Once the food was cooked, I called over at Mrs. Nicole's house, and beckoned Angela to bring her mom over. That's when Angela told me about the fight between her and Emily. And what it all came down too, was that Emily was mad at her for leaving her mother the way she did. Angela was instantly furious, and told Emily that she was just jealous that she was branching out before her older cousin. Even though they were only half a year apart.

That's when Emily called Angela a whore, and then left to go see Nick. And to be honest, I think Nick was right when he said I shouldn't worry about it.

"I'm trying to make my mom see that I'm not abandoning her, and Emily starts on and on about why I should have stayed here with them!" She yelled over the phone. "Like that was a choice!"

It hurt a little when she said that. Because the way I interpreted it, was that she was force to come here. Forced to love me.

"No, hun. It's not like that, and you know it." She knew just what to say.

"And that's why we're perfect for each other." I said. She agreed.

"So when are you coming home?" I asked. Hoping she'd say now. But knowing she wouldn't. She had to make sure her mom knew what this was.

"Later. I want to talk to my mom a little while longer." She said, confirming my suspicions. Over the past few days, it's been a little easier to figure her out. What she wanted, what she was going to say. I guess that's just our instincts coming together.

"Stay as long as you want bae... but we are bar-b-cuing right now, and it is done." She laughed as I kept tempting her. "So hurry before we eat it all."

"Kay, love you."

"I love you too, bae. Get home safe!"

******************************************************************************

"Tell them that story about when the Wilkins family came to stay!" Derrick yelled at my dad. I hated this story, but as we all gathered around a big bon fire in the back yard, everyone laughed and was ready to laugh some more. My dad, who'd just got done telling everybody, including Angela, about all the times that I bothered our guests and how often I got in trouble.

"Nooo!" I complained. "That's embarrassing!" I really didn't like this story.

"Well, that's the point of telling it." Wilson laughed. "Besides, it's your own fault!"

"Alright. Alright, everyone, quiet down. This is the last one, then I'm going to bed." He said, finishing off his last beer. We'd dragged the wicker chairs from the front and now, everyone had theirs dragged up close to my dad. I'd kept my spot in the back, near the fire because every, single, story was about me!

"So this couple and their two daughters comes down from Georgia, heading to Texas, and they needed a place to stay for the night. And so we give them a room, and they pack it in for the night." Derrick laughed in anticipation. "Don't get ahead of me."

"So that night. When I finally got Michael in his room, and into bed, I'd thought we'd gotten lucky and he actually went to bed! Well come to find out, he had climbed out of his window.. he's about ten during all this.. and so he's curious about the neighbors. Like having a cat in the damn house." A few snickers were being choked down in the small crowd. Angela, who I could see, looked to be struggling not to laugh.

"And so, he's on the roof, and that night the fruit bats were out. It was the middle of summer. And with him sneaking around the roof, at tree level, they swarm him. And... he... Freaks!"

Everyone burst into laughter.

"I'd never heard anyone scream like that, ever! And when everyone comes outside, we spot him. Upside down, his shirt over his head, and he's stuck in a tree, screaming that the bat's blinded him!"

Angela was in stitches, along with Nick and Emily. Derrick looked to me, and I truly though that after hearing the story a second time, that he couldn't believe it at all!

The night sky filled with laughter, and before anyone could ask for another story, my dad was inside, and readying himself for sleep. Everyone else seemed to yawn and start off into the house, and soon afterwards, only Nick, Emily, Angela, and I were left alone to clean up.

Of course, Emily and Angela weren't anywhere near the other.

Nick and I were constantly passing each other as we brought the whicker chairs back to the front porch, while the girls cleaned up around the grill. And once the back yard was cleaned, Nick and Emily announced their departure, Angela and I bid them farewell and then put out the fire.

******************************************************************************

The phone rang.

I hit the snooze button, thinking my alarm had gone off. And when nothing happened, I bolted up in my bed, almost awaking Angela. 'Am I late!' I thought.

Diving off the bed and to the cabinet after the third ring, I smashed the green button in a hurry and spoke. "Hello?" I asked, looking to my clock.

"Michael?" Nick asked, a sad tone hung in his voice. And looking to the clock to see it was a little past two in the morning, I knew something was wrong.

"What's up, man?" I asked.

There was a small silence over the phone. Then, "Uncle Gary had a heart attack last night."

"Is he alright?" I asked, fear prickling me in the chest. I couldn't imagine not seeing him later that morning. Thoughts of that pained look on his face flashed over my conscious. "Did he make it?"

"He died."

It's a sobering thing when someone dies. So sobering, that most people remember exactly what they were doing when they heard the bad news. They remember where they were, even what time it was.

I could tell he was crying over the phone. The way he sniffed every couple of seconds, his quivering, sad voice. I was surprised that I didn't catch it earlier.

"Oh, God... I'm sorry, man..."

"No... no. My aunt is catching the worst of it. She didn't even know he was dead until she tried to get him to go to bed." He said. I could feintly hear the lapping of water against land over the phone.

"Where are you?" I asked.

"The boat." He replied. "You want me to come pick you up?"

"No, I'll be over there in a few minutes."

"Kay, later man." He said, hanging up.

"Later."

******************************************************************************

You don't know uncomfortable until you pack a change of clothes into a back pack, change, and then run the ten miles to go see your friend. I complained the entire time as I ran. The bag slid back and forth over my shoulders, barely staying on, and I wasn't about to carry it in my mouth, cause I'd trip over that the second I tried running.

Though. All of this running was much safer than asking my possibly drunken friend to come pick me up in his, less than reliable truck. Besides, it woke me up.

By the time I got there, I'd been getting weird looks from the dock drunks, people who lived hear the docks so they could stumble to work the next day. I kind of saw them as zombies, and I knew I was wrong for it. But the fact was, I did look unnatural even for wolf standards. The eyes were the biggest give away. Plus the fact that we had posable thumbs. We were about as big as your average Great Dane, and we were more conscious about our surroundings. Looking both ways before crossing the street, opening doors, that sort of thing.

As I tracked down Mr. Gary's boat, I couldn't help but feel like I should be here. It was an odd feeling. Something someone might call, a feeling of fate.

Nick reeled back as I boarded, and I went around the side of the boat, opened the cabin door, and changed in the dark room. Though, when I came out, wearing the blue jean shorts and Jimmy Hendrix shirt I'd packed before my trip, he seemed relieved.

"Will you tell me when your going to do stuff like that! It's creepy!" He yelled at me. Making me smile a little.

"Yeah. Sorry, but I didn't want you to come get me," I said, pointing at his beer. "And have you risk your life as well."

"Thanks for the thought."

"I had a lot of time to think while trying to get here." I said, lighting a cigarette, offering him one. He refused and took out a pack of his own.

"Oh, yeah. What about?" He said, lighting his own.

"Let's work the boat for your Aunt."

He laughed. "My aunt doesn't know anything about oyster fishing!"

"Exactly. So with our help, we can keep your aunt from falling behind, and still have our jobs. I know how you and Emily want to get a place of yall's own." I pleaded with him. I really didn't want him to lose his hope.

"My Aunt is selling the boat."

"We'll buy it from her."

"She wants a lot for it."

"We'll get a loan?"

"How, Michael!? We're two teens underage, we can't even buy cigarettes unless we know the casheir!" He yelled, tossing his finished cigarette into the water, angrily.

"I can get us the loan."

"Who do you know, that can get us a loan?"

******************************************************************************

"Dad..." I said, my head sticking in his doorway. No response. "Da.. Dammit."

I took off my sock and threw it into his bed, that woke him.

Violently he grabbed the sock like it was a bomb and threw it to the floor, yelling in surprise.

"Shhhh!" I said, hoping he didn't wake anyone else.

"Michael??? What time is it?"

"Four in the morning. Hey, I need you to get me a loan."

Silence passed between us as I watched him slowly drift back asleep. "I will throw another sock." I warned.

"Dammit... I'll be out in a minute. Let me get dressed and we'll talk about it."