Accepted

18.

I swallowed the food I was currently chewing and wiped my mouth off with the nearby napkin.

"Well.." I started, looking into his orbs. "I just graduated high school. I'll be turning nineteen in like a month. I basically ran away from my mom to find my dad here and work on my love; basketball. My parents divorced when I was nine, going on ten and my mother lived through me ever since." I paused to take another bite and I noticed him side smile.

"She had me doing ballet and tried to make me into this girly prissy girl, which I'm not. I was very tomboyish growing up. I loved to play basketball with my dad, she didn't like it. Once they divorced, he moved away and didn't stay in touch. At least that's what I thought until I found letters a couple of weeks ago from him. I brought them all to read up on."

"So she hid it from you this entire time?"

"To shorten the story, yes." I shrugged, shaking my head at the thought. He did the same raising his brows.

"Wow. So you think your dad's here in Chicago?"

"That's where the sender location came from, I haven't seen a name yet. I haven't got a chance to finish reading any of them. I hope so, though."

"We sure don't mind helping you find him."

"Thats a big relief but tell me about you and the family." I switched over the subject.

"Well." He started, mocking my tone. I scoffed a laugh as he smirked, licking over his lips. "I'm seventeen and about to be a senior. I'm ready to get the hell out of there. As you can see, I like to cook. I'm the youngest, Julian's the middle and we have an older brother named Terrance."

"Wait Julian?" I asked, he paused his hand gestures and looked at me.

"Julian is-"

"Jue?"  I asked, he nodded. I gapped my mouth open with a smile.

"You didn't know that?" I shook my head no. "Well yeah, he doesn't really like it though so he goes by Jue."

"Oh okay. Well continue. Is Tevon yours?"

"No, he's my older brother Terrance's."

"Terrance lives here too?"

"No um.. my mom, she kicked him out. He got affiliated with the streets and...well she didn't want him to be a bad influence and corrupt us or whatever." He replied. I simply took it all in.

"Oh.."

"Yeah. My mom works at an all girl center. Helping girls who's been abused, molested, or scarred in any way. Mentally or physically. She loves doing it. She takes on extra hours, sometimes don't come home until the next day."

"That's sweet."

"Sure is. I guess since my grandma was molested twice when she was sixteen, it just touches her differently you know." I nodded, starting to feel a bit uncomfortable as to all he was telling me. I didn't want to come off as if I was being nosey.

"What about your dad?"

"He's in the army. We only see him like every two years so we miss him. Just hoping to never have those two soldiers with a flag at our door." He mumbled.

"Yeah, i wouldn't either."

"Guess things could be worse though, right?"

"Yeah, right." I didn't want to keep bothering or push up on another sensitive subject so I became quiet. He did also, catching my drift I assume.