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More trouble than he ever dreamed of being in, and certainly more trouble than he wanted.
But he felt like she needed him. And he liked that. Liked being needed. And liked...the sense that there was loyalty that lay between them.
He wasn’t quite sure how his parents felt about him. Half the time, he thought they forgot he was even there until they wanted to parade him around some event or another.
“I’m going to quit.”
It didn’t register at first what she was saying. Then he tried to figure out what in the world she was talking about.
“Quit coming here?” He tried to keep his voice level and not show the panic that that thought involved. He would be better off if she did quit slipping into his room at night. He should encourage it.
“No. Dumbbell. Of course I would keep coming here. Where else would I sleep? Plus, I like you.”
That was a pretty big admittance coming from Becky. Normally she didn’t admit anything. Although, since she told him a little bit about her homelife, she’d opened up a bit more. He could say she was actually becoming affectionate with him. Which, on the one hand, he liked, on the other hand...he knew was even worse. But again, he liked her.
“Quit the farm.”
“Your job?”
“I’ll get a job somewhere else. I can’t keep working there.”
“Are they mean to you? Did you get hurt?” He stiffened and started to sit up.
She put a hand on his chest and said, “No.”
He relaxed immediately. And without thinking about it, he put his hand over hers and pressed it closer.
He should let it go.
“The woman, Miss Kim, keeps insisting that I come into the house to eat. She wants to talk to me. She asked about my family. About where I live. She already tried to get my number and my address, and I gave her bogus stuff, and she figured it out. Now she’s after me to get the right stuff. She wants to feed me, do whatever it is that do-gooders like her do. And you know as well as I do that I can’t let her.”
“Why not?” He spoke softly, quietly, almost as though if he spoke light enough, she wouldn’t listen, wouldn’t do it. After all, if she went to Kim, and Kim figured out about her situation, Becky would be going back to the state, and he’d lose her.
Plus, she’d be ripped from her sister, she’d be upset, she’d probably run away, and she might get hurt. Something could happen to her. He might not lose her just for a little bit, but he could lose her forever.
Without thinking, his arm tightened around her, and she snuggled closer to his side.
The blankets were between them, and that was a good thing.
“You know!” Becky said.
And immediately he said, “Shh! Do you want the whole house to hear you?”
“No. Of course not. But don’t be stupid. If she finds out about me, the first thing she’s going to do is call the cops, and I’ll be riding in that patrol car going to jail!”
“You know you won’t go to jail.”
“I might as well be. You know what I meant. They’re gonna take me and put me back in the system.”
“You’re still in the system. They just can’t find you right now.”
“Exactly. And that’s exactly the way it needs to be. Otherwise, I’ll be separated from Rita forever.”
“They don’t like to separate siblings. They place you close to her if they can.”
“No one wants someone my age. A problem child. They think I’m going to slit their throats while they sleep or something.”
“I guess you could get me to testify that you won’t do that. I can do that if you need me to.”
