"Are you okay, Mommy?" Adriana asked the disheveled woman in front of her. My mother rubbed her forehead and revealed dark circles under her eyes. She sighed and showed a weak smile in response. 

"Yes.. The police came to the diner before I left. They told me that I'm the most likely suspect-" 

"What?!" I cut in, appalled. 

"Shh, I'm not done. They told me I have a few months until they rule out any other suspects and arrest me. Then I'll have to go to court. I'm trying to get a lawyer, but.. it's a lot of money. I'll have to pick up another job somehow. I don't want to ask you two this, but if you could help me out, I swear I'll do whatever you want once we get out of this mess." Shame filled her face as she drifted her eyes on us.

"Of course we'll help, Momma. We probably need to find jobs anyways." I gave her a weary smile. Adriana embraced her, Bri slowly following after her. I wrapped my arms around all of them, and I heard the quiet sniffles of Adriana and Mom from below me. Rowen stood awkwardly at the other end on the room, watching us. 

"Rowen.. If.. If something happens to me, I need you to promise me something. I know you'll be eighteen in a month or so.." Rowen cautiously drew closer. "Please take care of them.. no matter where they end up, stay with them.. please." Rowen looked uncomfortably at me, then back at the woman.

"Um.. okay. I promise." He hesitantly said. She sighed and smiled at him. As we started to disperse, Mom went to the sink to start dinner. "Ms. Davis?" Rowen said. She turned to the tall boy. "I'll get a job too. Chip suggested working at the diner- no one else will take me.. I can start helping you with expenses.. Not just the lawyer but for food and everything. I want to help." Mom's eyes stared blankly at the pale teenager in front of her. Her eyes began to well and the biggest smile I had ever seen grew on her face. She excitedly ran up to him and wrapped him in her arms. 

"Oh, Rowen! You don't have to do that, sweetie, but thank you so much!" She abruptly kissed his forehead, which I know was freaking him out. She looked at me and smiled through joyful tears.

"You picked a good one, Chip." 

"Mom-" She laughed and returned to her cooking. I shrugged and looked at Rowen, who still stood from shock at the unexpected, and most likely unwanted, affection. I walked over to the living room since it was my turn to hang out with Bri. She was getting older now, and had been insisting that she didn't need to be watched anymore. I sat on the couch while she sat on the floor and read a book. Adriana was in the kitchen with Mom, gossiping with each other. I felt someone sit next to me. I sat in silence, listening to the quiet murmurs of the TV and looking at my hands. "That was really nice, Rowen." I whispered to him. I set my eyes on his profile that didn't look away from straight ahead of him. 

"I owe it to her." He responded, his gaze carefully fixated on the wall in front of us. "She's been feeding me for however many years now." 

"Six." I responded hastily. "Six years and 11 months." His crystal eyes finally faltered from the wall and shot to look at me. He gave me a questioning look. "Who's counting though?" I mumbled, flustered. "We met on your birthday, do you remember?" Rowen's cold eyes wandered back in time, thinking of our first interaction. 

"Of course I remember." 

"Hey!" I called, running to catch up with the stranger in front of me. He continued to walk, not even glancing in my direction. I finally was right behind him, speed walking to keep up with his long legs. "Hello! I'm Chip." I greeted. The boy didn't respond. "You came here almost a year ago and I never got the chance to talk to you. Do you not go to school?" He simply kept walking. I picked up my pace to race in front of him. He stopped, looking down on me with a bothered expression. "What's your name?" I questioned again, hoping I would get an answer from the strange boy. He tall, but not lanky. He had muscle built up, at least for a kid his age. His skin was pale, littered with scrapes, scabs, and a small scar cutting through his nose bridge. He had light brown hair that was tangled and matted, but since it was short you couldn't really tell. The sides of his head were shaved, with the spiking out in front of him. His eyes had stopped me in my tracks when I first saw them. They were sharp, sleek, and a cold ice blue gaze that froze everything he looked at. His clothes were also dirty and disheveled, holes scattered about. He looked older than me, maybe by a few years. 

"Can you leave me alone?" His voice was deeper than the other boys at school. It rang out from his chest, lingering in the air with a gritty tone. He pushed me to the side and continued to walk. I didn't want to go back to my house, so instead I decided to follow the stranger until he told me who he is. 

A few days passed, spring was showing its colors as the sky began to cloud and flowers bloomed. I remember that day, walking out of school as the rain began to drizzle down. 

"Are you coming home with me today or are you following the weirdo?" My sister asked, preparing an umbrella. 

"He's not a weirdo. He's just a stranger." She rolled her eyes and handed the umbrella to me.

"You'll need it." She said, bouncing away towards home. I began my search. I found him sitting on the curb a few blocks away, by then the rain had become light. 

"Hey!" I gleefully said. The icy eyes didn't look away from in front of him. Sitting down next to him, I examined where he stared. "Are you.. waiting for someone?" I said. No reply, as always. I began to blabber about something, I don't remember what. Finally, the stranger turned to me, his eyes full of hate and confusion. 

"Why do you keep following me?! A-and talking to me?! Why won't you leave me alone, I have nothing to give you! Why are you still here?!" He bellowed, a strange emotion was behind these words and his face. He was hurt. I didn't know how, or why I knew, but I did. Those were the words of someone who had been tried over and over and didn't realize why the world kept throwing all these awful things at them. I sat in silence, not at shock from the harsh words, but to think of a reply that maybe could help him. I remembered my mother taught me that sometimes people just needed a smile. I looked into his unwavering gaze and simply shrugged, afterwards gifting him a toothy smile. His expression melted into confusion as he sat back. His eyes suddenly grew softer. 

I continued my conversation with myself, staring off into the drizzles of rain that poured down. "Rowen." I heard the gravelly voice next to me. "My name's Rowen." He looked down at his beat up shoes, and never got to see the smile I flashed him.

"That's a cool name."