Safe Travels

True Friends (Stab You In The Front)

I'd stayed in so many hotels, I'd almost forgotten what Thomas's apartment looked like. I could tell you, however, that no hotel could ever match up to the comfort I felt back in London, back home.

After the funeral, Thomas took Alaine and I out to dinner. We ate at Chili's, which neither Thomas nor Alaine were familiar with. We had a great time, laughing and discussing American customs. Alaine tried to copy my accent, which led to more laughter.

It was a pretty good night, considering the kind of day we'd had.

Too bad the next day was pretty shitty.

The next day we got a knock on our hotel room door. I didn't need to ask any questions to know the men knocking were with child services. I'd seen men like them plenty of times when Gary was still around.

"Is Thomas here?"

I nodded slowly and called for him.

"What can I do for you gentlemen?"

Thomas was surprisingly well composed for a man who was just in prison and at his sister's funeral. He was well shaven, his hair was combed neatly, and his smile was confident. He was dressed in crisp blue jeans and a black v-neck, but today he didn't look like a starving artist. He actually seemed well kept.

"Some relatives of Megan's got wind of your jail time, and would like to take custody of her."

"Wait! Thomas is a great guardian! I've gotten so much better since I started living with him. Please -"

"Sorry sweetheart, but this isn't your decision to make."

I was bristling with anger. What right did this burly Manwhich eating prick have to tell me it's not my decision who I live with?!

Alaine giggled behind me and Thomas put a hand on my shoulder. The two uniformed men looked at me like I was the rudest bitch alive.

Which I probably seemed like, considering I said that thought of mine out loud.

The men handed Thomas a sheet of paper with a court date on it and left without a word. Thomas mumbled something about rescheduling out flights and Alaine looked slightly worried.

"I want to go back to London with you."

She looked at me longingly, like everything she'd ever wanted was right in front of her and about to be snatched away. My heart exploded and I pulled her into a heated kiss. Her hands roamed my back while mine caught in her hair and it wasn't until Thomas cleared his throat that we pulled away. We were both panting and smiling, so it was worth the awkwardness of getting caught.

"Okay... Look. We'll fight this, okay? My mother is old. She's not competent enough to take care of herself, much less a teenage girl. We got this..." It sounded like he was trying to convince himself.

Because really, a man with a criminal record and no history of relationships did not square up so well against a woman who'd already mothered two kids. No matter how old she was.

My grandmother got in contact with Thomas and told him he was to bring me to her. There wasn't much he could do but appease her, so I was taken to her home.

The neighborhood was a block from my old one, and it was just as raunchy and dirty. The houses were all falling apart, the cars were trash, paint was peeling everywhere, weeds were growing weeds, and even the trees were all gnarly and bent out of shape. Granted, Thomas's apartment wasn't all roses and sunshine, but this place sucked. I wasn't usually a person to worry too much about outer appearances, but there were dead cats and blood stains on the sidewalks. And child services wanted to send me here?

My grandmother's house was decent compared to the other ones. The amount of paint peeling off the wood sidings were minimum, the lawn was kept up (albeit very patchy), and the driveway didn't have an old piece of junk in it.

Okay, it was a 2000 Honda Accord, but the body was still intact.

When we got out of the car and knocked on the door, we were greeted by the same men from earlier that morning. They smiled at me.

"Until the court date, you've got a better home to live in"

The guy glanced around like this was that great. I wanted to vomit.

"Better... Have you seen this place?"

"You can't just take her from me like that her mother gave me custody!"

"This isn't very fair to Megan"

We all three were shouting at the men, but my grandmother appeared from the kitchen and grabbed me by the arm.

"Come on. No need to spend any more time with a criminal who's going to rot your brain. It's time you learn some real morals."

Oh. I know exactly what this was all about now.