Miles got up and went and opened the door slightly. It was the Police.
"Excuse me sir, but have you seen a kid running through here?" one of them asked.
"Do I look like I can see through wall?" Miles asked convincingly.
"No, sir, we just thought…" The other officer began.
"You thought wrong." Miles said keeping up the act.
"Sorry, but if you do see one, give us a yell" the 2nd officer said.
"Will do" Miles said and shut the door.
"What are you doing?" Sonny whispered as Mile walked back from the door.
"Protecting my nephew" Miles said gruffly.
"By lying to the police…" Sonny pointed out, trying to out do hi do good brother.
"I think it is best for everyone that we don't hand Alex over… especially Alex" Miles explained, annoyed at his brothers slowness, "Now where is he?"
"Miles and Sonny found him at the bottom of the linen cupboard, looking both angry and scared.
"Get out of there!" Miles ordered lightly.
Alex just sat there not moving. Miles waited a few more seconds before he grabbed one of Alex's legs and pulling him out of the cupboard. With his unslung arm Alex reached out and grabbed the doorframe.
"Let Go Alex!" Miles ordered more forcefully.
"NO!" Alex yelled getting more aggressive as fear filled him.
Sonny walked over and prised his fingers of the door frame and helping pull him away from the cupboard.
"TRAITOR!" Alex yelled at his dad.
"Be quiet, or you'll bring the police back" Mile hissed.
Alex looked as though he was going to scream but managed to not let a sound out.
"You have some explaining… will you answer that?" Miles said as Sonny's cell phone started to ring.
Amigos High School
Qaasim, Rosalina, Thomas, David, Cooper and Nat all stood around as the fire engines pulled up and the fire fighters headed into the school. Juanita fought her way over to them.
"Did you see where Alex went?" she asked.
"Nope" They all said a bit disheartened.
"What is up with him?" David asked after an awkward silence.
"He's just being Alex" Thomas answered, "Right Nat?"
"I don't know, if that is Alex he' changed" Nat replied trying to think of some reason why Alex went of the rails.
"He thinks you are blaming for something" Juanita said, remembering what she had heard as she pressed her ear to the office door.
"Like what?" Nat asked, "If it's for drinking all the milk.."
"He stopped himself before he said, but it sounds like something big," Juanita said helplessly.
"Sounds like he's scared" Qaasim said thoughtfully.
"Did you see him before… that's not scared that's angry," Thomas argued.
"You need to read my book of love," Qaasim tried again.
"What's love got to do with this?" David asked.
"Its emotions," Qaasim said exasperated, "Alex thinks that Nat blames him for something, and is scared that if anyone else finds out they will blame him as well. He is using anger to stop people from breaking him I guess."
"Sounds a bit farfetched," Rosalina finally answered.
"No it doesn't" Juanita said, "It could explain a lot, especially if we knew what that something is"
"Alex hasn't killed anyone has he?" Thomas asked.
"That is the stupidest question I have ever heard" Nat said snapping.
Alex was still siting on his bed, when Nat came in.
"Alex, what have you done?" Nat asked referring to light, Alex had broken before he got curious.
Alex was too wrapped up in his thoughts to notice what Nat was talking about.
"Don't blame me!" Alex said defensively.
"Why you're the one that did it!" Nat said angrily.
"It's not my fault!" Alex said getting as angry as Nat.
"Well whose is it?! "Nat said close to yelling, "I wasn't there and dad wasn't there, so it must be your fault, you were the only one!"
"You Can't Prove It So You Can't Blame Me!" Alex said getting angrier to stop himself crying at his brothers unfair accusations.
"Alex I Know It Was You!" Nat shouted and stormed out of the rooming slamming the door behind him.
Alex sat on Miles's Couch, his dad and Miles spoke for a bit before his dad left.
"What is going on Alex?" Miles asked staring at him.
"What's it to you?" Alex asked aggressively.
Miles mouth twitched slightly.
"If you want to stay here until things calm down, you can at least do me the courtesy of giving me some answers." Miles said forcefully.
Alex thought about it for second, he knew he had to tell him something.
"I'm not telling you everything" He finally replied just as aggressively as before.
"Just like his brother…" Miles muttered under his breath.
"WHAT DID YOU SAY!?" Alex yelled, "I'M NOT LIKE NAT."
Miles just sighed, and shot and icy stare at Alex.
"Do you know who was on the phone?" Miles asked.
"God" Alex said aggressively sarcastic.
Miles flashed him an even more dangerous look at Alex.
"Cut the attitude Alex, I'm trying to help." Miles said.
"That'd be a first" Alex muttered bitterly.
"What do you mean by that?" Miles asked cautiously.
"What's your motive? No one every helps me unless it makes them look good," Alex said just shy of shouting.
"What gave you that ridiculous idea, nothing my brother does could make him look good" Miles responded.
Alex shot a look of annoyance at his uncle, he remembered why he hated him now, but he knew he needed somewhere to stay.
"Nat! He only helps me, when it looks good for him!" Alex said loudly.
"Use your inside voice!" Miles said, hoping for a conversation where everything wasn't yelled.
"I DON'T HAVE AN INSIDE VOICE" Alex yelled, giving miles the opposite of what he was after.
"I'm seeing that" Miles said quietly, "So how do you get such a ridiculous view of your brother?"
"It wouldn't make Nat look good if he had a santa hater as a brother, WOULD IT? It wouldn't make him look good if he had a sodaholic brother, WOULD IT? In fact it doesn't make him look good to have… me as a brother, DOES IT?" Alex said angrily, he had almost let his secret slip.
"So you think that's worth throwing everything away do you?" Miles said aggressively.
"YES! It stops him using me!" Alex shouted.
"You've already been suspended, from what I've heard you've spent most of the first two weeks at school in detention and you're on your way to getting arrested, you want that?" Miles asked almost matching Alex now.
"IT'S WHERE I SHOULD BE!" Alex shouted without thinking.
"Why do you think that?" Miles said repulsed by the idea.
Alex looked even angrier and refused to speak another word.
