Nowhere Kids

Forgotten Child

I was waken by the sun in my eyes as I rolled over on the couch. As I slowly sat up and rubbed my eyes, I noticed Brent sleeping on the arm chair next to me, wearing only pajama pants. I sat up and watched him for a few moments before carefully getting up and walking to the window, careful not to wake him. I had no idea why he wasn't in his bed.

I sat on the windowsill and watched the birds chirp and the squirrels run around the yard.
"Good morning" I heard a sleepy voice behind me. I turned around to see Brent standing there, yawning as he stretched.
"Good morning. Did you sleep well?" I asked. He nodded and walked over to stand beside me.
"Yeah. You okay? You had a rough night" he said.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"You whined in your sleep half the night, tossing and turning. I came downstairs around midnight for some water and saw you" he explained.
"Is that why you slept downstairs?"
"You calmed down when I checked on you, so I figured you'd sleep better if I stayed close by"
"Thank you. I'm sorry if I kept you up" I said blushing.
"Not at all" he smiled at me.

"Want some breakfast?" Brent asked as he walked into the kitchen. I hoped down from the windowsill and joined him.
"Sure. You cooking?" I said with a laugh.
"I can make a decent breakfast" he said with a smile.
"Okay, prove it" I teased. Brent chuckled and grabbed a few things from the fridge before getting starting.

I watched Brent crack the eggs into first pan before laying some bacon into the second. He still wasn't wearing a shirt.
"Your going to burn yourself" I warned.
"I'm fine" he said confidently. It was only a few minutes later that the bacon grease splattered, burning his shoulder.
"Told you" I chuckled. Brent just poured and grabbed a towel. He ran it under cold water and applied it to the burn.
"It's small, I'll live" he said.
"Go put a shirt on. I'll watch the food" I said. Brent nodded and ran up stairs. Once the eggs and bacon were finished I turned off the stove and looked for plates.

"Whatcha looking for?" Brent asked as I opened up a cabinet. I turned around to see he changed into blue jeans and a black shirt.
"Plates" I said. Brent chuckled and walked over to the cabinet next to me, pulling out two plates.
"You were close" he said. I rolled my eyes and took a seat at the table as he plated the food.

Brent sat next to me and handed me my plate and a fork.
"Thanks" I said. He just nodded and started eating, so I also dug in. He wasn't lying, it was a decent breakfast.
"So what's your plan today?" Brent asked suddenly.
"I don't know. Do you guys usually hang out on a Sunday?" I asked back.
"Nah, Sunday's usually our family day. I don't mind having you here this morning though, figuring my parents aren't here yet" he said as he shoved eggs in his mouth.
"Yeah, I should probably go home soon. I miss Beau" I mumbled.
"Who's Beau?"
"My boxer"
"Aw cool. I'll have to meet him one day"
"You'll love him. He's a sweetheart" I paused and sighed, putting my head in my hands. "I wonder if they even know I'm gone"
"Why wouldn't they?" Brent asked as he tilted his head.
"We haven't spent a lot of time together since the move. They might think I'm hiding from them in my room" I admitted.
"Well I'm sure they're worried. Should I drop you off after we finish eating?"
"That'd be nice, thank you" Brent smiled slightly and we silently finished our breakfast, with nothing else to say.

After breakfast Brent and I headed out to his truck so he could take me home.
"Hey, thanks for letting me stay last night" I said quietly as we both got in the truck.
"I enjoyed the company  I just hope you're not going to be in too much trouble" he said.
"I'll live. Suffer maybe, but live" I said with a slight laugh. Brent smiled back but gave me a worried look. I just sighed and leaned my head against the window.

Luckily when we arrived at my house I noticed my parents weren't home.
"Good, they aren't home. Maybe I can get in and pretend I was in my room the whole time" I said as Brent pulled up into the driveway.
"Good luck" he said.
"Did you still want to meet Beau? I can bring him out for a minute, unless my parents took him with them" I suggested.  Brent agreed and followed me inside.

Thank god I remembered where the spare key was, as I forgot my own keys. Beau barked as I pushed the door open and came running at us from across the house.
"Hi baby boy" I said as I kneeled down to pet him. Brent kneeled down next to me and put his hand out for Beau to sniff. Beau gave an excited cry as he leaned towards Brent.
"Hey bud" Brent said sweetly.
"I think you made a new friend" I laughed.
"I think you're right. But i should get going before your parents get home" he said.
"Yeah. You're right. Thanks for dropping me off"
"Thank you for letting me meet Beau" we both stood up and I followed Brent to the door.
"Well, see you later" I said. Brent smiled and nodded.
"See ya at school tomorrow" he said with a smile. We both stood there for a moment before I pulled him in for a hug. It took a moment for him to hug me back, but it was nice.
"Bye Brent" I said as we pulled away.
"Goodbye Jamie. See you tomorrow" Brent said as he opened the door and stepped outside. I closed the door behind and sighed.

I was happy to see Beau, but I wasn't looking forward to my parents coming home.
"Do you want to play outside?" I asked Beau. He bowed down and barked before running to the door leading to the backyard. 'Play' and 'outside',two of his favorite words besides 'walk' and 'eat'. I laughed and followed him to the door. He burst out as soon as I opened it and zoomed around the yard. I watched him as I walked over to his frisbee.
"Hey boy, look what I have" I waved the frisbee in my hand, getting his attention. Beau cane charging at me with his tongue flopping out to the side.  I lifted the frisbee above my head as he jumped up to grab it. He sat down and barked, waiting for me to throw it. I smiled and threw it across the yard, letting him charge after it.

Beau and I played together for most of the afternoon. I loved spending time with him. He kept me in a good mood until mom and dad came home.
"Good to see you came out of hiding" dad said as Beau and I stepped inside.
"Wanted to play with Beau" I mumbled as I pushed past him.
"You were pretty quiet in your room last night, are you feeling okay?" Mom asked. I tried not to get upset. They really had no idea I wasn't home.
"Yeah, I was just tired from school" I said. I walked over to the stairs to head to my room.
"You don't want to hang out with us? You used to love working on projects around the house with your father" mom said. That was years ago when I was little, I don't think mom and dad realize things have changed, especially after the move.
"I'm tired after playing with Beau, maybe later" I made my way up the stairs. Beau watched me leave from the bottom of the stairs before heading to the kitchen to beg for snacks.

I sat on the edge of the bed and pulled out my phone. I was suppose to see I had 20 missed messages. It made sense once I realized Eric put me in a group chat with the others. I scrolled through the messages to see what I missed. They were just talking mostly sports, then music, then how they hated school. I chuckled and decided to join in.
"Hey guys" I sent.
"Hey Jamie. How are you?" Zach wrote.
"Hey J, did your parents kill you yet?" Brent wrote.
"Nah, they didn't even notice I went out yesterday" I wrote
"Sounds nice" Eric wrote.
"Not really, makes me feel forgotten"
"Wait, were they home?" Barry wrote.
"I think so. Not this morning though" I wrote back. I didn't want to talk about it anymore, but luckily Brent asked how Beau was. We all started talking about him instead before changing the subject back to school.

I didn't realize how much time I spent talking with the guys.
"Jamie! Will you be joining us for dinner?" Mom called from the bottom of the stairs.
"Yeah, just a minute!" I yelled back. I said goodbye to the boys and tossed my phone onto the bed before joining my parents downstairs.

Beau sat under the table, waiting for someone to drop something, as we ate. Mom made her favorite meatloaf recipe. I quietly ate while mom and dad chatted at the other end of the table.
"So Jamie" I looked up to see dad looking at me. "How are you doing in you classes?" He asked.
"I think I'm doing well. Nothings too difficult so far" I said.
"Think you'll join any clubs or find an after school activity?" Mom asked. I thought for a second. Maybe this is how I could keep hanging out with the guys without them knowing.
"Maybe I'll spend some time outdoors, like a park or trail, and exercise" I suggested.
"Sounds like a good idea" dad said.

I was silent the rest of dinner and went straight back to my room once I finished. Mom and dad didn't say anything as I left. Beau followed me upstairs and laid in bed with me.
"Let's hope this weeks better bud" I said as I held him in my arms. I was very grateful for meeting the guys, but there was so much drama I just wanted to start over. Beau cuddles into me as I fell asleep, lost in thought of what was to come.