Helping Hand

"Kellin!! Harry!! I've got news!!" I didn't bother to hold back my sigh and ambled down the stairs as my mother called me in that slightly annoying high-pitched voice.

"What is it honey?" My dad asked as he rushed in to the kitchen. I heard her kiss him and shuddered at the thought. At least I wasn't there to see it I suppose.

"Kellin honey, hurry up!"

"I'm here..for Christ's sake..." I mumbled the last bit under my breath and finally reached the kitchen.

"I've had an idea!" I groaned inwardly as my glamorous, slightly stupid, and very sweet mother announced another fantastic idea that she'd come up with.

"And what is it my dear?" My dad asked.

"I was talking to Jenny today, and she told me about this plan that they're doing - it sounds wonderful."

"Well go on then." I encouraged after mum looked at us expectantly.

"Well, you adopt or foster a child who doesn't have parents or can't live with them, or look after an adult with problems, and help them through whatever problems it is that they're having. I'd want to look after a child at first definitely. What do you two think?!" I felt my heart sink. This would be terrible. Mum turned round to make a drink and I mouthed "no" to my dad who laughed silently.

"I think it sounds marvellous sweetheart, but it would be a massive undertaking."

"Well I know that of course, but I'm at home all day anyway, and I think we should do a bit more, I mean we have a lot of money and we don't really do anything good with it." Harry smiled and gave his wife a hug.

"You're such an angel, my love." I made a disgusted noise and my mum giggled at me, extending a manicured hand and grabbing my arm.

"Oh come on Kellin. What do you say?"

"No, obviously."

"Kellin Quinn!! Now you listen to me, we are extremely lucky people, we have a great family, we have money and a wonderful house. We all have whatever we could ever want. We need to help those less fortunate than ourselves!! You're always in your room anyway."

"Do whatever you want then..but don't involve me." She beamed and enveloped me in a hug, getting lip gloss on my cheeks when she kissed me happily. I frowned and scrubbed at it with my sleeve.

"Thank you sweetheart, I'm gonna go call the agency right now!!" I groaned and leant against the doorframe when she left, stilettos clacking on the floor. My dad chuckled and poured himself a drink.

"Just let her have her fun Kellin - it won't be so bad."

Time lapse: A week later.

"No mum, I'm not going!"

"Please honey? Pleeeasse???"

"No."

"Kellin come on, please." I sighed when dad joined in and stormed out of the house, climbing in the car.

"Thank you sweetie. It means a lot to me." I rolled my eyes and sulked the whole way there. I didn't want this kid coming to live with us. He'd be a nightmare. He'd steal stuff and cause my parents trouble. I liked things the way they were. Besides, I'm eighteen now, I don't want to be stuck at home babysitting some little runt.

"Kellin honey, I think you'll like him anyways. He's a really sweet boy, he's from England!!"

"Yippee." I said sarcastically and she sighed sadly. Guilt crept in then and I had to bite back my irritation.
"Sorry."

"That's ok. But be nice to him when he gets here please?? For me?"

"Fine."

They got to the airport and I refused to get out of the car. My parents left me there. Well, that was probably how it would be from now on. They'd go off to pander to this kid and I'd be left to fend for myself. That would be just about right...

"That's it Oliver - just out your things in here."

"I'll get that one." I pretended to be listening to music as ilistened to his parents talking to the kid.

"Thank you guys, really I do appreciate all this." I frowned. He didn't sound young. His voice was too deep.

"Oh don't be silly. Kellin's in the back there, Kellin!! Sorry Oli he's got his music in..KELLIN!!" She gave me no option but to pull out my earphones and spin around.

"What? Oh, hi." I tried to keep the glare on my face but I was surprised. The boy wasn't really a boy at all, he had to be my age at least. He was tall, painfully thin, he had mop brown hair, and the tattoos poking out from the neck of his hoodie and covering his hands suggested there were more underneath his clothes.

"Hiya, nice to meet you Kellin." I steeled myself and nodded, turning back around and wondering why my heart was beating so quickly, probably because I was annoyed.

When the other boy climbed in the back of their SUV, a wave of the smell of cheap laundry detergent and cigarettes hit me, I didn't bother to hide that I was wrinkling my nose slightly. Oliver kept fidgeting and running his hands up and down his legs or wringing them nervously.

"So how was your flight Oliver?"

"Call me Oli, please Mrs Quinn."

"Only if you call me Nina." He smiled at her and nodded.

"Deal. It was fine thanks, I was a bit nervous, what with it being my first flight and all, but it was okay."

"It was your first flight?!" She asked.

"Yeah."

"You must be tired, you poor thing. I'm making dinner when we get in but you can go to bed if you want to - it's totally up to you."

"Thank you." Oli looked out of the window, I took another glance at him in distaste before going back to flicking through my songs.

When they got home Nina made this big thing about showing Oli around, his face got paler as they went, and he looked more and more unhappy.
"Are you alright sweetheart?" She asked when they were upstairs with him, helping him with his luggage.

"Yes, thank you. I might unpack now if that's alright."

"Of course it is honey - if you need anything just shout. Or, Kellin is next door if you want him." Oli nodded and she left, I chose to stay for a moment.

"Your parents are really good people." Oli said in a slightly choked voice. I frowned at him, wondering what was wrong.

"Yeah they are." It came out harsher than intended and Oli flinched.

"I'm not gonna take advantage if that's what you're thinking. I'm not like that." I just nodded curtly and left. Of course he would say that, try to get us all to trust him, then take advantage. That's what these people were like.

Oli came down for dinner that night but could hardly eat anything. We all sat exchanging odd bits of conversation but it was painfully awkward and Oli was very uncomfortable.
"Mrs- Nina, sorry, I'm...I don't think I can eat anything else, I'm really sorry I'm just not used to eating proper meals like this and I-"

"Sweetie don't worry about it, it's no big deal!!" He nodded, looking down sadly. I chose not to say anything but did feel slightly bad for the other boy as he blinked rapidly.

"I might turn in if that's alright with you. Thank you for such a lovely meal and...and e-everything else I'll just clean up and-"

"No, no. Please honey just leave it, I'll sort it out, you go relax."

"No really because-"

"I insist, don't worry bout a thing." Her heavy Texas accent came out more in that expression which made me smile inwardly, but Oli nodding and leaving the room quickly made that bad feeling come again.

"Oh it is just heartbreaking...he's good as gold that boy....it's such a shame..."

"Well it's his first night, he feels awkward, he's probably not used to people being as lovely as you sweetheart, he'll be fine." She nodded at her husband and I stood up, tidying away the plates.

"Thank you honey."

"Thanks mom, I'm just gonna go have a shower, I'll be down in a minute."

I went to my room, as I walked past the room Oli was staying in, I heard him crying. I sighed and weighed my options, trying to decide whether to go in, keep walking, or get my mum.

As guilty as it made me feel, I chose to keep walking. Maybe that was the best thing for him though, he probably wanted some space. Not that I cared about what he wanted, of course.

Next morning my dad went to work, mum left to meet her friend Lisa as she did every Wednesday to get her hair and stuff done. I bit back complaints as she started heaping a million responsibilities on me.

"Honey can you make sure Oli knows where everything is for breakfast - and talk to him a bit you know? Be nice, make him feel welcome. Oh, and could you put the laundry on for me please? It's all loaded you just have to press start-"

"Mum!!"

"Oh come on Kellin, you do have ten weeks off this summer and me and your father aren't insisting that you get a summer job - you should be grateful!! If you can't do it that's fine just-"

"I'll do it, go have fun." She smiled that smile that could warm anyone's heart and bent down to give me an air kiss. It was ridiculous, I'm not short, and she is, but those damn heels she always has on makes me feel like a midget.

She waved as she left and I settled down on the couch to play FIFA on the Xbox.
As I was playing I heard footsteps and groaned, pretending not to notice when Oli walked in.

"Hey."

"Oh hi. Didn't see you."

"Your parents gone out?"

"Dads at work. Mums out with a friend." I didn't look away from the screen, cursing as I missed a goal I would have got if Oli hadn't been distracting me.

"Are you on your summer holidays or something?"

"Yeah." Oli sat and watched me for ages before I paused the game and sighed.

"There's another controller-" I paused for a second when I finally looked at him. He looked like shit.
His eyes had circles under them as dark as the ink that tainted his skin, he looked even skinnier now he wasn't wearing as much. And what he was wearing had holes in. I but my lip guiltily.

"...in the basket. Join up." He nodded and got the controller.

"Umm...how do I..?" I looked at him in surprise and he sighed.

"You seriously think I had a fucking xbox? Look at me." It was the first time he'd sounded relatively assertive and I stopped myself from smiling when I realised he had made me, and connected the controller.

He wasn't as bad as I thought he'd be. We teamed up to play some other guys and actually beat them. We high fived and shouted celebratory jeers at the screen, as we sat back laughing, coming down off our victory I realised that he was breaking me down.
I sat up, wiping the smile off my face and Oli made a noise.

"What?"

"Why are you so fucking determined to hate my guts? Look, I get that you don't want me here, trust me you've made that really clear. But I am here, for a while I think, and you obviously don't hate me. So why are you trying to?" He spoke softly, his accent showing even more, and I stood up.

"I have to go. I'm meeting a friend. Hang out, play xbox, watch a movie. Food's in the kitchen. I'll see you later."