"Is he gone?" I asked, stepping into the kitchen three hours later and spying Trisha cooking some food. My stomach growled when I noticed that she was cooking a pizza, and my mouth watered. Hunger made my stomach clench, and I knew it was because I hadn't eaten anything since breakfast.

"Not yet," she replied, not looking up at me but at what she was doing. She nodded her head to the microwave, kneading the dough with such skill that I could never master, for I didn't have the patience to knead the dough until it was flat and ready for the toppings. "I have left your food in there. Get it and then go to the entertainment center. He should be in there."

I rolled my eyes and walked to the microwave, scowling. "Should be," I said, opening it up and licking my lips when I saw some chicken tenders and fries. "It doesn't mean that he is."

Trisha snorted and shook her head. "I had Wallace bring him some food, and he did take a small "tour" of the house," she replied. "He is such a nice boy."

I bit back a snort and shook my head. "Nice my ass," I muttered under my breath and pursed my lips because "nice" was not the word I would describe him. I closed the microwave and turned around to see her scowling at me. "What?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Give that boy a chance," she scolded, and I held back an eye roll. "I am serious, Christina Marie."

I cringed when she used my full first name with my middle and huffed before I shook my head. "He is here, isn't he?" I asked, starting to make my way to the entertainment room. "If I "weren't giving him a chance," he'd be out of the house, and I would have had said no to him being here."

"Good, then he is spending the night for dinner," Trisha called, and I groaned. "The poor boy needs a place to feel safe, and he chose this one."

"And, I don't know why," I called over my shoulder. I wish he had chosen any other place, but here, I thought, scowling. I don't need him getting too close.

***

I leaned against the door to the entertainment room, munching on my tender, and watched Wally and Drew engrossed in their game.

I was quite impressed with how Wally was doing, not knowing that he could play video games. I had no idea he knew the game's concepts and wondered if he taught himself how to play while I was at school, and there was nothing else to do in the house.

"Good job for an old guy," Drew said after Wally killed him. He tossed the console onto the couch beside him and moved a hand through his hair, looking impressed.

Wally cleared his throat and shifted in his seat. He set the console on the table before he straightened his tie. "Thank you, Master Drew," he said, standing. "Remember you pr-" He had started to turn around to leave while he spoke but stopped when he caught sight of me. His eyes grew wide while his face grew pale except for a red tint on his cheeks.

"What is it?" Drew asked. He turned in the direction that Wally faced in and saw me standing there, still munching on a tender. He raised an eyebrow, and I raised one at him. "How long have you been there?" he asked.

I shrugged and finished the last bit of my chicken. "Long enough to finish my chicken," I replied, walking into the room. I glanced at my plate to see that the fries were gone and pursed my lips when I saw the fries were gone as well. "And fries."

Wally cleared his throat and took a step towards me, holding out his hand to take the plate. "I can t-"

"No, sit," I said, sharper than I should have. I cringed when he flinched and instantly sat down again. "Sorry, Wally," I apologized.

Wally hesitated but nodded his head. He didn't say a word and watched me while I sat at his side.

"What was that for?" Drew asked. "You shouldn't h-"

"I know, Cupcake," I said, interrupting him. I gestured to the controller at his side. "Hand it over, will you?" I asked.

Drew narrowed his eyes suspiciously at me but handed it over. He didn't say a word while I set up a world and gestured for Wally to pick up the controller.

Wally hesitated but picked up the controller. He stayed silent and picked a character, his whole body tense.

"What are you doing?" Drew asked. There was this warning tone in his voice, and I couldn't help but wonder what they had talked about to get him to respect Wally. He didn't want Wally to get hurt, which I understood, for I didn't want him to get either. "Or wanting to do?"

"Playing with the male that is more of a father to me than my actual dad," I replied. I didn't look at either Drew or Wally when I said that, but I could feel Wally relax beside me, and I had a feeling that he understood I wouldn't tell my parents about this. "What else would I be doing?"

Drew shrugged a shoulder and looked at the screen before he scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Really?" he asked, seeing that I had chosen a "weaker" character than Wally. "Your ass is going to get wiped all through this world. I hope you know that, Sweetcheeks."

I checked to make sure that everything was in order before turning my gaze to look at him. I grinned, and something in that grinned made Drew uncomfortable, for he had decided to lean away from me instead of the position he had been sitting in before. "Just watch, Cupcake," I all but purred, earning a snort from Wally. I flashed him a smug look before I looked at the teenage male. "Just watch."

And with that, I turned my gaze back to the screen and kicked Wally's character's ass with my "weak" character.