Yuri did in fact get into trouble, as Chloe found out, but despite this he continued to spend time with her. He also grew comfortable with his own environment, and soon formed his own group of friends. Frequently Chloe found him sitting and chatting with the other boys about movies or comic books. At first she sat with them and tried to engage in conversation, but frequently she found herself pushed to the side and simply watched as Yuri drifted apart with his own set of activities.

Occasionally they would greet each other walking to class, but afterward whenever she asked if he wanted to come over, every time he would say he had something else to do. Of course Chloe was invited to come along, but this did not help matters. She explained this to Ana, who told her to be happy that Yuri now fit in with his friends. Chloe was not happy though. Jealousy began to take root.

~

In spite of her feelings Chloe soon found other things to worry about. One day she came home from school to find the door to her house locked. Thinking Ana must have gone into town she sat down on the front porch and waited. Surely Ana would come back soon. Half an hour passed and still nobody came. Chloe began to worry. Where could Ana be?

A telephone ringing from inside the house disrupted her thoughts. She got up to feel something brush against her fingers, and a glint of metal flittering off the porch caught her eye. Crawling on her hands and knees she peered over the steps to find the key to the house, a spare. Curious, she thought. What is this doing out on the porch? She picked it up to find a piece of paper taped to it. How could she have missed this?

Unwrapping the piece of paper she read, “Chloe: Armin is in the hospital, so I’m making sure he’s okay. There’s some food in the refrigerator if you get hungry. Don’t know when I’ll be back.”

Chloe’s heart sank as she read these words. At least a dozen questions flew through her mind. Why was Armin in the hospital? Was he okay?

She unlocked the door and let herself in. It was so strange. The house was completely quiet and empty. She sat on the sofa and started her homework, but made little progress. Concentration was difficult. She kept staring out the window expecting the familiar dusty white sedan to pull in front of the house.

Once again her concentration was permanently shattered by the ringing of the phone in the living room. She shot off the sofa and ran across the room to answer it. Heart pounding she clutched the receiver in her hand. “H-hello?”

“Ah Chloe! Finally!” It was Ana, with more than just a hint of desperation in her voice. “Listen, I may not be home until tomorrow. Armin’s condition is getting worse, so I need to be there for him. Have you found something to eat?”

“What happened!?” Chloe asked frantically.

“There was an accident at work. A piece of equipment fell on Armin when he was trying to move something.”

“Is he gonna be okay? Can I talk to him!?”

Ana sighed. “I don’t know. Just focus on what you need to do tonight. Be a good girl and take care of yourself tonight. I love you. Bye.”

“Bye.” Chloe whispered at the click of the receiver. She went back to the sofa to finish her homework. It was strange. Internally she was frightened, but externally she did not know how to react. Her regular routine was all she could do. After her homework was done she had a light meal and went to bed. Needless to say little sleep was had that night. With both Ana and Armin gone the home felt too quiet, every creak and crack amplified. All the while her mind buzzed with questions. She wondered about Armin, if he would survive. The details were so vague.

The next morning she awoke to the shutting of the door. It was still dark outside. As she cleared the sleep from her eyes Ana’s face appeared in her bedroom doorway. :Is everything okay?” she asked.

“Yes. I’m fine.” Chloe said sleepily. “How’s Armin?”

Ana frowned. “I don’t know. Only time will tell.” Come. It’s time to get ready for school.”

~

The whole day of school went by in a blur of preoccupation. Chloe could barely focus on any of her classes. At lunchtime as everyone else sat together, Chloe sat apart staring at her lunch. Yuri, sitting with his own friends, looked up from his conversation and glanced at her from time to time.

As she sauntered home she was surprised to see Yuri run to her with a look of concern on his face.

She greeted him with a downcast gaze. “Oh. Hello.”

“Hey, is everything alright?”

Chloe looked up at Yuri.

He continued. “I saw you sitting alone. You just looked so sad..” He started to walk beside her. “You wanna tell me what’s wrong?”

Taking a deep breath she told him everything.

Yuri’s face grew more concerned the longer she spoke. “Wow. Is there anything I can do?”

“No. There’s nothing. I just hope he’ll be okay.” She sat down on the grass and Yuri sat beside her.

“I’m sure he will.” Almost as soon as he said that he noticed tears in her eyes.

“He’s like a second father to me.” Her voice was barely a whisper. “I can’t even think about losing him.”

“Hmm.” Yuri Gazed at the grass in front of him in contemplation. “Wait. What do you mean second? What happened to the first?”

“He… He’s not here.”

Now Yuri was sorry he asked. “Oh, I didn’t mean to…”

Chloe cut him off. “There was a war in my town years ago. Our house got bombed. Both my parents died.”

There was nothing either of them could say after that. They stared sat the grass waving in the wind. Finally Chloe broke the silence. “You’re very lucky to have them, you know.”

Yuri’s concern turned to surprise. “Who? My parents?”

Chloe nodded. “Yes.” To Yuri she suddenly seemed to grow much older. “Your whole family. You’ve always known them. They take care of you and are always there for you. You’ve never had to deal with losing anyone close to you.”

Yuri’s look of surprise gave way to contempt. “I dunno.”

Now it was Chloe’s turn to be surprised. “What do you mean?”

Yuri snorted. “All parents are good for is fighting.” He sighed. “Every day since I could remember they would always yell at each other. I remember one time before we moved here my mom got so mad at my dad. She took Tasha and left the house for three days.”

Chloe looked up to face him. “Wow. I didn’t know that.”

“Yeah. Yuri said. “My dad drinks a lot because of it.” He then rested his head on his knees. The wind picked up, blowing his pageboy haircut into his face. Chloe noticed clouds gathering on the horizon.

“We should get going.” she said getting up.

“Yeah. You’re right.” Yuri stood up. “Hey, if you need anything, just drop by. Catch me between classes if you can.”

Chloe nodded. “Thank you.” And with that they parted ways.