A/N: Oh, golly. I have a really bad case of the hiccups. It's kinda hard to type… This chapter might take longer than I thought.

Don't Lie to Me: Chapter 5

Voices mumbling from downstairs caught Nami's attention later that evening as she scribbled some of her thoughts in her journal. She closed the small purple book, tucking the pen inside to hold her page, and kept perfectly still to make out what was being said.

"…Rock… listen…"

Nami could only make out certain words or incoherent mumbles, but it was definitely Ruby's soft voice that was speaking. A few more voices came in, recognizable as Tim and Rock. Nami's curiosity once again took control of her actions, leading her quietly out her door and to the top of the staircase. As if her curiosity hadn't already gotten her in enough trouble. The voices were clearer outside her room, so she sat on the floor next to the stairs and listened.

"Rock, this is very important," Tim explained.

There was a long pause before Rock muttered, "Okay."

Another pause. Nami looked down to realize she had been gripping the wooden pegs from the staircase railing so tightly that her knuckles had turned white. She released her hold on it.

"Rock, Tim and I…" Ruby began soothingly. "…we're not your real parents."

This was the longest pause yet. Nami didn't need to see him to know that Rock's eyes had widened and his breathing had shortened. She would never admit it—not even to herself—but she felt sorry for Rock in that moment. Then Nami realized she was glad that she couldn't see their faces. It made the rough situation a little smoother, for her at least.

"Those other people…" Rock managed to force out. "…Michael and Holly are my parents? What happened to them?"

"When Tim and I were living in the city, Michael and Holly were our best friends. They were lovely people; very kind and fun. They had one son…" Ruby paused. "…you. You were very young, Rock, but they loved you so much. Of course we never mentioned it, but Tim and I had a child of our own earlier in our marriage, too. His name was Devin…"

Nami could tell Ruby was close to crying.

"…he died from an illness when he had just turned six. The doctors never found out what it was."

Ruby sniffled and Tim's voice took over. "Michael and Holly were driving you to our house to stay while they went on a trip for the week. On their way there… they had a horrible accident… it killed them both instantly, but you… you survived."

Ruby continued after she had composed herself. "The accident put you in a coma for six months… everyone said you wouldn't make it, but when you woke up, Tim and I… we decided to adopt you. We couldn't stand to see you being taken away by Child Services. And we knew… Michael and Holly would've wanted us to take you in."

Nami had frozen in place, eyes wide. When she had initially told Rock about his parents, it didn't seem like a big deal. But now that the truth was being told, it was haunting. Trying to believe that all of that actually happened was almost impossible for Nami, so she couldn't even begin to think of how Rock was feeling.

"So," Rock mumbled. "You lied to me all this time?"

"We just wanted to make it easier for you," Tim explained softly.

"This is easy?" He scoffed. "But I guess… it explains a lot."

"We're so sorry, Rock," Ruby whimpered.

"S'okay."

More silence.

"You remind me so much of your father," Ruby giggled.

"Really? He must've been a cool guy," Rock said in a way that suggested that he had maybe smiled. Tim and Ruby chuckled tentatively, barely ceasing the awkwardness.

"Maybe you should get some sleep now, though," Tim proposed. "You look a little tired."

He laughed humorlessly. "It's been a long day…"

Nami could hear his footsteps coming closer to the stairs, so she slowly got up from the floor. Then the noise stopped, and so did Nami.

"I can still call you 'mom' and 'dad', right?" Rock asked only half-jokingly. Ruby breathed out, relieved.

"Of course,"

Rock's footsteps started again, and soon Nami could see his silhouette steadily getting bigger as he climbed the steps. Before Nami had a chance to escape back into her room, Rock appeared at the top of the staircase. He glanced over at her, not smiling, which worried her. She could barely picture Rock without his lips turned upward.

Nami couldn't think of anything to say. "Um… hi."

"So you were listening?" He wondered.

"Well… yeah." Nami looked at the floor. "Sorry, I guess."

"Not a big deal. At least you're not saying 'I told you so'," He turned to open his door solemnly. And that's when Nami thought of the perfect thing to say.

"Hey," She called out, causing him to face her again. "You can't let the past bother you forever. You've got to look toward the future, and what's ahead of you."

Rock blinked.

"Some loser told me that one time," Nami concluded with a shrug.

Then Rock's frown slowly lifted into a grin, something that seemed to appear perfect on his face. He even laughed lightly.

"See? You're not a total grouch after all," He told her, disappearing behind his door.

Nami stood outside her room, smiling to herself. But she didn't stay there long. She quickly got ready for bed, knowing that she had something very important to do tomorrow.

A/N: Aww, see? Nami and Rock actually DO like each other when they're not busy bickering. I think it's sweet how they both secretly look out for each other. :) But don't leave! There's still one chapter left!!