Chapter 11

"Dewey! Get up!" Reese called as he tapped on the bedroom window. His brother was sleeping in the bed that used to be his less than five feet away from the window, but still didn't stir despite all the noise. Reese tapped harder, hoping that his parents wouldn't hear it. He was relieved when Malcolm finally crawled out of bed and unlocked the window for him.

"Reese! You're okay!" Malcolm said, thankful to see his brother alive and well.

"Is Dewey breathing? I've been banging on the damn window for five minutes." Reese said climbing into room. "I just came to get some clothes…food would be nice too."

"Where have you been?"

"I was staying with a friend, but now I'm officially homeless." Reese said casually, trying to act like he wasn't worried about it.

"What're you going to do?" Malcolm asked with concern.

"I'll figure out something. I just need to grab some clean clothes and I'll be outta here." Reese opened his drawer in the dresser only to find it empty. He went to the closet and found all of his stuff was missing from there too. As his eyes roamed over the poorly lit room, he realized that everything that belonged to him was gone. "Where the hell is all my stuff?" He cried in alarm.

"I'm so sorry, Reese. Mom and dad made us pack it up. It's over there." Malcolm pointed to the stack of boxes by the door. "We begged them to leave it, but they made us do it anyway."

"So I guess this means I can never come home again." Reese muttered, visibly upset about the situation.

"Listen Reese, I'm sure if you just talked to them and promised to get help, they would let you come home. Mom wants to act like she's so tough and isn't worried about you, but we can hear her crying at night after we go to bed." Malcolm reasoned.

"If she's so worried, then why the hell is she getting rid of my stuff?"

"She just wants to prove some kind of point. You know how she is. If she really wanted to get rid of your stuff, the boxes would've been gone days ago."

"Can you just tell me which box my jeans are in?" Reese asked, becoming annoyed.

"You're still going back to school tomorrow, right?" Malcolm picked up one of the boxes and set it on his bed.

"Are you serious?" Reese scoffed.

"You mean you're not going back? After I blackmailed Herkabe so you would only get two weeks? You still have a chance of graduating, Reese! If you miss any more time, you can forget about it."

"Look, Malcolm. I don't even know where I'm going to sleep tonight. School is the last thing I care about right now. I'm not like you!" Reese said irritably. "Besides, I'm too stupid to graduate, remember?" He grabbed two shirts and a pair of jeans from the box, then walked toward the window to leave. He didn't feel like having this conversation any more.

"The only thing that's stupid is you doings drugs! Malcolm retorted. "You're still using, aren't you?" He already knew the answer; he just wanted Reese to admit to it.

"Yeah, I won't lie to you." Reese turned around to face him again. "I was up until this afternoon anyway."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Malcolm looked confused.

"She broke up with me.

"Who broke up with you? I didn't even know you had a girlfriend!"

"Jade—the girl I got the pot from. We've been seeing each other since the day I got suspended." Reese explained.

"Reese, is that you?" Dewey asked sleepily, finally waking up.

"Hey Dewey." Reese said.

"It is you!" Dewey exclaimed and hurried over to hug his brother.

"What's wrong with you?" Reese teased, returning the hug. "You hate me."

"Only when it's convenient." Dewey grinned. "I'm actually starting to miss you—it's really boring around here without you. Even though you're usually torturing me, at least it makes things interesting."

Reese laughed. "I miss you too, Dewey. It was nice having someone around to beat the crap out of whenever I felt like it." Reese smiled and punched Dewey in the arm hard, but playfully.

"Owe! You didn't have to prove it." Dewey grumbled, rubbing the sore spot where Reese had hit him.

"I guess I should go now."

"You might not have to leave if you'd just go in there and talk to them." Malcolm pleaded.

"Forget it, Malcolm. I'm not begging them to let me come home. I doubt they would anyway." Reese climbed out the window. "And don't tell them I was here!"

"We won't…bye Reese." Dewey muttered sadly.

"Reese, wait…" Malcolm said.

Reese paused, waiting for him to continue. "What?"

Malcolm didn't really know what he wanted to say. He was at a loss for the right words, which was something very unusual for him. He wanted to tell his brother that he loved him and was worried about him and that he wanted things to be normal again, but they had an unspoken rule never to say those kinds of things to one another. Neither of them was the type to express their feelings easily—especially not about each other. If he said what he was thinking, Reese would probably just laugh and accuse him of being gay again. "Nothing, forget it. Just…take care of yourself, ok?"

"I'll be fine." He assured them before leaving.

XXXXX

Reese walked down the dark, lonely street with no particular destination in mind because he had nowhere to go. He looked through the windows of the homes along the street, hoping to find one that no one was currently living in. He didn't have a problem with breaking in a place if it was the only way that he could have shelter over his head. Unfortunately, all of the houses that he passed had lights on inside or cars in the driveway. He kept walking and eventually ended up at the only other place besides his own home where felt comfortable—the school. He hadn't even realized where he was going until he found himself standing in front of it.

Reese went into the courtyard and sat on a bench. He felt safe enough here that maybe he could get a few hours of sleep. In the morning, his mind would be clearer and he could figure out what he was going to do. He would have to find a job so he could afford to eat, but he knew it was going to be a long time before he would get to sleep in a soft bed again. It would be months before he earned enough money to rent an apartment. He started thinking that maybe if he apologized to Jade, she would have pity on him and let him live with her—at least until he could get his own place. He figured he had nothing to lose by trying so he decided to go see her tomorrow.

The cold November wind started to pick up, swirling the dead leaves that had recently fallen from the trees around the desolate courtyard. The place had an eerie feel to it in the middle of the night when all was quiet. Only a few lamp posts were scattered around to cut through the darkness, casting a creepy yellow glow over the deserted tables and benches. Reese pulled his jacket collar up around his neck and wrapped his arms around himself for warmth. He was freezing, hungry and in bad need of a fix. When the first drops of rain splashed on his forehead, he couldn't hold back anymore. All of the anguish that he'd kept bottled up inside over the past days suddenly came surging to the surface in a flash. He leaned over, rested his head in his hands, and sobbed.

XXXXX

A/N: As always, thanks for the reviews:-)