The next morning:

Squid's P.O.V

As soon as I woke up I knew I needed to talk to someone. I would normally call Kandy, but I just need to talk to a guy about this stuff. Kandy is a great person to talk to, but sometimes I need to talk to a guy! I was going crazy in this house. I needed someone my own age. I picked up the phone and called X-ray. He is one of my best friends.

"Hello?" A female voice answered on the other line, it must be X-ray's mom.

"Hi is Rex there?"

"Yes, just one minute…" I could hear the lady yelling for X-ray to pick up the phone. Soon there was another voice on the line.

"Hello?"

"Hey X, its Squid. What are you doing today?"

"Nothing, why?"

"Wanna sleepover?"

"Sure! When do you want me to come over?"

"Umm whenever, wait hold on let me ask Jodi. She said you could come over whenever but it might be a good idea to still ask. One second…"

"Yah man let me ask my mom." I ran downstairs and found Jodi braiding Quincy's hair. The twins were pulling on her legs. She looked like she could use some backup.

"Hey Jodi can X-ray sleepover tonight?"

"Sure! What time is he coming?" Jodi was beaming. She loved it when I had friends over. I think she thinks that it means that I am adjusting.

"Umm… I'm not sure. What time do you want him to come over?"

"Oh Alan, I don't care your friends are always welcome. Why don't you and him just work it out, but could you let me know? I just need to know how many people I am feeding that's all."

"Ok! Sure thing! Ill be right back just let me go and tell him." I ran back upstairs and picked up the phone.

"Hey man she said it is fine you can come over whenever you want. So what time are you coming?"

"Well, I talked to my mom and she wants me to do some chores before I go over, not to mention I need to get some homework done. So let me think… I have to clean my room and my room is the smallest thing ever so that will take about… fifteen minutes…and then I have to take out the trash that's gonna take about…thirty seconds…and then I have to do the dishes I can pay my little brother to do that… so that will take no time… and then I have to do my math homework and that will take about… five minutes…but I do have to wait for my dad to get home with the car. So I should be there in an hour or two. Can I call you when I leave?"

"Sure, but will you be here for lunch or dinner? Jodi wants to know so she can make enough food."

"Hmmm… not lunch, but dinner for sure. I never pass up eating good food! Squid man, you know you are really lucky! I mean if you are going to have to move to a place you have never been before and live with people you have never met at least you got not so messed up, cooler, and much more attractive Martha Stewart instead of Cruella De Ville!" This made me laugh. When I first met Bruce if he told me he was married I would probably imagined that his wife was something close to Cruella De Ville.

"Yah, you're right, her food rocks! Ok yah just call me when you leave. See ya later!"

"Bye!"

I hung up the phone and went downstairs to tell Jodi when X-ray was coming and to give her that backup she looked like she desperately needed. Once I got there it looked like she needed help more than before. She was starting to cook lunch even though it was only eleven. The fastest way to calm everyone down was to feed them. It is hard to yell and run around when your hands and mouths are full of food.

"Hey Jodi, X-ray is coming over in an hour or two. He has to wait for his dad to come back with the car, and his mom is making him do some chores before he can come, so he won't be coming for lunch, but I can tell he is excited to have some of your cooking for dinner!"

"How can you tell?" Jodi turned around so I could not see her smiling. She always loved when someone was complimenting her cooking.

"He said so." Jodi turned around beaming.

"That is so sweet of him! I like him… he can come over whenever he wants if he is going to say he likes my cooking!" We both laughed.

"Hey, do you need some help with lunch? Did I sleep through breakfast?" Normally Jodi would have woken me up or she would have Quincy or the twins wake me up, but for some reason no one woke me up.

"Oh Alan, I'm sorry but when I went to go and wake you up you were sleeping so soundly and I did not want to wake you up. I thought that it was best of you just got your sleep. I can tell you have been a little stressed out lately." How does she always know when I am stressed or worried about something?

"Yah, I guess I have been a little stressed and tired. All the school work is starting to get heavy." Jodi handed me some pieces of bread and the peanut butter and a knife. I started to spread the peanut butter on the slices of bread.

"Bruce told me that you asked him for passes to go out and see your family and Kelly over Thanksgiving break. I think it is a good idea. I bet your mother would love to have you over for the holiday. I have been working on Bruce to get you tickets, but I haven't had any luck, he insists that you spend Thanksgiving with us. You know you are always welcome, but I do think it's a good idea for you to spend it with your mother and friends."

"Thanks Jodi, it is nice to know that someone understands. Its not that I don't want to spend Thanksgiving with you guys, I just really want to see my mother again. I don't know if Bruce told you, but she has a little bit of a drinking problem, and I think she needs me. She is so close to becoming sober, and I feel bad because any little thing could push her over the edge and go back to drinking." Jodi put a comforting hand on my shoulder and handed me more bread and jelly. I began to spread the jelly and make the sandwiches.

"Alan, you poor thing you have been though so much. You know I really do admire the way you try to make the best out of this situation. I really have enjoyed having you around here. I will continue to convince Bruce to let you go and visit your family, but I can't promise anything. He doesn't always listen to me." I finished making all the sandwiches and I set them on a plate and set them on the kitchen counter. Jodi left to go and find all the little ones and let them know that lunch was ready. They returned a few minutes later.

Lunch was eating in relative quiet, because PB&J is Quincy, Joey, and Max's favorite. Once they were done I helped Jodi clear off the plates and put them in the dishwasher. The phone rang I picked it up and it was X-ray calling to say he was leaving his house and he would be at mine in about forty-five minutes. I went upstairs to quickly pick up my room and make sure there were blankets and everything for X-ray to sleep on. Once X-ray got to my house it was one. We went upstairs to my room and just sat on the pillows that were underneath one of the windows and talked.

"Squid my man, what's wrong? You seem like your thinking really hard about something. I don't wanna be mean, but I know you and you're not much of a thinker when you have friends over."

"X-ray, you're my friend and you can't tell the other guys this ok?" X-ray shook his head in agreement. I knew I could trust him he was the closet thing I had to a friend back at Camp Green Lake.

"Alright, so I asked Bruce for passes so I could go and visit my mom and Kandy over Thanks giving break and he said no, so I'm just planning on going anyways without his permission."

"Alright, well when are you coming back?"

"That's just the thing… I don't know if I am." X-ray looked up from the magazine he was casually looking at.

"Are you sure you wanna do this dawg? I mean come on you do have it good here and its cool that you want to go and visit Kandy, but do you think running away will really make things better?" I thought about this for a while and then when I didn't come up with anything I figured that honest was the nest best thing.

"Yes."

"Well dawg, if you're sure that this will make things better…"

"X, it's not I am trying to make things better I am making them right. I have been away from Kandy for so long and I can hardly stand it. You don't understand, but when you actually love someone it is the worse thing to be apart from them. I haven't seen her in a month! It is still only fall! I have to wait until summer until I can go back to her. She told me I could always stay with her. Look I have been giving this a lot of thought, and it is obvious that Bruce is not going to let me visit her and he is not going to let her visit me, so the only way I can see her is if I just go!"

"Does Kandy know that you are running away?"

"No."

"Well, you might want to tell her. You know she doesn't like to be in the dark about things like this." X-ray was right, she didn't like to be in the dark and I was planning to tell her, but not until I was there. She might try to talk me out of it and I was certain now and nothing could change my mind.

"If you really wanna go then I am behind you one hundred percent! I know the rest of the guys would be too. D-tent sticks together!" X-ray got that proud look on his face. He seemed to think that we were all a bunch of ratty-tatty kids that formed some form of super group under his lead.

"Thanks man. Will you help cover for me? When they call and ask if you know where I am will you say you don't know?"

"Sure man, d-tent sticks up for another d-tenter! So when do I get to eat? I'm starving!"

"Shut-up do you always have to think about your stomach?"

"I can't help it Squid, after having to eat that crap they serve us at camp I cant help but think about having real food." I got up and started towards the door and looked over my shoulder.

"It is almost dinner time we can go and see if Jodi has cooked it yet or not." X-ray followed me quickly out the door.

"I'm all over that! Let's go!"

The next morning:

For the second day in a row I was allowed to sleep in. I woke up around noon and looked over and X-ray he was just waking up too. He reached over for his glasses and put them on.

"Ahh what time is it?"

"Like noon, what time do you have to be home by?"

"One… I should get up!" X-ray jumped out of bed and looked around the room. "Can I borrow some clean clothes?"

"Sure help yourself." For the next fifteen minutes we woke up and looked for some clothes that would fit X-ray. I was a few inches taller than him so it was a lot harder than I thought. Once we finally found something we both decided that X-ray needed to bring his own clothes next time.

"Call me before you leave alright dawg?"

"Sure I will talk to you later."

"Alright take care of your self." I watched X-ray walk from my room and out the door and to his car.

I walked over to my desk and started up my computer. I checked the loads and made sure that I could get on the flight back to Missouri. There were tons of seats left I had nothing to worry about. It only six days I would be going to stay with Kandy. Things were finally looking up!