Rachel knocked on the door and waited. A man she didn't recognize came to the door.
"Can I help you?" He asked nicely.
"Does Nick still live here?" She asked quietly.
"Are you a friend of his?" The man asked.
"Yea we were friends a while back until I moved away. But I am back now." She said not giving him any details.
"I'll get him." He said and went back in to the house. "Nick you have company." He called though the house.
"Be right there." She heard the yell back. His voice was different so she wasn't sure if it was him. She then saw him come out of a room and walk toward the door. As soon as she saw him she knew it was her Nick. He still had the same blond hair and blue eyes, he was just taller now about 6 feet tall. He looked at her and smiled.
"Rachel! What are you doing here?" he said opening the door and walking out on to the porch and giving her a hug.
"I came for a visit." She said smiling.
"Where did you go?" he asked. She looked around.
"Can we talk some where private?" She asked and he nodded.
"Follow me." he said and she followed him around back to the garage. He closed the door behind them.
"You look great." She told him.
"Thanks." He smiled.
"Who was that man back there?"
"Oh, he is my step father. My mom married him three years ago. He is a good guy. He takes care of us." He said. "Not like my dad."
"Yea I remember your dad." She said back.
"How did you get the bruise on your face?" He asked although he knew the answer already.
"Long story." She said.
"I have time." Nick stated and he sat down on an old couch they had stored in there. Rachel sat next to him.
"Well, when I left it was because my dad got arrested for child abuse. They then put me in the foster care system. Which wasn't much better since they didn't do a great background check on these families. They were in it for the money and most of them were just as abusive as my dad was." She explained to Nick. She could talk to him about this since he had been in the same situation as her. He nodded knowingly. "There was one house that I thought would work out and me and Ryan thought we had a home but the couple started to go out and party and not come back for days at a time so they took us out of there too."
"Who is Ryan?" Nick asked confused.
"Oh he is a boy I met in the orphanage before going in to foster. Him and I became real close and sometimes we ended up in the same foster home. But about six months back his mom got clean and she got custody of him back. And I got shipped off to the Johnsons. But I kinda ran away from them last night." she explained.
"I see. That bruise being the reason why." Nick said softly.
"It was worse a few days back. I was out cold for two days and no one bothered to take me to a doctor." She stated.
"Oh man. Where are you going to go?" Nick asked.
"I haven't thought that far yet. I just needed to get away before Mr. Johnson decided to hurt me even worse." She said seriously.
"How much money do you have on you?" He asked.
"350 dollars." She said.
"Wow, where did you get that kind of money?" he asked surprised.
"I kinda took it from Mrs. Johnson." She stated.
"Ok. You wanna come in and get something to eat?" He asked.
"You sure?"
"Yea my mom liked you so she will like to see you again." He said and they got up and headed back to the house.
-----------------------------------------------------
Ryan's mom came home and AJ still knocked out on the floor. She looked over at Trey who was watching tv.
"What happened to him?" she asked obviously high.
"He was beating on Ryan so I stopped him." Trey said still looking at the tv.
"My God! And you knocked him out?" Dawn said shocked and a bit angry.
"You're kidding right. You pick him over your own kids?" Trey said getting up now pissed.
"You know he brings in most of the money." Dawn said going over to wake AJ up.
"Yea right." Trey said and left the house. Dawn continued to wake AJ up. Ryan was silently watching from the doorway of his room. She looked up and saw Ryan standing there sadness evident in his eyes. She saw the bruise on his face. He looked down, shook his head and walked back into his room shutting the door behind him.
"Can I help you?" He asked nicely.
"Does Nick still live here?" She asked quietly.
"Are you a friend of his?" The man asked.
"Yea we were friends a while back until I moved away. But I am back now." She said not giving him any details.
"I'll get him." He said and went back in to the house. "Nick you have company." He called though the house.
"Be right there." She heard the yell back. His voice was different so she wasn't sure if it was him. She then saw him come out of a room and walk toward the door. As soon as she saw him she knew it was her Nick. He still had the same blond hair and blue eyes, he was just taller now about 6 feet tall. He looked at her and smiled.
"Rachel! What are you doing here?" he said opening the door and walking out on to the porch and giving her a hug.
"I came for a visit." She said smiling.
"Where did you go?" he asked. She looked around.
"Can we talk some where private?" She asked and he nodded.
"Follow me." he said and she followed him around back to the garage. He closed the door behind them.
"You look great." She told him.
"Thanks." He smiled.
"Who was that man back there?"
"Oh, he is my step father. My mom married him three years ago. He is a good guy. He takes care of us." He said. "Not like my dad."
"Yea I remember your dad." She said back.
"How did you get the bruise on your face?" He asked although he knew the answer already.
"Long story." She said.
"I have time." Nick stated and he sat down on an old couch they had stored in there. Rachel sat next to him.
"Well, when I left it was because my dad got arrested for child abuse. They then put me in the foster care system. Which wasn't much better since they didn't do a great background check on these families. They were in it for the money and most of them were just as abusive as my dad was." She explained to Nick. She could talk to him about this since he had been in the same situation as her. He nodded knowingly. "There was one house that I thought would work out and me and Ryan thought we had a home but the couple started to go out and party and not come back for days at a time so they took us out of there too."
"Who is Ryan?" Nick asked confused.
"Oh he is a boy I met in the orphanage before going in to foster. Him and I became real close and sometimes we ended up in the same foster home. But about six months back his mom got clean and she got custody of him back. And I got shipped off to the Johnsons. But I kinda ran away from them last night." she explained.
"I see. That bruise being the reason why." Nick said softly.
"It was worse a few days back. I was out cold for two days and no one bothered to take me to a doctor." She stated.
"Oh man. Where are you going to go?" Nick asked.
"I haven't thought that far yet. I just needed to get away before Mr. Johnson decided to hurt me even worse." She said seriously.
"How much money do you have on you?" He asked.
"350 dollars." She said.
"Wow, where did you get that kind of money?" he asked surprised.
"I kinda took it from Mrs. Johnson." She stated.
"Ok. You wanna come in and get something to eat?" He asked.
"You sure?"
"Yea my mom liked you so she will like to see you again." He said and they got up and headed back to the house.
-----------------------------------------------------
Ryan's mom came home and AJ still knocked out on the floor. She looked over at Trey who was watching tv.
"What happened to him?" she asked obviously high.
"He was beating on Ryan so I stopped him." Trey said still looking at the tv.
"My God! And you knocked him out?" Dawn said shocked and a bit angry.
"You're kidding right. You pick him over your own kids?" Trey said getting up now pissed.
"You know he brings in most of the money." Dawn said going over to wake AJ up.
"Yea right." Trey said and left the house. Dawn continued to wake AJ up. Ryan was silently watching from the doorway of his room. She looked up and saw Ryan standing there sadness evident in his eyes. She saw the bruise on his face. He looked down, shook his head and walked back into his room shutting the door behind him.