The Ruds

Prolog:

It was a long drive from Green Woods, Mississippi to Dallas, Texas especially with my 'parents', really they are my foster parents. The three of us drove into our new neighborhood, it looked a little shady and tuff. We pulled into the driveway of our new house. It is two stories, not including the attic, it was big and gray with broken windows. I hopped out of the car and saw a group of five boys, throwing a football in the field across from the houses. "Get all the stuff out of the car and don't forget to put the boxes in the attic." Ruth told me. Ruth is my foster mother, she has short blonde, curly hair, blue eyes and she always has a tank top tied just above her stomach, with white jeans and heals. "Yes ma'am," I acknowledged. "Don't forget, some of my buddies are coming over tonight, so put the beer in the fridge." Harold reminded me, as he hopped out of the truck. He is a thicker man with long black hair and dark brown almost black, dark brown eyes, he usually has stained T's on and baggy jeans. "Yes sir" I sighed grabbing the one bag they let me bring. I walked inside the house and started putting things away in their spots and putting the boxes in the attic.

Two hours later I was finally done, Ruth walked in just seconds after, "Looks good in here, now I will show you your room." We walked up a flight of stairs and she pulls a string down from the ceiling, "You will be sleeping up there." She smiled. I go up and get my 'Room', I look out the window and see all the boys going inside.

I go back down stairs a while later, just as Harold was coming out of the master bedroom. "We have friends coming over tonight, so you are going to stay upstairs, unless we need you." He told me, "Yes sir," I sighed, "Excuse me?!" Harold half yelled. "What is going on?" Ruth asked coming out of the master bedroom. "Nothing" I said. "I wasn't talking to you." She glared. "You never are," I whispered. "What did you say?" Harold asked, "Are you being mean to your mother?" "She's not my mother" I mumbled. "What?" Harold said sternly. "She's not my mother," I said louder. "That's it," Harold grabbed my wrist and dragged me out the door and pushed on to the porch and then pushed me down the stairs. "Don't come back until you learn to be respectful, you ungrateful, little brat!" He yelled then walked back inside.

"Are you ok?" A boy asked, walking over with his friend. "Yea, I'm fine, it happens all the time." "How old are you?" The other boy asked "I'm eleven, and you two?" "I'm twelve and Mason is thirteen." The same boy said, I stood up and brushed off the dirt on my pants, "I'm Faith Borden," I told them looking up at them. "I'm Mason Fox and this is Dylan Gear." The older boy said, he had brown almost black hair and light green eyes, he was tall and whore a T-shirt with the sleeves cut off, blue jeans and convers. "Weren't y'all just play'in football over there?" I asked "Yea, with the rest of the gang, wanna meet um?" Mason asked, I looked back at the house to see if Ruth and Harold were watching me. "Sure," I shrugged. "How long have your folks been do'n that?" Dylan asked "Since I was six, but they aint my real parents," I told them. "My real parents died in a plane crash when I was five." After that no one talked 'til we got to the house, we walked in and closed the door. There was a two-person couch on the right, a three-person couch on the left, a pink chair in the back and television right in the middle. "TY, NAVVY, CASH!!" Mason yelled, and second later they all came out of the hallway on the right. "Who's that," One of them asked. "This is Faith, she just moved into the Cade's old house." Dylan told them. "That's TY, Cash and Navvy." Mason pointed to them as he said their names. "Ty is the oldest then Cash, by two months, then Navvy then me then Dylan" Mason continued. Ty is tall and had long, brown hair and greener hazel eyes, he had a tight T, on and blue jeans. Navvy was wearing a white tank top and blue jeans, he has browner hazel eyes and brown hair. Cash had black hair and grey blue eyes, he was wearing a button shirt, unbuttoned and with the sleeves cut off and blue jeans. "Ty and Navvy are brothers and Cash and Mason are brothers." Dylan said. "Nice to meet you Faith." Cash joked coming over to shake my hand. I could tell he was the prankster in the group. He quickly shook my hand then went back to stand by ty and Navvy. "So you a Mod?" Cash asked after a while. "A what?" I asked "Mods are the rich kids, the Cliffside kids, Mods as in modish, which means spoiled, rich, pampered, and then there are Ruds, us, the poor kids, the BD's, like boon docks, Ruds as in... actually I don't know where we got the name from. Anyway two groups, rival gangs, we hate them they hate us no questions asked." Navvy explained. "That makes since, and no I am not some rich goody, goody." I answered. "How do we know?" Cash asked. "Do Mods steal things?" I asked. "No, they already have everything." Cash said. "Oh so to prove I'm a Ruds I would have to steal something?" I asked. "That's not really how it works." Navvy said. "Oh so Cash doesn't want his wallet back." I smiled, Cash felt his pockets and noticed his wallet wasn't there, as he did so I took it out of my pocket and held it up. "How did you do that?" He asked taking it back. "When you shook my hand I took it; how do you think I can afford to eat? I've been doing that for years." I told them. "Don't worry I was going to give it back; I don't steal from people who I might end up becoming friends with." I continued. They all just stood there and didn't say anything, "Well I should get going, so I don't miss Harold and Ruth's friends and the chance to be pushed down some more stairs." I said giving a quick smile then leaving.

"She's really somth'n," Ty said

"Have y'all seen the football?" Dylan asked. "I think we left it outside yesterday." Ty said. "We're going to lose it if we keep doing that." Navvy said, slipping on his shoes and his work shirt. They all went outside to pass the football for a while before Ty, Cash and Navvy had to go to work. They all went outside and were headed to the field when Navvy stopped. "Why'ja stop?" Ty asked, Navvy didn't answer for a while, "Aren't those Faith's shoes?" He finally said walking to the car, everyone else followed looking in the windows. "It's Faith," Dylan said. "Why is she sleeping in the car?" Mason asked. "I da'know, let's ask'er." Cash knocked on the window. "NO" "Don't" "Stop" "Wait" The rest of them yelled in unison.

I woke up, and noticed who it was, I unlocked the door and stepped out. "What are you doing in there?" Navvy asked. "Harold and Ruth wouldn't let me back in and it rained last night, so I decided to sleep in here." I told them, then yawning, "Well if you ever get kicked out again you can just sleep on the couch at our place, the door is always unlocked for that reason." Ty said. "Thanks," I smiled. "You know how to throw a football?" Mason randomly asked. "Yea, I know how to throw a football" I smiled again. "Then what are we waiting for?" Dylan asked racing Mason to the field, the rest of us following them.

4 years' latter...