Chapter 3.

A Chapter by lilfeather

Chapter3...

The boys made their way up the stairs, leading Conner to another part of his new life. There were mutual glances of curiosity between the new 'siblings' as each tried to make out the personality of the other.

When they reached the landing,Michal headed for the room that ma had designated earlier as Conners.

"This is your room. We just cleaned it up and stuff, which is funny since I haven't cleaned my own room in like a week,"Ian said, watching toss Conners bag on the bed. He flipped on the light. "Not too bad, huh?"

"I actually get my own room?" Conner asked.

"So you do speak?" Michal asked with a laugh. He was excited about a new little brother. Ma had said 'go easy on this one', and he wasn't completely sure what that meant, but Conner seemed cool so far. Quiet in the beginning, but he had potential. "I was going to say, we're not that scary. Although it's probably weird coming into a new house again, right? But, yeah, bro, you get your own room."

Conner nodded, looking around. "I wasn't expecting that." Although this was only one minute looking in at the room, if that, it still really didn't feel like his.

"Do you like it?"Michal asked.

Conner nodded and shrugged. "Sure, why not?"

"So, how old are you?" He studied his new brother, taking in the floppy hair and inquisitive eyes. He was quiet, but he hoped it was only because things were new. Ma hadn't told them exactly where Conner had come from, and he didn't want to ask too many questions right away. They were all from the same kind of background, and he could remember his first day at the O'Riley house too. It seemed so long ago. It did take a while to adjust.

"I'm eleven," Conner replied. They couldn't be that much older than he was. They were just teenagers.

"So�. Where are you going to school then?" Jeremiah asked.

Conner shrugged. School seemed so long term. He couldn�t possibly think about school right now. Although he had to admit that sometimes going to school was a good way to get out of a home. But at this point he didn't want to think about that. He just continued to look at his room. It was decorated nicely, but not like a boy's room. It looked lived in but set up new and fresh.

Set up for him.

"So where'd you come from anyway?" Ian asked.

Conner shrugged again.

"You don't know? Or you don't care?"

"Or he's just not listening," Michal answered with a laugh. He gave Conner a little push forward into the room. "Go 'head and check it out, kid. You don't have to stand in the doorway forever."

Conner stiffened at the push, but he reminded himself to calm down because these guys were actually being really nice to him. It wasn't a real push anyway, so what was getting defensive going to do? He was pretty defenseless against them anyway. He was just reacting out of habit, but sometimes habits had to change. He walked into the room towards the window.

"Ian, you better buy ma another one of those statues too," Michal was saying. "That's like the third thing you broke this week. She loved that statue."

Ian rolled his eyes. "S**t, man, it's not a big deal, you know. And I really don't think she loved it that much."

Michal shrugged. "Fine," he replied with a sarcastic 'oh like you would know' air. "Just don't bring it up to Jason when he comes home tonight then or you'll definitely be buying a new one."

"Jason broke a shitload more in this house than I ever did," Ian replied. "So that's a stupid argument. Plus it takes two to play you know. So it's not like I broke it by myself."

"Yeah, but the difference is I have the brains to keep the puck on the floor, dickhead."

"More like you could never get the f*****g puck away from me."

Conner listened to them bicker in slight amusement as he looked out the window. He could see the neighbor's house, and would have been able to see right through into their window if their shades weren't drawn. He also studied outside his own window to see what it was like to get out.

It looked like a long way down, and there were no trees or anything by it. He wondered if there was a drainpipe or anything�

It was really important to find a way out. Just in case. Being trapped was the worst. Besides, he was already considering a bit of exploring later that night, and that involved planning.

"Is he coming tonight?"Ian asked.

"Who?" Michal replied.

"Jason, you moron. Who do you think?"

Michal rolled his eyes. "Whatever, man. And I dunno. You know Jason."

"So what do you think? He's really quiet," Ian whispered to Michal, eyeing Conner curiously. Conner was still looking out the window. "I don't know if he's just quiet or if he's stupid."

Michal punched him in the arm. "And he's right here listening, so shut up."

"Just sayin'�'Ian objected.

"And I'm just sayin'�" Michal replied. "Shut up." He shook his head. "Yo,Conner," Michal persisted. He tugged Conner's arm and frowned as the kid recoiled from him.

"Don't," Conner said quietly. His eyes were narrowed, but he tried to shake it off. Typically when someone grabbed him for any reason it was to hurt him, and he'd been caught off guard. Already he was off to a bad start, he realized, and he reminded himself to focus. "Sorry, I zoned out for a second. What?"

Michal ignored the brief apprehension but made sure to keep his hands to himself anyway, earnestly wondering where this one had come from.Judy O'Riley always found the complicated sons of b*****s to take in, that was for sure� "I was just going to say we should head back downstairs. Ma's going to want to fuss over you more, I'm sure."

Conner just nodded, finally keeping himself from daydreaming. "What do you� I mean, how many people live here?"

"Right now it's us, ma, and Jason's been coming in and out recently."

"Jasons supposed to be around tonight,"Ian cut in.

"And now you of course," Michal continued. "It's nice, actually. I know it's weird and new for you, I'm sure, but you've just gotta realize that all of us kinda are coming from the same s**t, you know? And ma's not going to be like anyone you've dealt with before, so�"

"Is she mean?" Conner asked with a frown.

Ian laughed at him. "Yeah, she's a real monster. You better watch yourself."

Michal turned to punch Ian in the arm again. "F**k off, Ian. It's not funny. No, Conner, she's not at all."

"What, Mitch?" Ian scowled, rubbing his arm. "It was a stupid question."

Conner worked his jaw. He had no idea what to think now. Downstairs he knew Judy and Anthony were talking about him. He knew that it consisted of all kinds of warnings and preparation. Some lies and reassurances. He wondered if Anthony would be back again soon, with that look in his eye again. That 'you fucked it up' look. He listened to the two boys argue for a moment and then asked, "Are you brothers?"

"Of course we're brothers. You mean blood brothers? Nah, but it doesn't matter. In this house, everybody's family. We got each other's backs, and you just play by the rules, you know?"

Conner just nodded, far from thrilled. He really had no idea what that meant. They were here for a reason too, and he didn't know what those reasons were. These two seemed well adjusted but he was used to the existing sibling bullshit stories. The first day meant make the new kid feel welcome. He wasn't going to just fall for their kindness just yet. He'd learned. Trust isn't an instantaneous privilege. It's too often taken advantage of and you need to be careful. It will only make it less shocking later when they turn their backs.

--

"Was your room okay?"

Anthony was gone, and Conner was here now in this foreign home, sitting at the dining room table with his new guardian. It was a warm home that smelled like home made dinner cooking and potpourri, but it was a mysterious and unknown home nonetheless. And there was no way he could stop himself from fidgeting and looking around while it was so new.Judy had her full attention on him which also made him fairly uneasy.

Judy continued talking. "And please, just let me know if there's anything you need in there.Michal and Ian helped me out a lot, but you know it's so easy to overlook the simple things. Sometimes it gets cool at night so remember we have plenty of extra blankets and clothes."Judy paused, watching the boy's wandering eyes. "Conner, look at me. Conner."

Conner heard her clearly and hesitated for a moment before turning his head to look directly at her. She did look like a nice old grandmother, and was probably the oldest of the people he'd lived with. Her eyes were kind, with creases at the corners, especially when she smiled. He felt sucked into her kind gaze when she looked at him, but was afraid he was being tricked. She looked so genuine, but�

"What's the matter, Conner?"

He opened his mouth to speak, almost wanting to pour out his worries, and then stopped himself, swallowing back the words. "I� Nothing. Thanks for letting me stay here and all, your house is really nice� And Ian and Michal were really nice."

"I'm not just letting you stay here," Judy replied. "This is your home now too, Conner."

He wasn't sure what the expected response was to that so he remained silent.

"Conner, I know bad things happened to you before you came to me," she continued.

His heart began to beat a little faster again, and his ears picked up the sound of the TV inside. He shifted his eyes to the table, studying the light colored wood. Judy's voice was warm and smooth, but it still made him nervous for some reason. He tried not to let it bother him, but feeling the anxiety, gripped one hand in the other on his lap.

"Conner, look at me," she persisted. When his eyes finally met hers again she gave him a stern look. "You're safe here. Do you understand me? No one will hurt you here, and no one will expect anymore from you than you can give. It's very important to me that you understand that. Okay, Conner?" She paused. "Answer me."

He hated this directness. He felt very uncomfortable.

"Okay." His response came out a little faltered.

"Good." She smiled at him. "Now, Ian and Michal were going to head to the high school a few blocks away to go play some basketball. Do you want to go with them?"

"Yeah, I'll go." Staying at this house alone with this woman was a little bizarre.Conner appreciated that she was trying to be friendly, but at the same time he was yearning for some space. He wasn't used to this kind of attention. There was only so much of this intentness that he could take. He didn't want to admit that he'd rather be ignored, but he just wasn't used to this.

"Ma, can we go yet?" Ian yelled from inside, over the TV.

Judy laughed. "It's as though they can read my mind, isn't it?" She pushed her chair back and gestured for Conner to follow. Conner complied and soon was standing behind Judy as she reminded the boys of her rules. No fights, no detours, be back by dinner, etcetera.

Ian was impatient. "Yeah, yeah, ma. We know the spiel. Now how do you expect us to show Conner the neighborhood if we never get out of the house?"

Soon Conner found himself walking at a quick pace down the street, following these two black boys that he had only met today and now would be living with under the same roof. At first they asked him a few questions about Judys fussing, but soon their conversation drifted.

Ian and Michal chatted together, mentioning names of people they thought they'd see at the park and schoolyard, while Conner followed behind them, trying to read street names and figure out which direction they were walking in. These boys were taller and had longer legs than he did, and he felt like he was putting in a lot of effort to keep up the same pace. He wondered how far away the school actually was. He also wondered why neither Michal nor Ian had a basketball.

Within ten minutes they were at the school, and Conners eyes focused on the basketball courts that they were walking towards. There was already a game taking place with a few kids watching from the sidelines. Most of the kids were black and older than he was. He already knew he wasn't going to play, but if there was any doubt in his mind, he was now positive.

"Dane is here," Michal said with a laugh. "See, Ian? Told you."

Conner didn't know what that meant and stayed silent. He'd been silent most of the walk over. Even if he'd wanted to make an effort, there hadn't been much of an opportunity.

They were getting closer to the courts and he could see how rough the game actually was. Typical street rules applied as opposed to regular basketball rules. He watched Ian jog over to a group of guys and greet them with slaps on the back and handshakes. Conner looked at Michal questionably, almost hoping that this at least somewhat familiar face wouldn't run off too.

"I'm gonna see if I can play too," Michal said. "You want to just hang out and watch?"
"Im just gonna watch" Conner replied

"Okay. Sure."

"That door's usually unlocked," he pointed to the building, "if you need a bathroom or anything, alright? We only have like a half hour before we have to get back so just hang around here."

And then Michal walked away too. The same group that had greeted Ian greeted Michal, and Conner look up to see that Ian was already convincing someone to get out so he could get some time on the court. Conner didn't know whether to take it as an insult or a favor that they hadn't brought him over to be introduced to anybody.

Conner felt awkward standing there, one of the only white kids around and certainly the youngest one in sight. He looked at the school. Might as well look around.

The door was unlocked like Michal predicted. Conner looked back and realized neither Ian nor Michal was really paying attention to where he was going. Ian was in the game already and busy guarding this larger guy with an afro and a Bulls jersey. Michal was leaning against a light post and talking, pretty seriously, to another guy around his age.

At first glance the hallway was empty, lined with lockers with a random piece or trash or paper on the floor. It looked like your average school and he started walking down the hall, still able to hear the sound of the basketball game outside. He walked past a water fountain and the girls' bathroom. He wondered if this was where Ian and Michal went to school.

There were some administrative offices on the left and a cafeteria to the right. The wall had a huge mural on it, consisting of a lot of Detroit scenes and obviously created by high school art students. He stared at it critically for a minute before he continued down the hall. He kind of had to go to the bathroom so he figured that would be his goal: find the restroom.

He started to daydream again, about his new house and his new 'brothers'. He wasn't sure what to think. He still had that terrible feeling of anxiety in the pit of his stomach, and he wasn't sure how to make it go away. He wanted to give this place a shot, but wasn't really sure if it was worth it.

On his way he passed a room labeled the band room and immediately his hand went to the doorknob, testing it. Locked. He frowned for a moment before trying again. If there was one thing that had him interested it was musical instruments. That sounded like the kind of room that would keep him occupied for hours.

But it was locked.

Finally he found the bathroom, after a few other distractions along the way. Without thinking of much, he pushed open the door and was about to just walk inside when a group of three guys inside made him stop dead in his tracks. Especially when one of them reeled around and lifted a gun out from under his jacket.

Conner was frozen. He watched one of them, he looked Puerto Rican, hide a small bag in his pocket and swallowed. Run, he told himself.

"For f**k's sake, you a*****e, it's just a little kid," a black teenager with a baseball kid snapped, hitting the other, white with shaggy brown hair, on the shoulder. "Put your f*****g gun away. Are you an idiot?"

The gun lowered slowly. "Well, kid?" the guy asked. "What the f**k do you think you're staring at? Get out of here."

That was all it took. Conner turned around and started to run back down the hall the way he came. The sound of his feet echoed down the hall and in half the time it took to find the bathroom he found himself back outside, panting and scared to death. This was a different fear. That certainly replaced his anxiety about the house�.

He located Michal and Ian as he walked, slower now, towards some benches where he could just sit by himself and not worry. It felt bizarre that he actually found himself searching out these two almost strangers, but what else could he do? He didn't know what finding them would actually do in a bad situation. He wouldn't stick up for somebody he'd just met either.

Sitting on a hard bench, it was the longest twenty minutes until the boys were ready to leave. Conner had kept his eyes locked on the school, just waiting for those three to come out and see him. It was an honest mistake and although he could make assumptions about what they were doing, he really didn't know for sure and hadn't seen enough to make factual judgments. That wasn't enough to kill him for it. Right?

This day had been stressful enough. Conner felt uneasy and anxious, about his new home and about this solitary seat on a bench at a schoolyard that he knew nothing about. When they asked if he was ready to go "home", he found himself nodding and getting up pretty quickly.

"You okay?"Ian asked, wiping sweat off his brow with his t-shirt. "You look like you saw a ghost."

"I'm alright," Conner answered. "Just�" He didn't know how much to say. "Just ran into some kind of weird people inside."

"Did someone give you a hard time?" Michal asked, glancing behind them as they started to walk away. "Who?"

"See, what kind of fun is it to have him just watch basketball?" Ian pushed Michal playfully. "And leave him sitting alone?"

Michal pushed him back. "Shut up, Ian. You're the one that wanted to play."

"Two people made the decision."

"Ian, that argument is getting real old, you know."

"Works though. 'Cause it's always true," Ian said with a laugh.

Michal smirked. Ian was hard to argue with. "Whatever,Ian. Whatever. All I care about is dinner right now."

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