minutes before. But secretly under the table Chest taps my foot with his several times. We hold normal conversations but we ache to go somewhere alone and talk. I try to not show any excitement when dinner is cleaned up and we are excused from the table.
Once out of the crowded kitchen Chest wraps his arm around my waist or as much as he can and pulls me to him. We walk down the hall not all that sure where we are going to end up. We decide to go in to Elaine and my room. Both of us thinking that Elaine would be best trusted with this secret from Maria. We sit on my bed just talking. Then Elaine walks in a little unexpectedly.
"Oh. Uh, Hi. I was just wondering where you had disappeared too. I didn't know you were with Chest," She says kind of sheepishly.
"Don't worry Elaine We were being good. I swear," I say trying to be reassuring.
"I believe you Macey. Does mom know?"
"Yeah, she's actually the one that helped me gain courage to actually try."
"You were actually trying?" Chest says teasingly.
"Yes, actually I was. As you can see I wasn't the only one that had wool pulled over my eyes," I tease back. We don't tell Elaine that the only reason we know about how we actually feel is because of a fight over him trying to get away from teaching me how to fight physically.
"Please don't tell Maria. It's the last thing we need to happen right now." I tell her seriously. Elaine smiles in understanding and walks back out. Chest stands up and smiles.
I stand up with him and walk closer we hug each other tightly, he lets go of my hand and walks out. We spent enough time in here alone and don't need Amy thinking we are being inappropriate. I stand there unsure of what to do next. I breathe trying to figure out my next move. Unsure of what to do now I get ready for bed. Soon as I’m done I go to bed amazed at what all happened in one day.
Once again I'm first in to the shower. I put on another pair dark blue jeans and a white t shirt this time. I braid my hair back out of my face. As I head out Chest heads in. We grin at each other and I can't help but grin after he closes the door. Maria walks out of her room wearing her traditional black jeans and t shirt. I don't think it's in mourning for her bad childhood or the fact that Benjamin didn't really had a mother. I can tell because she wears a band shirt not the normal plain black.
"What are you grinning at?" She asks a little snippy," Just get high again addict?"
“It takes one to know one." I reply simply. She digs at me but I don't take her bait. I don't need another reason for her to kick me, my nose still is a little sensitive to the touch and I have raccoon eyes still. I help Amy prepare for breakfast and try my next tactic for the lessons I desperately want. Breakfast doesn't take too long and I have my idea.
"Hey, Chest do you want to play a game with me." I say grabbing his hand and leading him outside.
"What kind of game?" He asks when we get out on to the porch. I reach up and kiss him gently.
"Now try and kiss me," I taunt, He shrugs and bends down slightly and I move out of the way so all he gets is air on his lips. He looks a little surprised," Think of it as tag. But it's a little different."
"I see." He tries again but misses and I'm backed up against the railing of the porch. Chest smiles thinking I'm trapped and I probably am but might as well let him kiss me to be sure he doesn't find out my ulterior motive. His lips touch mine, briefly.
"Tag, your it," He whispers to me smiling," I like this game." I smile at him and tag him back easily.
"You're supposed to try and avoid it. Not let it happen, it's too easy this way." I groan.
"But I don't want to avoid it." He says.
"What is the point of the game then?" I ask.
"I don't know. You made it up smarty," He laughs "So you tell me what the meaning of this game is, I'm kind of curious." Great. The one thing I've actually been trying to avoid till he actually shows me a move and we continue to where we are in full out training mode.
"I don't know. Just for fun I guess, want to go for a run?" I didn't necessarily lie to him. But I didn't tell him the full truth either. I hate running just to run but at this moment I'm willing to do anything to get out of the little problem I'm in.
"Sure. I'm always willing to practice running in to a fray and away from one." He answers.
"Why?" I ask puzzled.
"Running in to save anyone in the family and you, ready to run away from a fight with you. I know when a fight is worth fighting and when one isn't. Some of the main reason a fight is won is because one person in the fight has a good reason to be there. Not just because he feels like beating someone up," Is his answer," Now go get on some shorts and a darker color shirt, and we'll go." I nod and head in to the house. Already it feels cooler in here than it does outside so the part of living in a desert is starting to kick in for the day. I change quickly and grab two water bottles. A small one and a bigger one, just as a small prank I only fill the bottle half full of water, and fill the rest of it with vinegar.
I shake it well to hide the differences in texture. The bigger bottle I fill completely full of water. I give Chest the little one and he takes a drink right off the bat. He drops the bottle as soon as the stream gets in to his mouth. He sputters and spits the water out. I laugh and he turns to me looking as if I'd gone crazy.
"Here drink some of this one." I say still laughing. Chest looks at the bottle a little skeptically not sure whether I'd rigged this one yet or not.
"Don't worry its water this time. See?" I say taking a drink. I hold the bottle out to him again this time he doesn't hesitate to drink from the bottle. I jokingly roll my eyes at him showing a mock unbelief that he didn't trust me. I look back and sigh happily; I'm perfectly content in my new life.
To be perfectly honest I don't want to leave this personal paradise so I hope I don't have to. Chest and I start running to the outside perimeter of the grounds. We plan on running the whole outside to make sure there are no openings in our defense line. We down one of the vertical sides of our box of safety and half way through the horizontal one in front of the gate that leads to the compound.
"Hold on you two. Someone is here to see you Macey and says that it's urgent." One of the guards on patrol says a little short of breath. I look at Chest as we slow our pace. Good thing too, my lungs are on fire. We walk towards the gate and see a police cruiser sitting there in the driveway outside of the main perimeter. Something must be up I can feel it.
"Are you Macey Ricks?" The officer asks. Immediately I have red flags and alarms going off in my head.
I answer anyway," Yes. Why?"
"It's time you go home; your parents are frantic and wanting you home." The officer replies.
"Yeah, that is why they wanted to send me away to a rehab center that I didn't need. I'm not going."
"Sorry, you’re a minor so you don't have much of a choice."
"Fine, then I'm not a minor so she can stay." Chest says stepping in front of me defensively.
"No sorry Chest but you, Amy, or Tim can't do anything about it. Her parents are still her guardians."
"I'm not going back!" I scream as I take off back to the house. I hear pounding feet behind me and a car engine start up. Chest passes me and gets the family just as the police cruiser pulls up and stops in front of me. I can’t stop in time and end up running in to him. Before I could turn and head the other way the officer grabs me around the waist with one arm and one of my arms with the other. I kick with all my might but don't really hit anything. The officer slams me against the side of the car and wrenches the arm he's holding back and up.
Chest steps forward but Tim puts his hand out and stops him. The whole family looks pained except for Maria, she looks shocked but not all that surprised. The officer cuffs up my wrists and looks at Maria with a slight nod. The officer yanks me back and opens the car door. He puts me in the back of the police car and closes the door. I turn around so I can feel for the door handle. I do and give it a pull while pushing on the door. Cra
p! The child safety lock is on so I can't open the door from the inside.
"Sorry you folks got wrapped up in this mess. It's very upsetting for such a nice family to be invaded by a runaway drug addict, but we will find the proper care for her and get her back to her family. If you ask me she's lucky her family didn't decide to disown her. Well anyway good seeing you." The police chief tells the family.
"I'm not upset by the fact she's here! As it so happens I'm glad she has changed us for the better! Are you sure there is nothing you can do?" Amy asks.
"No I'm sorry. I must get her back to her family and state at the soonest time possible." The officer concludes getting in to the driver’s seat. As the car turns and pulls away I turn and look out the back window as my new life the one I was so happy with shrunk before my eyes.
Chest
I watched Macey's face in the back of the police cruiser for as long as I could. I think about the unnecessary roughness the officer showed Macey and definitely looked back at the nod of thanks he gave to Maria. Soon the car is nothing more than a speck in the distance. I wanted to break down, but that wasn't in my