Author's note: Thank you all for reading. Any and all mistakes made are by me. Enjoy! :o)

Friday, September 9, 1977
Hudson-Brooklyn High School
After school

"What was that all about?" Lewis asked. He, Mattie and Tricia walked up behind Bobby just as CeCe had run away. "It was nothing," Bobby replied as he turned around to face his friends. He walked back to his locker, opened it and pulled out a spiral notebook. He shoved it back in and closed the door. "That did NOT look like nothing, Bobby Goren!" Mattie said. She punched him hard in the arm. He slapped at her hand. "Don't do that again, Mattie! I'm tired of being a punching bag today," he said. Tricia pulled her cousin away from him while Lewis stepped between Bobby and the girls. Mattie and Bobby stared each other down.

"Bobby, talk to me," Lewis said. "What in the world is going on with you? Why was CeCe crying?" Bobby sighed heavily. "She told me that she asked Jessica if she wanted to switch partners in English class because of what happened today," he answered. "I told her she was stupid and an idiot for doing that." "Oh, well that was just absolutely brilliant, Einstein," Mattie said sarcastically. "Chill out, Matt! Geez, Louise!" Lewis said. He turned his attention back to Bobby. "What else did you say to CeCe?"

Bobby leaned against the lockers, sighing heavily as he shoved his hands into his jeans pockets and looked down at the floor. "I didn't say anything else. I just poked her in the forehead and told her to get away from me." All three of his friends' mouths dropped opened. Mattie and Tricia said at the same time, "You did what?!" Lewis held up his hand to silence them. "What does that mean, 'poked her in the forehead'?" he asked. Bobby pulled his hand out of his pocket and poked his best friend in the forehead just as he had done to CeCe.

"Oh my God!" Tricia exclaimed as she walked up to Bobby. Mattie was right on her heels. "Tell me you did NOT touch her!" He sighed again and said, "I just touched her forehead. That's all I did." Lewis stood there in stunned silence. He ran both of his hands through his hair a few times so he could gather his thoughts. "Are you effin' kidding me right now?!" he finally managed to say. He walked over and grabbed a handful of Bobby's t-shirt. "Do you realize if Mr. Clayton finds out you put your hands on CeCe, he's going to suspend you for a real long time?!" "Not only that," Mattie chimed in, "Your case worker will probably put you in a foster home or something worse."

"I know that!" Bobby said, sounding a little irritated. "But CeCe made me mad. I couldn't help myself." Lewis let go of Bobby's t-shirt and took a step back. "Are you trying to get into trouble like your Dad? Because you are doing a very good job of it," he said. "No, I'm not!" Bobby barked. "I just got mad. I have a right to get mad if I want to!" "Yes, you're allowed to get mad," Tricia said, "but you have no right to put your hands on anybody! You've got to fix this."

Bobby looked at his friends sullenly. He slammed his hand against the lockers as he pushed himself away from them. He opened his mouth to say something, but he thought better of it. He just closed his mouth and walked away. He was half way down the hall when Mattie shouted after him, "Where are you going?" He paused briefly before he continued walking out of the school.

Mattie started to go after Bobby, but Lewis grabbed her by the arm. "Leave him alone, Matt," he said. "But we have to do something! We have to help him fix this mess," she exclaimed. Tricia shook her head and said, "I don't think we can help him if he's like this." Mattie asked, "But what if he does something stupid? What if he hurts somebody? Or hurts himself?" "I don't think Bobby is going to do anything stupid," Lewis replied. "We just gotta let him cool off."

Mattie's shoulders slumped a little. "Are you going to tell your parents what happened?" she asked. Lewis shook his head. Then he inhaled and exhaled deeply. He said, "Come on. I'll drop you guys off before I head to the shop." Tricia and Lewis started walking in the opposite direction, but Mattie just stood there staring off in the direction Bobby had left. Tricia walked back to her cousin while Lewis kept on walking. She gently grabbed her by the arm and said, "Come on, Mattie. Let's go." Mattie let Tricia pull her down the hallway. She kept looking back as she thought to herself, "Bobby, don't do anything stupid."

Friday, September 9, 1977
Liu's New and Used Bookstore
Late afternoon

CeCe took a deep breath before she pushed open the door to the bookstore. There were a couple of customers milling about in different aisles of the store. Mr. Liu was setting up a display with copies of Romeo & Juliet while his wife was at the cash register checking a customer out. "Hi, Mr. Liu. Hi, Mrs. Liu," she said as soon as she came in. She forced herself to put a smile on her face. Mrs. Liu smiled and waved at her. "Hello, Cecelia," Mr. Liu said. He finished placing one more book on the display before he turned around to look at her.

"How was school today?" Mr. Liu asked. "It was okay," CeCe replied with a shrug. He noticed that her eyes and nose were red. He reached out and squeezed and her shoulder. "Is everything alright?" She nodded her head, making sure not to make eye contact with him. "Yes, sir." "Okay," Mr. Liu said with a hint of hesitation in his voice. "There's some poster board and markers in the office for you to make signs for the display."

"Sure thing, Mr. Liu," CeCe said. She gave him a forced smile then walked towards to the back. Mr. and Mrs. Liu exchanged knowing glances with each other. He pointed with his head towards CeCe. Mrs. Liu smiled and nodded. She finished with the customer, then went to check on CeCe.

CeCe hung up her satchel next to the door before she sat down at the green metal desk. The materials for the signs were on there just as Mr. Liu said. She sniffed as she wiped away the stray tear that was making its way down her face. The events of the day kept playing over and over in her head. "You are stupid and an idiot," she muttered quietly. She quickly composed herself and picked up a marker when the door opened.

Mrs. Liu stepped inside of the office. She stood 5 feet even with a slim petite frame. She had dark brown eyes and black hair that was sprinkled with a few gray hairs here and there. She smiled at CeCe as she closed the door behind her. She walked to the back wall and grabbed a rolling stool. She pulled it next to the desk and sat down.

"Anything wrong, Mrs. Liu?" CeCe asked. Mrs. Liu studied her face, making note of her red eyes and nose. She answered, "There is nothing wrong, Cecelia. Victor and I are just concerned about you. Especially when it comes to the telltale signs of crying." CeCe looked away, her gaze falling on the blank poster board before her. "It's nothing really. Just my sinuses acting up."

Mrs. Liu lightly chuckled. "When Tammy was your age," she began, "she came home from school one day very upset. She looked like she had been crying all day. When I finally got her to tell me what was wrong, she told me that this boy she really really really liked very rudely turned down her invitation to the Sadie Hawkins dance." "Why did he turn her down?" CeCe asked. "Apparently, even though he did like Tammy, he was waiting on one of the more popular girls in the school to ask him to the dance. Needless to say, this bit of news had Tammy upset for about a week."

"Oh," CeCe said softly. She took the top off of the marker that was in her hand. She began doodling small flowers in the corner of the poster board. "It-it's nothing like that." "Then what is it?" Mrs. Liu asked. CeCe sniffed while she pressed her lips together. She kept doodling as she thought about what to say. Finally she said, "I thought I was doing a friend a favor by coming up with an idea. Apparently, he thinks me and my idea are stupid." "Oh, I see. So, are you and this young man still friends?"

CeCe shrugged her shoulders. She said, "I'm not really sure. I think that after today, we probably won't speak to each other anymore." Mrs. Liu gave CeCe's shoulder a squeeze, then said, "I think everything will work out just fine." CeCe looked at her out of the corner of her eye. "You think so?" "If he is a smart and intelligent young man, he'll realize his mistake."

CeCe didn't say anything. She gave Mrs. Liu a small smile and then turned her attention back to her flower doodles. Mrs. Liu squeezed her shoulder one more time, stood up and said as she headed out of the door, "Do not worry, Cecelia. Everything will be alright." Just as Mrs. Liu was walking out, CeCe said, "Thank you, Mrs. Liu." She turned and smiled. "You're welcome." She closed the door behind her as she left.

Friday, September 9, 1977
Apartment building of Frances and Bobby Goren
Late afternoon

Bobby was breathing heavily as he pushed open the door that led to the rooftop of his apartment building. "No one understands. No one cares. No one gives a damn," he thought to himself. He walked across the roof towards the ledge. He stepped up and stood there with his hands shoved into his pockets. He looked down at the busy street. He thought about everything that had happened today. He sighed dejectedly and slumped his shoulders as he recalled the conversation between him and his friends about what went down with CeCe. "They have no right to be upset with me," he said aloud. "It was CeCe's fault for making me mad."

Bobby sighed again. He came to the realization that he was the one who ruined his budding friendship with CeCe. "Dammit!" he muttered. He started tapping his right foot up and down vigorously. He cursed under his breath. He stopped tapping his foot and raised it a couple of inches in the air. "I wonder if anybody would notice if I stepped off of here? Would anybody notice if I was gone?"

"Now why in the world would you go and do something stupid like this?" a male voice asked. Bobby put his foot down, then looked over his shoulder. It was Kenneth, the building superintendent's 20 year old son. He was of medium height and medium build with James Dean-like rugged looks. He worked in the building as a part of the maintenance crew, so he was wearing his uniform which consisted of a gray button up shirt with his name embroidered on it and dark blue pants.

Kenneth let the roof door close behind him as he walked over to Bobby. He stopped about two feet away from him. He took a couple of puffs off of his cigarette as he looked at the teenager through the cloud of smoke. "You haven't answered me. Why are you trying to kill yourself?" he asked. Bobby made a face. "I'm not trying to kill myself," he replied defensively. Kenneth looked him up and down a few times. "Uh, huh." "I'm not!"

Kenneth took a long drag off of his cigarette. He held the smoke for ten seconds before releasing it into the air. With the cigarette being held between his fore- and middle fingers, he shook his hand at Bobby and said, "Well, if you're not trying to kill yourself, then why are you standing up there?" "I don't know! I'm just standing here!" Bobby said. "Yeah. Okay, kid. Get down from there then." Bobby glared at him, contemplating whether or not he was going to do what he was told.

"Look, Bobby," Kenneth started to say, "you either come down from there by yourself or I'll pull you down. Your choice." Bobby turned his head to look down at the street. "I can stand here if I want to. I'm not doing anything wrong." "Of course you're not doing anything wrong now. But if you decide to sky dive without a parachute, there's gonna be a whole mess of paperwork for me to fill out and questions to answer. I really don't feel like doing any of that stuff. So, get down!"

Bobby let out a long sigh. He took a step backwards off of the ledge. With him having such long legs, he was standing next to Kenneth. "There. Are you happy now?" he asked. "Yes, I am. Thank you very much." They stood there in uncomfortable silence as Bobby stared straight ahead, nervously shifting his weight from one foot to the other while Kenneth looked at him. He noticed the fresh scars and bruises Bobby had.

Kenneth took one last drag off of his cigarette before he discarded it on the ground and smashed it underneath his foot. He pulled a fresh open pack from his front pants pocket. He took two cigarettes out, handing one of them to Bobby. After putting the cigarette pack away, he pulled out a matchbook and lit both sticks. "Thanks," Bobby said quietly after taking his first puff. "No problem."

"How'd you find me?" Bobby asked. Kenneth answered, "Mrs. Bellamy saw you going up the stairs when she was leaving her place. I went up to your apartment and knocked on the door. When you didn't answer, I figured you were up here thinking as usual." Bobby just grunted as he continued to look off into the distance.

Kenneth gave Bobby a sideways glance. "You have a bad day at school?" "Hmmph. You could say that," he replied. "You wanna talk about it?" "No, not really." "Well, then can I offer you a piece of advice?" Bobby turned his head to look at him. Kenneth blew out a puff of smoke, then said, "If you're not going to talk to me, you gotta talk to someone. Taking a long walk off a short pier is a permanent solution to a temporary problem."

Bobby bristled at Kenneth's advice. He walked away from him, heading towards the ledge. "What do you know about what I'm going through?!" he snapped. Kenneth sighed heavily. "I know that whatever is going on in your life is not worth getting splattered all over the city streets for." Bobby spun around angrily, saying. "You don't know anything about me or my life! You don't know ANYTHING about what I struggle with!" "You're right, Bobby. I don't know! But I do know that if you keep all of that hurt and anger bottled up inside of you, you're going to explode and hurt yourself or someone you love!"

Bobby scoffed. "I'm not going to hurt myself!" he exclaimed. "Prove it then," Kenneth said. "Step away from the ledge and come over here and talk to me, dammit!" Bobby froze in place, a look of confusion crossing his face. He lowered his head as he puffed on his cigarette. "You wouldn't understand," he said quietly. "Then go talk to someone."

Bobby finished the remainder of his cigarette. He threw the butt on the ground, smashing it under his foot as he walked towards the door. He stopped and stood next to Kenneth. He shoved his hands into his pockets as he stared down at the ground. "Where are you going now?" Kenneth asked. Bobby shrugged. "I don't know," he replied. "Go talk to somebody you trust." "I kinda blew them off." "Then go talk to the one adult who you trust the most in the whole entire world."

Bobby let out a heavy sigh. "Thanks, man," he said quietly before walking quickly towards the door. Kenneth took a puff off of his cigarette. He sniffed, then said, "Stupid, crazy kid." His voice was tinged with a hint of sadness.

Friday, September 9, 1977
Home of Bill and Susannah Lewis
Late afternoon

"Mr. Graham, would you like to have either coffee or tea?" Susannah Lewis asked the case worker. "Coffee, please," he answered. She poured him a cup of coffee and placed it in front of him. He thanked her, then reached for the sugar and cream. He, along with Bill and Susannah Lewis and Cal and Doreen Reed, were seated around the Lewises' dining room table. Susie poured herself a cup of coffee as well. She sat down next to her husband.

"Is Richard still in jail?" Cal asked. Bill and Susie each took turns recalling the events of the meeting with Mr. Clayton. "As far as I know, he is," Bill replied. "Pardon my French, but I hope the bastard stays in there and rots to death." "Oh, Bill! Don't say that," Susie said. "I agree with Bill," Doreen said before she took a sip of her tea.

"Where's Bobby now?" Mr. Graham asked. "We're not sure where he is right now," Susie said hesitantly. Mr. Graham frowned. "You don't know where Bobby is? Are you saying he's run away?" Bill firmly said, "We are saying we don't know where Bobby is. He would NOT run away." "But how can you be sure? Just because he hasn't tried before doesn't mean he won't try now. From what you've told me about what happened today, this could set him off and make him run away."

Doreen said, "Mr. Graham, the four of us have known him a lot longer than you have. I can honestly say we know him well enough to know that he wouldn't run away. If anything, he's gone somewhere to hide and collect his thoughts. He needs to think about things before he gets bombarded by a whole lot of questions. That's his way. It's always been his way and we've learned to accept that."

Mr. Graham looked skeptical. He placed his coffee cup down on the table and leaned forward. "With all due respect, Mrs. Reed," he began to say, "but you cannot convince me that a troubled teenager like Robert Goren wouldn't run away from all of these problems." "Bobby wouldn't run away," Cal said. "He shuts down to tune the world out. When he's ready, he'll talk. You have to believe that, Mr. Graham."

Mr. Graham sighed as he shook his head. He took a sip of his coffee, then said. "I really should be calling the police to have them look for him." A look of fear crossed the other four adults' faces. "However, I won't. For now." He pulled a business card out of his pocket. He turned it over, scribbled something on the back of it, then handed it to Bill. "That's my home phone number on the back. I'm trusting you to call me at 8 p.m. to let me know Robert is back here. If I haven't heard from you by 8:10, then I am going to report him as a runaway."

"You'll hear from us, Mr. Graham. I promise," Bill said. The other adults nodded their heads in agreement. "Are you going to take Bobby away from us? Put him in a foster home?" Susie asked. "I may have to, Mrs. Lewis. I will have a talk with my supervisor on Monday to discuss the best course of action from this point forward." "Frances is suppose to get released from the hospital on Monday," Doreen said. "Or maybe sooner. Can Cal and I bring her to your office so she can at least know what's going on?" Mr. Graham nodded. "Of course, you can," he said.

Mr. Graham looked at each one of them individually. A small smile graced his lips. "Please believe me when I say I understand that you all want to do what's best for Bobby. I want the same thing for him as well. I'm just doing my job. It may seem like I'm being cold hearted and mean, but I'm just following the rules." "We know that, Mr. Graham," Bill said. "And we really do appreciate what you're trying to do."

Mr. Graham finished his coffee. He stood up and shook hands with everyone. "Thank you for the coffee, Mrs. Lewis," he said. "You're quite welcome." He turned his attention to Bill. "I look forward to hearing from you soon." "You will." Bill escorted Mr. Graham to the front door. He waved at him before shutting the door and walking back to the table.

Bill leaned on a chair with his hands. "What now?" Cal asked. Bill replied, "We better find Bobby fast before all hell breaks loose!"

Friday, September 9, 1977
Home of Mrs. Lonnie Haynes
Early evening

"Just a minute," Mrs. Haynes said as she headed towards her front door from the kitchen. "Tracie, make sure the rice and the gravy don't overcook." "Okay, Mama," a young female voice replied. Someone knocked on the front door again. "I'm coming. I'm coming. Hold your horses," Mrs. Haynes said. She opened the door and gasped. She was surprised to see Bobby Goren standing on her doorstep. He had his head hung low and his hands in his pockets. He looked up at her with his big brown forlorn eyes when she opened the door.

Bobby took a step back as Mrs. Haynes opened the screen door, closing the other door behind her. She walked up to him and placed her hand on the side of his face, looking at all of the physical scars. "Are you alright?" she asked gently. Bobby nodded, then turned his back on her. He was tired of people looking at his scarred up face. "Where have you been?" He started to fidget around before he answered, "On the rooftop at my apartment building."

Mrs. Haynes placed her hand on her heart, patting her chest very quickly. "Lord, have mercy!" she said under her breath. "I wasn't gonna do nothing," Bobby said. "Kenneth wouldn't let me." "Who's Kenneth?" "The super's kid. He said he didn't want to fill out a bunch of paperwork if I stepped off the roof." Mrs. Haynes thought to herself, "Smart kid."

Bobby went to sit down on the top of the porch stairs. Mrs. Haynes sat down next to him. "I wasn't gonna do nothing," he said again, his face turned away from her. She reached out her hand and stroked his hair. "You weren't going to do anything, huh?" she asked. He nodded silently, his attention focused somewhere down the street. She sighed softly as she looked at her student. Bobby reminded Mrs. Haynes of her older brother Walter: a smart and bright person with a troubled soul. "You are too young to have the weight of the world on your shoulders, Bobby Goren."

"Well, well, well. The prodigal son has finally returned home," a female voice said, interrupting Mrs. Haynes' thoughts. She and Bobby both turned their heads to see an older black woman standing there leaning on a cane. "Hi, Mrs. Preston," Bobby said. Mrs. Preston moved closer to them. "It's about time you let him come home, Lonnie." Mrs. Haynes chuckled, then said, "I haven't been keeping him away. Bobby knows he's always welcome to come here and stay for a while."

Mrs. Preston leaned in to get a closer look at Bobby's face. She asked, "What happened to you, son? Your face is all tore up." "I got into a fight," he replied. She squinted as she continued looking at his face. "I certainly hope whoever she was, she was worth fighting over." Bobby had a quizzical expression on his face. He opened his mouth to say something, but Mrs. Haynes shook her head.

"Well, I'm going down to Ruby Jean's house," Mrs. Preston said, pointing with her cane in the general direction of the homes down the street. "You going to be here for dinner?" Her question was directed at Bobby, but Mrs. Haynes answered for him. "He'll be here." "Good, good. I'll stop by here on my way back home and leave a yellow cake with chocolate frosting." Bobby and Mrs. Haynes said "thank you" in unison as Mrs. Preston went on her way.

"Mrs. Preston means well, but she is not someone you should tell your business to," Mrs. Haynes said. "Oh, okay," Bobby said. She gave him a little nudge with her elbow. "Are you okay?" He looked at the ground as he nodded. "So, is Cecelia Rose Harper worth all of those battle scars you're sporting?" He shrugged nonchalantly. "According to my dad, she's not." Mrs. Haynes sighed and rolled her eyes. "What your father thinks really doesn't matter. You have to live your life and make your own decisions."

Mrs. Haynes nudged Bobby again so that he would look at her. "Do you like CeCe?" she asked. A small smile tugged at the corner of his lips. He turned to hide his face, afraid that the blush he was feeling would creep up and become visible. "Well?" she asked. "I-I-I guess so. But I don't think she likes me anymore. Not after what happened after class today." A concerned look crossed her face. "What happened after class?"

Bobby sighed. "CeCe told Jessica that she'd switch partners in English class with her because of what happened today. When she finished telling me that, I yelled at her and called her a stupid idiot." He conveniently forgot to mention that he had touched CeCe. "Oh my word, Bobby!" Mrs. Haynes exclaimed. "Then Lewis, Mattie and Tricia got on my case for that and told me to fix it. I got mad at them and walked off." "Is that why you went to your apartment rooftop?" "Yeah. I just went up there to think. That's all." By the tone of Bobby's voice, Mrs. Haynes wasn't quite convinced of his last statement.

"Just like Walter," Mrs. Haynes thought. She squeezed Bobby's shoulder. "Was The Voice speaking strongly to you?" she asked gently. He scooted away from her a little bit and clung onto the wooden porch railing. "Yeah, a little bit," he said softly with a faint nod of his head. With the exception of Lewis, Mrs. Haynes was the only other person who knew that Bobby sometimes heard an imaginary voice in his head talking to him, especially when life events seemed to get too stressful for him.

"The Voice isn't always right, you know." Mrs. Haynes said. "It always makes sense to me," Bobby said. "I can't do anything right. I'm a worthless screw-up. Mom thinks Frankie is better than me. According to Dad, I like somebody who is different from me. No matter what I do, it's not enough! The Voice IS right!" Mrs. Haynes reached out and turned his head so that he was looking at her. "You are not worthless. You are Bobby Goren. You are uniquely you. Hold onto that and embrace it. Don't let The Voice dictate anything going on in your life."

Bobby turned his head away. "I made CeCe cry. I broke our friendship. How do I fix that?" Mrs. Haynes answered, "I think if you sincerely apologize to her, she'll forgive you and you'll be back to being friends again." He gave her a skeptical look. "I doubt that," he said. She made a face and said, "How will you know unless you try?" They sat there looking at each other for a minute. He sighed as he looked away. "I'll try," he said softly. "That's all you can do" Mrs. Haynes said with a smile.

The front door opened and out walked Tracie, Mrs. Haynes' 14 year old daughter. She was short and slightly overweight with dark brown skin and her hair pulled up into two perfectly round Afro puffs. "Mama, Daddy called and said he was going to the store for some butter." She stopped short when she noticed who her mother was talking to. "Bobby!" she exclaimed as she started to jump up and down in place, clapping her hands.

Bobby stood up and gave Tracie a hug. "Hey," he said. She squeezed him back. "I've missed you!" She looked up at him, giving him the biggest smile she could muster. "Are you staying for dinner? We're having pork chops smothered in gravy, white rice and green beans." She looked at her mother. "Can Bobby stay for dinner?" Mrs. Haynes nodded. "I'll have to call the Lewises to get permission," she said.

Tracie let out a happy little squeal and hugged Bobby again. She let him go and went to open the door. "Walter! Bobby's here and he's staying for dinner," she said. Mrs. Haynes went to stand next to Bobby. He ducked his head down shyly and said, "Thank you." She wrapped her arm around his waist and squeezed. "You're welcome."

Mrs. Haynes and Bobby watched Tracie as she held open the screen door for her younger brother, Walter. "Hey, Bobby!" he said. Walter was ten years old. He was a wiry little guy with warm brown cocoa skin, a small afro and glasses. His left leg was shorter than his right, so he had to wear a boot to even him out which made him walk with a limp. He was holding a basketball in his hand.

"Hey, Walter," Bobby said. "Check this out, Bobby," Walter said. He balanced the basketball on the tip of his left forefinger and began spinning it just like one of the Harlem Globetrotters. He caught it in both of his hands. A big smile lit up his face. Bobby was impressed. "Man, you been holding out on me!" he exclaimed. He and Walter high fived each other. "Thanks, Bobby!" Walter said.

"Mama, can we go next door to shoot some baskets?" Tracie asked. "Yes, you can," Mrs. Haynes said. "You just make sure you come when I call for all of you." "Yes, ma'am." Bobby squatted down a little as he turned his back towards Walter. "Come on, Walter. Hop on." The little boy handed the basketball to his sister, then he jumped on Bobby's back. He adjusted the weight on his back before standing up straight.

Tracie went down the steps first. Bobby and Walter followed down behind her. Mrs. Haynes watched them as they walked 2 houses down, laughing and talking along the way. "How could anyone think that that boy has a mean and hurtful spirit in his body towards anybody?" she thought. She sighed loudly. "Richard Goren, you are a great big jackass," she said as she walked into the house to check on dinner and to call the Lewises.