Earning a nickname

Chapter 7

Sunday 11th Luke's point of view

We were the last ones to leave, they had to turn off the lights as a hint. Even as they were walking out of the door Mrs Lawson was still in deep conversation with Mrs Warbie. We stayed out there in the wind as Mrs Lawson chatted on the church veranda. After another fifteen minutes Mr Lawson interrupted his wife politely saying that the Andersons were waiting.

We piled into the troupie again and headed off the Andersons. We drove for a little while out of town (not nearly as far as we had coming in for the Lawsons house though) and turned onto a dirt road. Up head I saw a gate and wondered who was going to get out, I hoped it wasn't me because it had begun to rain. Then I saw a mop of red hair peeking out from under a coat hood. Fox was sitting fence by the side of the gate, he looked up and saw us. He waved jumping off the fence and ran over the open the gate for us. I could see the Andersons house just up a head and hoped that Fox didn't want a lift in the already swished car. He however just hitched a ride on the ladder on the back of the troupie and we made our way to the Andersons veranda.

The Lawson don't get out of a car like normal people to, they seem to fall out. As Fox opened the back of the troupie I was pushed and fell out along with them. We ran to seek shelter under the veranda, I watched the Lawsons boys kick of their shoes and shake the rain drops out of their hair and rush inside. I unlaced my shoes and hung up my windbreaker on a hook. By the time I had gotten inside the Lawson boys were nowhere to be seen.

"Welcome Luke to our house." Mrs Anderson said, "please make yourself comfy, lunch should be in about half an hour." I didn't really know what to do. In the end I just sat down on one of the mitch match chairs hoping that one of the boys would come back so I could join them. But they didn't, and I was stuck with the adults until lunch.

Lunch was much more civilized at the Anderson than it was at the Lawsons.

"Pass your plate Luke and I will put some potatoes on it for you." Mr Lawson said who was closer to the potatoes then I was. I passed my plate to Mr Lawson and was passed back Ryan's for me to put some roast beef on it. It wasn't like how we did it back home but a least I actually got some food this time.

"May we be excused." Some kid said down the other end of the table. There was a sound of chairs scrapping back and cutlery clinking on plates then they were gone. On their way-out Will was pulled aside by Mrs Lawson. She whispered something in his ear that was obviously about me because a second later Will came over.

"Do you want to come with us."

I shrugged trying to seem like I hadn't noticed that they had about to run off without me again. I cleared my plate as I had seen the others do and followed after Will. We went down the hall into a room were the rest of the boys were. The room was small anyway and with all the posters of football players on the wall made it utterly claustrophobic. I saw that the other boys had gotten changed into old clothes.

"Fox, could you lend Luke some of your old clothes." It seemed that Will was just as much of the boss of the Andersons as he was his own clan. Fox pulled out a shirt that was more patches, stains and holes than material and a pair of washed out jeans. I asked were the bathroom was so I could get changed. No body answered, they just looked at each other. Will flicked his head at Fox, Fox sighed an irritated sigh.

"This way." He said as he pushed past me. He didn't show me the way like I had been expecting him to, he just stood outside his bedroom door and pointed.

"If you go down the corridor it's on the second door on the right."

"Ok, thanks." I say giving a smile. Fox looks like he could be a good friend to have and maybe if I smiled, he would be nice to me.