Nothing Left to Lose -MGK fanfic-

Chapter 4- Tatie's pov

The next few days and weeks flew by. I was adjusting surprisingly well to Shaker Heights. I still wasn't talking to Colson...er, "Kellz". Mostly because he hadn't made any kind of an effort to talk to me first.

Of course, then there's English, where me and him were assigned to be desk partners.
Usually, Kellz isn't exactly..."alert" in class. Usually he slouches his head down on his arm. He'll doodle obscenity inside textbooks. Sometimes he even falls asleep. But today I saw him doing something he never does... he was writing in a notebook. Was he ACTUALLY doing the assignment!?
Being the nosy person I am, I peered over at his beat up composition book to see what he was scribbling down:

"We live on front porches and swing life away
We get by just fine here on minimum wage
If love is a labor I'll slave til the end"...

"Well how does the ending go?" I suddenly found myself asking him abruptly.
"What the hell are you staring at my notebook for?!" He inquired, defensively slamming the book shut.
"That's really good, did you write that yourself?"
There was a pause.
"Nah, it's lyrics from a song by this band, Rise Against. It's called Swing Life Away."
So let me get this straight...here is this tough guy, tall, scruffy, delinquent type kid...and he likes doodling song lyrics inside his book? That's actually surprisingly attractive. "...so what's the last line then? What's the thing that rhymes with 'til the end'?"
He looked down, hiding a sheepish grin.
"Well the real words are 'I won't cross these streets until you hold my hand', but...I don't know. I don't really like it. Like, why should you have to wait for someone else in order to go places with you're life? If I was given the chance for something great, I would cross that street all by myself. Hell, I would roam the whole damn world..."
We sat there for a few moments, just simply being in each other's presence. Colson was deeper than I thought; and also a lot more emotional.
"Do you really rap?" I asked, smirking a little. He just laughed.
"Yeah, a little. I'm not great. But I'm working on..well you, know." He started chuckling again.
"What...you mean a mixtape? The one those boys were teasing you for the other day??"
He laughed again, but this time he sounded kinda snarky. "You're worried about me getting "teased", by "those boys?" You sound like the mother I never had." I laughed along with him, but on the inside I couldn't help but wonder what he meant by that. The mother he never had? Where was his mother then?

The end of the day arrived, and since my house is pretty close to the school and it was only slightly cloudy out, I figured I would walk home. I was barely a few steps away from the school when someone came running up behind me gleefully.
"Hey there cuteness," the voice began. It was...Colson?
Before I knew it, his arm was around me casually. "I don't usually see you here."
"Yeah, I take the bus most of the time. I'm too lazy to walk," I said jokingly. "You're in an awfully good mood. Why so?"
"Well to start," he gushed, "I just got a fucking 87 on a math test, like what the fuck man I NEVER do that good on tests, in math especially."
"Oh my god that's great!"
"ANNNND Eminem's new album drops today and you know Ima get my hands on that shit as soon as I possibly can cuz he da god."
It was so fucking weird to see Kellz acting so...pleasant. I liked this bubbly side of him though, and I really did hope it would last. I could get used to him being like this all the time. Finally, I felt that same connection again that I felt the day I met him, when he smiled at me with that smooth self-assuredness he had on that day when I first laid eyes on him, sitting on the edge of the sidewalk looking like some kind of perfect. He was wearing cargo shorts and a white tee shirt with a black abstract print on it, with black converse (same ones as me, except high top). His hair was wild and certainly unique, styled into some kind of choppy mohawk. His defined chin bones and broad shoulders made him look masculine. His crooked innocent smile made him look like a kid. His long pointed nose made him look original. His distinctive hair made him look like he put a lot of effort into his appearance. His messy clothes made him look like he didn't care. He was the sexiest, yet the most awkward, guy I had ever laid eyes on.
Eventually, we reached my house, which is farther from the school than I thought. Colson walked me up the drive to my front door.
He grabbed my small delicate hands in his large bony ones (which were actually almost just as delicate.) "See ya later homie," he gushed sweetly, letting go of my hands.
"We've been walking for like 20 minutes, how far is your house?" I asked, a little concerned.
"Eh, it's up the road somewhere."
"Where is 'somewhere'?"
"You know...a couple more minutes of walking and I'll be home. It's on one of those culdesac streets."
"Alrighty then, I'll see you tomorrow," I said, waving as he continued on his way."
He just turned his head back and nodded at me in recognition, like he did when we first met. Damn, I love that boy.

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The mostly clear skies this afternoon had fooled me, because by the evening it was pouring. My mom was still at work and my brother was off with some kids doing God-knows-what, so it was just me in the house. I was a little scared, with all that rain, although it wasn't too windy out so at least I didn't really need to worry about any tree branches falling.
By 10:00, I was already kind of tired. Probably from walking home earlier today with Colson. I flopped down on the couch in my living room to watch some TV when there was an untimely knock at the door. Figuring it was probably Beck, who tends to forget his key, I opened it. But to my surprise...it was anyone but Beck. Of course, it was Mr. Colson Baker.
"Colson! What the hell are you--"
"Tatie, please I need to stay here tonight," he started desperately. Was he crying?! I couldn't tell whether it was rain on his face or if they were tears.
"I lied to you today," he sniffled. "I wasn't walking to my house. I don't even have one. Every night is another fucking struggle, having to beg people to let me sleep on the couch. I'm so sorry Tatie...I wanted to keep up my tough guy image for you. But look at me I'm a fucking mess standing here soaking wet in the FUCKING RAIN because I don't even have anywhere else to go!" By now he was starting to sound less sad...and a lot more enraged."And you know why it's because my dad kicked me out and then he moved away without me and he didn't even want me no more and and and--" He just kept rambling on after that. After a few minutes, and a lot of coaxing and rubbing his shoulder consolingly, I got him to take a breath and stop freaking out.
"Please, come in and make yourself comfortable. The longer couch is all yours. I'll go get you some blankets and some of my brother's clothes since you're clearly soaked."
"Thank you," he managed to say, his teeth chattering. He didn't bother to sit down on the couch though, just paced back and fourth nervously.
"When I come back downstairs," I said soothingly, "you can tell me everything."