A Different Life, A Different Story

Felix - I'm not a grown up I just have common sense

I drive Adrian and Donnie to Maria's today. I bet the girls are in California, swimming, playing, riding four-wheelers, and relaxing on floaties in their bathing suits sipping on fake champagne, and wearing sunglasses to block their eyes from the sun.

In a few months, we're supposed to go with them. They come over to Kossuth Street. to drop the girls off. I think they're used to Kossuth Street, by now. They drop the girls off with their kids, sometimes. Think god they don't come from Tennessee. My dad used to live there and it was a traumatizing place filled with criminals and fake people. They are poor like us, but they deserve to be poor because they're usually behind bars. The Kossuth Street kids know how to handle things without getting too violent. I'm just glad I am out of that place and I'm here. To me, this place is an upgrade.

"Hey," I say taking whatever's in the fridge out to cook it for dinner.

Maria puts her coat on. "I'm going to the store."

"The girls aren't here this time," I say putting the food back in the fridge.

"Heh, I'm kinda glad. Fewer mouths to feed. I'll be back, so, don't cook dinner until then, okay?" She riffles my hair.

"Alright," I say.

Donnie asks, "Can I come with you?"

"Sure. Why, don't you hate shopping with me?"

"Yeah, but I want to go to the skate park."

"Okay, but after."

He gets his slides on and heads out the door.

"Hey Ade," I call him from the kitchen.

"Yeah?!"

"You wanna go to the store?!"

"No, I'm going to TéMia's!"

"Okay!"

He goes into the kitchen and grabs his coat, shoes, and my keys and says, "I'm borrowing your car, bye."

"Bye, be careful and use my ID," I announce getting pots and pans out.

"I know, thanks." He closes the door.

"I can't believe you have a car, now," Maria says.

"Yeah, is Donnie already in the truck?"

"Yeah, I gave him his coat."

"He's an odd kid. I think he's the most like our dad."

"Yeah, he looks like him!" She scoffs.

"Bye, be safe."

"Bye, little grown-up."

"I'm not a grown-up, I just have common sense," I say sitting down on the couch in the living room eating what I created.

Hours pass, and Adrian comes into the kitchen, "I call Daisy's room!"

"Okay, but I call it tomorrow!" I call to him as he runs upstairs.

When Daisy isn't here, her room's up for grabs. Whoever calls it first, they get it, and then the next day, it switches.

The next day I drive Busk, Adrian, and Donnie to my Grammas today. When I enter our neighborhood the first thing I see is a nice yellow house with a for-sell sign on it. I wonder who's going to live in that house?

"Hey Busk, how long are you staying at my gramma's house"

"Uh, for a couple more weeks. Imma be lookin' up shelters so, uh, yeah."

"Okay. I'm calling Alaska to help you move your things," I state as I sneak him up to my room. I get chills whenever I do that.

"Thank you so much," he says as he gets himself a soda-pop from the minifridge in my room.

"Don't mention it. Alaska's coming over in a little bit so just stay here and make yourself at home while I go get the stuff from her."

"Did you two hook up, yet?"

"Yeah, last night. We did it at her house."

"You had-"

"Shh," I cut him off before anyone else knows. I run downstairs to get the clothes from her.

"Are your grandparents here?" She asks checking me out.

"No, they're at work," I mention. She looks like Elsa from "Frozen" she's an absolute goddess.

"Whare's your brothers?"

"Uh, they're gonna come home soon. They usually get here around 4 or 5. So, pretty late."

"I had fun last night. Can we go again?"

"Eh, I have a lot of stuff to do."

"Come on. Anyway, here." She gives me a huge bag of old clothes and shoes.

"Thanks." I kiss her.

She leaves just in the nick of time because that's when the boys are home.

"Where's Ade?" Donnie says out of breath.

"Why, what do you need him for?"

"I wanna play nerf wit him."

"Uh, he's with TéMía."

"Oh, the hot chick?"

"The little Hispanic girl with books?"

"Oh, Layla's commin' over 'ight."

"Wait, what about Gramma?"

"She'll live."

"I know she will, but will you if she finds out that you're sneaking girl into the house?"

"Yeah, I see you with Alaska and Busk."

I gasp, "How did you know? We didn't have sex! Okay, just don't Gramma, please. It was only once!"

"I was jus' playn', man, Damn."

Aw, shit. My phone vibrates, "Yeah?"

"Hey, guys, your grandparents won't let me take care of you guys anymore."

"What?!"