Love Like Only A Family Can

Chapter 19

"Now babe, your father knew you were coming to our home, right?"

"No, why?" Alex asked confused. "Does it matter?"
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Jimmy and Eliza Tracey drug Alex through the front door of the school building.

"I give you," Eliza Tracey said as dramatically as possible. "The outside world! You must live under a rock!"

"I don't." Alex said simply. He was still getting used to the fact that Eliza Tracey and Jimmy weren't like the kids he was watching on Disney channel just days before. No, they were loud, eccentric, funny.

They were amazing.

"Well, we'll go to my house. Mom always has food." Jimmy said nonchalantly.

"Truth!" Eliza gave him a fist bump. Their relationship was quite weird, thought Alex.

They began walking across the street, towards the neighborhood near the school. Alex stayed quite as he listened to the conversation between the two friends. In all honesty, it was like having a conversation with Spongebob and Patrick... but on drugs.

How could they talk about so many different topics and then relate each one of them to hundreds of other topics, all within the ten minute walk to Jimmy's house?

"So, Andy, how did you like school?" Alex looked around, utterly confused.

"Who's Andy?"

"You. I'm trying something different. Alex is too... plain. Zander might work. It would start with an "x" of course." Eliza said as the group of three walked up to the front door of a two story brick house.

"Andy... I don't look like an Andy, do I?" Alex's eyebrows scrunched in confusion. As they let themselves into the home, Elizabeth answered him.

"Up to you. Actually, no. It's up to me. I'm calling you Andy and you'll just have to learn to live with that. Jimmy will probably still call you Alex though, right Jimothy?"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Come on, this way everyone." They walked up the steps to Jimmy's room and he opened the door, revealing the most controversial bedroom he'd  ever seen.

Eliza Tracey threw herself on to the bed that stood in the center of his room, pushed against the window on the middle of his far wall.

The walls were cover in all types of posters, from rock bands to what he later learned were gay men.

Harry Potter trinkets lined the shelves while next to them lied jars of slime or rainbow journals.

A large off-white desk was pushed into the roar back wall of the room, littered with random doodles made for markers and pencils.

Alex was impressed to say the least. The creativity of this room was... well, he didn't think Harry would approve to say the least.

Even though he'd only been living with the family for a little less than a month, he was already a strict schedule thanks to Harry.

Alex sat tentatively on the bed next to Eliza Tracey stretched out body..she rolled over and stared at him, smiling. "How was school, Alex? Did you enjoy it?"

"Um... yes. Thank you." Alex spoke shortly and bit his lip when he was done with a sentence. A nervous habit of his. "I am... thankful for you letting me, um... hang out with you, ya know?"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Your welcome. Now let's do our homework. Coach Kingley's dumb ass gave us way to much homework for your first day."

And that's what they did.

Surprisingly, Jimmy and Eliza Tracey could be focused individuals of they wanted to be. They were able to get their work done before six o'clock.

"Y'all wanna head to the skate park?" Jimmy asked, breaking he comfortable silence.

"Oh my gosh, yes! That's perfect! Alex, I can teach you to skateboard too!" Alex looked at her in amazement. Was it just him or was Eliza Tracey able to do anything?

Alex quickly agreed and the trio set off for the skate park.
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Alex was getting his balance slowly but surely after just the first hour of practice, Eliza Tracey showing tips and tricks along the way.

The group was making small talk, asking each other conversation starters as they shared Jimmy's skateboard.

Around seven, just as it was getting dark, the kids sat down on the edge of the ramp and began to play a round of hand games. Alex was fascinated as he had never learned or even heard of these games before. Eliza and Jimmy were happy to have another person to teach it to.

Just as the sky was getting dark, they began to hear sirens. Looking up, they saw one of the sheriff cars pull into the parking lot and they went up to greet him.

"Hello officer, good evening." Jimmy said rob the older man.

"Hi kids, now tell me, do any of y'all know an Alexander Timothy Easley?