Chapter 1.

This is NOT how regular teenager's birthdays are supposed to go. That's one thing I know for sure. Being chased down an alleyway by your drunken step-father doesn't happen to the average teenager on their sweet 16, I guess I should be grateful Jeb stayed sober for the first 3 hours of my birthday, although, I don't think he did that for me.

"Max, get your butt back here before I call the cops on you!" Ya, right. Like the cops would come and see that he's drunk and chasing me with a freaking baseball bat, see my bruises along with Angel and Gazzy's, and still attempt to help him. Like that would ever happen.

I raced around the final corner on the way to Iggy's house. One more hedge and I'd be free. Well maybe for the next hour or so, but long enough to get Angel, and Gazzy fed. I scaled the side of Iggy's house and burst through his balcony doors just in time to see Jeb come around the corner confused as to where I was.

"Holy crap max! You scared the living sh-"I held up my hand as a signal for Iggy to be quiet. I peeked through the window just in time to see Jeb curse under his breath and turn back towards my house.

"That's the closest he's ever gotten. I thought he might actually see me." I was panting. Hard. Ig looked just as worried as I did. All of a sudden his face lit up. "Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Maxie, happy birthday to you!" Iggy was practically screaming by the end of his little song. With that big goofy grin of his plastered on his face, he looked just like he did when we were 7.

We were running through the field away from our school. It was the last day of school in grade 3. Iggy and I were being chased by Ari, the school bully. We were singing 'the song that never ends' as loud as we could, not caring that the biggest boy our age, who could knock us out with one punch, was bolting towards us.

I looked over at Iggy and I had never seen him happier. His smile was reaching ear to ear and I knew I must be looking the same.

We were excited, my mom told us that as soon as school ended, if we came home to my house as fast as we could, she would take my best friend and I out to get ice cream. Iggy and I were just about to reach the path that lead straight to my house as my big ugly step-father Jeb blocked our path.

"WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING MISSY?" Jeb was screaming right into my ear. His breath smelt funny to me but I didn't know the smell.

"RESPOND TO ME DAMMIT".

"Home."

"And who's this little fella you're bringing with you?" Jeb reached out to Iggy, right before he made contact I stopped him "don't touch him Jeb, he didn't do anything." For that I got a slap on my face. It was stinging but I couldn't let Jeb hurt Iggy. He never did anything to Jeb; Jeb didn't even know who he was. Mommy and I decided that Jeb didn't need to know about any of my friends. I wasn't sure why but she said it was for the best.

Jeb reproached Iggy, "I said don't touch him!" Jeb growled and turned back to me. "What did you just say" he was talking slowly so I knew I just did something wrong. I closed my eyes and tensed up my face waiting for the blow, but surprisingly, it never came. I was about to open my eyes when I heard a loud smack a foot or two away.

I opened my eyes to see Iggy tensed up in a ball on the ground holding his face, a slight whimper escaping his lips. "Max?" He was practically whispering to me, "who is that, Max?"

Jeb got furious at that comment. He pulled me by the collar into his van and buckled me in. "don't you speak of this boy" he stated as he stormed back to Iggy. "Not a word."

With that Jeb marched back to the van, slammed my door, then his and sped away. As I looked back at Iggy, he looked confused and worried at the same time. He brought his fingers to his lips, pretended to zip them shut, turned an invisible key, and placed it in his pocket. His eyes were confused but I knew he wouldn't say anything. He was truly a great friend. Jeb yelled at me to turn around, but as I was doing so, I saw Iggy turn towards his house, out of the corner of my eye, patting his pocket where he had placed the invisible key.

I was rocking, I knew that much, I could feel arms around me as I was being rocked back and forth. All I could hear was a ringing sound but distant voices were fighting to get through to me. Jeb's voice was still yelling at me to turn around so I must have been mixed up between memories and reality.

"Shh, Max? Can you hear me Max? It's all going to be OK. Shh, Jeb's not here you lost him, calm down" I recognized this voice as, Iggy's mother, Mrs. Griffiths'.

Mrs. Griffith always seemed to be there for me. Whenever I was confused she always had the best advice. If I was scared, I could run to her house and I knew she would protect me from all the fears I had. If I was worried about Angel or Gazzy, I could bring them to her house and she'd take care of them. It was never a problem because Jeb never noticed.

I looked up at her to see a very concerned look upon her face, a motherly look. I felt tears prick my eyes as I thought about my mother. She had died on the last day of school when I was 11. The day after Angel had been born. Jeb said it was an accident having to do with Angel's birth, but I knew better. I knew he had killed her. Today was not going to be a good day.

The rocking began again as I was starting to come around. I was in Iggy's arms cradled against his chest. He'd grown up to be so strong but he never worked out. I'd always been jealous of him for that because I'm just as strong but I have to work out 24/7 to keep up. He was even blind and he could still whoop my but!

Iggy's face was impassive but looking into his eyes let me know his true concern. He's the cheeriest person I know, but the second anything bad happens he feels horrible and feels this need to make it all better. He looked down at me once the whole way to his living room and looking into his eyes had scared me. His non seeing eyes held so much pain. I knew he felt bad for me but these days I was wondering how much he was willing to get hurt on my behalf.

Ig put me down on the sofa and sat beside me, staring at noting on the opposite wall.

"Max, honey?" I looked up at Mrs. Griffiths. A smile came over her face. "Happy birthday."

After Mrs. Griffiths left the room I looked over at Iggy. He looked as if he were in pain. "Ig?" his face just twitched at the sound of his name. "Iggy? IGGY!" he finally flinched. Iggy looked towards me and muttered something under his breath. "What?" I asked. Iggy didn't mutter, he never muttered. He was usually blunt and got right to the point.

"I said I'm sorry." he replied looking down at his hands. "For what? You didn't do anything Ig." "That's exactly my point Max. Maybe if I had done something when I first found out about, about, all of… this, you'd be off somewhere celebrating your 15th birthday with all of your friends and not at my house remembering some of your worst memories." He looked up at me, his eyes pleading for me to understand what he meant, but the thing was, I did understand.

He was always suggesting I try to fit in at school and talk to more people and spend my Friday nights out having fun, rather than watching comedies with him in his basement or with his mom because he had a date. But that's what I loved most. Every week I waited to spend time with my best friend and his sister, Nudge, so we could do stupid useless stuff for hours on end.

"Ig," I stated "you think you need to be sorry?" I stood up from the sofa to show him I wasn't hurt now.

"Yes, I DO" he stood up and faced me. Man, has he grown or what! He was a good 3 inches taller than me now.

"Ig, come on, really? You and I both know if you told anyone back then I would be away at some foster home, hating my life, missing YOU, and hating you for telling anyone. I'll be fine. I am fine."

"Yeah, yeah, I know just sometimes I worry when Angel and Gazzy come over at 2am and you're not there, then when I see you the next day, you look like you've just been pummeled." He smiled slightly. "Well, now that I know you'll be fine… HAPPY BIRTHDAY MAX!"

He threw his long arms around me and enveloped me in a bear hug. I felt two other pairs of tiny arms wrap themselves around my legs. Angel and Gazzy.

Once I was released from my attackers, I knelt down to see how Angel and Gazzy were doing. "How are you guys?" I asked ruffling Gazzy's blond curls.

"We're fine Max." Gazzy replied with a grin. "Happy birthday." He held out a small box to me.

"Max! I think you should open my mom's and mine first so you know what Gazzy and Angel's present is for" Ig stated looking from Gazzy to me. Gazzy grinned sheepishly. He knew Iggy was right. Although Ig was fifteen, and almost sixteen, and Gazzy was only eight, they got along great. It was nice to see Gazzy whisper something to Iggy and to see him actually smile. What can I say? I was caught up in the moment.

Then I realized something. "Hey, what are you two whispering about that's too important that Angel and I can't hear it?" I looked at the two of them with a questioning look upon my face.

They glanced at one another then simultaneously blurted out "NOTHING!"

That's never as good sign with two pyromaniacs. "As long as I don't get burnt and nothing blows up on me today, it's all good."

Maybe I was wrong, maybe today would be a good day after all, and I hope so.