New Friends
I walked up to Elm Tree House for the second time, and I knew that I was going to have a great time there. I realized that one day there would probably have more good moments than everyday back with mam and Rhyd. I even already had a friend there. I'd already told Frank about mam, and he knew that I was coming. Apparently everyone had been taken into a room and told that I was coming and that id had a hard time. Thanks Mike and Gina.
It was Gina who opened the door. She welcomed me inside, but she had a puzzled look on her face and I could tell that she recognised me. That's the curse of having one green and one brown eye; once someone sees you once, they never forget you. I arrived just before dinner, so Gina went into the kitchen and Mike went to the office with Charlotte, my social worker. I told him that I could find the living room and see who was in there.
The answer was everyone. Or it looked that way at least. They all turned at looked at me as soon as I walked in. I scanned the room, and I soon saw where Frank was standing. I was just about to walk over when a girl with blue streaks in her hair walked up to me. I guessed that she was Elektra. I was slightly worried, because she had thrown Liam over a pool table, but I was sure that my knowledge of her would throw her slightly.
Sure enough, she started telling me that she was the boss and anything that she said went. I listened to her ranting on, and when she had finished I told her that Mandy was a nice name. She looked like she had been burned by an ice cube. (for all you people who didn't grow up in my hometown, it means she looked surprised) Everyone looked at me in wonder, but I could tell that Frank was struggling to supress a giggle. Elektra asked how I knew her real name, but I just said that I had a source outside of the dumping ground. They once again looked surprised. I hadn't realized that I shouldn't know their special nickname for the house, but I guess it just added to my mystery.
Soon Gina called that the dinner was ready. Everyone went out of the room, but I just sat on the sofa. A boy came up to me and asked me why I was sitting down instead of going to dinner. I said that I probably wouldn't be able to eat it, and he laughed and told me that Gina would probably hate me for it. We got up and went to the kitchen, where on the table there was pasta and cheese sauce. I sat at the table and looked at the massive bowl of cheesy pasta in front of me. When I told Gina she went bright red, and Mike told her to go and sit in the garden for a minute to calm down. I felt really bad, but I just got up and went to get the leftover sandwiches that the police station had given me for lunch.
Soon the boy came out into the hall and sat down next to me. We looked at each other and we burst out laughing. He asked me my name, so I told him and asked for his. He was Rick. I scanned my brain for stories of him, and worked out that he was about my age and that his parents were doing time, and therefore couldn't look after him. As much as I loved teasing Elektra, I couldn't bring myself to use my knowledge against Rick, so I just waited for him to talk to me instead.
I guess that's one of the bad bits about growing up being ignored; I have no idea how to start a conversation. Usually I can rely on people to start one for me, and my tactic didn't fail. He asked me some stuff about where I had come from. He seemed surprised when I said that I only moved from wales when I was young, because I still had a very strong accent. I decided to be conservative about how much I told him about my past. After all, I didn't know if I could trust him yet, and even when I do trust people, they seem to find some way of leaving me. Eventually we went back to dinner, and I sat down and talked with everyone else. I learnt the names of the people that Liam didn't know, or that I couldn't work out, and I started to feel like I belonged there. I was properly happy for the first time since Josh died, and I loved it. I knew that this was the start of something amazing.
Author's Note: That was a bit of a rubbish chapter… sorry :/ Oh well, please comment and be nice1 I hope to update again soon. I may use weird phrases that only people who live near me will understand in the future, so sorry if you don't understand.