Nothing Like You.

“I think it’s time you came back home Tuck…it’s been a week and Gee and Ray can’t afford to take care of you.”

“Sure we can Mikes…right, that’s not helping.”

Gerard backed away from the speaker phone we were all seated around. He gave me a small smile as he lifted Elena out of her high chair and ushered Ray out of the room. Speaker phone on just in case they needed to intervene.

“Tucker, I, look, we need to work this out as a family and we can’t do that when you’re there. I’m not going to have this conversation on the goddamn phone, Frank’s on his way to come get you. You’ll be back home and we can talk about this; this isn’t like you Tuck and I, I don’t know what to do.”

I just sat there dumbfounded. He was sending Frank to come get me, he’d be here soon. The only person I wanted to talk to right now, besides Annie of course was Bert, and he was an hour away. I just hit the end button on the phone before I laid my head on the counter.

=-=-=-=

Three Weeks.

“What do you mean you can’t tell me anymore? Tuck we’ve been friends for practically ever, why can’t you tell me that you like someone? We’ve already been over the status between us—oh, it’s me again isn’t it?”

For the first time in my life I could tell Annie no. It wasn’t her that has captured my interest.

“Tucker James Way, so help you if you don’t tell me who holds…wait a minute! Are you like your dad?”

My cheeks burned as a sheepish smile crept onto my face. I heard her gasp then ask another question.

“You, you mean you, you don’t like me anymore?”

She sounded hurt almost; she’s always been good at masking her emotions. I felt a hand grasp my own and I smiled at my intruder. I felt them peck my forehead as I heard Annie going off on the other end of the phone.

“You can’t even answer that question…Tucker what, what’s going on with you?”

“I don’t know Annie, I don’t know.”

I just hung up. No goodbye, no talk to you later, just hung up. I smiled over at my intruder. We had found each other in this secluded spot atop the apartment complex Gee and Ray live in. That’s right, I haven’t been home in three weeks.

Dad’s threatened to call the cops but Gee reminds him neither he nor Ray has kidnapped me and I haven’t truly run-away. They know where I am, I told them where I am. There’s a family that lives two floors above them, they just moved in the night of the conversation of me to go home.

I escaped to the roof and it wasn’t till the wee hours of the morning that I realized I wasn’t alone. I had felt eyes on me when I glanced to my left and noticed someone leaning against the door. I just gave a small smile and turned my gaze back to the stars.

”Do you mind if I join you?”

I just shrugged and felt their presence on my left as they sat next to me.

“Do you come up here often?”

I nodded.

“You don’t talk much do you?”

I finally glanced at them, taking in their appearance in the dim light of the moon and the stars. Their eyes stuck out, the most beautiful shade of gray I’ve ever seen.

“I’ve never seen you here before.”

“We just moved this afternoon. I had to get out, they’re already giving each other shit for moving here of all places. No offense, we just came from small shit town in the south and here we are in fucking Jersey. It’s definitely not the place for my parents.”

I looked confused.

“I have two moms so we get a lot of shit wherever we go.”

I grinned.

“I’m staying at my uncles’ and my dad’s are at home.”

A huge grin erupted on their face; then and there I knew I was over my best friend. The butterflies dancing in my stomach were far more in number than whenever she was around. We smiled at each other before leaning against the wall again and staring up at the stars.