Part 4: Chapter 4
Chase was in the kitchen cooking hamburgers. Chris came in through the kitchen door.
"Does Chris Keller smell hamburgers?" Chris asked.
"Yes you do," Chase said. "I'm making burgers for Jonathan and me."
"And Chris Keller?" Chris asked.
"No," Chase said.
"Why?" Chris asked. "I live here too."
"You live across the street," Chase said.
"But I'm your best friend," Chris said. "Please?"
"Go home and make your own hamburger," Chase said.
"But I can't cook," Chris said. "It always catches on fire."
"Fine," Chase said. "I'll make you a hamburger. So why are you here?"
"Chris Keller can't drop by and visit his best friend in the whole wide world?" Chris asked.
Chase looked at Chris.
"Fine," Chris said. "You know those shoes I told you I left at your old apartment when I hooked up with that bikini model who lives there?"
"Yes," Chase replied.
"How would you like to help Chris Keller break in and steal them back?" Chris asked.
"Let me see," Chase said. "No."
"Please?" Chris asked.
"No," Chase said.
"But they're my favorite shoes," Chris said.
"You shouldn't thought of that before you left them there," Chase said.
"But they were $200!" Chris shouted.
"$200?" Chase asked in disbelief. "You spent $200 on shoes?"
"Of course," Chris said.
"You know how much I spent on these tennis shoes?" Chase asked pointing out the shoes he was wearing. "$12."
"Yeah, those are sorry looking shoes," Chris said.
"What is this?" Chase asked. "High school?"
Jonathan came in through the kitchen door.
"Hey Jonathan," Chase said. "You're home. How was school?"
"It was okay," Jonathan said.
"So this is Jonathan," Chris said. "Nice to meet you."
"Jonathan," Chase said. "This is my best friend Chris."
"Nice to meet you Chris," Jonathan said.
"So I'm making us hamburgers," Chase said. "Do you want broccoli or green beans with dinner?"
"Broccoli please," Jonathan said.
"So Jonathan," Chris said. "Have you ever snuck somewhere to retrieve an item you left behind?"
"No," Jonathan said. "Why?"
"So I have these shoes that I left…" Chris started to say before Chase cut him off.
"No," Chase said. "You're not using my foster son break into an apartment to steal back a pair of shoes."
"Yeah," Jonathan said. "Breaking into an apartment is wrong."
"But they're $200 shoes!" Chris said.
"You spent $200 on shoes?" Jonathan asked.
"That's exactly my reaction," Chase said.
"Dude," Jonathan said. "You have to get those shoes back."
"Okay," Chase said. "Let's change the subject. Jonathan, when you say school was okay, what do you mean?"
"I mean it was alright," Jonathan said. "It just takes me a while to get used to new schools. Can we please change the subject?"
After they finished dinner and Chris had left, Jonathan helped Chase do the dishes.
"Jonathan," Chase said. "Why don't you want to talk about school?"
"No reason," Jonathan said.
"Come on," Chase said. "Be honest with me."
"I don't want to get used to anything," Jonathan said. "Whenever I start to feel at home, they send me back."
"Oh," Chase said. "Jonathan, look at me."
Jonathan looked at Chase.
"Those families who sent you away," Chase said. "Don't think about them because they're losers. I'm not going to send you away. You're stuck with me whether you like it or not."
Chase gave Jonathan a hug.
"What are you doing?" Jonathan asked.
"It's called giving you a hug," Chase said.
"Thanks," Jonathan said. "I'm going upstairs to do my homework."
"Okay," Chase said smiling.
Jonathan went upstairs and Chase went into the living room and sat down on the couch. As he sat down, he got out his phone and dialed a number.
"Yes, hi," Chase said. "This is Chase Adams. I'm calling about Jonathan Youngberg. No, there's no problem. I actually wanted to ask a question. Is there any way I can possibly adopt him?"