Demise.

Norah was trying to figure out why Prosper hadn’t shown up to school for a few days. She was actually surprised he hadn’t seen his smile or heard his laugh booming down the hallways while walking with the lacrosse jocks. Norah had asked Chris if she had heard from Prosper and he just shrugged and closed his locker.

This was very weird of Prosper. Norah thought.

She opened up her phone and sent him a text.

Hey, I was just wondering if you were alright, why aren’t you in school?

Norah, can you please meet me at my house? I need someone right now..

Is everything okay?

No, not at all.. Please come..

Alright, I’ll be there during lunch.

Norah was worried now, and now that she knew it, she was scared. Scared because she had a growing soft spot for Prosper and that meant she was getting closer with him.
During Lunch she drove over to Prospers and knocked on the door.

He answered the door with no shirt on. His face had a bruise on his jaw line and his stomach was wrapped in a ace bandage.

“What happened to you..” she whispered.

He takes her hand pulling her in and shuts the door.

“You have to promise me you won’t tell anyone, no one at school anyone. No one can know.”

Her fingers reached for his stomach and traced the ace bandage causing him to wince. She pulled her hand back fast.

“I promise.”

She sat down and Achilles came in and jumped up on the couch with Norah and he sat down carefully.

“I came home from work last Saturday, and my mom was home. She wasn’t alone thought, there was a man here and he was screaming at her, he put his hands on her and I snapped. I hit him and he threw me across the room and this happened. The cops came and took my mom and the guy away..”

“Your mom? .. Why?”

Prosper looked at his hands fumbling with his thumbs then he murmured softly.

“My Mom is a drug addict. And they arrested both of the for drug possession.”

Prosper started to tear up and she watched as the tears ran down his cheek, she’s never seen a boy cry and this made her heart sink.

“Prosper, I’m so sorry..”

“I had no other choice but to emancipate myself, so it’s just me and Achilles.”

She wrapped her arms around Prosper and hugged him and he hugged her back. Norah felt horrible and she felt like someone had stepped all over hear heart, she was mean but not heartless.

“Hey, why don’t you come to my house for dinner tonight? With my family.”

He looked at Norah questioningly. Norah has never been this nice to him. Ever.

“Um, I can’t meet your family looking like this.”

Norah smiled and opened her bag digging through her purse and pulled out some makeup.

“Don’t worry, I got this.”

“Don’t you dare make me look like a girl.” he warned.

Norah grinned and leaned close to his face.

“Don’t worry, you can’t look like girl.”

Her breath tickled his lips causing him to shiver, she was really starting to get under Prosper's skin and she knew exactly what she was doing.