Saving and Secrets

That April could put in a good word for him had Caleb pretty excited as well, but then he reminded a little and scratched his neck. They would of course have to do a background check, things like that... "I want to.." Caleb said and looked at his milk with a small smile. "But I dont think fancy places would take people with records." He said. That's something that was fucked up too, but every time he got in trouble it was because he stole something for Anna.. Or that one time he almost got caught drug dealing, it's that he had just sold his last batch or he would have been in prison right now.

"Thank you, April, but I dont want you to get a bad image for advising someone with a bad history.." They wouldn't liked the background check, that would be for sure.He wasnt a very good person and he shot himself in the foot. "It's okay, I'll figure something else out." He needed to find a place where he didnt have to work with other people too much, god knew he would snap at some point.

"I can take small jobs here and there, I'll be okay, really." That of course was also a lie. Small jobs his ass, literally! No one wanted a person with records and a fucked up back story. "You shouldn't worry about me, you have enough on your plate." Even if she had found him broken on the street, she shouldn't worry or care too much about him. "You're too kind for your own good."

He had made it this far after years of abuse and drugs and sex, he could still fight longer. He would keep fighting for his dream and his little sister.
 
April had to have been lying if she were to say that she wasn't a little upset with herself. Sometimes, she thought, her optimistic outlook did more bad than good. Not only had she gotten her own hopes up, but also Caleb's. She made a mental note to be a little more considerate about her future suggestions.

Even so, as Caleb spoke, she could practically feel the unease on his voice. "Caleb, thank you for worrying about me. I'm sure there's things that you don't quite want to tell me yet, which I'm completely alright with, I'm not yet comfortable with telling you some things either. But please don't lie to me." She told him, stern at first, then softening. She smiled.

April turned her head to the creaking window beside them that was presently being pelted with rain. In a sudden flash, lightning flooded the room, followed by a near deafening clap of thunder. Startled, April screamed, and nearly fell out of her chair.

"Darn thunder..." She muttered. "Looks like the rain isn't going to let out any time soon."
 
Even Caleb flinched at the loud thunder, but hurried to April when she fell, ignoring the pain that shot through his body. "You okay?" He asked her a bit worried, his arms automatically going around April like he would do with Anna normally if something happened. Caleb gently removed his arms, but stayed seated on the floor with her. Her floor was actually pretty comfortable to him strangely enough.

It would be so nice if he could get a place like this, have Anna with him more often. If he could just find something that was affordable and not too expensive. Two bedrooms and a bathroom would be nice. Anna was growing after all, she should have her own bedroom, or he wanted to give her that at least, even if she probably wouldnt mind sleeping with him.

"It's really pouring out there... If it wasnt for you I probably still would have been on the side walk." April saved his life by taking him inside. He probably would have stayed out there all night and died of hypothermia or something. The chances sure seemed high of that if he looked at it now. He just realised how lucky he was. Daring, Caleb leaned down and kissed her cheek. He couldnt give her much more of a thank you than that. "Thank you April, for everything that you've done for me." Taking him in today, but also for spending the afternoon with him and his sister last Saturday.
 
April, wide eyed and flushed, looked down and away after he planted a kiss on her cheek, as if looking for an explanation from the floorboards. It took a moment of procession that felt like a long, drawn out hour until the very notion registered in her mind. She could still hardly fathom it. But as he spoke of his thanks, she knew her mind wasn't failing her.

"That's quite a thank you," April mumbled, her hand rising to touch the spot on her cheek. She had to laugh a little.

"Ah, don't worry about it. I'm glad I found you today. And I hope you know that the number I gave you is still up and working. Please, please tell me if you need something." She told him. Despite her smiling, the thought of what would've been, had she not found him there, had she taken her car instead, had she decided to leave the documents and simply go tomorrow. If he would still be out there by now, she wondered how long it would've been until he caught something. At best, a cold, at worst, hypothermia. She shivered at just the thought of it. She knew she wouldn't always be there to find him on the side of the road, broken, and that terrified her.

"Ah, the floor is nice, isn't it? There's probably paint wedged in the nooks and crannies, though." She chuckled. Her art had nearly taken over her life. She couldn't remember the last time she had a good, full night's rest, despite a nice bed and roof over her head. Sloppy sandwiches, juice boxes, nights spent organizing in her mind her next day's schedule, listing out her client's wishes, counting the days until her next paycheck.

"Oh, that's right!" She shot up from the floor and ran into her bedroom. From the dining room, you could hear a clutter, and April came back with a stack of cards and board games that looked taller than her. "I uh, I brought games." She laughed.
 
Caleb watched as April suddenly shot up and hurried off somewhere, he cocked a brow when he heard all the clutter but eventually she came back with cards and boardgames. "Why do you have those?" He asked her. It had been a long time since he played a board game, Annabelle would have loved it though, she loves games.

He helped her put the games down and took the decl of cards from her. He shuffled the cards rather majestically and smiled at the cards. "Anna loves Magic tricks." He smiled and played with the cards, doing tricks with them like making them disappear and pop up out of no where. Anna was his world, he really tried his best for her even if he missed her immensely. If only he could hold a decent paying job.

"She always begs me to tell her how I do it and then she gets like super frustrated when I dont... It's fun to see her try." Caleb smiled. Every he talked about Anna, there was a happy sparkle in his eyes. No one was as important as the little sister.

(Sorry its short, packing my stuff.)
 
April smiled at Caleb, amused as he performed an array of magic tricks for her. It wasn't as much the so called magic he staged, but rather, the twinkle in his eyes and the jubilance in his voice that charmed her more than anything. The pyre that lit up his features when he spoke of Annabelle was absolutely mesmerizing.

She, too, wished Annabelle was there with them just so she could see it. In an instant, she found herself rooting for Caleb and his little sister. She believed in him.

"I used to play them a lot with my brother," April admitted. It suddenly dawned upon her that she'd likely never mentioned her baby brother to Caleb, and she covered her mouth. If she hadn't been in the middle of playing board games, April was sure she would've started crying then and there. Even now, her eyes stung a little.

"Do you want water? I want water. I'm going to go get water." April quickly changed the subject. If she spoke any more or if he questioned her any further, she would most likely break down. She knew her limits. Bolting upright, she made a trip to the kitchen and carried back two bottles of water, handing one to Caleb.

"So, where should we start? Scrabble? Oh! I'll keep score," She said, stretching her hand to a nearby pen scattered on the floor.

(Don't worry about it. Have a safe flight, bud.)
 
Brother? Caleb was about to ask her about it, but she slapped a hand infant of her mouth and started panicking, suddenly running to get them both some water. Did something happen to her brother? Did she not like to talk about it? He didnt know she had a brother!

Caleb watched her rush back but he quickly grabbed the pen and paper from her. She wasn't getting away that fast. He wanted to know. She knew about him and Annabelle... Though she had saved him and had a right to ask him such question, he didnt, but Caleb didnt care. "What's wrong April?" He asked her carefully. "Did something happen to your brother?" He asked her. He really shouldnt pry but, he was just curious.

Everything about April had him curious, ever since Saturday. She was just such a unique person. She had saved his sister from falling in the pond, she had saved when he probably would have freezer to death of just given up... Had the thing with her brother made her into the person she was today?

"You dont have to tell me, I understand, but... I dont know... Just curious I suppose." Caleb spoke up. "You dont have to tell me if you dont want to, it's okay." He said with a gentle smile and put the cards down. "Just know that I want to be there for you too... Even if I probably wont be much of help." He didnt have much after all.
 
April's eyes darted down, her gaze studying the crevices of the floorboards. How was she supposed to tell him about her brother without breaking down? The very thought of him was enough to make her cry, telling it to someone else, explaining it? Out of the question.

"Thank you, Caleb. Really, thank you for worrying, but I don't think I can talk about it right now. I'm sorry." She told him, her voice barely above a whisper. It was uncanny for her to be this quiet, this delicate, this... small. She didn't like it either. April needed to be strong, she needed to have an unwavering resolve to help and an optimistic mindset. If not her, then who else?

"It's... yeah. I'm sorry. Its kind of hard to talk about. Just give me time, okay?" She smiled, or well, tried to. Besides, she wasn't even sure how she would phrase it. Oh yeah, my little brother committed suicide 4 years ago and I've been grieving ever since. Don't worry about it.

She took a sip of water and sighed, running a hand though peachy hair. The rain outside didn't seem like it was going to be getting any less awful. Lightning filled the room once more in a prompt fashion, and April covered her ears, bracing for thunder that never came.
 
Caleb took her hand in his and smile softly at her. "It's okay. You don't have to." Technically he was just a stranger. They had only met twice, the second time she save him so he didn't even know if this time counted as a second time. It wasn't like they had planned to meet up. "You don't have to put on your brave face, that's my job." He said with a chuckle.

April was such a nice and special person. For some reason he wanted to protect her like he protected Annabelle. He didn't want any harm to come to such a nice person. April really was special. How many people had passed him on the street tonight? Anna was the only one who turned to him. Maybe because she recognized him or maybe because she cared, he didn't know, but she had taken him in.

Lightening filled the room again, but the thunder was drowned out by his sudden loud sneeze. "ACHOO!"The sneeze had been so intense that it made him dizzy. "Oh God." He said and sneezed again. "Sorry." He said and sniffed. "I think the cold got to me." He said with a slight shrug and innocent smile.

"How about we watch a movie on the tv?" She had a tv in her room. Maybe they could snuggle up for warmth. He was getting really cold! Though obviously that could be a little awkward with someone who was practically a stranger.
 
April breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you for understanding." She said, giving Caleb's hand a squeeze as a sign of gratitude. He was a genuinely kind person, April noticed. Despite giving out an air of intimidation, April felt the almost need to protect him, almost like a lost puppy. She giggled at the idea.

"Oh jesus," She gasped, Caleb's sneeze catching her off guard. "Yes, a movie would be nice. Today has been quite a day for the both of us. Here, let's get off the floor. You should take some Advil, though. Just in case." She told him, her motherly worry coming out once again.

Caleb stood first and extended a hand to help her up, to which she accepted. For a moment she simply stretched, and then mildly jogged into her room in the manner of a penguin, her feet pat pat patting on the ground.

"What'll it be then? I have most of the Studio Ghibli movies on DVD, hm... okay. Howl's moving castle or Spirited Away?" She turned to him, holding up the two cases for reference.

"Ooh, Annabelle would like Ponyo. It's the sweetest thing." She said suddenly, picking up another case.
 
It had been a crazy couple of months. Ever since April picked him up from the street and took care of him, they started talking every day through texts. He had basically thanked her and even managed to buy some flowers for her and have them delivered to her. Sure, it took up some of his money which he really didnt have, but he had to thank her somehow. Anna seemed to love her as well. Ever since that first Saturday, everyday he had Anna, she demanded to go see April who had become her best friend. It was nice to see his little sister interact with someone besides him. Caleb knew he could be a little boring some times.

Him and April had gotten close too, which wasnt really a big problem, just a little bit. Apparently, one of the people he hung with and sold drugs for had caught him with her, Caleb didnt want her anywhere his illegal stuff and those guys were not to mess with, so Caleb slowly started to retreat... But everyone knew it wasnt easy to get out a gang though. Sure, stepping away from them cut into his wallet, but it was okay. He had found a replacement job as a pole dancer in a gay club. Caleb was pretty sure that April didnt go to that part of town, so he figured he was safe working there. He didnt do long nights, but it did give him money that he missed from the drug dealing he got with these so it wasn't too bad. Plus, finding people that wanted to sleep with him for money was easier there as well.

Anyways, today he had picked up Anna, but it was bad weather so they wouldnt be seeing April. Caleb had come up with this stupid excuse so she didnt come over to see his living situation. It was embarrassing and he didnt want her to think any less of him.

"Why isn't April coming today?" Anna asked for the tenth time and Caleb sighed again. "She's busy today." He answered. "Doing what?" Anna quickly shot back. Caleb groaned and got her some juice as he grabbed a beer for himself as he went to sit down on the shitty couch to watch TV with his little sister who was watching Kung Fu Panda on DVD, since he didnt have cable. "She had to work. Some big client." He explained and took a sip from his bottle. "Oh." Anna said and leaned into her big brother, she really liked April.

The little girl leaning against him jumped when someone banged loudly against the door of his trailer. "Caleb, come out bro, we know you're in there." A gruff voice yelled.

Caleb couldnt help but to growl. He knew that voice. "Stay here." He told Annabelle with a small smile and kissed her head to walk to the front door. He stepped outside and closed the door, so Anna would hear and they wouldnt be able to go in. "What do you want?" Caleb asked, getting soaked by the rain.

Anna had run for the window, curious... She couldnt hear what they were saying, but they were holding up a white bag of what looked like powder, pushing it in Caleb's hand, but Caleb dropped it and it didnt seem like those bad looking guys liked that because they jumped on Caleb and they started wrestling through the mud. There was a second and third guy that joined in as well, beating him really badly.

Anna started panicking and ran for her brother's phone, she quickly found April's number and pushed the green button. Kids knew everything about technology these days. "A-April..." Anna sobbed once her friend picked up. She was so scared. She had hidden under her brother's bed once loud noises came from outside. "Please, you have to come and help. I'm scared." Anna cried on the phone. "They're hurting Caleb." She sobbed. She couldnt call the police, they would only take Caleb away from her again! "I know you're busy, but please come and help. I dont know what to do."
 
The preceding months had been wonderfully eventful. Since the day she'd found Caleb sitting at the side of the street, she had apparently become a part of their bi weekly routine. She had lent them her Saturdays, and in return they gave her love. Since she really didn't have any off-days to begin with, she had developed a routine to cope with the time. It had worked well enough, and didn't forfeit any of her energy. Caleb had even given her a bouquet of flowers to express his gratitude, and April had been inclined to scolding him for wasting money on her, but then she thought for a moment and decided to give Caleb a peck on the cheek. "Silly," She had called him. The flowers were put in a vase that she had painted with Anna.

In regards to Annabelle, she was an absolute treasure. Every room the girl stepped into was lit like a Christmas tree, and April almost had to wonder if she was battery powered. It was no wonder she had become Caleb's weakness, because she had become April's too. Of course, Caleb had her curious. He had so many holes, so many cautious turns of the head while they were out, so many mysteries and questions she had decided to leave unanswered.

Slowly but surely, her work ethic was beginning to get better. She had more motivation to spend nights upon days painting and designing, and her merit when she met with clients grew. Her name had buzzed through the work place, and she was beaming with pride whenever she walked in. Though, she kept humble and sometimes walked into water fountains, something deep inside her was telling her she didn't deserve the praise.

Saturday

That Saturday, April had to decline. The company had assigned her a big client from New York City and had told her to be cautious. Because he was so well known and filthy stinking rich, the man was able to get away with a lot of things. Though, he did pay a fortune.

At the moment, April was listening to the man lecture her about color theory. She had to channel every ounce of her self control to not positively start swinging. Slowly, the man was creeping closer to her, until he stood behind her with an arm hooked to her lower back. April felt revolted. Every fiber of her being was screaming at her to move, but she simply couldn't. That is, until her phone rang. She promptly excused herself.

April, in all her wits and wisdom, was absolutely terrified. More so than she had been in that room.

"Okay, sweetie. You're going to be alright. Now, could you do me a favor? Go to Caleb's text messages with me and click the button that says 'Share my location'. I'll need it to get there." April told her carefully, despite her shaking hands.

"Everything is going to be just fine, alright?" And with that reassuring statement, she stepped back into the room and gathered her things.

"What are you doing? Get back here, you can't just walk out of a thousand dollar deal!" He yelled as she left. "Bitch.." He muttered under his breath as she walked out. A few alarmed staff members tried to talk through it with her, but she kept a steady gaze ahead and kindly dismissed anyone who tried to stop her with a "Thank you, but I know what I'm doing."

The drive there had been reckless. She'd paid no attention to speed limits as she entered a shady, sort of rickety part of town. Almost the slums of the city, but not quite. Her phone beeped as she pulled up to the trailer to a man positioned on top of Caleb and another man promptly pulling down his pants. Caleb was certainly kicking. A third rather buff man was presently banging fists on the trailer door. She pulled up rather far away, so they didn't seem to notice her.

Almost without thinking, April had gotten out and sprinted to Caleb with a bottle of mace in one hand and wobbly knees. She pounced on top of the man closest to her, the man who was busy stripping Caleb of both his clothes and dignity, and held an arm around his neck as she sprayed his eyes with her free hand. He stumbled back and fell, screaming. Quickly, she pulled out her phone.

"Leave!" She screamed. "I have the police on dial and I swear to god if you make one wrong move I will not hesitate." Her voice rose to a level and strength she almost didn't know she was capable of. She, of course, was bluffing. Though she did have 911 dialed, and ready to go, she knew that Caleb wasn't in a position to speak to the police about anything. She didn't know the details, but just a look at his trailer and a glance at the bag of cocaine at his doorstep gave her what she needed to know to not call the police. "I know jiu jitsu," She said, stepping forward. April, in fact, did not know jiu jitsu. She took a Tae Kwon Do class when she was 5, but that's the most martial arts training she had received.
 
Anna was crying as she did what April asked of her and hid under the bed. She was so scared and shaking, big tears going down her face. She knew her bog brother would protect her though. He always did. But she was still so scared.

Caleb was kicking and trying to throw punches, but he was pinned to the ground, in the mud as another started working on taking off his pants. That made Caleb panic. No, they couldnt do that. They couldnt! Caleb flared his legs, but his jeans came off, leaving him in his boxers. "Just enjoy this pretty boy. You gotta make up for what you just wasted." The guy on top him smirked at the guy by his legs started opening his own jeans. Caleb tried to get them off of him, they were about to break down the door. "No!" He shouted. Annabelle was in there. He had to protect her.

Just as he was about to give up and do whatever they wanted to him in exchange for stop banging the door, April charged in and sprayed Dom, the guy who had been about to rape him, in the eyes. He toppled backwards in obvious pain, holding his face. The guy by the door, Gregory, stopped and turned to April with a dark smirk. "What are you going to do, little girl? I highly doubt it." He said, but Damian, the guy on top of Caleb stopped him, seeing the threatening finger on the phone.
"You got lucky, punk." He snarled at Caleb and spit in his face before getting off and kicking him in the face one more time. They left after that, glaring at Caleb and April as they got in the car and sped off.

Anna had crawled out from under the bed when the pounding on the door stopped and peaked out of the window, peaking to see if they were gone. When she spotted them drive away, Annabelle ran out of the door and started crying. Caleb looked up and caught her as she ran into his arms, sobbing and shaking. Caleb held her close and glanced at April, but quickly looked away again, ashamed.

Now she knew. Now she would find out everything.
 
A shiver ran through April as the men passed her.

"Oh my god." She breathed, choking back tears. Despite her daring stance and bold words, April was still just a wobbly little painter with an affinity for trusting all the wrong people. Slowly, she treaded over to where Caleb was and simply looked at the dirt, her own knees sinking in the mud as her dress soaked in the rain.

April wiped away the tears in her eyes and put the things in her hands back into the bag. She rubbed Anna's back as the girl's sobs shook her brother, keeping her eyes trained to the ground.

"Hey." She said quietly, completely ignoring the most obvious elephant in the room. April was absolutely stumped. At a loss for words. Too many questions brimming in her mind to simply focus on one. Her head was spinning, and she was too tired, too worn out to be upset. She was just worried. Yeah, really worried. April knew somewhere in the back of her mind Caleb had been keeping something from her, but she didn't want to pry it out of him. No, that was just an excuse. More precisely, she didn't want whatever perfect relationship they had, decorated picturesque with pretty flowers and pretty paintings and pretty memories. But that wasn't it. She was just hiding from the truth. And the truth was, she almost didn't want to know.

"I'm taking you two home." She told them with what was meant to be a stern voice. She stood and held a hand out, though her knees felt like salad jelly.

It was almost like a replay of that day.
 
Anna wouldnt let go of her brother, she was still so scared. Caleb felt awful, humiliated and ashamed. He got in the car with April, he was still super dirty, but right now he didnt care. He sat down in the passenger seat and held Annabelle on his lap, he just kept apologising to her in whispers as he ran his hand through her wet hair.

He didnt know what he was apologising for. Everything he supposed. For scaring her, for not being able to take care of her, for not taking better care of himself and for making her worry, just everything. He didnt know what to say to April. Now she knew, she probably didnt even need to ask. She had seen his home and the people he dealt with. It wouldnt surprise him if she had also seen the drugs by the door. He was grateful though. If it wasnt for her he might even have been stabbed to death in the end. That was the type of people they were.

"Thank you." Caleb said softly. Once again she had saved him. Maybe he should just stay away from her, they wouldnt come after her that way. Now he had to watch both Annabelle and April. He didnt know what to do anymore with everything. It was too dangerous to have anyone around him. Even Anna.
 
April pulled up to her apartment complex, eager to get inside. She was tired. She assumed the siblings in the back were tired too. Stepping out, she took hold of Caleb's free hand, his other carrying his still frazzled sister, and guided him up to the 4th floor to the flat that had almost become their second home.

Neither of them had said a word, other than the small thank you Caleb had told her in the car. She'd simply nodded in reply.

Inside was the same as always. Paints, canvases, paper scattered hither and thither paired with a homely scent of ink and as of recently, tea. She led the two inside, closing the door behind them. April was stumped. The last time something like this had happened was months ago, when she hardly knew him. But now she did. Or well, she thought she did. What had she done at that time? Promptly, she turned to Caleb, which brought the attention of Anna as well.

"Just to clarify, I do not know jiu jitsu." April told them with all the seriousness in the world. A moment of silence passed before she burst into laughter. "Ah, I'm sorry. We'll catch colds if we're like this for too long. Let's see, now. We should probably get Annabelle washed up first. Can you wash alone or do you want someone to help you?" April asked as she turned to the storage closet to get more towels.
 
Caleb had silently walked to April's apartment. Annabelle wouldnt let go of him, still distraught that something had almost happened to her big brother. They were very close, obviously.

Once inside and April asked if Anna wanted to shower alone, Caleb could feel her arms tighten on him. "I'll take her." Caleb said. "Thank you, April." He said and accepted the towel before walking over to the shower he had used that day as well. He helped her get the shower running at a nice temperature and out of the first layer of clothes until she was in her underwear. "I'll be right outside, okay?" He told her with a small smile and kissed her head before going to wait outside the bathroom door.

Caleb took off his dirty t-shirt, not wanting to stain April's walls with any dirty. In her mirror, he looked himself over and frowned seeing all the dark bruises forming on his face and on his torso. Caleb sighed and rubbed his face. What had he done? Scaring Anna like that, which caused April to come over and her almost getting hurt. If it wasnt for the cops on dial, he was sure they would have tried to rape her too and it would have been his fault, he was too dangerous to be around him.

He couldnt stay around April, it was too dangerous for her.. And honestly, he couldnt stay around Anna either, seeing how scared she was and afraid. He only saw her once every two weeks though and was safe with her foster family, but April was all alone, they would probably try to come after him.

Once they showered they should probably go back to the trailer. It was for the best. It's what he got for involving someone in his life. Sighing, Caleb walked out the bedroom shirtless and turned to April. "I'll let Anna finish her shower, we should probably go after that." He said with a sad look. "I'm sorry I got you in harms way, but I dont want you getting more involved. I can't protect you." He said and took a deep breath. "I dont want you to get hurt because of me and my life style or whatever you want to call it." This hurt him a lot actually. Here was a really sweet person who had become part of the family... But he couldnt drag another person into his shit, that he was Annabelle's brother was already bad enough.
 
April went to the kitchen and started brewing tea, breaking out a box of apple juice and laying out snacks like she always did. Still a little disquieted she worked slower, a little shaky as she poured the water and moved the napkins.

As Caleb walked in, April turned to him and almost winced at the very sight of him. Bruised and battered, cuts lining just about every inch of his limbs and a large gash where his back hit the pavement. She wondered how it was possible for the man to even stand. The most she had herself was a few cuts on her knees, likely from whatever sharp debris was lodged in the mud.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry," She told him, her voice barely above a whisper. Was that what he'd been thinking, this whole time? He was worried about her safety? All those cautionary turns of the head and redirecting April's routes to avoid certain places had all been for her safety?

Slowly, April treaded lightly to Caleb and wrapped her arms loosely around his torso, before resting her head on his chest, breathing softly. "I'm sorry for worrying you, but please don't write me off as some helpless girl. I can fend for myself. Sure I don't know jiu jitsu but I know self defense and I know how to fire a gun." She took a deep breath. "Caleb, you aren't superman. You don't have some maginificent powers that can save everyone from ever hurting. I don't want Prince Charming, Caleb, I want a friend. I want someone to share movie nights with. I want someone to who dotes on their little sister and paints with me." April paused, thinking. Her fingerstips dug into his back slightly.

"I'm sorry. I'm running away again, aren't I? You wanna know something? If I'm being entirely honest, I didn't want whatever perfect, picturesque relationship we had built to crumble. So I didn't pry. I didn't ask any further than I needed to. But god dammit Caleb, I'm prying now. I won't run away from the truth anymore. Sit down and tell me everything." April said, her voice firm.
 
Why was April doing this to herself? He knew he wasnt fucking superman, he wished he was! Then he wouldnt have to worry so damn much. He let April hug him, though he couldnt bring himself to quite hug her back, it would only make it so much harder to leave. He had to leave, sure she could maybe fire a weapon, but did she have one? She sure didnt bring it when Anna called in panic so he doubted it and there wasnt much she could do if there were 5 people coming after her at once.

This was why he didnt have any friends! They would otherwise always get hurt or involved! He didnt want that!

When April basically demanded him to go take a seat, he did and sat down on the couch, rubbing his face. Where was he going to start? "I never lied to you." He said. "You know the beginning of Anna being taken away from me a long time back. They took her in and I got tossed back on the streets." He sighed. "I've been dealing drugs since I was like 13, started selling myself when I was 16... I've never had a home like you do. I dont eat every day or paint or anything like that." Caleb sighed and placed his head in his hands, too embarrassed and ashamed to look at her. "I do what I can to make some money so I can have fun with my little sister the one fucking day I have with her every two weeks." April had seen him so fun things with Anna and buy her things, but every saturday that they had together emptied his pockets, making him save up for the next two weeks until he had her again.

"I joined this gang for extra cash for selling myself and dealing, but when I met you and I saw them around the corner, I just started slowly stepping away from them, taking less jobs for them and started working as a pole dancer at this gay club... I just didnt want them to know about you, but they came to my place to basically order me to sell for them some big drug deal. I couldnt do accept it with Annabelle in the trailer behind me, so I refused and ended up like this." Caleb said and sighed.

He was such a low life, struggling to survive, whoring himself our and selling drugs... He shouldn't be allowed to live. "I'll never be able to take Annabelle away from her foster family." Caleb admitted defeated and rubbed a tear away that went down his face. "I should have let her go the second she was taken from me. She would have had it so much better, she wouldnt even have remembered me." There was no way an almost 10 year old girl would remember someone from when she was 4. She didnt even remember their mother, the woman that abused the both of them, Anna more than him since he started getting bigger.

"I've always lived on the street, mom was a whore, I dont even know who my dad or Annabelle's dad is... Anna has a way out of that life, she's nine, she has foster parents who care for her and love her, took her out of the system. They're doing everything I can't do." He said as more tears ran down his face. "That I can't ever do." He felt like such a failure, just in life. He was depressed, had anxiety, anger issues.. He was a criminal, he shouldn't be anywhere near Anna. The judge would never name him Anna's guardian. Every time it seemed like his life was going up, it just crashed down again. Slamming that pack of drugs out of that guy's hand at the trailed, put maybe $5000 dollars on his name that he had to return one way or another.

Anna came walking out of the bedroom, wearing one of April's shirts that she had found, and hurried to her brother, hugging him close which made caleb cry into her softly. He had to do what was best for her... He had to leave her. It would hurt her, but she would get over it, one day maybe even forget him. He had to do what he should have done all those years ago.

Annabelle looked at April with teary eyes as she held her big brother. She wasnt stupid, she knew her brother did something bad and why she wasnt allowed to see him every day. Her foster parents fought about it sometimes. She didnt want him to leave her even if he did bad things..

(Holy shit, long post, sorry)
 
April stared at her hands, wondering how a person could possibly shoulder such pain for so long. Every fiber of his being was screaming out in pain, crying out for help. No, it wasn't a cry for help. Here he was, beaten and battered, broken from countless years foraging the streets for anything to keep him breathing, and there he was, staring at the face of penury, with no hope and running on nothing.

Just a stick. All he needed was a stick. A stick to cut through miles of hostile jungle.

April leaned back a little and turned to Caleb, who softly cried into his sister's hair. "Hey, did I tell about a job I took a couple years back to pay for art school? It was a modeling job. They paid well. The people there didn't do background checks, especially for the models who did adult content. It's a safe enough industry, safer than the alternative." April took a deep breath, her voice was oddly calm, tranquil.

"Caleb, I will never be able to understand your pain or the way you live. I won't. Therefore, I have absolutely no right to tell you what to do with your life. But goddamnit, I don't care about that. Caleb, don't you dare throw away what you've been working for for half your life. Don't you dare sit here and tell me that you wished you had left your little sister all those years ago. Don't you dare tell me you can't. Because you can. I know you can. I really do." She told him, her voice cracking. Slowly, she reached out a hand and tugged at his sleeve.

Eli. Her little baby brother was racing through her mind. From gushing flushed cheeks to a noose and a kicked over stool, April ran through it all. She couldn't let another family fall to ruins. She wouldn't. She needed him to know that he needed to continue fighting for her, that he needed to continue to hold her close every waking moment he could. Because if he didn't, it would rip him apart. Remorse is not a kind force. It tears and gnaws and picks your guilt apart piece by piece, beckoning a finger into the pits of human disparity and regret.

"I'm your friend and I want to see you happy. I want to see you and Anna smiling, hand in hand, walking out of the court room with the judge order. And I'm ready to help make that happen." She said, looking from Anna to her brother.

"Please don't leave."
 
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