Lara woke up first. Kurtis, of course, was still sleeping. She touched the side of his face. "What the hell are you doing?" Lara's mom screamed from the doorway. Lara jumped.

"Mom," Lara whispered harshly. "Get out of here!"

"Make me!"

"Shut up," Kurtis mumbled. He put a pillow over his head. "I'm trying to sleep."

"I don't care!" Lara got up, shoved her mom out and slammed the door.

"Kurtis? You awake?" Lara said. He didn't answer. She smiled and got dressed before heading downstairs. The butler was calling for her from the kitchen. "What do you want?"

"Uh, nigga Glen wont leave homie mom alone. If he, uh, doesn't I'll pop a cap in his ass," the butler said.

Lara blinked. "What?"

"Uh, nigga Glen wont leave hom-"

"Ok, I get it. And you're not a rapper so knock it off." She walked away.

"Don't, uh, tell me what to do, uh, I'll pop a cap in your, uh, ass .. mofo."

Lara's mom was in the poolroom dressed has a general. She had Lara's pistol in her hand and was threatening to shoot Glen. Lara sighed, "Mom. Stop."

Lara's mom yelled, "Make me!"

"Give me the gun back. I just want the gun."

"Can I shoot him first?"

"Mmm . . . . . no. Give me it." Lara took the gun and went back upstairs.

"Why did you leave? Where did you go?" Lara asked. She was lying in bed with Kurtis. He had just woken up at eleven. He still didn't seem fully awake. Lara figured he could sleep all day if she gave him the chance.

"Family business. You know, Lux Veritatis stuff," he said. "It's not interesting, trust me. So, uh, . Glen . what's that all about?"

"We've been," Lara hesitated and quickly decided not to tell him about the relationship, "friends for a while. We met at school and did a bit of traveling together afterwards. Nothing more. I can't say I haven't had a few boyfriends, but the relationships obviously never lasted."

"Oh, why not?"

"Because there was never anything there. At least not for me; I just went along for the hell of it."

"Am I like the rest?" he asked her. She just looked at him for a second.

"Oh, come on, Kurtis. This is a friendship, not a relationship."

"You know, this bed brings back memories that I don't think normal friendships have."

"What? You breaking into my house and me handcuffing you for it?"

"That too."

Lara said, "You know, you are so gross."

"Really was it that bad?"

"Oh, shut up." He laughed and she tried to hide her smile.

"Why do you do that? Are you ashamed I made you smile?"

"No."

"Well, you don't hide when Glen makes you smile." He sighed, "God I'm tired."

"You could sleep all day if I let you."

"That's true."

"You're so lazy."

"Hey," he said, "I am not lazy. I just sleep late. And at least I don't kill people when they try to be nice to me."

"I don't ill people for tat," Lara said. "You're still alive."

"All right, one person. . Oh, wait, Glen." He scoffed.

"What are you scoffing about?"

"Glen."

"Why?"

"Why not?"

"Hey you guys," Larson called from downstairs. "Come down here! I want you to meet someone." Lara and Kurtis just looked at each other.

Kurtis sighed, "I don't want to get up. Besides, if Larson wants us to meet this person, then they're probably not worth meeting. Then again, he didn't introduce me to Glen either."

"All right, all right, I get it. Let's just go," Lara said. They walked out and looked down at Larson (Lara's mom, the butler, and Glen were standing down there too). He had a girl with him. The girl was blonde, she would have been pretty except her make up was packed on and she was dressed like a whore.

Larson said, "This is my girlfriend, Girlfriend. She's going to stay here too." Larson's girlfriend winked at Kurtis and he tried not to make a disgusted look. "Someone should show the two of us around here like we've never been here before."

"Can he do it?" Larson's girlfriend asked has she grabbed Kurtis's arm.

Kurtis pushed Glen toward her and said, "This is Glen and he would be more than happy to show you around."

"But, I have to talk to Lara," Glen protested.

"Just go. You can talk to her later." He pushed the three of them outside and shut the door. Lara sat down on the stairs. Kurtis sat down next to her. "Are you ok?" She nodded. "I should have one of Larson's goons go to my house, pack some of my clothes, and bring them back to me."

"You trust them?" Lara said. He shrugged.

"I'm going to go talk to Larson about it." He walked out the door and caught up to Larson near the training course. "Hey, Larson. You think you could have one of your goons get some stuff from my house for me?" Larson handed him a duffel bag. Kurtis and checked it and realized it was his, and his clothes were in it. "Where did- how did you do that?"

Larson said, "Do what?" He really didn't know what Kurtis was talking about.

"Hey, where did that Glen guy go?" Larson's girlfriend asked.

"He probably went to talk to Lara." Kurtis pushed past them and ran in the house. He threw his bag in his room and waited for Glen to come out of Lara's room. Has soon as he did, Kurtis went in, kicking the door shut behind him.

"What did he say?" Kurtis asked. "What did he want?"

Lara said, "It's really not any of your business."

"Just tell me!"

Lara glared at him for a minute. "Fine. He has a friend that lives around here that is having a party. He asked me to go with him."

"And you're going?"

"Yes."

"Fine, go. You're just like him anyways. You're both stuck up and think you are better than everyone else. I'm just one of the people you don't give a damn what happens to. Right? I thought you were better than that; I actually thought you were better than that. Well, fuck you." He left, slamming the door behind him. Lara felt like killing someone.