Book 2: HomeFront

Obsessed

"So, when are you coming back?" She asked as she opened her backpack and rustled through her things.

"I don't know how long they'll keep me in." April placed her makeup bag in her purse, which was then zipped up. The small bag was strung over her shoulder, complementing her outfit nicely. "I might make a couple stops before I come back." April walked over to the wall with the thermostat on it. Her two fingers turned the dial up to change the room from 79 degrees to 82 for the sake of the mildly cold night ahead so the home could be perfect when she returned.

"Where are you stopping at? Your friend's house?" Angel inquired.

"What?" April took her eyes off the thermostat and to the teenager. "No, the grocery store. You said we're out of string cheese and juice, right?"

"Yeah." In spite of the answer given to her, April had to make sure by checking the fridge. Angel was the type of girl to ask for more juice just so she could have a big collection. The girl liked her juice. "Do you hang out with your friends a lot?" Angel's queries were beginning to become very random for April. Her interview at Channel 6 and trying not to mess it up were already on her mind. Yet, her spontaneous drills within her mind of reminding her what to and what not to say were being interrupted with needless questions.

"You and Taylor are always around." April responded, wishing it would put an end to the girl's questions.

"But that's during the day. You is like twenty somethin', so you got a night life." Angel smiled while raising a brow. April smiled slightly too, despite being annoyed. "Them 'special friends' of yours, are they special to you or there's something special about them altogether?" April looked up from her notepad after jotting down a few things that they needed.

"Why do you always ask?" She ripped a piece off the pad, folded it up, and inserted it into her purse aggressively. Angel noticed her belligerent actions. Her eyes began to grow wide. A small hand was placed on her chest as she retracted her head back and towards her neck.

"What?"

"You've suddenly become curious about my life lately. Where I'm going, who's going to be there... you sound like my mom or something." It felt good to let all that go. April took a quick breath before setting herself back up for success by composing herself.

"I'm 14, I like to ask questions."

"I know." April smiled. "And my friends are pretty special."

"Which way?" April took a second to think her answer out carefully. She didn't want to give her friends away to her.

"I guess both. They're like family, but how we came to be is rather odd." Angel nodded her head in acceptance. April sighed internally that she din't have to further explain herself to her.

"If they like yo fam and I'm like yo fam," Angel took one hand to represent her and the other to represent April's friends. "Then why don't we get both fams together and get a mega-fam?" Angel mashed both hands together, demonstrating her theory. "Hm?" April shook her head, and then cocked it to the side, which is what she'd normally do when trying to explain something.

"My friends are really hesitant when it comes to meeting new people." She made sure to space out each word equally to emphasize their impact on the Latina who just wasn't going to let up.

"Girl, I will turn a couple notches down for 'em." Angel pretended to turn a knob in the air with her five fingers jerking to the right. "Promise I won't scare them away." She swore with a scout's honor.

"That's not who I'm worried about scaring the other." April said under her breath.

"Can I at least meet just one of them? Maybe Mikey?" The question stopped April dead in her tracks. Angel knew exactly who and kind of what he was, but after seeing April tense up like that, she knew she got her.

"Where did you hear that name?" April asked quizzically, hoping that she did not blow her friend's cover accidentally.

"You told me about him. Fool sounds cool." Angel answered, lying to cover up her truth. Upon hearing that Angel only knows so much as their names, April sighed in relief and nodded.

"Hm. You and Mikey are sort'of alike, but I don't think so." April really wanted to escape their conversation and was happy to know that she was going to be late to her interview if she didn't catch the subway. Her heels clicked as she strutted over to the door. As she did, she listened to Angel call out to her.

"You gotta introduce me to them sooner or later April. Go on and get with yo interview. I'll be doin' my homework like a pure angel." Angel placed her hands underneath her head, her fingers supporting her chin. She flashed April a dazzling smile with inviting eyes. If only she had a halo to complete her look. April rolled her eyes, knowing good and well that Angel was not the angelic person she often portrayed herself.

"Good." Was the last thing April said when she shut her apartment door and locked it behind her. When April was out, Angel was by herself in the apartment. She stayed true to her word that she would finish a portion of her summer work. Yet, as she tried to read the section's directions, she couldn't help but be distracted by the number of questions that sat in her mind. For months she had been putting clues together by reading April's behavioral changes and playing her own version of Kim's game by questioning anything that has moved or missing, hoping her "Big Sister" would give in and tell her the truth about her friends. For now, she was confirmed that there is a "Mikey" and he is one of the special friends as well as that her rescue was not a figment of her imagination. If only she could see her rescuer again, but this time in the light. That way, she could see his face and not the outlining of it in the dark neighborhoods. Yet, this reality was not in her hands. It was all up to whenever April wanted to come clean to her.