I laid on the bed and sighed, Alek was on the phone telling Valentina about the recent discovery. He wasn't happy about what Salt said but I knew it was just from the drugs. It would wear off soon enough. My mom talked on the door, checking on us seeing if we were passing the test. I told her I had to talk to her alone. Away from Alek, I would try to keep the talk quiet so he wouldn't hear. "I think Salt should come home with us" I said. My mom nodded.

"I'll talk it over with his parents. I don't think they'd be upset if he left and we could offer him something better. His parents kicked him out and moved so really it's the fact we have to talk to Aunt Bernie."

"He needs help." I said. "Mom He's addicted to drugs and it's changed him"

"Well, sweetie all of you have changed" She looked at my outfit "You did too. What does your shirt say?" I blushed, she could read and I was not going to say anything. "You have Alek here, and at home and Who would he have at home?"

"He would have me." I said because I cared about Salt a lot and I wanted to keep him safe from even himself. This was one of those things Alek said I needed to stop doing. He was Mai. I was suppose to save the mai so it made sense to me. "and come on he's pratically family. I want him to be safe. He's ruining everything he has for him"

"I get what you're saying but how would Alek like some guy that is semi attractive that you used to like living with us?" Was she trying to make excuses or was she actually concerned? Salt wasn't semi attractive either he was attractive to a point of sexiness.

"He would get over it." I wanted to end this converstation with a 'yes' "Mom we are offering him something that he can't have here. A life without his drug dealers. He'll make new friends he plays basketball- Alek plays basketball I mean they're the exact same race "Jocko"'s with attitudes"

"You got that right about Salt. It's a yes from me but I still have to ask Aunt Bernie" I walked on the wood flooring that never got finished getting put down into the last room on the left side of the hallway with the sign "PLAYERS CIRCLE" above it. It used to be someone I knews room, but I didn't know that person like I thought I did anymore.

"Salt, if they still call you that" He rolled his eyes at me watching the Outdoors channel, his gun safe was never locked and he had a deer head hanging above his dresser draws that had more clothes on them than they did in them. Along with his stash of Candy and duck calls. I couldn't see him leaving this place and being so far away from everyone. My room was across the hall from his. "Your fish are dead in that tank you know"

"I know, but I really don't care" he said eating out of an old butter bowl.

"What happened to you?" I asked and he retracted his claws

"This is what happened to me"

"I didn't want this either but I'm not doing drugs and I'm not being a jerk to everyone." I said "But you are. You really don't have a choice in this but I've offered for you to come stay with us."

"No way, with your perfect boyfriend and your mom. I don't think so. What would those people think about me showing up wearing my polo shirts and my carharrt pants. They wouldn't I would be a freak!"

"It's better than the druggie at the high school that is playing sports and no one sees how he can do it" I wanted to hit him, what did he think he was doing with his life? I needed to talk so sense into him. "And Like I said. You don't really have a choice. Valentina will be glad to help you."

"Valentina? You know her? That's fantastic." he said sarcastically pretending he knew the name.

"She's Alek's Aunt. Of course I know her, she's also the leader of the SF mai so..." I explained "Who is your leader"

"His name is bubba." He laughed.

"Your leader's name is bubba? wow I should have known" I patted his leg and told him good night. I loved him as my brother and it killed me to see him like that. Alek was pacing in the bedroom.

"He's coming home with us?" He asked and I nodded "That's great not only does he want to ruin this relationship thing while we are here now he's coming with us."

"I'm trying to help him Alek. It's the least I could do for one of my friends." He smiled a little.

"Your mom is worried about what we are going to do here." He moved closer to me "What do you think?" I frowned at his change of the subject. "You look- how do I say this without making things awkward. Hot."

"That doesn't make things awkward at all. If I am a distraction I'll take this off"

"Please do" He said with a smirk on his face.

"Pervert" I smiled back, I couldn't believe how he just went from something serious to something so joking. "You know what the shirts to?" I asked him.

"No but I would love to find out. Everyone all night at the party thing was saying 'that's what we're huntin'" I pulled up a video on the lap top I brought. "Oh wow" he said as it started. "Take me on your buggy" was funny and that's where we ordered the shirts from.

"It's a long story." I said remembering how I got my shirt in the mail after we ordered it, talking about it on skype and all. My mom didn't see it because it was a gift. I never wore it, it's in my closet at home. I was wearing REL's right now.

"Explain the hunting part"

"Meaning they're hunting girls instead of the obvious stuff." Alek now had I reason to hate them, great.

"Why don't they respect girls?"

"They do it's just how your friends talk about girls, except different dia-"

"Yeah I know but I meant you're clearly dating someone" he pointed to himself "and for them to say that... makes no sense to me"

"It's how we act. Like REL says you're hot"

"Well Am I?" He asked laughing.

"Yeah you are" I winked playfully, he was pleased. I fell into the bed and let him wrap his arms around me. "Good night Alek" I said. Here, I didn't have to worry about the order. I worried about my friends.

When I opened my eyes in the morning I felt safer than I have in a long time. Alek was still sleeping and wasn't on guard. I smelt bacon cooking in the microwave and I made my way into the kitchen. Salt was cooking staring a the microwave eating still. No one would wake up till 12 and I had to talk to him. "Looks like I'm going with you guys" he said.

"That's good" I said and then I told him "I care about you, that's why we're doing this"

"I know you care" he was sober this morning "I care about me too and if you think you can help me than go for it." I loved sober Salt. "Do you and your boyfriend mind not talking about how sexy you guys are because it's really annoying"

"aha. Funny" I said and Alek got up wearing no shirt. My mom would freak if she saw that. Alek's body was perfect like he worked out every day. "Good morning" I said, Alek proving his grounds to Salt kissed me on the forehead.

"Good morning"

"If you make me burn my bacon because I'm disgusted I'll freak out" Salt said, I told Alek to get use to this. It's going to be like that until Salt moves out. "So are you guys coming to the party tonight down at Mylers Country Club?"

"A shag party?" I asked, we were going to dance all night if it was. Alek tried to compress a laugh. "You're so immature"

"That's right because it England Shag means Fuck" Salt said also laughing. REL walked out of her room, smelling the air. Looking at Alek's chest. Alek didn't pay her any attention like I did. I was getting pretty protective over Alek. I wrapped my arms around Alek hugging him. Alek then looked a REL for a quick second and smiled into my hair. Whispering so only I- and maybe Salt could hear.

"Don't get jealous"

"Don't be silly" I mocked him.

"My eyes are burning" Salt said, pulling the plate of bacon from the microwave. "I know Chloe not use to this, I know you love your coffee store instead."

"Don't make me sound prissy" I said to him.

"Don't be prissy" He said back to me, I cocked my eyebrow at him and he did the same. Then a familiar voice came through the door.

"Hey bubba!" He yelled, slamming the door. It was Gibble (Nick Name). "Oh look what the kitty dragged in" He said hugging me. I smelt Crown Royal on his breath. He was very drunk.

"Did you drive here?" I asked him reaching in his pocket taking his keys.

"No I did" A girl named Loren said walking in "it's great to see you again" she hugged me. She wasn't drinking, it scared me to think these people didn't understand that they couldn't be doing this kind of stuff. "We have to do something before you leave!"

Three Weeks Later:

He looked at the empty room, I was standing beside him. "It's time to go" I said. Through the fishing, the girls nights out and listening to the stories about how Alek fit in. The cooking classes that I forgot and going through summer photo albums I made it. I hated to say goodbye and return to an order filled town but I had to. I had to save Salt. AKA Sawyer. That's what everyone would call him and his teachers would call him no matter how many times he corrected them telling them his name was SALT. Even if he pretended to not hear them the Adminstrator would call him Sawyer. I checked his bags for any drugs and threw the drugs I found in the trash. I found more when we got home. How they missed that in the scanner I didn't know but they did. When his boxes showed up from the things he couldn't carry on a plane everything would be a search. Call this Chloe Kings Rehab.

Alek and Salt got along good enough, they weren't ditching me for anyone though. Salt walked through the halls getting checked out by all these girls who had never seen a country boy like him and he stuck to my side and talked to Amy here and there. The more he was with me, the more Alek had to be with me. It was a push and pull kind of thing. Alek couldn't seem to get Salt's words out of his head. Salt and I had coffee every morning and a few days ago his truck arrived. I was more than shocked to see it here. The old white Chevy S10 was an eye catcher. Salt had his life planned out when he got here. He liked Valentina, but Valentina wasn't impressed with him. Neither was Jasmine. No one really liked the thought that he used to do drugs and he had a lack of control.

Alek filled me in on gossip about Salt every night from his group, and he would sleep in my room every night. It was working out fine until one day at school.