Butch wakes up early in the morning, Boomer is laying on top of him, his arms cradled around a pillow. Brick is already gone, and left a note for his friend. Went home, thanks for inviting me- Brick. His brow scrunched together, it was rude for someone to leave as early as he did, but he probably had a good reason for it. After all he was the oldest of their group, Butch was the second, and Boomer was the youngest. He hadn't known them both for very long, but they already felt Butch had known them his whole life. Boomer and Brick were like brothers to him, and he treated them like they actually were blood related. Butch yawns and gently wriggles out from under the boy who was on top of him, trying his best not to wake him. He places a blanket back over his remaining friend and smiles. It's nice to have friends like this.

He goes out to the living room/ kitchenette to see his sister lying on the couch, arms dangling off, and a cigarette still dimly aflame in an ashtray. She shuffles and sits up when her younger brother enters, Brute always had a sixth sense for sensing people's movements. Especially for her younger brother, whom she dearly loved. "Good morning Butch," she cooes and his face turns beet red.

"Go back to bed, jeez." He turns away as he pulls out a cereal box from a cabinet. Butch hasn't seen his sister like this in years, the whole talking and receiving affection was new to him. Normally she was out of the house with his father, while they took care of business together. Butch never knew what they did together, but Brute never answered his questions, instead she just smiled and ruffled his hair. When his dad was sent to jail something changed in his sister, and she became a whole different person. But it was a good changed, at least that's what Butch thought. She came back that day and immediately started to decorate the apartment, changing the peeling walls into a mural of bright colored cloth, and brought home a new couch. Butch was ecstatic for the change, how he hated the plain gray that he picked at while he waited for his family to come home. Now the four roomed apartment felt like home to him, the smell of cigarettes and sweat replaced by incense and pot. Brute always had a stick going, or at least a candle. She said it was to recreate the vibes of their house, to drive away the negative energy. Butch doesn't believe in stuff like that, but if it makes his sister happy he would gladly go along with it.

Brute falls back down on the couch and the labrador lifts its head towards her hand. She scratches its ear as she goes back to her slumber, the cigarette smoke filling the air around her. Butch now has two bowls of cereal, Captain Crunch, not the peanut butter king, but the berry one. Butch hates peanut butter, so he makes sure it never comes into the house. He kicks Boomer gently as he stands above him, trying to wake his friend. Boomers eyes open and Butch thrusts the cereal at him, spilling milk onto the mattress.

"Brick already left, just so you know." Boomer nods as he jams cereal into his mouth.

Do you think angels have to be a girl? Couldn't they be anyone, can't you have multiple angels? Or can you only have one angel in your life?

Boomer goes home later that morning, and is met by his father at the doorstep. And a firm slap to the face. He's sent to his room while his father returns to his room, where the moaning and giggling continues. Boomer touches his face, the pain is subtle now. The harsh stinging doesn't seem to bother him as he lays down on his bed, after all, he saw his angel.

Brick is in Berserk's room, he's helping her with her homework, neither of their foster parents commented when he came home. They didn't ask where he had been and he didn't tell them. He was relieved, and even more so when Berserk was safe and sound. She asks him if their mother ever taught him how to dance, and he says she didn't get to it. But when she wakes up she could teach both of them. And when their father comes to get them that he can tell them all about her dancing, and how much he loved her, how much he loved them. She smiles and tells Brick that she hopes he's right.

It's a Saturday and Brick finds himself walking downtown to the hospital, he is well known by the staff now. They smile as he enters, and give him a warm good morning. He walks to his mother's room, the cold air conditioning of the hospital halls freezing his arms. The fall weather is chilly outside and yet the hospital never seems to warm, instead it remains stably cold, all year round. He enters his mother room, and a man is standing over her by a doctor. Brick's heart is racing as he approaches the two men, "Is- Is she okay?" he chokes out to the adults in the room. They turn and the man he's never seen stares down at him. He has piercing red eyes and short black hair. He's tall and built, with a mean look on his face as he looks down at Brick.

"She's fine, if not getting better. Who are you kid?" His voice is rough and low, it's not gentle but instead indifferent to anything.

"I'm her son, who are you?" Brick's voice is lower as he becomes defensive. Who is this man, and how does he know his mom? Why does he have red eyes, that wasn't common. He was so tall, taller than Brick who was already six foot, and he had such a large scar on his face.

"I'm your dad." The man drops down to meet his eyes with his son.

Brick has never been so angry. But before he can say another word, his father pats him on the shoulder and exits the room. Brick wants him to come back, he wants him to take him with him. He wants his dad to take at least Berserk away. Why is he leaving? Why isn't he taking them with him? Why is he abandoning them again?

On monday Boomer is in art again, waiting for his angel to reappear. He watches as she enters, her face glowing with beauty and the mean girl with the short black hair stands at the doorway as Blossom enters with her. Her gaze meets with Boomers and she glares at him, sending a shiver down his spine. Again she sits in front of Boomer, her hair in two braids and is dressed in an overall dress with a blue coat over it. There are patches here and there, and Boomer wonders if they are for decoration or if they are holding it together. But she still reminds him of his angel from the sidewalk. He wonders if she knows he exists, and if she really is an angel. He draws angels that day, angels with pigtails and big wings.

She walks by as he does this, and her face turns pink when she sees his drawings, their eyes meet for a second and her face grows even redder as she looks away and walks away quickly to her own seat. Boomer's own face turns into a tomato shade as she goes away. He can't look at her the rest of the day.

At lunch Butch gets into a fight with the girl with short black hair. He had cut her in the lunch line by what he claimed to be an accident. Boomer and Brick watched, as many other kids did as they argued, and eventually started to throw punches at each other. The girl with short black hair was on top and pounding away at his face, the angel was running towards her. She yelled out a name, Buttercup, as she pleaded for her to stop. Her friend didn't stop, and soon the angel had her arms wrapped around her waist, and was pulling her off, or trying her best. Butch kicked his assailant off and moved back. The girl called Buttercup calmed down as the angel pulled her away as best she could. Blossom ran over soon after and shuffled them both away, dispersing the crowd. Butch walked over to their table as he held his arm.

"Beaten by a girl, haha i'm such a loser." He laughs it off but Boomer can tell he's enraged at the defeat.