The afternoon quickly passed by and it was the evening. Ronnie had finished making dinner and was sitting it out. Robert was helping it. Bryan had ate soup a little earlier and was laying in bed now. “Dad is going to be home.” Robert says looking at the clock.
“I know. You don’t think he’ll notice two of his beers missing, will he?” Ronnie asked. Robert shrugs his shoulders. The front door opened. “Dads home.” Ronnie sat down. Robert also sat down. Brice came into the kitchen.
“I had a hard day at work today.” Brice sighs and sat down.
“What are you talking about? You seemed to have a rough day with mom too.” Ronnie said to his father and began to eat his dinner.
“Let’s not talk about that.” Brice didn’t want to be reminded of what happened earlier. “Is Bryan in bed?”
“Yeah, he’s resting.” Robert spoke to his dad.
“Good. I don’t want his fever getting much more worse than it already is.” Brice started to eat his food. Robert didn’t eat a piece of his food yet. His mind was thinking of the new family that had moved next door.
“That girl. Something about her. She was…” Robert thinks to himself, but his thoughts were quickly brushed off.
“Hey dad, there’s a new family moving next door to us.”
“There is?”
“Yes. There’s a hot mom and she has a hot daughter.” Ronnie answers. Brice didn’t like hearing that coming from Ronnie.
“Can you not talk like that?” Brice was getting grossed out from his son.
“What? I can’t help it. The mom had some huge boobs. Her daughter did too.”
“Is that all you can think about?” Robert asked Ronnie.
“Damn straight.” Ronnie laughed a little. Brice ate a few more bites of his food. Trying to ignore Ronnie. Robert started to eat his food. After dinner, Ronnie went to take a bath. Brice went to his bedroom. Robert had also gone to his bedroom. He was looking out the window.
“That girl. I just want to know her name for some strange reason.” Robert thinks to himself. He saw the side door open to the house next door. He saw the young girl that he saw earlier coming out of the house. She looked upset. Tears seemed to be running down her face. “What’s the matter with her?” Robert wondered. He quickly left his bedroom to go outside to get a chance to talk to this girl. He made it outside. “Why are you crying?” He asked the girl. He didn’t know what else to ask her.
“I don’t know you.” The girl answered and turned away from Robert. There was a light on outside of the house.
“You moved in today with your family?”
“Yes, can I please be left alone?” The girl rudely asked. She didn’t want to be bothered.
“What’s your name?”
“Didn’t I tell you to go away?” The girl shot a glare at Robert.
“You just moved in a house and yet you’re crying. You miss your old home?” Robert asked. He knew he was bugging the girl, but some reason he wanted to ask her.
“You don’t know anything.”
“I would like to know. Tell me. First tell me your name.” Robert said still staring at the girl. She stared at him and then looked down.
“It’s Lacy…” She said.
“Lacy? That’s a cute name.” Robert tells her. She began to blush a little. Robert noticed she was no longer crying. “Why was you crying?” Robert asked her.
“It’s really nothing. I better go back inside.” Lacy says looking a little scared.
“Are you sure?” Robert asked her. “We can still talk. It’s not like I have to get up for school. I’m suspended.”
“I really got to go.” The girl ran back inside the house.
“I wonder why she was crying? I really shouldn’t care though.” Robert went back into the house and back to his bedroom. He laid down on his bed. “Lacy… Just why are you on my mind?” Robert thought to himself and drifted off to sleep.
The next day had came. Lacy was awake and was trying to fix up the kitchen. Lacy’s mother came into the kitchen. “I have a job interview today. Hopefully I get the job. Can you and James set up the house while I’m gone?”
“Yeah.” Lacy replies as she was sitting some plates inside the cabinet.
“Alright. Good. James is setting up the bathroom for us.”
“Mom. Why are you dating that Steven guy?”
“Not this again Lacy. If I wasn’t dating him we wouldn’t have a place to live. He just bought this house for all of us to live in. If he didn’t, we’ll be homeless. You know I lost my other job before when we were living in that apartment.”
“I know, mom. It’s just…” Lacy looked down and didn’t know what to say to her mother. She didn’t like the Steven guy that her mother was dating.
“Look Lacy, I know Steven can be mean at times, but please be nice to him. He has it rough. He goes to work early in the morning and don’t come home to evening.” Lacy’s mom said and left the kitchen. She then left the house.
“That’s what he tells you, but that’s not the truth.” Lacy thinks to herself. At Robet’s home, he had already ate breakfast. Bryan was feeling better and Robert took him to school. Ronnie slept in. Brice had gone to work. After Robert took Bryan to school, he came home. He went to his bedroom and shook Ronnie who was still asleep on the bed.
“Wake up.” Robert tells him.
“Five more minutes.”
“No. Up.” Robert rolled Ronnie off the bed. It woke Ronnie up.
“Dammit! Why the hell did you do that for?!” Ronnie asked getting mad at his brother.
“You were sleeping in late.”
“It’s not that late.” Ronnie said looking at the clock. Ronnie gets up and was getting dressed.
“I talked to that girl next door last night. Her name’s ‘Lacy’.”
“You know her name? Wait you talked to her?” Ronnie asked while he was getting dressed.
“Yes. She seemed like she was upset.”
“Upset about what?”
“I have no idea. I was thinking of going over to see her today. Want to come?” Robert asked.
“Sure.” Ronnie finished getting dressed. They both left the house and went next door. Robert decided to knock on the side door. “Why aren’t you knocking at the front door?” Ronnie asks Robert. The door opened. It was Lacy at the door.
“Who are you and what are you doing here again?” She asked looking at the boys.
“This is my younger brother, Ronnie.” Robert introduces his younger brother to the girl.
“I really don’t got time for this. My mom wants me to fix up the house while she’s at a job interview. My mom’s boyfriend is at work.”
“We can help.” Ronnie offers.
“I really shouldn’t let you.” Robert and Ronnie decided to come right in anyways.
“We want to help.” Ronnie tells her. Lacy didn’t know what to say to them. She sighs.
“Fine.” She agreed to it and shuts the door. Robert and Ronnie began to help her straighten up the kitchen. It was soon done within an hour. “That was quick.”
“You two should really go.”
“Why?” Robert asked. He looked at Lacy. She seemed to be a little nervous.
“Just…Just go.” She says to them both. “I can take care of the rest.” Lacy opens the door and pushes Robert and Ronnie out. She then locked it.
“What’s the matter with her?” Ronnie asked.
“I don’t know.” Robert was confused about her. Robert and Ronnie went home. The front door opened to the house Lacy was in. Steven had came into the house. He went to the kitchen and saw Lacy.
“I see you got the kitchen straighten up.” He said looking around. Lacy felt nervous.
“Y-Yes. I am getting ready to fix the living room.” She wanted to quickly leave the room. She didn’t want to be near Steven. He frightened her. Her heart was beating fast.
“You never told your mother anything did you?” Steven asked and touched Lacy’s face. She closed her eyes tight.
“N-No!”
“Good. I don’t want your mother to find out. Anything. Where’s James?”
“He’s in the bathroom.” Lacy answered.
“To your bedroom. Now.” Steven said in a rude voice. Lacy walks away out of the kitchen slowly. She slowly made her way upstairs and into her bedroom.
Robert was sitting on the sofa. “Why can’t I stop thinking of Lacy? Why did she rush Ronnie and me out of the house?” Robert wondered about her.
“Are you thinking of that Lacy girl?” Ronnie asked.
“Yeah.” Robert admits. “Are you?”
“I am.” Ronnie sits down on the sofa next to Robert. “Why do you think she did that?”
“Why do I? I am not sure. I guess she wants to hide something?” Robert really didn’t understood what happened earlier and why Lacy had rushed them out. He just kept thinking of possible reasons for it. It was in the afternoon. Ronnie had gone to pick up Bryan from school.
“I need to see Lacy. Why did she do that?” Robert didn’t know much about the girl, but for some strange reason he felt worried about her. Robert left the house and went next door. When he got there he knocked on the door. A boy answered the door. It was the boy with glasses on. “Is Lacy there?’
“And who may you be?” The boy asked. “How do you know my sister?”
“Well… I live next door and we kind of met. Is your sister here?”
“She’s supposed to be helping fixing the house, but according to my calculations, I haven’t seen her for a while.” The boy replied. Lacy came into the living room. “Never mind. She’s here.” The boy walks away. Lacy went to the door.
“What?” She asked looking down.
“I wanted to know why-“ Robert didn’t finish talking he just stared at Lacy instead. She looked sad. Her eyes were red from crying. “Are you okay?” Robert asked feeling concerned about her.
“I…I’m fine.” She lies.