago.
  "Alex... oh, yeah, I did! He'll be in the hall, getting food. I took him there myself."
  "I want to see him." he raises a brow and shakes his head. "There's nothing bad between us. I'm the only one looking out for him. I have been since we were kids."
  "No tension at all?"
  "He's like a little brother."
  "I don't know if that's supposed to concern me, or comfort me."