Who Am I? by Anna Huscha (books for 7th graders .txt) 📖

shit" He said simply, I glanced at him.

"What?" I asked, looking over at him.

"It's ten P.M." Zac said shocked, I laughed and placed the controller onto the coffee table gently.

"Wow, so yeah" I said, not sure what to say, I grabbed the soda off of the table and took a sip.

"I'm staying the night" I said matter-of-factly between drinks, all he did was chuckle.

"Better not sleep in the nude" He eyed me, I laughed and choked on the liquid.

"Haha, no not quite. Though I do like to cuddle" I said in a joking manner, he seemed to love that one for once he started laughing he couldn't stop.

"I'm just kidding, man" I said with a smile, he nodded as he laughed. It's all he could do, his eyes started watering. I started to laugh too.

His mom walked in after a few minutes, watching us, unsure what to make of it. I would learn later that this was my second home. He had met me the morning of that day but by the end, it was like we've known each other for forever. He trusted me and I wouldn't break that, I wouldn't play with it or waste it.

"What is going on out here?" She blinked and tilted her head slightly, Zac drew a breath and wiped his face, breathing slowly and deeply.

"That one hurt... Jason said he's gonna sleep over and I told him not to sleep in the nude and he said he liked to cuddle though" Zac explained, his mother just watched us.

"Well... if your rear hurts in the morning, don't be asking questions" She said jokingly, he started laughing harder. I loved his mom.

As time passed he eventually calmed down again, laying on one end of the couch as I leaned against the arm, laying on the back with my leg hanging off and the other bent. We were thirty minutes into the movie 'Saw 1'; watching them in order. No, they weren't scary but they hadn't been all that bad. I learned he liked to rag on movies and wonder what would happen if he were in that situation.

He talked during movies but not for any long periods of time unless I responded, if I was lost in a moment in the movie or just didn't want to answer, he would understand and just continue watching. Part way into the third movie, Zac was passed out in his spot, I was still awake but fading in and out.

The movie played on in a low volume, the remote laid on the table, far from my reach. I wouldn't have any reason to have the remote, I wouldn't turn if off. I liked listening to things as I passed out. The last thing I remember before finally falling asleep, is his mother throwing a thin, blue, soft blankets over each of us.

I felt a nudge at my side, at first I felt like I imagined it so I rolled a bit but had little to no room to move to.

"Hey, get up!" Zac said, nudging me again. I looked up at him.

"Oh honey, come back to bed" I said in a false-serious tone, he raised an eyebrow at me.

"Only later, sweetie" He matched my tone, followed by a small laugh. I got up and stretched, bacon wafted through the air. My mouth watered as I smelled it, I wanted some.

"Mom's making breakfast" He seemed to read my tone as I stared out towards the doorway, the kitchen was no where to be seen.

"Come on, I'll show you" Zac said, motioning for me to follow him. Once I got up I followed him out into the hallway and to the left, we walked for maybe two minutes before we turned right into a brightly colored room. There was a sliding glass door that led out onto a deck on the far wall. The morning sun was lighting the place up so no lights were necessary. I took it all in, the floor was a simple light blue tile, the walls a shade darker than that. There was what seemed like a wall that separated us from where she was cooking. A dark colored marble made up the counters and the top to this 'wall'. Stools lined it.

I blinked a bit, taking a seat next to Zac and hiding my surprise. It was gorgeous.

The kitchen where she cooked had eggs, bacon, and sausage just on top. The toaster was popped down, freshly brewed coffee sat in the pot; waiting for someone to come along. I glanced about, cabinets were high up on the wall, just in reaching point. They were a soft brown mahogany, lining completely down. A microwave sat just beneath them, in its own little shelf. It was black.

Zac watched me as I glanced around, seeming to expect me to look. The fridge sat behind us, having its own place into the wall as well. Double door with an ice dispenser on the freezer side door, magnets with pictures attached hung. It was a silver fridge, with a black handle and trimmings along the side and the lip.

If I had to guess, I would say his family bought the plot when the old house was condemned, designed it from the basement to the attic. They chose the wallpapers, the small designs that would compliment them, they chose the floors, the carpet, the tile. They chose to build the deck and put in a sliding door.

When Sam got pregnant, she had him build the house, there was nothing but the concrete slab that sat between a house and a large field. On the other end of town from where her sister lived. She didn't want bordering neighbors where she'd have no privacy; look up and there you'd see what your neighbor was doing. Behind her house a bit was a large lake with a dock, a gorgeous look from where her mind placed the deck. Private for her use and her newly growing family. She stood there, rubbing her stomach, as she watched her husband and his crew; breaking his back while laying the walls. She smiled every time she visited the work site. She wasn't a high maintenance woman by any means; she just wanted the best for her child(ren). She had grown up under a poor roof, her mother gave them all she could but could only get so much. Yes, she had food on the table, clothes on her back, she had a bed to rest upon, and warm showers. She had a roof over her head, and a loving home. It just wasn't always that way. Her father argued with her mother a lot when the bills seemed to come in faster than his checks would. He wouldn't hit her in front of the kids but no doubt did he hit her. She would find her mother crying on the front step of their home, trying to hide the tears but whenever Sammy came around; her mother would bawl her eyes out. Sammy just had a soft touch. She still did to this day. When she had Zac in late February, she gently stroked his cheek as tears flooded down her face. Her husband was by her side through it all where he always remained. She rocked him from side to side slowly as he looked up at her with bright blue eyes; they'd later change. They welcomed the baby home later that day, relaxing out on the deck as the sun set, she rocked him as he cooed and curled into her chest. After only two weeks of having him home she got the terrible news from a chief of the firefighters. He knocked at her door late in the evening and with the baby in her arms, she answered the door.

"Oh, hello Mit" She said with a smile, he nodded as he took off his hat, rolling the tongue. Searching for his words, she seemed to notice his tension.

"What's wrong?" Sam asked before he looked up at her. He knew she liked things blunt and honest but he hadn't ever had to deliver the news like this.

"It's Nate... he was at a site that was burning down fast, he ran inside to save somebody. Well... there were reasons the building was on fire and before he could escape three gunshots went off. Somebody didn't want the person who lived in the house to be saved. We tried everything we could. He had a gunshot to the chest and the neck. The two who shot him are in jail for life. It doesn't bring you justice and I'm sorry" He choked out, she started crying before he hugged her, Zac fused but didn't mutter a sound.

Picking at his eggs, he had already devoured the sausage and bacon. Zac didn't enjoy eggs much but meat was his hero. Opposite of him, I couldn't get enough of the eggs with cheese while picking at the sausage.

"Trade?" Zac asked after realizing, I glanced at his plate then nodded as we swapped. Sam glanced over and laughed. She was at the table sipping coffee with the newspaper folded in front of her.

Zac watched her before he glanced down. I looked over at him.

"You okay?" Jason asked silently, Zac motioned for him to follow him out of the room. They placed their plates in the dishwasher before heading upstairs.

"I just feel sorry for my mom" Zac said as they were climbing up.

"Why? She seems really happy" I noted. Zac took a deep breath and stopped once we got to the top.

"Ever wonder why my dad didn't come home last night?" Zac asked, a twinge of sadness lingered in the stare.

"I just figured he was a cop or something" I said with false hope, he shook his head.

"He was a firefighter for years, since he was a teenager. He always did volunteer work and after he graduated, he became a paid firefighter. So he could bring home money for my mother. He was also part carpenter but that has nothing to do with anything. Anyways... my mom always speaks so highly of him. Says he was the best man she had ever met. She told me what happened when I was turning seventeen. I begged her to tell me. Just so I could know. I don't regret asking her, he was a hero and I'll hate the crypts forever for what they did to him. He was working one day and went inside a burning building, they said it was due to arson, well there was a man inside trapped. He was doing his job and saving the life, more than just his job but they weren't alone. As the chief had said that day, there was a reason that fire was there. There were at least two crypts there, they shot him twice. Once in the neck... and once in the chest... she told me he died with my picture clutched tight in his hand" Zac glanced down, recalling every little bit that his mother told him.

"Zac... we'll get even one day" I said watching him, he smiled up at me. Glad I didn't say 'I'm sorry'.

We left the house shortly after changing, I was wearing a pair of his skinny jeans and a random shirt of his. We were walking along at random, discussing different things from our past when I changed our course.

I had an idea and it would put to rest, some things I knew were still bothering