| 9 | Meeting His Family

***

Impulsively, with the sound of birds yelling and the sun rising, I couldn't help but snap my eyes open. Being greeted with a blinding shade of light, I covered my eyes, then sat up. Attempting to adjust to the sudden new change of lighting, I had unsheathed them, then gazed around.

"The fuck was that?" Brice questioned. "Who the hell covers their eyes like that?"

I frowned, "Well—me apparently. Were you up all night?"

"You fell asleep at around four in the morning on my lap, so I was obligated to not move," Brice rolled his eyes. I felt my ears heat up, along with the tip of my nose.

"Well—sorry," I replied, murmuring a bit. "What time is it anyway?"

"I'd say around seven thirty. We should get going soon, I don't want anyone to spot us."

I nodded. Brice was quick to get up and stretch. He reached out his hand towards my direction. With a sense of being dumbfounded, I grasped it, and he pulled me up. Surprised at the sudden action, I toppled over him, causing the both of us to fall down.

"God dammit, Seto," he rolled his eyes again and pushed me off—lightly I'd say. This time, he pulled me up by the arm, then passed me my backpack. I said a quiet thank you. "You're hungry, right?"

I shrugged, "No, not—"

"I know a good place to spend our day, it even has free food there. Come," Brice beckoned for me to follow. I rolled my eyes as I swung my backpack over my shoulder. I begun to follow him down the hill.

"Do you do this often?" I questioned as we left the area.

"What often?" Brice replied as he made a left turn. "Can you go three minutes without talking?"

"No, I like knowing things," I huffed. "And do you ditch school often?"

Brice shook his head, "No. This is the first time in a couple years since I've ditched, actually."

"Why do it now—why with me?" I questioned.

"For the hell of it," Brice shrugged. "You know Pete Wentz and Mikey Way?"

"Yeah. Those two bassists with the summer fling?" I replied almost instantly.

"Think of us like that—just a summer fling. But less heartache, less summer, less love, and only one day spent together. You intrigue me, Seto. I haven't met anyone with a thought process that's equivalent to mine. I like your presence."

I wanted to say the same—I wanted to agree with him. Instead, I had monotonously nodded my head, felt the tips of my ears heat up, and gave a small smile. It had gotten me silent for the rest of the trip.

***

"We're here. Just have to take this train and we'll be all set for the journey," Brice grinned. I paused, furrowing my eyebrows at the train tracks that had laid ahead of me.

"There's no train..." I grimaced, frowning.

"Just gotta wait for it, dumbass. We're two hitchhikers."

As if fate decided to pull its strings, a train had begun to quickly speed by. There were multiple cargos attached to it, among those was a red one that was open and filled with boxes. With a running start, Brice had latched on to it and managed to pull himself up. I followed, barely being able to grab his hand that was stretched out for me. He pulled me close, making sure I wouldn't fall (and my belongings wouldn't be left behind either).

"This is fucking insane," I gulped, managing to catch my breath as I leaned against the cardboard boxes.

"Relax, we aren't going to get caught," Brice sneered. "You're so stiff."

"How can you be certain of that!" I exclaimed.

"The only way people can check what's in here is if they stop the train and walk to this cargo. There aren't any doors. If they stop the train, we'll just hop out and book it."

I nodded my head then leaned against the boxes. I pulled out my phone from my backpack to see tons of miscalls from Jason. I sighed, shoving my phone back into my backpack. Of course, Jason would be worried about me. I frowned at the thought of him constantly watching over me, almost like Isaac had once done.

That reminded me, when was the last time I had talked to Isaac?

Today was November 28th, a shitty Wednesday to be specific, and I had moved on Friday, November 23rd. Or, at least I think I had moved on that particular date. I don't have great memory (correct me if I'm wrong, I'll probably remember it sometime later).

It hasn't even been a week yet since I had arrived here, and it's all already a mess.

"Wanna play twenty questions?" I suggested.

"Why?" Brice retorted, rolling his eyes.

"We're going to be in here for a while," I sighed. "No need to give attitude."

"Alright, fine. I'll ask you something first," Brice spoke first. "Why do you smoke?"

"That seems to be the question of the day when I meet people," I chuckled. "It's an interesting reason, but to give a summary—it takes my mind off things I guess."

"Well, you shouldn't do that type of stuff if you wanna live longer, pretty boy."

"And what if I don't want to live longer?"

Brice went silent for a moment, but then spoke, "The bridge is always an option. Anyway, it's my turn—what do you do in your free time besides smoke?"

"Wait, I thought I was suppose to ask—"

"You wasted your turn on that edgy question."

I couldn't help but snort. Brice gave a smile. I continued, "Well, I guess I read sometimes. What do you do?"

"I draw," Brice replied monotonously. "I like art. There's something nice about taking your mind off of things with a pen and some paper. I guess I'm an addict with a pen."

"Was that a reference?"

"I'm not obligated to answer that. You already took your turn."

I rolled my eyes, "Why must you be so specific?"

"See! You did it again!" Brice exclaimed, pointing his finger at me.

"Did what again?"

"God, you're always such a wonderer."

"I'm not!"

"Are too."

"Not!"

"Too."

"Not!"

"Too."

"Not!"

"You're such a child, too."

"I'm not!"

"Too."

"Not!"

Over all the bickering, that light hearted punching, and the snickering (mainly from Brice), the train ride seemed short. As they say; time flies by when you're having fun. Or, an argument I suppose. But it eventually had dwindled down back to a simplistic conversation.

Long story short, our game of twenty questions (more like heated arguments about silly topics), was drawing to an end.

"Hey Brice," I began, leaning against the cardboard boxes.

"Yeah?" He replied.

"I have one more question," I paused for a moment. "It's a serious question this time, I swear."

"Then ask away," Brice said, looking out the cargo. We were nearing the city.

"What do you regret most in life?" I asked monotonously.

"Most? I have a lot of regrets," Brice shook his head.

"Well, if you could undo one of them, what would you choose?" I reworded my question.

Brice hummed for a moment, but then finally replied, "Meeting Shelby."

"What a surprise," I rolled my eyes. "Why, though?"

"Well—" Brice trailed off. "I mean a couple days ago I thought that I could tolerate her and that she was the one for me. But now, I guess I've found someone better than her."

"Weird," I murmured. Brice looked directly at me, giving another smile.

"Yeah," he answered. "It's weird."

A brief moment of silence occurred before the train had slowed down. He signaled for us to go. The blond had jumped from the still-moving-train first, then I followed. I had barely been able to land on my feet and ended up on my side. My backpack cushioned my fall. Brice reached out his hand and I took it.

I gazed at the buildings in the distance. We were quite far away from them. Considering we had just exited the suburbs, it seemed logical. Brice led the way while I just followed. We would have to cross a grassy patch of land to get into the city. It looked like a park.

I reached into my backpack and checked my phone. It was 8:34. We had only stayed on that train for about an hour or less. I would estimate probably 30 minutes considering that long walk to the train tracks. I shoved my phone back into my backpack.

We approached the city and entered. The sidewalks were cracked, the building walls seemed a bit broken, and yet the roads were packed with honking cars. There were no trees in sight and pavement was all we could step on. The air was polluted, it smelled like garbage. Brice continued to walk up the sidewalk, I followed.

Why would he take me here?

We continued up the sidewalk until we had reached a nice area. There were multiple cafes, restaurants, a library, and a nice looking food store. All were either a nice shade of tan, red, or white. It was pretty compared to the other places we had seen. Brice entered one of the buildings; it was a bake shop. I entered in as well.

There wasn't any music playing, and it had appeared they had just opened up shop. A blonde haired woman was standing behind the marble brown counter, polishing it with windex and a rag. Her eyes were an olive shade and her skin was pale. She had tattoos all over her arms, neck, and one on her jaw. She also had a manicure that was white. Her hair reached down to her waist and was curled. She looked up at us, smiling.

"Hello, Brice!" She greeted, smiling. "I see you've brought a—person!"

"Hey mom," Brice smiled, strolling closer to the counter. I shuffled behind him with a surprised expression planted on my face.

That's his mother?

"Who's this?" Brice's mother smiled.

"This is my friend, Seto," Brice replied while patting my head.

"Hello, ma'am," I murmured avoiding her soft gaze.

I heard her chuckle, then whisper, "This one's a keeper, Brice. Unlike Shelby."

"Mom!" Brice defensively whispered, his face becoming a shade of red.

"I'm just saying the truth," she snickered. "I remember when I met your mum, she was this shy little thing like Seto over here."

I nervously chuckled; rubbing the back of my neck. We made eye contact for a brief moment, before his mother spoke, "My wife would be excited to meet you, Seto. Can you stick around for a while?"

"S-Sure," I stuttered, face a bit red with a smile planted on my face.

"Don't be so shy!" Brice's mother exclaimed. "My name is Brandi, please don't call me Mrs. Solace because it'll make me feel old."

"Well, alright," I nodded.

Brice frowned, scoffing, "HeyMomItWouldReallyBeGreatIfYouGaveUsSomeFo—"

"Alright Brice, way to get to the point!" Brandi clasped her hands together. "As you can see, Seto, this place is a bakery. What would you like for breakfast?"

"Uh—" I blanked out for a moment. "Considering what's on the menu, I guess a croissant and hot chocolate."

"I'll have the same thing, but I want coffee," Brice spoke swiftly.

Brandi nodded, then proceeded to walk towards the back. Brice signaled me to sit down in one of the booths. They were small and the chairs were colored a shade of pumpkin orange. The tables were polished and a light shade of oak brown. We sat on opposite sides. Brandi came delivering our food.

"Thank you," I smiled. It smelled pleasant.

"You're welcome, sweetheart," she ruffled my hair and proceeded to walk back towards the counter. Brice looked quite embarrassed.

"Sorry about that," he whispered. "My mom's usually embarrassing. Not embarrassing as my other mum—god, together they're quite the combination."

I chuckled, "It's okay. Your mom seems nice."

"You should see what she's like at home, she's quite the devil—"

Abruptly, a piece of burnt toast flew to towards Brice's face. He toppled back near the wall with a ear piercing smack, then slammed his head on the table (luckily away from the croissant and the coffee).

"Talk shit get hit!" Brandi shouted from across the bakery.

"Is Brice talking shit again?" Another woman had entered in the bakery. The glass door slammed behind her.

I gazed up to see a woman with freckles planted all over her tanned face. She had brown hair that came up to her shoulders—slightly curled. Her eyes were a piercing shade of blue, and her neck, as well as presumably the rest of her body, was tattooed in freckles. I assumed that was Brice's other mother—mum.

"Andrea! Look at this cinnamon roll that Brice brought!" Brandi shouted, jumping the counter and rushing towards her.

The woman, Andrea, rushed towards me. Brice groaned, shaking his head as his whole face lit up with a bright shade of red. "What's your name!"

"S-Seto," I stuttered quite impulsively.

"You're adorable!" Andrea shouted. "I'm Brice's mum, Andrea!"

"Mum!" Brice shouted. "You're embarrassing me, again."

"I'm just excited to meet this boy! He's so adorable!" Andrea smiled. I flinched, quite afraid of the loud tone of her voice. "He's a keeper, better than that abusive bitch Shelby!"

"God dammit," Brice shook his head. "You're embarrassing me—"

"You should show him around town, take him to that nice carnival up south," Brandi suggested.

"You mean up north," Andrea corrected.

"Potato, tomato," Brandi rolled her eyes.

"They're two different things!" Andrea exclaimed. "Anyway, enjoy your food boys. Brice, treat this boy well. Your mother and I are going to set up a bit more."

With that, they both had strolled to the back. I gazed at Brice who had crumbs of burnt toast on his cheek. I chuckled, shaking my head.

"I d-don't like you or anything—it's just when I bring friends they make assumptions since, well, I don't have many friends," Brice explained. His voice sounded a bit off; he looked nervous.

"You? Not having much friends?" I replied, surprised.

"Well, yeah. Most people avoid me because of Shelby or my reputation. Shelby would beat the shit out of anyone who'd go near me," Brice chuckled. "Maybe I should break up with her."

I took off the lid of the cup, then tore off a piece of the croissant. Dipping it in the hot chocolate, I noticed the croissant was light, flakey, and buttery, and the hot chocolate was smooth and creamy. A perfect combination.

"This is good," I murmured, quickly changing the subject.

"Freshly baked in the back, usually, by my mum. My other mom works at the counter since she can't bake," Brice chuckled, hoping Brandi didn't over hear him. "Wanna just hang out here for the day? I could teach you how to bake n' shit. We can make an apple pie since those are a big hit here."

"You know how to bake?" I asked, intrigued.

"Well, growing up with my two moms for seventeen years does really make you a baker," Brice snickered. "It's like another form of art, I guess."

"Well, that sounds fun," I nodded my head as I took another bite of the croissant that was dipped in hot chocolate.

"Sweet, let's go," Brice quickly drank his coffee and seemed to gobble up his croissant. I couldn't help but snort once more. I managed to finish in a quicker pace as well. Swiping off any crumbs, I threw out the empty cup, as well as lid, into the trash can. I also threw out the paper covering that came with the croissant.

Brice jumped the counter, then unlocked the door that was at the side. I walked through the Employees Only door, then followed him into the back—the kitchen. It had smelled of sweets and dough; something you'd expect from a bakery. Andrea was kneading bread while Brandi was gazing at one of the ovens.

"Seto and I wanna help out and make pies," Brice said.

"Alright. Just make some butterscotch pies, or maybe apple. I don't know, both if you want," Andrea answered while pointing to the empty table. I followed Brice towards it.

"You might wanna wash your hands," Brice suggested, strolling towards the sink. I nodded my head and set my backpack down in the corner. I rolled up my sleeves and washed my hands in the sink right next to him.

"Let's get started!" Brice cheered.

***

A couple hours of chaos, spilt milk, and flour that practically spilled everywhere, the bakery was finally closing up. I had to say, it was quite the fun day. Andrea and Brandi seemed to grow a close attachment to me, considering their happy-go-lucky attitude when they talked to me. Brice seemed to be more comfortable with me around—unlike days prior when he acted mysterious and quite questionable.

"You had fun today, Seto?" Brandi asked as I headed to pick up my backpack.

"Yeah, it was wonderful," I smiled, putting on my backpack.

"You should come around more often, we'd love to see you more!" Andrea smiled. She strolled up to me and whispered, "Brice seems to be more happier when you're around, so thank you for that."

I felt my ears heat up, "I guess it's really nothing."

"Would you like a ride home?" Brandi asked.

"Can't he stay at our house for the night? It's pretty late after all," Brice suggested.

Brandi perked up, "Is that okay with you, Seto?"

"Uh—yeah," I replied cautiously. "I mean, I'll just tell my parents I'll be spending the night."

"Alright, I'll close up shop, and Brandi you get the kids in the car," Andrea shouted as she rushed towards the front exit. I followed Brandi and Brice towards the back exit. There was a white honda car parked there. It was alone. Brandi headed towards the driver's seat while Brice headed towards the back passenger seat. I followed.

He opened the door and let me go in first. I sat down—the car smelled fresh and of vanilla. Brice followed, then slammed the door. Andrea had followed. She opened the car door and sat in the front seat. The car started and we were off.

"Today was fun," I smiled to Brice as I put on my seatbelt. Brice was gazing out the window, seeming to be deep in thought.

"Thanks, Seto," Brice said monotonously.

"For what?" I replied, a perplexing tone in my voice.

"For being here," Brice sighed. "Hell, maybe this isn't just some kind of one day winter fling."

I felt my ears heat up and a smile creep on my lips. Spending time with Brice and his family wasn't as bad as I thought, it was quite nice.

I hope I could do this again, someday.