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Chapter 4

M.J's POV

"Mikey, Mike, wake up kiddo. We need to go pick Patrick up."

I opened my eyes slowly to see my sister J.D standing over me, looking exhausted. She was still in her pajamas with her put up, bags under her eyes. J.D has been pulling all-nighters at the bar, not really getting that much time to sleep. I knew that my brother was in big trouble, not only because it was two in the morning, but because he woke J.D up.

"Where are we going at this hour?" I ask her. J.D was getting my jacket out of the closet, sitting me up to help me put it one since I wasn't fully awake yet.

"Uncle Two-bit called, he found Pat. We have to go pick him up. And I can leave you here by yourself."

"I would be asleep. I wouldn't know if you were here or not." I argue.

"You can sleep in the car." She says. I yawn, wishing that I was back in my dream. It was the one where Dad was still alive and where J.D was in college, and where Patrick played on varsity.

"Carry me." I say not getting of the bed. J.D sighs and picks me up.

"You are getting to bug for this." She groans.

"I'm not hurting your back am I?" I ask her worriedly. J.D threw her back out a month ago. It still hurts her sometimes.

"No, it's fine baby." She smiles at me. She carries me to the car and I lay down in the seat.

"Seatbelt, Mike." She tells me. I groan and slide the belt over my chest. I must have fallen asleep before we got Patrick, because when I woke up I was back in my bed.

I sat up and read the alarm clock. It was ten thirty. Oh man, I missed nearly half of school! I jumped out of my bed and sprinted into the kitchen, and saw J.D there with two people I didn't know. They were wearing business suits and ties. When they saw me they gave me one of those fake smiles, the kind that they have to give, but they don't really mean it.

"As you can see, everything is fine. The house is clean and my brothers are both doing fine." J.D says.

"Why is this one just getting out of bed?" the lady in the gray suit snaps at my sister. I hate the state people. They treat us like thrash, it's not our fault that we have no parents. J.D takes care of us just fine.

"There is no school today. So I thought it would be nice if I let him sleep in." J.D says calmly.

"Where is the other one…..um," the man looks at his papers; they hardly even know our names. "Patrick? Is he in bed as well?"

"Yes, M.J, go wake your brother up for me." J.D asks me. I nod and go down the hall, and go up the stairs, into Pat's room.

Pat painted the walls gray with red zig zags. Posters and pictures of different things, women in bikini's, cars, some paintings that J.D made, and photos of our family. The one on his dresser had Dad, J.D, Pat, and Mom. It was before I was born, they were in the living room of our old house in St. Louis. Mom had her hand on her swollen belly, over me. J.D told me that it was taken almost ten hours before I was born. Dad was sitting next to her, holding her hand, over her belly, smiling coolly. J.D was sitting next to Mom, sticking her tongue out at Aunt Gracie who was taking the picture. Patrick was smiling showing off his two buck teeth. I smiled and wished I remembered times with my mother like J.D and Patrick had.

I went over to Patrick's bed and shook him.

"What the hell?" he moans.

"People from the state are here. You need to wake up and get dressed."

"What the hell? Two-bit said that he wasn't going to charge me!" he nearly shouted jumping off his bed, only in his jeans.

"What do you mean?" I ask him. He turns to me.

"Isn't that what they're here for?" he asks.

"I think it's just a checkup." I say confused.

"Thank God." He whispers to himself.

"Why would Two-Bit charge you?" I ask him.

"Forget about it kiddo." He says slipping on a shirt.

"But!"

"I said forget about it Mike!" he shouts. I sit on the bed, looking at the carpet. It had cigarette burns in it.

"Ah, damn, Mikey." He says coming over to me. I look away from him, brushing the tears away from my eyes.

"Kiddo, look. Yes I got hauled in last night. But I ain't a bad guy. I just…"

"Got bad luck." I finish for him.

"Yeah, things haven't been the same since Dad dyed have they?" he asks.

"No, they haven't." I whisper.

"It'll get better Mikey. I promise." He says putting his arm around me.

"You always say that." I say shrugging off his arm.

"Say what Mike?" he asks confused.

"'I promise' 'I'll make it up to you' you always say that put you never mean it." I say getting of the bed. I start for the door until Patrick picks me up.

"Hey!" I exclaim. He throws me on the bed and stands in front of me.

"Okay, listen. How about this weekend I convince J.D to let me take you to the movies and then to the pizza place?" He says sticking his hand out. "Deal?"

I sigh and shake his hand.

"Deal."

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