The nerve of that guy! Eric thought, throwing himself on one of the beds that didn’t look like it belonged to Kayden. It was actually laughable at how small the bedroom was compared to the rest of the house. He knew he was being somewhat dramatic since the room was about the same size as the living room downstairs.

But he wasn’t happy he had to share a room. Eric knew he could ask Roth to room somewhere else, but he didn’t want to cause any issues on his first day out of the orphanage. This was his shot at a better future. What Roth was doing for him could never be repaid.

He heaved a huge sigh as he sat up and pulled off his flimsy backpack. He unzipped it and pulled out his two most cherished possessions. Out of all the items he had owned throughout his seventeen years of life, he only kept his mother’s silver locket and his father’s intricate pocket watch.

He was often told how fortunate he was to have been inside with the babysitter when his parents were murdered.

He didn’t feel fortunate.

Nightmares plagued him every night. Memories threatened to consume him. He found it hard to focus when his mind began to wander…it pained him to know the eyes he once used as a beacon of safety no longer held the same meaning. Kayden hadn’t recognized him.

Eric always daydreamed of the exact moment when they would see each other again. Kayden would have let out a grin and pulled him into a long hug, much like he did when they were younger. Everything would have fallen into place. He’d have a best friend to confide in, someone to rely on besides himself.

Kayden hadn’t done that. It pissed him off to know that while he had used their friendship to keep his head above water, Kayden tossed it aside.

He had yearned for a family when he was a child. He had needed to be held and loved and wanted. That was all before he went through hell the moment he stepped foot through that family’s door.

Eric picked up the locket. Inside was a picture of him and his parents—the only one left—and fastened it around his neck, slipping it beneath his shirt. He placed the pocket watch on the nightstand next to his bed.

Some of the children at the orphanage mocked him for refusing every offer from a potential family. A few even complained to Mrs. Laje about it. Multiple times. And didn’t stop until she got really angry. But Eric couldn’t bring himself to take that first step for the second time.

He tried replacing his parents once.

He wouldn’t make the same mistake twice.

The door opened, causing Eric to let out a startled yell. “What the hell?” he demanded, annoyed at Kayden’s grin. Wasn’t there some etiquette of knocking before entering a room?

“I’ve decided.” Kayden bounced on his feet.

Eric took in his excitement and shifted uncomfortably. “Decided what?”

“To be friends.”

Eric gave him a look of disbelief.

“Eric, be my friend.”

“Why should I be friends with someone who forgot about me?” Eric questioned, his face reddening with anger.

“I never forgot about you,” Kayden said, “I just didn’t recognize you because you’ve grown so much.”

Eric rolled his eyes. He tried standing, but Kayden was faster, urging him to sit down with a light pat to his shoulder.

“What are you doing?”

“Let me apologize,” Kayden answered, dropping his hand and sitting down on his bed across the room. “Let’s be friends like we used to.”

“What if I don’t want that anymore?” Eric shot back.

“I told my dad what I did to the room. If you really can’t stand the thought of rooming together, he said you’re welcome to the extra room on the second floor. I wouldn’t recommend it though. The view isn’t so great and it’s really small. I don’t sleep here most nights, so you’ll have the room mostly to yourself. I’ll be here for the next two weeks. After that, Kayden free; for the most part.”

Eric rubbed at his neck. “It’s fine.”  

“Great! Dad told me to give you a house tour. Follow me!”

“I don’t want to.”

Kayden shrugged and strode across the room. He picked Eric up off the bed and gently pushed him towards the door.

“Hey!” Eric protested, stumbling into the door frame.

Kayden laughed, herding him into the office. “I feel like we’re already becoming friends.”

Eric let out a huff as he caught his balance. “Asshole.”

“See? We’re becoming closer already.” Kayden nudged his side with an elbow.

Irritated, Eric followed behind him in silence, hoping to fall back into his rhythm of not talking. It was hard because he had so much to say. The amount of anger building inside him, the hope of finding his old friend, the strange coincidence of the same family taking them both under its wing. Everything about this situation was like a sucker punch to the gut.

The firm grip on his anger was slipping.

Memories flashed before his eyes. Some from his time in hell, and others from all his lonely nights spent at the orphanage. Was he really going to mess this up because Kayden was here? Would he prove Mrs. Laje right about the temper she thought he had? Or the anger issues everyone insisted he was dealing with? He chose to ignore everyone and start arguments. He wasn’t unstable.

Roth’s kind eyes were the first break in the storm swirling inside. Eric knew Roth didn’t have any expectations, even after reading his file. He didn’t act like the others whenever Mrs. Laje whispered to them in passing, talking about his temper and anger issues. All of which he knew he didn’t have. Some of the children under her care acted out more than he ever did, at any age. Yet he was the one pegged with behavior issues and sent off to anger management classes he didn’t need.

Every time he thought back to the fights the other students started, he couldn’t find the reason behind why things went so wrong. No matter what he said or did, or the evidence provided by the school, no one believed him. It only strengthened Mrs. Laje’s belief that something was severely wrong with him.

Despite that, families still wanted to adopt him.

Nothing made sense anymore. The last thing he wanted to do was ruin his second chance. He would start a new school in the fall, make new friends, hopefully, and live under a roof where no one assumed he would lash out in anger. Kayden was obviously trying to talk with him and the girls seemed like sweet kids.

Maybe he could open his heart up a second time.

Kayden’s voice brought him back to the present. “The first stop on this grand tour, is the second floor where we might find Angela and Sam.”

“Might?” Eric didn’t miss the flash of hope on Kayden’s face.

“Those two don’t know the meaning of still. Unless one of their favorite movies is playing.”

“You lure them in with movies?”

Kayden laughed. “No. We think of the last place we saw them and calculate the best next location they might be in.”

“Right…”

Eric took a deep breath.

He was determined to make this work.