Felix - sad, depressing group home

I VISIT BUSK AND his little brother at the group home. The place looks more and more depressing every time I come here. "Did you find a way in?"

"Yeah, someone killed the men and now it's owned by two gay people."

"Wow," I say.

"You'd love them. Are you trans queer?"

"No, trans straight. I only like women."

"Oh, I'm eh."

Busk has never told me or even asked me about my sexuality before. I didn't even know he cared, "So you're not straight?"

"I don't know. Has Alaska dropped our things off here, yet?" He says changing the subject.

"No, not yet." I play along to it.

"Are you two...a thing?"

"No, not anymore. She wants to focus on school and I do, too, so we agreed to end the relationship. I don't want a relationship. Not at least for the rest of this year."

"Well, good luck."

"Yeah, have you and Alexis...?"

"Nah, too busy to care."

"Oh, you're gonna be single forever," I mimic him.

He laughs as he makes his and his brother's bed.

"Bye, I have to go home," l state dropping the stuff off that Alaska gave to them last week.

"I'ght, bye. Thanks for stopping by."

"No, problem. Bye, little man," I say riffle my fingers into his thick, African hair. My fingers dissolving into his crazy hair.

"Bye," he murmurs drinking a soda out of the cooler Alaska might've brought.

I drive home after I get gas. Gramma and Grampa have everyone in the living room.

"Where have you been, Felix? We've been asking about you and finding you everywhere," Gramma firmly states. "Have you taken your testosterone shots, yet?"

"Yeah, before I left school and I was at a tutoring thing after school."

"You're supposed to tell us, boy!" Grampa yells.

"I know, I know. Sorry."

"Well, now we have," dotting her eyes on me, "here, I'm taking full custody over you boys and Gei. Meg and Daisy are coming for their last visit."

"When?" Adrian and I ask almost in unison.

"Uh, either later tonight or tomorrow morning. Anyways, we will have full custody, like I said before, Maria's not ready for five kids plus, she's young she needs to worry about herself for now before she has kids of her own."

"But she takes really good care of us," Donnie chimes in.

"She has no job, how is she supposed to raise five to six kids, counting the girls when they don't go over to Luran's."

"I know, but she's trying her best," I say.

"Fine, I'll give her that," Gramma comments.

"She's better than our mom," Gei says with a tiny over her phone sitting on the arm of the couch.

"But, she's in jail. Did y'all forget that?"

"No," we simultaneously state.

"We went over there to check up on her a couple of weeks ago when she lost the trail."

"Yeah, because she's guilty of a felony. She shouldn't have drugs out when their's kids present. Did she give them to you guys?"

"No," I say.

"Well, that's something. Fine," she sighs, "We'll talk it over and see if Maria, your Grampa, and I can all come to an agreement. I don't want you guys over there, do you understand?"

"Not even to visit?" Adrian asks.

"No, not right now. She's in jail and the bad part of the neighborhood. Do you not realize that?"

We did have to go dumpster diving over there to get Daisy a used rocking horse. I think to myself.

Gramma lets us go to our rooms as we leave she states, "If Maria doesn't get her shit together, I'll take them from her without her say.

I'd rather be at the group home. The sad, depressing group home.