Fen-

We had won the tournament. That was expected. After all the training and hard work we, I, put in, it would've been disappointing to have lost. As I stood in the shower, washing off the sweat from the match, I could hear the other guys laughing and congratulating each other on their personal victories. I turned off the water and wrapped a towel around my waist. I stepped out and the chorus of voices rose.

"FEN!", they all shouted approaching me, clapping me on the back, with wide grins on their faces. I could feel the grin on my own face. I was probably smiling just as widely as them.

"Guys. We all worked hard to win today. We deserve it. Dinner on me."

"Yeah!" They all hurried to get ready. I guess I was paying for dinner today. Not like I couldn't afford it, but where would we go? This was my first time going out with friends since I moved here. I quickly dressed and packed up my gear. I swung my bag across my shoulder.

"So, where should we go?" I asked everyone, hoping it would be a place I knew.

"Let's go to Taco Bell!", this one person in the back shouted, it was probably Jack. He loved Taco Bell.

"Everyone agree?" I shouted back.

"Sure. Ok. Why not," they responded.

"Ok", I pulled out my phone and looked up Taco Bell's near me, "there is one five minutes away by foot."

"Let's go!", probably Jack again. We all filed out of the locker room. On the way out the door we invited Coach but he didn't wanna join. Weird. He almost loved Taco Bell as much as Jack. Whatever. We had to get to Taco Bell before it closed. Was Taco Bell open all night? When we got there, I discovered Taco Bell closed at 11:00 PM on weekdays. Cool. We entered and the smell of food wafted in the air.

"Yes! Taco Bell!", again it was probably Jack.

Jevae-

It had been a long night. We had gone to an all night computer café to research. The owner was an old Asian lady. She told us to call her Baba. She brought my siblings warm cups of milk with sugar and me and my dad coffee. We really needed it. We had found a rehabilitation center that was free. It also provided home for the person. The only problem was that it was on the other side of the city and there was nowhere for me, Elijah, Kaisley, and Victoria to go. I was trying to convince my dad to go anyway.

"Dad. It's perfect. It's a little far but you can get there by bus. They'll even help you find a new job. You have to sign up." It had been going like this all night. Me listing all the reasons he should go, and he telling me where would we go.

"But, Jevae. Where will y’all go? We've been over this. I'll look for jobs starting tonight and then we'll figure it out from there." Ugh. Here we go again.

"Dad. You need to fix your drinking problem first. Can't we go live with some relatives for a while? You've never really mentioned any, but you must be related to someone, right?" Dad had never talked about his parents or siblings. But he had to have parents.

"No. You don't have any. I haven't talked to my parents in years. They don't even know about all of you." Wow. I knew dad had a bad relationship with his parents, but I didn't think it was this bad.

"Ok. What if we stayed with friends? We all probably know at least one person who can take us in. Any suggestions?" I looked to my siblings hoping one of them would speak up. They all shook their heads, worry in their eyes. If we didn't figure this out soon, not only would we be homeless, dad wouldn't be getting help. Aha! A light bulb turned on in my head.

"What about Ms. Sage! She used to work at the library. She was always kind to us. She would even buy us dinner sometimes. I know she lives alone. It would only be for a little while anyway. While dad looks for jobs and gets back on his feet. What do you think?" I asked everyone, smiling. I thought this was the perfect solution.

"I don't know Jevae. I would have to meet her. Do you even know where she lives?" Uh Oh. I didn't know where Ms. Sage lived.

"I could ask her tomorrow. She's my homeroom teacher. We have a week to figure everything out before we're kicked out. Please, dad." There weren't many paths we could take. This one seemed like the best one.

"Ok. Bring her to the house tomorrow after school. We'll talk everything out. We'll go to her house to see if there is space and we'll go to this rehabilitation place to see if they'll take me. For right now, let's go home. It's pretty late." We all agreed, thanked Baba for her kindness, and exited the computer café. Dad was carrying Elijah and we were all barely able to stand. We were very tired. We passed a Taco Bell. God. I was hungry. We hadn't had Taco Bell in so long. But God knows we couldn’t afford it. I looked in the window and saw someone familiar. It was Fen. He was laughing with a bunch of other guys. He looked happy. I was so rude to him. With all the problems I have, I'm going to drop my search for answers from him. Goodbye Fen. I'm sorry to have disrupted your life. Live a better one than me. I touched the window in farewell and sped up. I was far behind my family. It was a broken family. But it was still precious. My broken, broken family. It was all I had, so I had to do my best to protect it. I had caught up with them and grabbed Victoria's hand. It was going to be okay.

Fen-

"Hahaha. Yeah dude. That final parry was amazing." The food had been great and the company had been even better. I was enjoying myself more than I had in months. Whish! I looked up to see if someone had entered. No. There was just somebody at the window. Long dark hair. Black combat boots. A flash of honey colored eyes. Jevae. I got up. What was she doing here? I walked to the door and opened it. She was up ahead with what looked like her family. I was about to call out when I decided not to. She was enjoying her night with her family. There was no need to bother her now. I had all day tomorrow to argue with her. I walked back in and took my seat once more.

"What was that all about?", one of the guys, Zach, asked.

"I thought I recognized somebody. It was nothing. So what were we talking about? Did I miss anything?" I picked up my Coke, hoping I looked relaxed.

"Are you sure it was nothing? With the way you got up, anybody would think you just saw the love of your life strolling down the street." I almost choked on the soda. I could feel a blush appear on my face. I swallowed the Coke with some difficulty and responded.

"No. Definitely not. I would never fall in love with that girl. Not even if she was the last girl on the planet. In the universe, even." I had a cool expression on my face. Hopefully.

"Oooohhhhh! So you admit it was a girl! Have you been hiding a girlfriend from us?!" I was so stunned, I almost fell out of my chair.

"Where did you get that from?! Did you not hear what I just said? I would never like her." I spluttered, the blush returning. The rest of the night was spent like that. Me going back and forth with the guys. Where did they get the idea that I liked her? They didn't even know who I was talking about. It was fine though. It was a great night.

Jevae-

It was the next day. Dad was going to check out the rehab place today and I was going to ask Ms. Sage about moving in. Wooo! It was going to be a long day. Dad had walked Elijah, Kaisley, and Victoria to school for the first time in forever. It seemed like our lives were finally turning in a positive direction. I was outside school and waved bye to dad wishing him luck at the rehab center. I walked into the school and to first period. I was actually on time today. I sat down in the same seat as I had the day before. Ms. Sage didn't appear to be here yet. Whatever. I had an hour and a half to let her know and after school. I looked out the window, noticing it was open. A warm breeze swept in and I could feel my hair lift barely off my shoulders. It had been so long since there was a day I actually looked forward to. I heard heels clacking in the hall and looked to see who it was. Ms. Sage was here! Weird. She rarely wore heels. Must be a special occasion. I got up out of my seat and walked up to her. I wasn't paying much attention and bumped into someone. I looked up and saw Fen.

"Oh sorry", I said and quickly walked away. I had promised myself that I wouldn't interfere in his life anymore.

"It's fine", he called back as I got to Ms. Sage's desk. I tapped on the desk to get her attention. She looked up.

"Yes?", she said closing her laptop. I walked around the desk so I was on the side and not in front.

"Can I talk with you after school Ms. Sage? In private?", I whispered, bending down so she, and only she, could hear me.

"What about, Jevae? Is something wrong?" I could hear the concern in her voice. I didn't like when people felt sorry for me, but this could be used to my advantage. If she felt pity towards me, she might be more inclined to help.

"I'll explain it later. Thank you." I hurried to my seat before she could say anything else. When I sat down, I didn't even look Fen's way. It was so weird. I had grown accustomed to calling him Fen so quickly. I was horrible with names so this was new.

The entire class went without a hitch. It was mostly research. We were supposed to be quiet which was great. I didn't have to waste time talking about a pointless subject with some prat. The rest of the day went much the same. The only bad part was that we had gym. Why do I like running so much outside of school, but then I step into a gym and can barely run for more than two minutes at a time? It must be the stuffy air in there. Before I knew it, the final bell had rung and I was on my way to Ms. Sage's room. Dad said he was going to pick up my siblings today, so I didn't have to worry about them. I could take a bit of time to convince her to come to my house and talk with dad. Hopefully she would understand and not ask to many questions.

Fen-

She barely looked at me all day. The only time we ever interacted was when I bumped in to her this morning on my way to my seat. Did I imagine all of yesterday? Was she not going to corner me and beat me for information? What was wrong with her? Last time I saw her on the roof of the school she was so eager for answers. Now she barely looks my way. What happened? I had decided in third period that I would ask her after class. Since we had all our classes together, I decided to talk to her after I got out of the locker room. I stepped out of the locker room and saw her walking back towards our ELA classroom. Why was she going in that direction? The front entrance and exit was in the other direction. Maybe she forgot something this morning. I decided to follow her and wait outside the classroom for her. When we got to the classroom, she in front of me, I noticed Ms. Sage was still in there. As I stood there, I realized that I was kind of acting like a stalker. But I know I have good intentions so it’s ok. I hear Ms. Sage talking and tuned back in. I know you shouldn't eavesdrop, but I'm curious.

"-at do you mean? I'm not sure I comprehend what you are trying to tell me." I heard a rustle, signaling Ms. Sage had gotten out of her chair.

"Ms. Sage, I just want you to come to my house and talk with my father. It is very serious and you are the only person I trust with this problem." What kind of problem? When I saw them the night before, they seemed like a peaceful, happy family.

"What does your father want to discuss with me? Is he hurt?-" The next part I didn't hear. Ms. Sage must have begun whispering. Next thing I know they are approaching the door. There is not enough time for me to leave and I turn and walk straight into Jevae.