Thieves

Chapter 13

Scar left quickly. He wouldn’t be able to see the family if he wanted to get away from them all. It would just drain him too much emotionally if he tried. He felt the tears slip down his cheeks as he took off running to get away from the shed. For now, not thinking was a better idea than trying to think.

He eventually found himself in a deserted park and flopped down on a bench. He could feel himself crying as he closed his eyes, trying to sleep. Sleep meant he could forget everything for just a little while.

As he was falling asleep, he heard a familiar voice.

“Scar! What are you doing?” Gray said as he walked over and poked the older boy in the shoulder. “And you get mad at me for sleeping everywhere. You really shouldn’t sleep in the park. The police come around here pretty often and you could get in trouble.”

Scar sighed and sat up, making sure the tears were wiped away from his face. He couldn’t let Gray see him crying. “I’m sleeping. As you very obviously stated. Now get going. I really need to sleep,” he said, making a motion for him to go.

Gray folded his arms across his chest and shook his head. “So go to the shed. I’m sure Gloria would be happy to see you. She’s missed you a lot these past few weeks,” he said. Having no clue what had just happened between the two, he didn’t understand how wrong the words that just came out of his mouth were. “So go home. Everyone’s missed you.”

Scar took a deep breath and looked at Gray. “I’m not going home. It’s too dangerous,” he said curtly. He looked into the gray eyes of the boy who was practically his younger brother. “Take care of Gloria. I will check in once in a while. But I can’t live with you. I explained this all to Gloria. She can tell you it.”

When he went to stand up and leave, Gray stood in front of him and blocking his exit. “Excuse me? You’re an idiot,” he said simply. His voice held quiet anger as he stated the fact. “Try again. Let’s see if you can still be the guy I’ve looked up to since I moved in.”

Scar raised an eyebrow and looked up at the younger boy, unable to get up without shoving him out of the way. “I said take care of Gloria. I’m going to keep the police away from you guys until it’s safe for me to come back,” he repeated, worried at what his response would be to his words.

A fist connected with Scar’s face. “You have lost all of my respect,” Gray said quietly to him. “I don’t know you anymore.” His eyes burned with a cold fury. “You have hurt my sister. You plan on hurting the rest of my family. Get out.” He hit him again before taking a step back and leaving him room to leave.

The older boy’s eyes widened and he touched his face in surprise and hurt. “Forgive me,” he said quietly, standing up and walking off. His back faced Gray and his head was bowed slightly. The last thing he had expected was for Gray to hit him or lose his temper. Gray had always been the mellow one… He bit his lip, stopping, and glanced over his shoulder at Gray before continuing on his way to find an abandoned building or something.

Gray’s eyes drilled holes into Scar’s back before he hurried home to find Gloria. He found Gloria sitting on the floor crying. He sat down by her and hugged her.

“I won’t leave you, Gloria. I promise,” Gray said gently, keeping his anger under control for the moment. He petted her hair as he tried to calm her a bit. “But you have to pull yourself together. Nath and Dez will need you to be strong. I can tell them what happened if that helps. You don’t have to be the one to tell them.”

Gloria nodded slightly, tears still streaming down her face silently. “Thank you,” she murmured as she tried to calm herself. She wiped the tears away from her face and blinked the rest of the tears away as well as she could. “Don’t turn them against though. Please. He’s only trying to take care of us.”

Gray took a deep breath and looked at her. “I won’t. I will make sure they don’t get the wrong idea of him. I will tell them just the basics,” he said quietly. He didn’t want the news to hurt the two too much. Dez and Nath had already been through too much for kids their age in his opinion but he also had too. Fourteen year olds shouldn’t have to take care of people. They should be the ones being taken care of. He shook his head quickly, trying to rid himself of the thoughts. There was no point in wishing for what one couldn’t have but sometimes he couldn’t help it…

(I hope you enjoyed the chapter! I have been updating a lot lately. Feel free to comment, vote, or fan. Thanks! ~Cajun)