"I don't want to talk about it." "Fine." I went by the window then caught him staring at me, "What you looking at?" I teased him, "Shut up. You're in my room." "Me and my friends are going to see some lights, want to come?" "Nah." "I know you don't have anything else to do. We're going around seven, so just in case you change your mind." I walked out and bumped into Chris. "Damn Chris! Eavesdropping!?" "Listen don't get twisted up with him." "Gross, he's like a little brother." "I'm just warning you." He went into his room while I went back downstairs to fix me something to eat. It was about seven, and I was getting dressed, grabbed my coat, and keys about to head out the door. "I'm coming." I look to see Alex coming downstairs and over to the front door. "What changed your mind?" "I'm bored and want to see how your friends are looking." "Little boy, stay away from my friends." He opened the door for me, then we met up with my friends to see the lights. It was this neighborhood that was hosting, and there were food trucks. My friends were Rose, Stephanie, and Mary. Rose and Mary went to check out the food truck, and we lost Alex. "Girl, why did you bring him?" "I invited him. What's up with everybody?" "He's a menace and causing trouble for half of the neighborhood." "Okay what that got to do with me? He lives with Chris, not me." "Are you blind?" I looked at her, "Please fill me in." "Before you left for college, and we had that huge party for you at your grandparents' house. Let's just say I caught a conversation about you." "About what?" "He has a crush on you, and Pumpkin wanted to make you jealous because she thought you had a crush on him too. So she went after him, she got pregnant but something happened where police got involved and there was a restraining order. But she decided to get it lifted and-" "I'm sorry but what? A restraining order against Alex? Why?" "He has a dark past and violent one at that. We never got the details on why she put him on the restraining order." "Hey!" Rose and Mary came back with food, "Let's eat!" We found somewhere to eat, "Let me find Alex." "No, why? Let us eat and talk without the kid around." "Rose stop it. I'm sure he's hungry, too." I went walking around and then found him by this tree, smoking. "There you are and smoking again.. geez. Do you want to see twenty-nine?" "No not really." "Ha funny. We got some food, come eat with us." "Did they tell you?" "Tell me what?" "Don't play dumb with me, Winter. Everybody knows..." "Okay. We have our own thing and business. I'm not here to judge you. We're not perfect." "The only reason you don't look at me like they do is because you haven't been around. You were never the one to believe gossip. That's what I like about you."