Unlikely

Chapter Nine: Progress

"Do you have any siblings?" I thought that question would be easy enough. I could work my way to my burning questions, I didn't want him to get defensive.

"Nope, it's just me." He answered while he absentmindedly scratched at the wood of the table we were sitting at. We had made our way to the park and chose to sit where there would be some shade, luckily it was empty so talking openly wouldn't be an issue.

"Just you, your stepdad, and mom?" He nodded.

"What about your dad?" I watched closely to ensure I wasn't stepping over any boundaries. He didn't seem at all bothered by my line of questions.

"He's back in Chicago. He and my mom had shared custody for a while, but I was spending more time with her anyways, he didn't mind that I was being taken here."

"Did you mind?" He paused a moment, seeming confused by the question. "Coming here? Leaving him behind? I mean, you must've had an opinion about moving here, right?" I tried to clarify.

"Yeah, no, I know what you meant. Sorry, it's just that I knew I was coming here for months now, and that's the first time someone's asked if that's what I wanted." He seemed happy with the question. I smiled at him, glad I'd asked it.

"Is it what you wanted?" He just shrugged in response.

"I didn't bother caring about the move. They were gonna do whatever they wanted no matter what."

"Well...now that you are here, do you still not care? You must have a preference. Florida is pretty different than what you're used to, I'm sure." I cracked a smile at seeing him play off how hot he was.

"Yeah, about that, how are you not sweating right now?" He seemed baffled and I just laughed softly in response.

"Used to it, I guess." I shrugged and smiled wider.

"I don't think I'll ever get used to it."

"Well, just wait a few months and it'll be cozier. Too cold for my liking, but I'm sure for an out-of-towner like yourself, it'll be okay." He smiled at me and I looked at his hand, still playing with the wood. "Okay, next question."

"Shoot."

"Do you have any friends back home?"

He didn't even take a second to pause before he responded with, "Nothing like what you have."

"Oh?"

"I mean, I have a couple of friends, but they were school friends. Didn't really keep contact with them outside of school. None of them reached out to even as how I've been."

"That's kind of lonely." I felt for him. Not everyone was lucky to have close friends like mine. But oddly enough he didn't seem that bothered about it.

"It's fine. Don't really have to depend on people. Just do what I have to do and move on."

"Well you know, you're gonna have to change."

He gave me a curious look, "Why?"

"Because Abby and Jesse already decided they like you. We kind of keep to ourselves as a group, and they let you in right out of the gate. Being friends with them is like being friends with surveillance cameras. Whether you want it or not they're gonna be in your business."

"Sounds scary." He laughed, flashing that smile I told him about earlier.

"They mean well. They just care very deeply about the people they're close to. That concern has saved me quite a few times." He looked away and stared pensively at the table. "What is it?"