Chapter 2
"Brush," David said as Lily passed him a brush into his hand and he started painting on a wall
"Paint," David said as Lily pushed the can of black paint towards him he put the brush on the can and started applying the black paint on the edges of the wall he was painting
"Tape," David said putting the brush next to the can on a newspaper sheet Lily passed him the blue tape and he started putting it on the black spaces that were left and continued painting around the tapes
"This is so cute," Cameron whispered to Mitchell as both adult males were standing in the doorway of David's room watching the scene of their two children bonding in front of them with smiles on their faces
"I know, I feel bad because we have to break it," Mitch said with a sigh as Cameron grabbed his arm preventing him from entering the room
"Let them be for another five minutes, we can arrive at the Dunphy's house a little late," Cameron said Mitch sighed but remained there
"They know we see them right?" David whispered to Lily as both he and Lily were looking at the wall after their work was done
"Yeah, they're just weird," Lily said as David snorted at her serious comment "Are you going to take it off?" Lily asked in wonder referring to the pattern he had made with the tape
It was a simple geometrical pattern of cubes and rectangles going all over the wall, something taken out of a modern house,
"Not right now, I want the painting to dry off, maybe after dinner," David mused out loud and then looked at his hands "Anyway, thanks Lil' you were a great help, up top," David said crouching down and putting his palm up for Lily to high five which she did with a smile on her face
"Down low," David said with a smirk on his face putting his hand down with his palm facing up and doge Lily's attempt to high-five him and put his tongue out "Though luck kiddo," David said sarcastically, and Lily frowned
"Meanie," Lily said and David booped her nose with his index finger
"You have to be quicker Lils," David said as he straightened up and went to the doorway to go to the restroom "Are we leaving?" David asked as Mitch let him pass through David walked to the restroom and once he got there he started washing his hands to get the residue paint out of his hands
"Yes, once you're done we can go," Mitch said and David nodded in understanding "David, another thing, we know you offered to babysit Luke and Alex while Claire and Phil drive Hailey up to college," Mitch said and David nodded as he looked to the doorway while drying his hands and looked at Cam and Mitch
"Yeah, is there a problem?" David asked in confusion
"We were just wondering if you're okay with it, wouldn't it be too much?" Cam said and David looked at both while drying his hands with a towel
"Sure, it could be much, especially since it is the family that's fostering me right now, but I need a break from Cam and Mitch," David said to the cameraman exasperated "Don't get me wrong they're great, but they're everywhere, literally," David deadpanned and then looked at the camera seriously
We found David eating a bowl of cereal and he looked at his empty drink and then someone poured more into the glass "More orange juice?" Cameron said as David looked over in confusion to see Cam with a jar in his hands
Then David was practicing kickups with his soccer ball in the yard and he saw Mitch standing there taking pictures and he just shook his head
But the one when he almost lost it was when he found Mitch and Cam sleeping outside his bedroom waiting for him to get out
"I mean, I get it, they're overbearing and caring, but I need a break before I break," David said with a sigh as he leaned back on the chair "How did Lily survive four years like that?" David whispered looking up
"Ah well, I got a lot of practice babysitting kids at the organization, so it's no big deal," David said putting the towel back in its place "Besides, tomorrow is Lily's first day at kindergarten, and she deserves to have you guys there," David said smiling as he looked at both adults
"Okay, if you're okay with it, then we're okay with it," Mitch said and Cam nodded "Just if my sister says anything to you, just don't mind her," Mitch said and David raised an eyebrow
"Why?" David asked in curiosity as Mitch sighed and scratched the back of his head
"I mean, I love my sister, I do," Mitch said as Cam put a hand on his shoulder and Mitchell took a deep breath in "But sometimes she can be a little judgmental, and we don't want that to scare you," Mitch said and David looked at him
"Judgmental how? Like racist?" David asked in curiosity as the gay couple's eyes widen
"No, no, not like that," Mitch said and Cam nodded his head agreeing with Mitch
"Is more like, how can I put it," Cam said wondering out loud trying to find the words "She judges, like clothes, and vibes, and you're dress like," Cam tried to say and David's eyes winded in understanding
"Ah I get it, it's because I give the criminal vibes, ain't it?" David said and he saw how they agreed but tried to sort of deny it, "I understand, trust me, it may be worse if I don't wear my usual hoodies then," David said and Cam and Mitch raised an eyebrow in curiosity as David passed by them back to his room
"Why is that?" Mitch asked in curiosity and concern
"You didn't see my file?" David asked back in curiosity as he was making sure everything was kept away as Lily was sitting on his bed looking at the walls still, David looked at his foster parents and saw that they didn't have any clues of what he was talking about "Lils, you should probably get ready, don't you think?" David said as Lily pouted but walked back to her room
David sighed and ushered the two adults inside and closed the door of the bathroom "Sorry, I didn't want her to see," David said as he started taking off his hoodie
Both Mitch and Cam stared at him in confusion but that confusion changed into shock when they saw his arms
David was wearing a white tight short-sleeved shirt that revealed his past injuries to the world, his right arm had several small tattoos, about 10 or so, covering his minor burn and belt scar prints, these tattoos ranged from birds, mainly crows, several flowers and crinkle lines covering his wrist and ring finger
But the main shock came from David's left arm, it was covered in lines and lines of second-degree burn scars, and Mitch and Cam couldn't take their eyes off them
"Old man very creative with his "Punishments"," David said using air quotes and then looked up "And most people looked sick and disgusted, so that's why you rarely see me without a jacket or hoodie," David said putting the hoodie on the stool next to him
"David, I'm," Cam started saying and David smiled at him and put a hand on his shoulder
"Don't worry, it's been a while now, and I have come to terms with them," David said squeezing his shoulder
"And the tattoos?" Mitch asked desperately trying to change the topic
"To hide the scars on my arm, he mostly uses it to turn off his cigarette and the belt marks," David said as he passed his left hand over his right arm "Mostly basic stuff from Theo's shop," David said and Mitch found his way to change the topic
"Theo?" Mitch asked and David blinked
"Ah right, I kind of forgot you're not the old lady," David said chuckling "Theo Blake, he runs a small tattoo shop, he offered me a discount last year when he saw my scars, he even offered to make me a discount on a sleeve tattoo for my left arm, but I refuse, I told him to wait till I'm able to pay it fully," David said and rubbed the back of his head nervously
"I see, thank you for sharing this with us," Mitch said as Cam still was out of words
"Um, yeah sure, well I thought you knew already, so I'm just getting out of the way," David said putting his hands on his pockets
"I hate to ask this David, but do you have any more scars? Just so that we can be better prepared," Mitch said and David blinked, sighed, and nodded
"Yeah, I have some on my back, but I don't like to show them," David said shutting down as he looked at the ground "I'm going to change, please let me know when we're leaving," David said walking past the adults and going to his room
Mitch sighed feeling tired of learning about David's scars and then looked to his right and saw Cam holding his hand over his mouth with tears threatening to fall off
"Come on Cam let it out we have to be strong for him," Mith said as Camm nodded sniffing a little
Back with David he entered his room and looked down at his shirt noticing that some rests of sweat and paint were there, he sighed and took his shirt off, and entered his closet
He grabbed the first shirt he found, a nice black shirt with the band kiss on it, he was going to put it on but then he saw his reflection in the mirror, he turned back to get a good view of his back which had several line marks of belt hit scars he touched one of them and sighed as he shook his head
"Bad memories, that's all they are David, bad memories," David said putting his shirt on and cracking his neck, he took out a leather jacket and walked to his nightstand where his lotion was
Normally he didn't put it on but his mind wandered to the browned haired girl he met the last time all the family was gathered and decided to make another good impression
He grabbed the lotion and sprayed it on, then he put it down while putting on his jacket, he cracked his neck a little trying to get rid of his uncomfortableness
The Pritchett-Tucker family was driving towards the Dunphy household in an awkward silence, Cam and Mitch were still thinking about what they saw in the bathroom
David was looking outside the window, taking all the suburban view and Lily was playing with her doll
"Hey misters, do you know what they're making for dinner?" David asked in curiosity
"Um, steak, corn, and mashed potatoes, I think," Mitch said from the pilot seat as David nodded
"So a typical American dinner, got it," David said still looking outside the window
"Is something wrong?" Cam asked and David shook his head
"Nah, it's just that my diet for the past year or so consisted of junk food or kids' meals, so this may be an improvement," David said and Mitch and Cam gave each other a look
"That was a lie, the old lady always gave me enough to make my own homemade food," David said fixing his posture "But their expressions when I tell them my sad stuff are hilarious," David said chuckling
"We're here," Cam said as David looked at the house in front of him
"Oh, it's lovely," David said stepping out of the car and looking around, it sure was a lovely neighborhood, he kept staring at the houses till he felt a tug on his jacket and saw Lily there
"You okay big brother?" Lily asked as David blinked and looked down at her
"What?" David asked confused as Mitch looked at him worried
"You spaced out a bit," Mitch said and David blinked again
"Ah right, sorry, let's just go inside," David said grabbing Lily's little hand and letting himself be dragged forward
The family walked to the porch and rang the bell, Claire opened the door and let them inside with a huge smile on her face
"Hey! Come inside, Dad and Gloria are in the kitchen, make yourself at home," Claire said kissing Mitch and Cam's cheeks as the gay couple walked inside
David was too but he then felt someone grabbing his arm softly and he looked over to see Claire grabbing his arm
"David honey, thank you again for agreeing to take care of Alex and Luke," Claire said as David looked at the hold she had on him
"Um, ma'am can you let go of me, please," Davis said his haphephobia, his fear of being touched, starting to kick in as he rubbed his free hand on his pants in anxiety
"Ah right, sorry," Claire said confused but then reminded herself of what she wanted to tell him "So, tomorrow it's going to be a chaotic day for me and Phil so I won't have to explain things," Claire said and David put his hands on his pockets
"What things?" David asked in confusion as Claire reached inside her purse
"This is a list of emergency contacts, in case something happens, this is a list of Luke's and Alex's allergies, Luke likes to play around the house if he gets stuck on the stairs, there's baby oil on the kitchen drawer," Claire explained
"Stuck in the stairs?" David asked in confusion
"He puts his head between the supports of the stairs, hope it doesn't happen with you," Claire explained and David nodded "There's plenty of food in the fridge, Cam told me you could cook?" Claire asked and David nodded
"Yeah, just normal meals and that," David said as Claire nodded and looked inside her bag again
"There should be plenty of food in the fridge, but here," Claire said giving him some cash "In case of an emergency you can keep the change for doing this for us," Claire said as David grabbed the money and his eyes widen
"Fifty bucks, ma'am I don't need that much," David said as Claire chuckled at him
"Trust me sweety you will, ah and also, watch for the step on the stairs, it likes to get loose," Claire said as then a sound of ruffling came from the kitchen "I should check that out, thanks again honey," Claire said as David looked at the cash in confusion
But then he shrugged his shoulders and tuck it away and walked around the main hallway, he stopped when he saw photos of the Dunphy family, he found himself feeling nostalgic, for a time when his old man wasn't such an asshole
He grabbed a photo of the Dunphy family together when the kids were younger, he sighed and put it down, preparing himself to walk to the kitchen but then felt someone bumping into his shoulder
"Ow, what the hell?" Haley said rubbing her forehead in pain as David turned around
"Ya know, we really have to stop meeting up like this," David said facing Haley who looked at him frowning
"You bet, why are you standing in the hallway like that?" Haley asked as David looked back at the photos
"I'm just looking around, hey this you? You look so cute," David said grabbing a photo of baby Hely and looking at it with a smile, Haley's eyes widened in shock and embarrassment
"Oh god, give me that, please don't look at it," Haley said reaching forward and quickly grabbing the portrait very quickly and stepping between David and the drawer where the portraits were
David chuckled at her reaction not realizing how close they were "Why the embarrassment, you look so cute with that Minnie outfit," David said sarcastically and Haley turned around
"Of course I looked cute, I look cute in everything," Haley said as she put a finger on his chest "And who are you to judge huh? I would like to see a picture of you as a baby," Haley said as David smiled at her and raised an eyebrow
"Fair enough, here," David said reaching for his wallet
"Really? You're just gonna show it to me? Just like that?" Haley asked surprised and David nodded
"Well, yeah, I look pretty cute in them, so I'm not ashamed," David said reaching for a small picture
"I have to say that's kind of," Haley said preparing to say that it was a little weird he had a photo of himself but all judgment went out of the window when she saw the photo "Oh my god you look so cute!" Haley said with a squeak of excitement stepping forward and almost leaning into David
"You know when the old lady gave me the photo and told me to keep it, she told me that it would be a chick magnet," David said with a snort "I know, I also thought it was stupid, but it has worked every time," David said looking down "And ever since I have followed her advice every time," He said seriously
The photo was him four years old wearing a Real Madrid soccer shirt, smiling widely missing one of his upper front teeth, and holding a soccer ball in one hand and a trophy in the other
"The old man used to take me to these soccer games when he was sober, someone fouled me in the scoring area and I scored the winning penalty," David said with a smile "Proudest moment in my life," David said as Haley sighed
"Look at you, you look so happy, what happened to your tooth?" Haley asked in curiosity as David looked over her shoulder
"My face came crashing into the ground and my tooth came out," David said and Haley looked at him mortified "Don't worry it was, what's the word in English, diente de leche?" David asked in curiosity
"Baby tooth," Haley said as she handed the photo back "Well you looked adorable back then," Haley said as David grabbed the photo and gave her a chuckle
"Back then? Are you saying I'm not adorable now?" David asked chuckling as Haley looked up and down at him
"Well you have your strengths, you look very fit, and I love your curly hair, but your choice of clothes, I mean come on," Haley said and David looked down in confusion
"What's wrong with my clothes?" David asked and Haley put a hand on her chin
"You're trying too hard with the whole rocker boy vibe, your pants are nice, but maybe a different color, a more navy blue or even khaki color, love your jacket, that can stay, but the shirt, nu-uh, this isn't the eighties, you need a brighter shit, maybe one in a white color, and a necklace, yeah a necklace would do you good," Haley said as David could only blink in shock
"Whoa, got to say that was pretty hot," David said as Haley smiled proudly
"Thank you, now take your jacket off," Haley said grabbing the edges of his jacket and David quickly grabbed her hands
"Um, trust me you don't want that, let's just keep it like that," David said as Haley looked at him confused
"Why what's wrong? I want to see your arms, maybe a wristband would do you good," Haley said as David blushed
"Look, Haley, I'll be honest with you, I have a huge scar on my left arm and I don't want to gross you out, so please leave at that," David said and Haley tilted her head in curiosity
"Are you ashamed of it? If that's so I can let you go," Haely said and David sighed and shook his head
"No I'm not, but everyone always looks at me with pity eyes, it is kind of tiring," David said looking straight into her eyes and noticing how much she wanted to help him with fashion advice "Okay look, I'll let you have a look if you promise me to not look at me with pity," David said and Haley took a step back
"Okay I promise, now let me look," Haley said as David sighed
"You can be very bossy, you know that?" David said as Halye chuckled and smiled at him "Don't look at me like that," David said and Haley smirked at him and tilted her head
"Like what?" Haley asked cheekily and David grumbled at her
"You know how," David said and Haley chuckled
"I just find it amusing that you agree to take off your jacket that easily," Haley said and David looked at her with a frown
"Well, I have the weakness of always following hot girls' orders," David said and Haley chuckled and bit her lower lip
"Well then, I'll keep that in mind for future reference," Haley said flirtatiously "Now can we stop flirting with one another and get to it," Haley said and David smirked at her
"But it's so much fun," David said and Haley raised an eyebrow at him "Fine, fine, don't pity me okay," David said and Haley nodded
David took off his jacket and Haley eye's widened in shock, she couldn't help it, she thought it was a small scar, not a bunch of scars around his left arm, but she had made a promise, so she reign her emotions and focused on her objective of giving fashion advice
"Hmm, the tattoos are good, it gives you character, and I love the design, maybe you can hook me up, but mom will kill me, which I might just do for that reason alone," Haley said and now David's eyes widen, this was a first, she wasn't mentioning his scars, he did notice that her eyes wandered there, but he felt happy that she was doing her utmost to ignore it
"And a wristband on your left wrist would do you good, or a black watch, and some rings, accessories are great David, you're listening right?" Haley asked when she saw that David was smiling like an idiot at her
"Yeah I am," David said as Haley took a step forward
"You know, you're more than your scars you know? There's no need for you to hide them," Haley said and David sighed
"I know, but it's always the same, suddenly I'm the scarred kid, and everyone always looks at me like I'm a sick puppy," David said and Haley passed her hand over his scars
"Can you tell me the stories behind them?" Haley said and David sighed again
"Maybe another time, it's not a very good one," David said and Haley nodded
"Well, in my opinion, they're not ugly," Haley said and David looked at her in confusion "Scars make a person who they are, who they become, and the person in front of me is beautiful, therefor they are beautiful too," Haley said and David smiled at her
"That was very deep," David said and Haley chuckled
"I try," Haley said as both teens just stared at each other's eyes and felt content with being that close to one another
"I really could kiss you right now," David whispered and Haley smirked at him
"Then what are you waiting for? My permission? Because you have it," Haley said and David smiled at her
"I want to trust me," David said, and Haley smiled and grew wider again "But there's a picture of your dad behind you and I feel like he's judging me," David said as Haley looked back and blinked
"Ah right, and my mom's there too, yeah that feels weird," Haley said and that broke the moment "Give me your phone," Haley said and David looked at her in confusion and gave her his phone
"What are you doing?" David asked in curiosity and Haley smiled
"Putting my contact info there, I like you, and I want to keep talking while I'm in college," Haley said and gave him back his phone
"Haley with a red heart emoji?" David asked in curiosity and Haley smiled
"So you don't forget to text me," Haley said and David smiled at her "I'll even send you some pictures," Haley said and David's smile grew wider
"You're pretty bold Haley Dunphy, I like it," David said and Haley chuckled at him
"Come on, we can flirt another time, I don't want my mom catching us like this," Haley said taking a step back
"Como tu digas guerita," David said as Haley looked at him in confusion and a little blush
"Spanish? Ah right I forgot you're Mexican right?" Haley said and David chuckled and nodded "Heh, you get hotter by the minute don't you?" Haley said and David smiled at her
"Same goes for you," David said and Haley smiled and shook her head
"Come on, let's go eat before I drag you to my room," Haley said passing her hand along his cheek and walking away
David chuckled as he put his jacket back again, he started walking behind Haley but then stopped in shock as his hand went to his cheek, he just realized something, Haley had touched him, several times and he didn't react, usually he needed to have absolute trust with the person for him to not feel anything, but with the browned-haired girl it was different
He felt weird as he looked at his hands, he wasn't freaked out, more like curious as to why she managed to do it, but he shook his head and figured he could wonder why later
Mainly because his stomach made itself present with a grumble telling David that it was time to eat
He walked to the dining room and saw a space next to Haley and he just unconsciously sat next to her
She smiled at him cheekily and David just made a face at her at her, drawing a chuckle out of her
Haley looked down at her plate and then felt a poke coming from her left, she turned that way and saw Alex looking at her in curiosity
"Really?" Alex whispered at her and Haley looked at her in confusion
"What?" Haley whispered back in confusion
"You're going off to college and yet you're flirting?" Alex asked and Haley shrugged her shoulders
"What? He's cute," Haley said smirking drinking out her grape juice, and glancing at David who was chatting with Luke
"Are you in a band?" Luke asked in wonder and David chuckled
"Sadly I'm not, why?" David said as and Luke looked at his clothes "Ah, I see your point," David said "So, it was Luke right?" David asked and Luke nodded
"So, kiddo, what do you like to do around here?" David asked as Luke looked at him in confusion "I'm taking care of you tomorrow, so I'm planning ahead," David said and Luke's eyes widened
"Oh cool, I want to build a battlefield," Luke said and now David's eyes widened
"A battlefield?" David said and Luke nodded "That sounds so cool," David said ruffling Luke's hair and the younger child chuckled
"Yeah, he's so cute," Haley whispered to herself then the family started eating and David looked at the food in curiosity and started chewing it
"Gravy, salty but sweet not bad, spaghetti is a little cold but it tastes good and the meat is tender and a little undercooked but overall is very good," David thought and then blinked "Ah shit, I'm doing it again, I've been watching too many master chef and hells kitchen," David thought as he focused on just eating his meal
The dinner approached its final moments and Phil stood up and raised a glass preparing to give a big toast
"Can I get everyone's attention, I'll be very quick," Phil said standing up "On this wonderful occasion, our daughter leaving for college tomorrow," Phil said as Haley smiled nervously when all the family put their attention on her
"If could get everyone to raise their cups," Phil said as everyone followed suit "To quote from one of our greatest heroes, Jefferson, George Jefferson," Phil said, and since David didn't know American culture that well, he just smiled thinking nothing was wrong
"I've never dreamt that one of my own would be going to university, but here I stand a proud Black Man, knowing all those hours I spent in the dry cleaner," Phil said and David was lost and looked at Mitch in confusion searching for an answer
The redhead shook his head telling him not to worry and David nodded "Phil," Claire said trying to get him to wrap it off
"Not now wheezy, now where was I?" Phil asked and Haley smiled at her
"Quoting that president," Haley said and Alex snorted
"Okay, if she's the future of America, we should start using Chinese money right now," Alex said
"We already are," Luke said and David nodded and made a hum sound making the young boy chuckle
"My arm is tired, too Haley," Jay said as everyone raised their glasses and David clanked his with Haley's with a smirk
"Shut up," Haley whispered as David chuckled
"Um, before you put your glasses down, we want to toast to Lily also, who's starting kindergarten tomorrow," Mitch said as everyone congratulated her
"And just FYI, Lily is going to be the smartest one there, look," Cam said "Lily what's the square root of 64," Cam asked and Lily responded without looking
"Eight," Lily said as everyone was impressed by that except Luke
"Nice trick, hey Lily what's the square root of this potato?" Luke asked and Cam tried to stop Lily but she responded nonetheless
"Eight," Lily said and Cam looked a little embarrassed
"Told you it wants going to work," David said taking a sip of his drink and holding his chuckle back
"Well they're not the only ones starting class, Jay and Mom are taking a baby-caring class," Manny said and Jay grumbled
"Yeah we're doing it for the baby, not this one," Jay said pointing at Gloria's belly "That one," Jay said pointing at Manny
"He grow's a little hair under there and now he thinks he knows better than his mother," Gloria said and Manny rolled his eyes
"Well I know better than to embarrass their son as he's crossing the threshold of manhood," Manny said and David resisted the urge to snort
"You keep forgetting that I raised two children, I've done this already," Jay said and then a crashing sound came from the kitchen
Everyone turned to look there and saw Mitch and Claire fighting with one another and everyone turned to look at Jay
"Why are you looking at me? It's their mother's fault, I wasn't around that much," Jay said and David was still looking at the fighting and couldn't help the chuckles that came out of his mouth
Next day
"Hey Jorge, como estas? Como esta la tienda?" David said over the phone, talking to an old friend of his about his business
"Genial, yo? Me adopto otra familia, por mientras, si linda familia dos señores, no, no es raro, es moderno, no seas homophobico," David said leaning on the fence of the porch of the Dunphy's household
"Hey escucha, te acuerdas ese puesto que me habías dicho, de asistente, y eso, ¿todavía esta abierto?" David asked, Jorge, his friend had a handy man position in his contractor company and had offered a job to David a while back
"Sigue disponible? ¿Oh que bien, crees que pueda tomarlo?" David asked hoping he had a shot at the job "Sabes que tengo experiencia en eso y puedo ir namas ciertas horas y soy mas barato de tus empleados actuales," David said arguing on why he should get the job
"Espera, de veras? Me lo estas dando?" David said as he saw Haley, Alex and her parents walking out of the house with boxes in their arms "No, no si lo quiero, muchas gracias Jorge, eres un santo, no te arrepentirás, si mañana paso a la oficina, muchas gracias de nuevo Jorge, hablamos luego, si bye," David said hanging the call happy he got the job he wanted
"Let me help you with that Ms. Dunphy," David said grabbing the boxes from Claire's hands
"Oh there's no need sweety," Claire said and David shrugged his shoulders and looked at Claire with a smile
"It's fine Ms. Dunphy, I want to," David said with a smile on his face and walked to the car where Haley was unloading her suitcase
"Hey, if it isn't the college girl," David said putting the box on the trunk and Haley glared at him
"Don't make fun of me," Haley said as David chuckled and looked at her and noticed something
"You're nervous?" David asked as he leaned on the car and Haley frowned at him
"No, what? I'm not nervous," Haley said and David raised an eyebrow at her not actually believing her "Okay, I'm a little nervous," Haley said and David smiled at her
"Is it the moving upstate or the college itself?" David said as Haely took a seat on the trunk
"The moving I think? I made a life in school here and now I have to start over up there," Haley said and David took a seat next to her and put a hand on her shoulder
"Well, if you would like some advice from a guy who has been moving from home to home all his life," David said and Haley looked at him in curiosity "You get to meet new people and experience new things in different environments, and the best part of all, you get to re-invent yourself," David said and Haley looked sown in deep thought
"Re-invent myself huh? That actually sounds nice," Haley said and David shook her a little
"You'll kick ass Haley, I know it," David said and Haley chuckled as he swatted his hand away
"Thanks now stop shaking me," Haley said and David chuckled and stepped up "Don't forget to text me 'kay?" Haley said and David smiled at her
"I won't. See you around gorgeous," David said as Haley smiled sweetly at him, David walked back to the porch where Luke and Alex were waiting
He leaned again on the fence of the porch keeping an eye on Luke and Alex, Claire looked at them and kissed each kid on the forehead
"Behave, don't cause too much trouble to your cousin David, understood?" Claire said as both kids nodded their heads
"David sweety if you need anything," Claire said and David smiled
"I'll call Mr. Pritchet, don't worry Ms. Dunphy, I got this," David said smiling and Claire sighed as Phil rubbed her back
"Honey trust the kid, he got this," Phil said as he looked at David smiling "Thanks again for doing this David, we should get going," Phil said walking to the car alongside Claire
David and the Dunphy kids watch the car going away and David looks at his phone to look at the hour
"You kids eaten already?" David asked in curiosity and Alex shook her head
"No, there's still some leftovers from yesterday," Alex said and David frowned
"Nah, that kind of food loses its flavor the more time passes, let me see if I can make you something fresher," David said leading the kids inside
"What about the battlefield?" Luke asked in curiosity and David chuckled
"We'll build it after meal buddy," David said as they arrived at the kitchen and looked inside the fridge and found inspiration
"Tell you what kiddo, why don't you lay out the blueprints while I prepare the food, 'kay?" David said taking a piece of frozen meat and some pieces of bread roll
"Fine, but you better not back down David," Luke said running up to his room and leaving David and Alex in the kitchen
"Wow, first time I saw someone handling him that well that quickly," Alex said and Davind hummed while taking some lettuce from the fridge
"Um well, most of the kids in the organization are pretty hyper, myself included at that age, so I have some experience," David said as he started cleaning the lettuce and taking a frying pan out
"Organization?" Alex asked in curiosity and David looked back inside the fridge
"I'm a foster kid, most of us lived in a little organization on the outskirts of Pasadena, like an orphanage," David said scratching his head "Do you have some potatoes?" David asked in curiosity
"Bottom drawer," Alex said and David gave her a thumbs up when he found them "Sorry, I shouldn't have pried," Alex said and David smiled at her taking two potatoes out
"It's fine, it's part of who I am and that's okay," David said and Alex nodded "Mind giving me a hand peeling these potatoes?" David asked and Alex nodded as she started peeling the potatoes roughly
"Whoa wait here let me show you," David said as he put his hands forward
"What's the matter? I'm peeling them aren't I?" Alex asked rhetorically and David chuckled
"See these spots, how there's unevenness here and there," David said as Alex nodded "You can try to fix it but then the potato becomes uneven, these tools have a way of using them, and with peeling a potato," David said as he started demonstrating how to do it
"You peel the top and bottom first and then you do even peel up and down, then you use the edge of the peeler to take out the sprouts off," David said and then passed a potato and the peeler to her
"Now you try," David said as Alex looked at the potato in confusion and started trying David's method
"Oh wow, it's," Alex said and David chuckled
"Easier, isn't it?" David asked rhetorically and Alex nodded "Your mom told me a little about you," David said and Alex grumbled
"Oh my god, what did she tell you?" Alex asked a little embarrassed
"Well, when she was rambling about what did I have to look out for with Luke and the house, so when she got to you it was kind of hard to keep track of it," David said and started chopping some pieces of meat
"From what I gathered is that you're pretty bright and an intelligent girl," David said and Alex grumbled "Something the matter?" David asked as he started putting condiments on the meat
"No, it's nothing," Alex said and David raised an eyebrow at her
"If I'm prying too much just tell me, but it's not good to hold things down, trust me I should know," David said as he turned on the flames under the pan and put some pieces of butter on it
"I don't know, it's just sometimes I feel like an outsider, don't get me wrong I like pushing myself at school, but no one here seems to appreciate or know what I'm going through," Alex said as David looked at her confused while he was cutting an avocado
"Topics are too hard?" David asked in curiosity
"No, not that, it's more like," Alex said and David hummed
"I think I get it, is the feeling that you're doing a lot, but at the same time you're not doing anything," David said and Alex's eyes widen
"Yes, exactly I mean, I like to study and learn new things, but I lately it has started to feel like I have to, like I'm the smart one, so I have to be up to the part of it, you know," Alex said and David understood
"Yeah I get it, I got the same feeling when I found out I had dyslexia," David said putting the meat on the pan "The feeling that you have to push and push and if you fail, it's because there's something wrong with you, it's exhausting," David said and Alex nodded
"Yeah, you're hitting the nail on the head there," Alex said and David sighed and looked at her
"You know, before I knew I had dyslexia, I thought I was broken, I mean what kind of stupid twelve-year-old doesn't know how to read properly," David said as Alex listened closely "I know that is not the same as your situation, but that feeling of loneliness, it sucks," David said and then looked straight at Alex
"Let me guess, some people joke that you're gonna be alone if you keep only studying, and that sort of stuff," David said and Alex nodded feeling a little emotional and out of words
"Then hear this from a third party, being who you are is incredible, and not being perfect all the time, is not as bad as you think, there's something so fucking amazing in the imperfections of oneself," David said as he gave Alex one final look and then proceeded to continue making the meal
Alex needed a moment to gather herself and David let her, keeping an ear on her, just hearing her sniffs from time to time
David was almost done when Alex found her voice again "So what do you do to not think about it?" Alex asked in curiosity
"Well for me is physical activities, soccer, cooking, dancing, playing the guitar, reading, that sort of stuff, I don't know if that would help you," David said and glanced back "My advice is to find something out of your comfort zone and something that piques your interest and goes for it," David said and prepared his the plates "And it wouldn't be bad to talk to a therapist, but that's up to you," David said and picked the plates and started moving them to the table
"Thanks, thank you, David, sorry about unloading on you, hope I didn't weird you out," Alex said stepping out of the stool and David ruffled her hair
"Don't worry kiddo, if you need anything call me, I'm your foster cousin after all," David said and Alex snorted and looked at him confused
"Foster cousin?" Alex asked in curiosity
"Just in case this doesn't work, anyway no more sad stuff, call your brother for me will ya," David said and Alex nodded as she went into the hallway and shouted at Luke
David finished preparing the table as Luke arrived with a big white cardboard with several drawings on it
"Here David, this is my plan, what do you think? Can we get started?" Luke asked excitedly and David grabbed the cardboard
"What did we say? After eating okay, besides I need to get a look at your plans don't I?" David asked cheekily as Luke sighed and took a seat on the table
"Okay, but not a minute late, promise?" Luke said and David chuckled and nodded taking a seat of his own
"I promise buddy, now dig in," David said as the kids looked at the meal in front of them, a simple meat roll sandwich with some homemade fries
The kids took a bite out of it and their eyes widened at the taste of the food "Well how is it?" David asked in curiosity and excitement
"Whoa," Luke said as he started eating faster appreciating more the food
"Whoa indeed, this is very good David," Alex said and David's eyes widen
"Really?" David asked in curiosity and Alex nodded
"Yeah, you could make a very good chef, where did you learn to cook like this?" Alex asked and David smiled feeling proud
"Well the old lady, my caretaker taught me, she used to work in a family restaurant and gave me some tips," David said happily "I'm glad you like it, now let's dig in, then we can start with the battlefield
It was the early night, David and Luke spent all day playing in the made-out battlefield, recreating several sci-fi pop culture battles, ranging from Nakatomi Plaza from Die Hard to the duel of the brothers of Star Wars, David's personal favorite
In the end, Luke got pretty spent and called it a night earlier than usual, David made sure he was tucked away after cleaning the backyard, and now David was resting in the living room watching a soccer match
"Seas mamon arbitro, como no ves esa mamada, ¡eres ciego o que pendejo!" David said shouting at the obvious foul that the referee missed
"Didn't know you liked soccer that much," Alex said cheekily as she was sitting next to him reading a book
"Futbol and it's the only Latin stereotype I indulge myself on," David said as he glared at the screen "Pasala pendejo!" David said grumbling to the player to pass the ball
"Why are you so into it?" Alex asked in curiosity
"It's the Champions semi-finals, and Bayern is winning by one, and the fucking idiots are just not doing anything," David said and then they heard the main door opening
"Your parents are early," David said in confusion and both kids stood up
"Dad, Mom you're early, what happened?" Alex said and Claire rubbed her hair
"Nothing honey, did you have fun with your cousin?" Claire asked and Alex chuckled
"Foster cousin he says," Alex said as David made a face at her "And I did, although I think Luke had much more fun than me," Alex said as Phil grew curious and looked at David
"We built a battlefield, and re-created some pop culture fights, like the one from Star Wars," David said with a smile "He was Anakin and I was Obi-Wan," David said and Phil smiled
"Oh sick, wish I had seen it," Phil said and Alex gave him her phone
"Don't worry Daddy I took videos," Alex said as David's eyes widened and wanted to say something but his eyes caught something in the TV
"Pasala pendejo, esta solo, si, sigue así!" David said moving around the couch and turning the volume of the TV up
"What's happening?" Claire asked in confusion and Alex chuckled
"Just a soccer game, seems like David enjoys them," Alex said picking up he book
"Futbol! And it's the semi-final," David said taking a seat when his favorite entered the scoring area
"Seems like fun," Phil said taking a seat next to David wanting to be part of the fun "Who's winning?" Phil asked excitedly
"Bayern, by one point, and if Madrid doesn't score now it's gonna be harder later on and on the second game," David said as Phil leaned forward paying close attention to the game
"Well, I should go to sleep now, David made quesadillas for dinner, there are some left in the kitchen if you want," Alex said as Claire nodded and gave Alex another kiss on the top of her head
Claire went to the kitchen and started dialing Mitch's phone and saw the food David had made and took a piece for her
"Claire hi, is something wrong?" Mitch asked as Claire heard someone picking stuff up in the background
"No, nothing, well we're home early, and just wanted to let you know in case you want to pick up David up," Claire said taking a bit of the quesadilla and then sighing in contentment about how good the food was
"Ah, sure, um actually would you mind looking after him for a little bit," Mitch said as Claire hummed "Lily had a playdate with one of the kindergarten boys and we're still picking things up," Mitchel said and Claire nodded
"Sure, besides he's busy watching a soccer game with Phil," Claire said looking at the living room
"Si, vamos, vamos," David said standing up and Phil also stood up, he didn't know what was happening but he just wanted to be part of the fun, and then when David's team scored David couldn't help himself "Gol, gol! Ahuevo!" David shouted celebrating as he bumped chest with Phil, he hugged the older man and shook him around
"Ahuevo!" Phil said not even knowing what it meant but he saw David having fun and he wanted to be part of it
"Yeah Phil seems to be having fun, we'll look after him," Claire said hanging up the call, she kept eating the quesadilla "This is so good," Claire said as she walked to the living room
"So who's winning?" Claire asked in curiosity and David looked at her while taking a seat again
"It's tied, but this is good, there's still time for them to go ahead," David said as he leaned forward laser-focused on the game
"When did start liking soccer?" Phil asked in curiosity and David frowned and sighed
"Since I can remember, my idiot old man was a soccer player and he passed that liking to me," David said still focused on the game
"Where's your father now? If you don't mind me asking," Claire asked in curiosity and David glanced at her
"It's fine ma'am but it's not a good story, and I don't want to ruin your mood," David said and Phil moved his hand to put it on David's shoulder but the teen moved away
"If it's too much you don't need to kid," Phil said and David sighed
"No it's not, if everything goes well we'll be seeing each other a lot, so it's better if I just get it out of the way," David said taking off his zipped hoodie as Phil and Claire's eyes widened but for different reasons, Claire the first thing she saw was his tattoos and Phil just saw his scarred left arm
"You have tattoos? How old are you? How could your father let you do this?" Claire asked and Phil looked at her
"Claire!" Phil said as David chuckled and let her see his other arm making the older woman gasp
"Well, my old man has been in jail since I was twelve, so he didn't have to give me permission," David said as he passed his left hand over his tattoos "And in the state of California if you have parental or guardian consent you can get a tattoo once you turn sixteen, and the old lady who took care of me granted it," David said
"Mostly to hide the burn cigar marks, they looked really hideous," David said touching one of his tattoos
"David I'm," Claire said and David stopped her before finishing
"Don't worry ma'am, I've come to terms with them, and he's in jail so it's done and dusted," David said moving the hoodie away and putting it on his right "I have better things to be concerned about other than my scars," David said as he focused back on the game
Phil and Claire gave each other a look, and right there and there they decided to protect that kid there the best of their abilities
"Hey David, did you have fun?" Mitch asked once he arrived at Claire's home hiding his shock at seeing David without his hoodie
"Yes I did," David said grumbling and walking to the car
"Um sure," Mitch said and then looked at Claire and Phil in confusion
"His team lost the game at the last minute, so he's a little frustrated," Claire said and David shouted from the car
"The game was over, stupid referees!" David shouted opening the copilot door and entering the car
"Ah right, so everything went alright? He didn't give you any problems, right?" Mitch said and Phil and Claire shook their head
"No, he was great, the kids really liked him," Phil said "We would love to have him taking care of them anytime," Phil said and Mitch let out a sigh of relief
"That's good, well I should get going," Mitch said and Claire grabbed his arm
"Mitch wait," Claire said as Mitch looked at her in curiosity "Um, he told us about his father and showed us his scars," Claire said as Mitch gasped and looked at them nervously
"Oh my god, I'm sorry, I should've warned you or something, I didn't really think he would show them to you," Mitch said and Phil smiled at him
"It's fine Mitch, we kind of asked about his dad and he decided to show them to us," Phil said "And his tattoos, which I got to say, look really cool," Phil said and Claire rolled her eyes
"Anyhow, what we wanted to say is that if you guys ever need help, let us know," Claire said and Mitch sighed and nodded
"Thank you, I'll let you know," Mitch said as he walked back to the car and started driving off to their home
"So, how was it?" Mitch asked in curiosity and David glanced at him
"It was fun, they're a really interesting family, and you? Did Lils have fun on her first day?" David asked and Mitch sighed
"Well we got into trouble with another and his mothers turned to be a lesbian couple, and it was a chore," Mitch said as David raised an eyebrow at him "Gay and lesbians don't usually get along," Mitch said and David made an ah sound
"David honey, Claire and Phil told me that you opened up," Mitch said and David got concerned
"Yeah, did I weird them out? Dammit, I knew I shouldn't have said anything," David said and Mitch shook his head
"No, no, they were very understanding, and they actually told me you could come back anytime," Mitch said and David blinked
"Oh, so what is it?" David asked in curiosity
"It's just that, I have to say I'm surprised that you opened up that easily," Mitch said and David sighed
"I'm going to say something and you have to promise you won't overreact and you won't tell Cam, I don't think I'll be able to deal with his excitement," David said as Mitch nodded
"Sure thing kid," Mitch said as David sighed again
"These past few months have been different from my other foster parents, usually I get returned back by the two-month mark, so this has been different, and even if I don't want to get my hopes up, I believe that this is it, this may be my chance to belong somewhere," David said looking outside the window and then started hearing sniffing from Mitchell
"I told you not to overreact," David said looking at the emotional Mitch
"Trust me, this is me trying," Mitch said as David rolled his eyes but chuckled nonetheless
"Hey mister, think you could do me a favor tomorrow?" David asked and Mitch looked at him rubbing his eyes a little
"Yeah, what is it?" Mitch asked and David looked at him
"I got a job interview, and I need someone to drive me there," David said and Mitch blinked in confusion
"A job? How? Where? Why?" Mitch asked and David looked at him seriously
"Mr. Pritchett, let's be honest with one another, having a teenager all of that suddenly can make a huge dent in one's finances, and I'm in my last year of high school, a year where if it works, you guys will have to worry about college and moving and that sort of stuff," David said and Mitch sighed
"David, that's mine and Cam's job, you don't need to have to worry about it," Mitch said and David smiled at him
"I know, but I want to help if you hadn't picked me, I'd probably be out in the streets working in a dinner or something, now I got a shoot at a good future thanks to you and I want to help you get me there," David said and Mitch smiled at him
"Fine, I'll take you tomorrow, but promise something," Mitch said as David blinked and nodded "School comes first, and if you get exhausted you'll quit, okay?" Mitch said and David nodded
"I promise, thanks Mitch," David said and Mitchell chuckled "What?" David asked in confusion
"You stopped calling Mr. Pritchett," Mitch said and David snorted and shook his head
"Don't let it get to your head," David said with a smile on his face as Mitch kept chuckling "Mitch," David said as the redhead glanced at David under his peripheral
"What kiddo?" Mitch asked as David made himself comfortable
"Thanks for picking me," David said as Mitchell smiled and resisted the urge to cry "Please don't cry, Mr. Tucker will get concerned," David said letting a yawn as Mitchell snorted
"I'll try," Mitch said as both foster parent and kid droved silently towards their home, but filled with hope for the future
End of Chapter 2