Them

Chapter 8

The next morning I got dressed and walked into the main room. “Hey have you met the new guy?” Sam asked me.

“What new guy.” Then she pointed at Alex. He was talking to a group of kids.

“Is he staying here?”

“No, he said he knew someone here, he’s living in a house a crossed town.”

“Rose.” He said as he got up and walked over to me. Then I saw that Red was sitting on the other side of the couch.

“Hey, what are you doing here?”

“I just got moved here.” He pulled me into a hug and whispered. “Play along they can’t know I’m the other side.” He let go of me and then said. “I had to see you.”

“You know each other?” Sam asked.

“Yeah we were friends when we were little; I lived here for a couple weeks but got moved.”

“Why did you get moved?”

“I got into fights a lot so they thought taking me out of the town would help.”

“Did it?”

“Not really, but somehow I ended up back here.”

“I have to go to check in; you can come with me if you want.”

“Okay.” We left and everyone was watching us.

“When did you come over?”

“A little bit ago; I went with Gene to the school and just walked out the front doors.”

“How did you know where I lived?”

“Gene told me.”

“Okay.”

“What’s with that Red guy?”

“What do you mean?”

“I told him I was there to see you and he threatened me.”

“Oh, I thought Gene told you about me.”

“He told me you had a kid when you were younger and that things were getting complicated with the father.”

“When that’s partly true; see Red’s the father.”

“Really, that jerk.”

“Yeah I was young, he seemed nice then, and him being a jerk is partly my fault.” We stood in line and waited for my turn.

“How is it partly your fault?”

“I told him are son was in a different town, but he was really here in an orphanage.”

“That’s hardly enough for how he’s acting.” We went inside and walked to my room. I sat down on the bed and Alex sat on the chair. Then Gene walked in.

“What are you doing here?” Gene asked.

“What you’re not happy to see me?”

“I thought you would be hanging out with the people in Roses house, not Rose.”

“He told everyone we were friends when we were little and he got moved back here.” I told him.

“Why?”

“So no one would figure out that I live on the other side.”

“What are they going to do when you leave at night and then only come back in the morning.”

“I’m not an idiot. I told them I live in a house a crossed town, which is technically true.”

“Fine, just be careful, I can’t help you if you get caught.”