7 Years Earlier

My mother and I pulled up to a house with a red front door and put the car into park. The house looked huge, like they could fit two of my house into theirs quite easily. We stepped out of the car and reached into the back seat to retrieve the hamper my mum and I put together for this family.

We were greeted at the front door by a tired looking woman with dark circles under her red puffy eyes. I could tell she hadn't washed her hair in a few days at least because it was in a greasy blonde knot on top of her head. Mum had told me while we were packing food and essentials into the hamper last night that she is recently widowed and needs help getting back on her feet until her late husband's life insurance is paid out. Apparently she goes to our church but I don't really look around during church to notice who attends or not. I've learnt to just keep my head down looking at my bible to please my father.

"Raegean, could you take Quinn to your room while Mrs Eden and I talk in the kitchen please? We wont be long." The sad lady asks someone over my shoulder.

"Kay mum." I turn around and am met with a hand clasping mine and I'm being dragged down the hall. She's taller than me and has the same dirty blonde hair as her mother. She pulls me into a large bedroom adorned with boy band posters and pulls me down to the floor in front of a bay window where the sunlight is streaming in.

I've never been in anyone elses room before, not even my parents. It makes my room look like a jail cell in comparison. She has a cheetah print comforter, walls lined with coloured books and a desk with a very expensive looking computer playing gentle acoustic music in the background.

"Your room is beautiful." I manage to squeak out. I'm sort of glad I don't go into people rooms often. Constantly comparing other peoples rooms to mine would make me want things I could never have for myself.

"Thanks... My mum tries to buy my love with things and my room is a result of that. All the reminders of fights she's tried to make up for." She frowns pulling a notebook and pen from underneath the plush cushions piled next to the window.

"Your mum seems nice though. Sad, but nice." I watch her scribble in her notebook as she speaks.

"Yeah, she seems nice but just get her behind closed doors and she turns into a different person." She presses the pen so hard to the paper it rips through to the next few pages. I choose not to say anything because although I can fully sympathise with her predicament, I can't admit it. It would put my parents reputation at risk and could all be pointed back to me if I chose to divulge the true nature of our home life.

Raegaen looks up at me and smiles sideways.

"I know that look. Don't worry. I won't tell." She squeezes my hand quickly and closes her book. In that moment I'm grateful that I could trust a total stranger but also felt sorry for her.

"So how long has your dad..." I tried to find the right words so that I wouldn't hurt her feelings or bring up any unnecessary emotions she had to force herself to feel again.

"2 weeks. My mum wasn't that sad at first because she knew she'd get a big, fat cheque when he died but when she learned that it'd take a few months for life insurance to go through his will and all that other crap she started wining like a 4 year old." She shook her head and leaned against the wall with her legs crossed.

"The worst part is the day before he had the accident he drove past a kid sitting at a homeless shelter and decided to bring him home. He's been staying with us ever since. He doesn't speak much and mum absolutely hates him but can't kick him out because she says she'd feel inhuman. Rightly so... the bitch." I snicker and try not to find the humour in it but I'd never heard anyone call their mum a bitch before. Ragaen nudges her shoulder into mine and laughs with me. She was refreshingly honest which I appreciated.

"So have you spoken to him? Where is he?" I frowned, trying to remember when I first walked into the house if I saw him or not.

"He's been sleeping on the lounge room floor since my mother had claimed all the spare rooms with her expensive crap. Jewellery room. Shoe room. She's ridiculous. Anyway, all I've learnt about him is he doesn't have a home and his name is Dean. He pretty much keeps to himself. Don't get me wrong, he's cute and everything but he's way too young for me to share a bed with if you know what I'm sayin'... plus, I have a boyfriend, so there's that." She shrugs. My heart silently tears for Dean. He has no family and the one that he's in now doesn't provide him with what he needs. I feel the crushing need to do something about it. I didn't have much but I would help him any way I can.

"Your dad sounded like a very generous person to bring him home then." I say quietly as if not to break her heart with the sound of my words.

"Yeah, he was pretty great. My mum loved him once. Over the course of 20 years she fell in love with his money. I'm determined to never end up like her so I'm gonna run away with my boyfriend soon." She opened her notebook and leaned closer to me to share its contents.

It had bus routes, fare costs, hotels, expenses. She literally had it all planned out. My mouth dropped open. She was actually serious.

"You should come with us. I know that look in your eye. You look how I feel." She glanced up to me and then back down to the book. For a split second I considered it but then quickly shook my head vigorously.

"I wouldn't know the first things about life on my own. I'd make it a few hours and run straight back home." I laugh nervously. Her laugh resounds over mine.

"Don't worry, one day you wont feel like that. I promise."

She reaches under her bed and pulls out a pink suitcase. She carefully tucks the book into the front pocket and slid the suitcase back under the bed, concealing it with her frilly duvet.

Oh the secrets I could hind under my bed with a frilly duvet. Chocolate, a laptop, a guitar...

I hear her phone vibrate on the floor next to me. I pick it up and hand it to her with a smile. She brings the blinged diamante phone case to her ear and begins speaking.

"Hello? Hey Chris... No they haven't paid her yet, we'll just have to leave without it. I can sell some of my stuff... I don't like you dealing babe but if it gets us interstate then do it, but be careful damn it!" She turns her back to me and lowers her voice. I feel like I'm intruding so I get up and slowly walk to her door to leave and give her some privacy.

"Dean doesn't trust you anymore after what you did... I can't ask him... Okay baby, tonight. I'll see you at 11pm. My mum will be passed out with a bottle of wine by then... Love you too."

I walk into the kitchen where both my mum and Raegaens are sitting at the table with steaming cups of coffee in their hands. My mother shoots me a deadly look so I duck my head and apologise.

"I'm sorry for interrupting. I was just talking to Raegaen and I heard that Dean doesn't have a bed. Mum, would you mind if I give him mine? I have a sleeping bag I can use." My mum looks at Raegaens mum and nods to her. Even though i know her mum could probably exchange one of her china tea cups for whole bedroom set, I had something they needed. For the first time in my life i felt like i could actually help someone.

"Thank you so much Quinn. We're just going through such a hard time right now. Your generosity will make a world of difference. Thank you." Her mum reaches out and places her warm fingers on mine and manages to squeeze out a smile from the corners of her lips.

It was only later that day we had some men from the church help deliver and set up my bed for Dean in the lounge room for him. That was one good thing about being part of the pastors family. Church goers would do anything to get onto my parent's good books which meant a lot of sucking up. This time I was glad it worked in Dean's favour.

"Psst, Quinn!" I hear from down the hall as I watch the guys use their tools to re-assemble the bed. I follow the voice into Raegaen's room. She held out her closed hand in front of her as if she wanted me to take what was inside it. I held my open palm out when she dropped a silver chain with a dog tag into it. I looked up at her, confused. I wasn't sure whether she was giving this to me or if she wanted me to read it.

"It's from Dean. He wanted me to give it to you to say thank you for the bed. He thinks your cute but doesn't have the guts to tell you or give this to you himself." She tried not to laugh while shaking her head. My stomach began to swirl and the place where the metal touched my skin was tingling. The feel of the tags were cool but my skin felt like it was burning.

"No one has ever given me anything like this before." I said almost inaudibly while I stood there turning the silver over in my hands.

"Get in here pussy and thank her for yourself." Raegaen pointed behind me to whom I presume was Dean. I heard a huff and turned around to catch the last glimpse of his hand leaving the doorway.

"Thank you!" I called, hoping he could hear. I couldn't wipe the smile off my face. The whole ride home I re-read the tag until I could recite it by heart.

True love doesn't mean being inseparable

I didn't know what it meant but was hoping that someday I would get the chance to find out.

One Week Later

My mother was on the phone and trying to calm down the person on the other end. I was trying to focus on my dinner but couldn't help but eavesdrop.

"Raegaen's a smart girl Melissa, I'm sure she'll come to her senses soon and return home... Dean's not your son, you have nothing to feel guilty about... Let him leave, he's not your responsibility... God's guilt will get the best of them, don't worry..."

I watched my mum pace the hall and a hint of a smile touched my face. Raegaen did it after all. Although I wish I could have met Dean in person to say thank you, I know him leaving was better for him than staying in that house so I said a silent prayer for them both that they would find exactly where they needed to be.