Chapter fifteen.

I rolled over and faced my wall, I sat with the boys at lunch but I didn't talk to them - it felt too awkward.

There was a knock at my bedroom door, seriously? Who would be here at ... nine o'clock at night?

I sighed and climbed out of my warm bed. "What?" I said as I opened the door.

"I can come back..."

I looked at Lance with confusion, why was he here? "Err, Lance?" He looked up at me. "Why are you here? Not to be rude or anything."

"I just... need some advice," he told me, looking around my room just to avoid my gaze. "Look, I can go ask one of my brothers..." By the look on his face that was the last thing he wanted to do. I opened my door wider for him to come in, this felt weird, Lance barely talks to me or even acknowledges my existence.

You're probably wondering why I even got out of bed when it could have been someone breaking into my house but I knew it was one of the brothers, no one would try and rob this place with that many boys living next door.

"What can I help you with?" I asked him, using my professional voice. He sat on my desk chair; he spun around a few times before facing me.

"Mitchie," I waited for him to continue...

"Yes, Lance?"

He shook his head before placing it in his hands. "This feels awkward." I had to agree with him, this did feel awkward.

"Lance, what's wrong?" The way he was acting has made me nervous, say he done something really bad? I got off my bed and walked over to him, I put my arm around him; which nearly caused him to jump out his skin. After a few minutes he rested his head on my shoulder.

"My friends done something bad a-and I was there, but I didn't try and stop them! I can be blamed as well..." he sniffed and I had to look at him to see if he was crying - he was.

"Lance, honey, what happened?" I put him at arm's length, what was so bad that he came to me instead of his parents or brothers?

"I- we were just having fun, they said 'it will be fine, stop being such a baby' so I had to do it or they won't hang around with me again, so I did it and now I feel really bad! I could have stopped them doing it, b-but I didn't." He broke down in tears, I rubbed his back comfortingly.

"Lance, do you want to tell me what you did?" I asked him after a few minutes of his silent sobbing.

"They- we- someone went against Levi a-and he said to get the person back, we should steal his car... we-we did and we crashed it into his house - but it was a mistake! I don't even know if someone got hurt!" He hugged me tighter; I sighed and carried on rubbing his back.

"Lance, how old are the people you hang around with?" He mumbled his answer, it sounded like sixteen. "Honey, you need to tell your mum, someone could have gotten hurt." I stood up and pull him up with me.

He shook his head, "I can't tell her, she will be so upset with me! It's bad enough I'm already a horrible kid, but to add to it, I can't tell her, Mitchie, I can't."

I sighed and took him downstairs. "C'mon, let's cook you something." I went to the fridge after placing him on a stool; I took out bacon and began to cook it.

I waited until I was sitting opposite him and we was eating before I started asking him questions, "why do you hang around with older people?"

"Because... I don't really know, I thought they were cool people and they accepted me even though I'm three years younger." He sighed and ran his hand through his already messed up hair.

"Why did you tell me instead of your brothers?" This was my question from the start, why did he tell me when he could have told one of his loving brothers... note the sarcasm.

"Because I knew you wouldn't judge me like my parents would and my brothers don't care enough about me to listen, they would tell me to suck it up and stop being a baby." You could see how upset he was about his brothers.

I stood up and pulled him into a hug. "Thank you, for trusting me enough to tell me, Lance."

I now understood why he was so quiet and didn't talk to anyone; his brothers didn't show enough interest in him to show they care. "Lance, would you like to go to the boy's house and see if they are okay? Not tonight, it's too late but tomorrow or the day after?" He nodded his head and we sat like that until he fell asleep, he was really a sweet kid but just got pulled into the wrong crowd along with having brothers who didn't bother with him. I was actually surprised with myself; I helped him with something...

I woke up the next morning on the sofa with Lance on the floor, I smiled, after he fell asleep I managed to carry him into the living room but he must have fell off the sofa during the night.

"God, Mitchie, you could have at least let me sleep on some of the sofa," I heard him moan as he sat up.

I laughed, "I did put you on the sofa, and you fell off during the night."

It was silent for a few minutes before Lance spoke; "thank you, Mitchie."

"What for?" I asked as I walked towards the kitchen.

"For listening to me last night and not turning away because I have been a horrible person to you since you got back," he quickly hugged me before sitting on the stool. "I'm going to be nicer to you, Mitchie. I promise," he stuck his pinky finger; I grinned before locking mine around his.

Lance went home after I cooked us both breakfast, we was going to visit the boy - Lance didn't know who he was - and see if he was okay. If Lance was recognized, we would explain everything to the family. He was being surprisingly calm about going to see the boy, he didn't mention last night's crying and I didn't bring it up.

Once I dressed myself in a floaty summer dress - since it was hot out today - and a pair of matching colored Converse, I walked out the door and towards the Johnson residents. I knocked on the door and waited, there was a loud thump not even a second later. I raised my eyebrow as Phoebe opened the door, a wooden spoon in her hand and two shirtless boys on the floor behind her.

"Have I come over at a bad time?" I asked her, more than confused.

Phoebe looked behind her at the two boys on the floor, "Robbie, Tony get up, now. Go help your father and stop mucking around." She turned back to me with a smile on her face, "come on in, I was making cookies and the boys are helping their father in the backyard."

I dashed past Phoebe into their backyard; I hadn't seen Mr. Johnson in so long! "Rick!" I shouted before tackling him into a hug, I instantly had déjà vú of when I did this to Phoebe.

"If it isn't little Mitchie, how are you, dear?" He asked me, smiling and hugging me back.

"I've been good, thank you, yourself?" I asked as I let go, I surveyed the backyard, the boys were each spread out around a large piece of metal - a beat up old car.

"I have been good, now that you're back the boys might calm down," he winked at me.

"You know, Phoebe said the same thing and I doubt it will happen," I smiled back at him before I felt someone jump on me from behind.

"Hey Mitchie," Lance said, I smiled and hugged him quickly. "Ready to go?" I nodded my head,

"Rick, I'm taking Lance out for a bit, is that okay?" Rick looked confused but nodded.

"Bye, guys!" Lance shouted to the working boys, they all looked confused at their now happy brother.

"You know," I started, "I think they are shocked to see you happy around them for once." I flung my arm around his shoulder, "why are you so happy?"

He shrugged his shoulder, "I'm not hanging around with Levi and them boys anymore, I'm going to apologize for my actions, what isn't there to be happy about?"

"Normally, people aren't this happy about apologizing," I winked at him as he steered me towards a house on the corner of the road.

"I know, but it will make me feel better if I know they accept my apology." I nearly awed at this, he really was a sweet kid.

"You know what to do, right?" He nodded his head, "I'll be right here, Lance. Good luck."

I watched as he walked away, this was something he wanted to do on his own, but I would be here for him when he comes back out. I sat on the curb and waited.

What felt like hours later, a shadow fell over me, blocking the sun I was bathing in.

"Hey, Mitchie." Since I thought it was Lance I didn't bother opening my eyes, but that wasn't Lance's voice. I opened my eyes and looked at the boy in front of me... Where had I seen him before?

"It hurts knowing you don't even faintly remember me," the boy smiled... Josh!

"No, I remember you. Josh, right?" He nodded, I stood up. "Hey, Josh, how you been?" He shrugged his shoulder once.

"I've been okay, what about you?"

I mimicked him with a small smile.

"So, tell me, why are you outside my house?" My eyes widened, this was the boy Lance had to apologize to? I couldn't think of a single response that was okay.

"My- err- I..." I stopped short when I saw Lance exiting the house, I breathed out slowly. "Hey, Lance..." Lance's face caused me to stop; he looked about ready to murder someone.

"Lance," Josh greeted a smirk on his face.

"Why are you talking to him, Mitchie?" Lance said, venom dripping from his words. I blinked a few times, confused by Lance's sudden anger.

"No one else confessed, no one got hurt but my parents have to pay for the damage!" Lance nearly shouted at Josh, whose face fell slightly but then quickly regained its usual feature - a smirk.

"Oh, Lance," I pulled him into a hug, I knew his parents would be furious, they were already tight on money because of college and uni fee's plus feeding all the boys...

"This is your fault, Mitchie. If I just kept away like the others, my parents wouldn't have to know and I won't be setting them back!" Lance pushed me away and ran. I stared after him, he was going to go back to that boy again - the boy that didn't give an f*ck about the world.

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