Connor walked out onto the back porch the next morning, glancing at Ellie's house before sitting down on the steps. He tapped his foot. For some reason, he couldn't keep still. He pulled at the collar of his t-shirt, wondering if he looked silly as he waited for Ellie to come out. She had said to meet her on the back porch, but she wasn't there. Maybe she had been joking?

The sound of a door opening chased his fears away. He stood up as Ellie walked out, dressed similarly to yesterday.

She stretched, grinning at him. "Ready?"

He hopped over the fences, following her to the front. She took off at a steady pace down the sidewalk and Connor easily stayed beside her. Connor loved to exercise, but hadn't regularly for the past month or so. It was making him feel a bit restless.

He looked around in curiosity as he followed her down the sidewalk. Connor was so anxious about meeting his father the other day that he hadn't really gotten a good look around the neighborhood. A few people were already out mowing their lawns. He and Ellie had to dodge some dogs as they ran along. Many of the houses were the stereotypical white-picket-fence houses, but they all had their own unique feel that made them different.

Connor didn't keep track of how long they ran, nor did he care. He was content as Ellie led him down the twists and turns of the neighborhood.

By the time they made it back to the cul-de-sac, the sun was high in the sky. Ellie suddenly tapped his arm. "You're it!" she laughed out as she started to race toward their homes.

Connor sprinted behind her, quickly catching up with long strides. He tapped her back before dashing ahead. He collapsed on the grass once he reached his front yard and took deep breaths, grinning widely. It felt so good to be this tired.

Ellie caught up, collapsing beside him. "Holy crap, you're fast!" she said between pants, laughing lightly.

Connor shrugged, looking up at the sky. His breathing finally returned to normal, but his heart rate refused to go down. He peeked at Ellie out of the corner of his eye. Her eyes were closed and she had her arms thrown up above her head. He closed his eyes, clasping his hands over his stomach.

"That cloud looks like a rabbit."

Connor looked at her in bewilderment. He searched the sky, trying to find said rabbit. Ellie nudged his shoulder and pointed to a large, fluffy cloud. "See?"

Connor looked. He didn't think it looked like anything. "If you say so."

Ellie nudged his shoulder again, chuckling.

Connor rolled over on his stomach and buried his head in his arms. The bright sunlight was nice on his back, but his thirst kept him from dozing off. He slowly pushed himself up, holding his hand out for Ellie, who smiled and took it. After pulling her up, the pair began to walk towards Connor's house. "Do you want something to drink?" he asked, glancing at her over his shoulder.

"Sure!"

Connor led her inside, heading toward the kitchen.

"That's a lot of weapons! Holy- is that a tomahawk?"

She was already walking over to the same tomahawk that caught his attention the other day.

"How old is it?" she asked, examining it closely.

Connor cleared his throat, crossing his arms. "My father told me they found it in the Mohawk Valley shortly after the Revolutionary War."

Ellie beamed at him over her shoulder. "And how did your dad get a hold of all of this?"

"My grandfather is a weapons expert."

"That is so cool! You know, we've lived next to Mr. Kenway for a while now and he never told us about any of this," she said, turning away from the tomahawk.

Connor shrugged. He could understand why his father would be quiet about having historic weapons in the house.

"Okay, I'm ready for that drink now," Ellie said, looking at him.

Connor walked into the kitchen, trying to remember which cabinet the cups were in. He paused, staring at them each in turn. He finally just opened the first one and inwardly sighed in relief when he saw the glass cups sitting on the top shelf. He grabbed two, handing one to Ellie.

"Thanks," she said, walking over to the sink.

He walked over to the sink too, accidentally brushing his arm against hers. "Sorry," he apologized quickly.

"It's okay."

She filled up her cup, taking a swig as she leaned back against the counter. Connor followed suit quickly, leaning back against the counter as well. He took a drink, looking down at his shoes. The silence in the air wasn't uncomfortable, but he felt like he should say something.

"Hey Connor?"

Connor hastily snapped his head up.

THUD.

Connor felt a wave of embarrassment color his cheeks as he rubbed the back of his head. He had forgotten that the cabinets were behind him.

Ellie spat out a little water, giggling. "Are you okay?" she asked, wiping her chin off.

"Yeah…"

Ellie covered her mouth, still laughing a little. "I'm sorry, but the look on your face was hilarious. Seriously though, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Here, let me look."

Before Connor knew what was going on, she was ordering him to lean over so she could look at the back of his head. Her gentle fingers inspected the back of his head, pulling his hair aside. "My foster Mom, Mrs. Johnston, used to be a nurse. She investigates every time someone is hurt, and I guess it rubbed off on me," she explained, shaking her head.

Connor's face was surely on fire. He knew he looked like a fool now.

"Well, I think you're good. You clocked your head pretty hard. Is the cabinet okay?" she asked him with a teasing grin.

Connor looked at the cabinet behind his head, face still pink with humiliation. "I think it'll survive."

It took a moment for Connor to realize that her hand was still on his shoulder. They smiled at each other.

The sound of the door opening caused them both to jump.

"Connor?"

Ellie quickly jumped back to her spot on the counter and grabbed her water at the sound of Haytham's voice.

"Connor?"

Connor cleared his throat. "In here."

Haytham's footsteps started to come toward the kitchen. "I was told to go home early. Those twits at the office couldn't even call me and-"

Haytham halted at the entryway. His face was expressionless. "Ah, Miss Johnston."

Ellie looked sheepish, waving nervously. "Hey, Mr. Kenway."

"I didn't know we would get the pleasure of your company today," Haytham said, walking over to the kitchen table.

Ellie shrugged. "I didn't either. Connor was nice enough to jog with me this morning."

"I invited her here…Father."

Haytham nodded, putting his suit jacket on the back of his chair. "I see."

An awkward silence hung in the air.

Ellie downed the rest of her water, rinsing off the cup and putting it in the sink. "Well, my dad will be expecting me. I better go."

Connor nodded, following her to the foyer.

Ellie tugged on his sleeve, stopping him from opening the door. "I'm sorry if you get in trouble," she whispered, biting her lip.

Connor shook his head. "I think he was more surprised than anything. This is new for both of us."

Ellie cocked her head, studying him for a moment. She's reading my mind, I know it.

"Well, I'm gonna go now."

Connor nodded, opening the door for her.

She waved as she walked down the steps of the porch. Connor finally closed the door, taking a deep breath. Now it was time to face Haytham.

Connor slowly walked back to the kitchen, stuffing his hands in his pockets. He stopped at the entryway, leaning his shoulder against it. He stared at the ground, wanting the silence to end.

"Connor?"

Connor nodded, still looking at his shoes.

"Look at me."

Connor slowly looked up, expecting a furious look.

He was surprised to see an amused smirk on Haytham's face.

Haytham sighed, putting his hands on his hips. "I don't know what your mother taught you about girls and things like that…" He trailed off, giving Connor an expectant look.

Connor suddenly realized that he wanted to know if he had 'The Talk' with his mom. "Uh…we talked about it."

Haytham nodded, sticking his tongue in his cheek. "Look, I won't mind if you have friends over, and I assume you aren't like…that with Miss Johnston. All I want is for you to tell me if you do decide to have friends and…girls over. Is that clear? You have a cell phone, use it."

Connor nodded, feeling his cheeks turn red again. His father looked almost as uncomfortable as Connor did. Haytham cleared his throat, loosening his tie. "Well, anyway, I was told I wasn't needed at the office today so that is why I am home so early. Those berks are apparently incapable of calling someone."

Connor nodded, feeling his embarrassment go away. Haytham studied him for a moment. "I can smell you from here. Take a shower or something."

He walked out with his briefcase and jacket, not giving Connor a second glance. Connor lifted his arm and sniffed, scrunching his face a little.

He didn't blame his father for being so point blank now.

Connor pulled his damp hair back into its usual style, walking down the stairs and making his way towards the kitchen. He hadn't eaten much before his jog with Ellie, but now he was starving. He was surprised to find Haytham already sitting at the table, drinking a cup of what looked to be tea. His father's reading glasses were perched on the tip of his nose as he read the newspaper.

Connor made cereal as quietly as he could. He put everything away, grabbing the bowl. He reached out for the handle of the sliding glass door, hoping Ellie was on her back porch as well-

"Sit."

Connor froze, slowly back tracking to the table. He sat down across from Haytham, feeling the bowling ball from the other day return.

"So, how did you meet Miss Johnston?" Haytham asked, looking up from the newspaper.

Connor shifted in his seat, feeling uncomfortable. "I was eating breakfast on the back porch yesterday. She walked out and talked to me."

Haytham nodded, not looking surprised. "She would do that. She always insists on talking to me when we see each other."

He always looks lonely…

"She thinks you're lonely."

As soon as he said the words, he wished he could have reached out and pulled them back in. Connor focused his gaze on his Cheerios, scooping some into his mouth. The only sound in the whole room was the crunching of the Cheerios and the clink of the spoon on the bowl.

"Did she tell you that?"

Connor looked up from his cereal, nodding meekly. He couldn't look Haytham in the eye now.

"Perhaps I am," Haytham muttered, taking another sip of tea.

Connor furrowed his brow, studying him. He opened his mouth to comment, but decided against it.

"Speaking of neighbors, have you met our other one?" Haytham asked, folding the newspaper back up.

Connor shook his head.

Haytham sighed, leaning back in his chair. "He's been looking for someone to help him around the house, if you want something to do when you're alone."

Connor perked up at that. He liked helping people. It reminded him of his home, where everyone helped each other. "What does he need help with?"

Haytham shrugged. "He has a bad leg, so he can't get around very well. He was complaining about how he can't fix certain things in the house because of it."

"What's his name?"

"Achilles Davenport. We can bother him another day, though," Haytham said, standing up.

Connor took another bite of cereal, wondering why they couldn't just go now. He didn't see why not.

Haytham set his cup in the sink, tossing the newspaper on the counter.

"Why can't we go today?" Connor asked, chewing still.

Haytham furrowed his brow. "Swallow before speaking. Achilles is out of town at the moment."

Connor swallowed, nodding in understanding.

"Anyway, I have to enroll you in school today. You can come if you want."

Connor peeked at the sliding door, trying to see if Ellie was in her yard.

"I believe Miss Johnston will be there with her guardians."

Connor quickly moved to put his bowl in the sink.

Connor felt entirely out of place in the impeccably clean Ford Fusion. He was hesitant to touch anything- everything felt like it was for show only.

Soft, classical music played in the speakers. It nearly put Connor to sleep.

"Change it to whatever you want," Haytham said, waking him up a little.

Connor reached for the dial on the radio. He switched it to a station Ellie told him about yesterday. It's Time by Imagine Dragons started to sound out throughout the car.

Haytham scrunched his nose. "Who sings this rubbish?"

Connor felt the bowling ball spin in his stomach again, but a cozier feeling covered it up. His mother used to ask the same thing whenever she heard the music he was listening to.

"Imagine Dragons."

"Imagine who?"

"Imagine Dragons."

Haytham frowned. "Can no bloody band sing anymore? They all need that technology these days."

Connor almost cracked a grin. His mother used to say the same thing as well.

"Ah, here we are."

Connor looked at the huge high school, feeling his gut twist in nervousness. He walked a little behind Haytham as they treaded towards the school.

"It just occurred to me…I've never been here," Haytham commented, furrowing his brow as he opened the door.

Connor walked in, looking around at the large Commons area. Many parents were waiting in a large line at the office already. Students were in groups nearby, talking to each other.

"Here's your schedule. You can become familiar with the halls if you want," Haytham said, pulling an envelope out of his suit pocket. He opened the envelope and handed Connor his schedule.

Connor took it, slowly unfolding it. He looked at his schedule, frowning a little. He had already taken these classes at the school he went to when he lived at Kanatsiohareke.

"What is it?" Haytham asked, putting the envelope back in his pocket.

"I already have had these classes."

Haytham took the schedule, studying it with a frown. "Is that so? Well, I'll ask the secretary what you should do about it when the time comes."

Connor nodded, sticking his hands in his pockets. He felt out of place there. He looked at Haytham out of the corner of his eye. Haytham was still looking at his schedule. "So, you have already taken Trigonometry and College Prep English? And you're past Chemistry? That's impressive."

Connor felt a little better at his father's words.

"You're mother always told me you were a good student. She used to send me report cards as well. I stopped getting them when you reached high school, though," Haytham said wistfully.

Connor looked at him in mild surprise. He remembered Haytham talking about that with his grandmother, but he thought it was just little updates and pictures.

"Connor!"

Connor whipped his head around, looking for Ellie. She was standing by the doors with an elderly couple. She waved at him, turning back around to talk to her foster parents. They made their way toward the Kenways.

"Hey! Getting enrolled?" Ellie asked, tugging on his sleeve.

"No Miss Johnston, we're here for our enjoyment," Haytham growled, suddenly glaring at the schedule.

Ellie snickered, rolling her eyes at Connor. Connor tried not to smile.

"Mr. Kenway if you stare at that paper any harder it's going to burst into flames," the elderly woman behind Ellie laughed.

"That might be my goal Mrs. Johnston," Haytham replied, brow furrowing.

The elderly man, who Connor assumed was Mr. Johnston, clamped a hand down on Haytham's shoulder. "I do the same to Ellie's report card when she has an A minus!" he laughed.

Connor peeked down at Ellie, seeing her roll her eyes again. "Do you wanna see the school? I can show you around," she said, cocking her head toward one of the hallways.

"That's a great idea Ellie! Run along, you two," Mrs. Johnston said, shooing them away.

Ellie grabbed Connor's sleeve, tugging him away.

"I wonder why your dad wasn't happy. Did they mess up your schedule?" Ellie asked, leading him to the right. She let go of his sleeve.

Connor shrugged. "One moment he was telling me he was impressed and the next he was willing it to implode. I don't know why."

Ellie shook her head, leading him to a hallway lined with lockers. "Well, anyway, here is the Junior locker hall, this is where I will be this year."

Connor looked at her in surprise. "You're a Junior?"

Ellie nodded, looking proud. "Yup, I'm finally an upperclassman. It won't matter though. Most of my classes have Seniors in them."

Connor felt a slightly disappointed. He was going to be a Senior this year. "I'm planning on taking Physics and College Algebra this year. I'm trying to sneak my way into College English too. I just need to get Mr. Tallmadge to sign some form so I can."

Connor's disappointment left at those words. She just might be in some classes with him, hopefully.

She took a left, leading him down another hallway that was full of lockers. "This is where you'll be. The Seniors get the widest hall."

Connor nodded, noticing how much wider this hall was than the last one.

"And if you take a right, this is the English hall," she continued, leading him to the right.

Connor followed Ellie around the whole school, trying to create a mental map of the place as they walked along. He paid close attention, irritated at being so lost. Ellie suddenly stopped, narrowing her eyes. "Oh no," she said, frowning.

Connor followed her gaze, which landed on a man stalking down the hallway toward them. He had stringy, black hair that barely fell to his forehead. The most prominent thing on his face was his outrageous mustache and small beard. A huge frown was on his lips and his icy blue eyes were flashing with irritation.

"Why are you two here? Students are supposed to wait in the Commons," he growled, halting in front of them.

A huge wave of body odor suddenly reached Connor's nose. He tried not to scrunch his nose. He didn't want to get on a teacher's bad side before the first day. The man was leaning forward, in an attempt at intimidation, which only worsened the fragrance. Connor wanted to run away from the stink and the heavy British accent. Connor already had to hear one full time.

"Sorry Mr. Lee. I was showing him around because he's new here," Ellie said politely, smiling sweetly.

Mr. Lee narrowed his eyes, studying Ellie. Ellie held his gaze, refusing to back down. Mr. Lee finally sniffed, throwing Connor a dirty look.

"That's kind of you, but I would suggest getting back to the Commons," he said, walking past them.

"Okay!" Ellie said, giving him a little wave before continuing her way down the hallway.

Connor quickly followed. "Who was that?" he asked when they were out of the teacher's hearing range.

Ellie rolled her eyes, wrinkling her nose. "That's the infamous Mr. Lee. He teaches College English. Nobody likes him and I've heard that only two students have ever gotten an A in his class."

Connor glanced over his shoulder at the said teacher, who was now walking the opposite way. "I can see why no one likes him."

Ellie giggled, tugging on his sleeve. "C'mon. Let's head back. I bet they're done enrolling us anyway."

Sure enough, when they got back to the Commons, Haytham and the Johnston's were standing to the side, talking.

"Your boy looks like a good kid. You two will have to come over for dinner sometime," Mrs. Johnston was saying.

"That would be great, Eliza," Haytham replied, giving her a polite smile.

Mr. Johnston was the first to notice Connor and Ellie's return. "There they are!"

He clamped a hand down on Haytham's shoulder again. "Well, we'll leave you alone now. It was nice seeing you!" he said, reaching for his wife's hand.

"It was nice meeting you, Connor," Mrs. Johnston said, giving him a big smile.

"It was nice meeting you too," Connor said quietly. He stood beside Haytham as they walked away.

Ellie waved at them over her shoulder, smiling.

Connor waved back, feeling a small smile come to his lips.

"They're too bloody nice."

Connor eyed at his father in confusion. "There is such a thing as too nice?"

"In my book, yes," Haytham said, not looking amused. He handed Connor his schedule again. "You will have to speak to the counselor on your first day of school to deal with your schedule."

Connor took it, nodding. He was still thinking about his father's predicament.

"Oh hell, we need to go."

Connor looked up in confusion, but a loud, obnoxious voice stopped them. "Never thought I'd see you here Haytham."

Connor looked to see another man walking toward them. He had on a dress shirt and slacks.

Haytham squared his shoulders, looking un-amused. "Hello Edward."

Connor inched away from his father a little. If looks could kill, Edward would have been a bloody heap on the floor. Connor decided that it was in his best interest to avoid angering his father in the future.

"How's your side? And who's the kid?" Edward said, crossing his arms.

"He's my son, you lobcock."

"Name calling already? We haven't even talked for five minutes," Edward said, cocking his head with a smirk.

Haytham scowled. "What do you want Braddock?"

Braddock's smirk grew. "You still didn't answer my first question."

The corner of Haytham's mouth twitched and his eyes narrowed dangerously. "And I don't have to. Come on Connor."

Haytham marched away before Braddock could say anything else. Connor hastily trailed behind him. He remained quiet, seeing that Haytham was not in a talking mood. Once in the car, it took Haytham no time at all to peal out of the parking lot.

They were about five minutes away from their house when Connor finally mustered up the courage to speak. "Who was that?" he asked quietly.

Haytham exhaled sharply through his nose, not looking any happier. "He's none of your concern. You most likely won't see him again."

Connor slumped down in his seat, wishing he never had said anything. The mood in the car was dismal.

The moment Haytham pulled into the driveway; Connor didn't hesitate to jump out of the car. He swiftly walked around to the back yard, aching only to be outside and alone.

He wondered what he would do the next time something like that happened.