When Alan got into the car, all Charlie did was profusely apologize as he drove. Something about a large spill in the kitchen minutes before closing and he had to clean it up for 45 minutes and then drive for 20 minutes to pick Alan up. But Alan didn't mind, he got to sit with MayMay for 25 minutes as he waited for Charlie. At first thought, Alan would think it was awkward, but it wasn't. A silent bond was growing, and he was excited to see where it led with MayMay. Maybe he was overreacting, but he couldn't stop his train of thought even if he wanted to.
Ten minutes later, they were back at the house with the pizza they picked up from a local place that Alan never heard of. Another car was in the driveway as they pulled up. Alan unbuckled his seatbelt as he exited out of the back seat of the car before opening the passenger door and grabbing the two large boxes of pizza as he made his way around the car towards the door.
"I'll grab the door." Charlie rushed past Alan before unlocking the front door and opening it for Alan as he stepped in. The lights were on, music was playing further into the house as Alan paused, waiting for Charlie to take the lead. "Eric!" Charlie shouted from the door as he took his shoes off and grabbed the pizza so Alan could take off his shoes and place them in his room. "Eric, come down here!" Loud thudding was heard as someone rushed down the stairs with speed. A tall boy walked toward them as he pulled his earbuds out and stared down at Alan like a fish out of water. "Eric, this is Alan. Alan, this is Eric."
"Nice to meet you, Alan." Eric's stone-less face transformed into a smiling face as they shook hands. "What kind of pizza did y'all get?" Eric asked Charlie as he tried to open the top of the pizza box for a peak.
"Hey, get away from the pizza!" Joked Charlie as he headed towards the kitchen, Alan in toe. Eric smirked at Alan before grabbing the top pizza box and bolting away from Charlie like a cat on the road. "Hey! You bring that back you rat." Laughter broke out and spread through the house like waves of water, consuming all that could be heard.
"I heard it was your first day in high school, how was it?" Eric shouted from his hiding spot as Alan climbed onto the barstool, sitting on the side as his backpack balanced him out.
"Yeah, it wasn't bad," Alan responded as he picked at his nails.
"Doesn't school end at 4? Why y'all an hour and a half late?" Eric appeared from somewhere in the house as he placed the unopened pizza box onto the counter before grabbing plates from a cabinet that Alan never knew held the plates. Charlie coughed as he heard Eric's question, almost embarrassed to tell the truth.
"I was late by an hour to pick up Alan." Charlie was straightforward, but that didn't help as Eric began to laugh so hard that he had tears in his eyes.
"That's so mature, especially on the first day for him." Eric crackled as he placed a slice of cheese pizza on his plate. "It happened to me too, so I fully understand."
"I made a friend waiting, so it wasn't that bad." Alan grabbed the plate that was in front of him and grabbed over the counter for a pepperoni slice, lifting it and placing it on his plate.
The night went on further as Alan got to know Eric better while eating and talking for almost an hour. Once dinner was done, everyone spread across the house as the night settled. Alan had done his homework for over two hours, half crying and the other half erasing answers he thought were wrong. After he stopped doing homework, he searched for his other backpack full of the things that he brought to his foster family every time.
Alan dumped the backpack onto his somewhat made bed, clothes fell, then books, paper, shoes, and the small laptop that he stored within his clothes for protection. Alan placed it on the desk as he sat down and opened the top, revealing the cracked screen as it slowly loaded to the main screen. Alan began to type into the google box as he turned on the location, googling his exact address and looking around for the park he had spotted on the drive back. He stared at the picture of the park, looking at the time that read 15-minute walk in the small corner near the directions. He wanted to go to it, but his bedroom clock read 11:30 P.M.
Alan tapped his fingers as he stared out the window that was in front of the desk, thinking of all the times he snuck out of foster homes houses and never got caught. Alan turned in the chair, looking out the door into the hall. The darkness crept in front of Alan's door, signaling that all were asleep or at least in their room. The only problem with leaving was that Charlie's room was downstairs, and Alan was yet to see if he could climb out the window.
After another 15-minute wait, Alan had tied his converse on and dressed into a hoodie as he shut his light off and began to follow the stairs handrail as he tiptoed to the first floor. All the lights were off except for small lamps around the house that only showed spots as Alan slowly walked with his hands out as his eyes adjusted to the darkness.
Once he made it to the front door, he felt around for the lock as he slowly turned it before turning the front door. As he pulled it slowly open, a loud creaking sound erupted through the house. Alan paused as a rush of adrenaline bolted through his veins. He could hear everything, the clock, his heartbeat, his breathing, and the slow cracking noise the door refused to stop making as he pulled it further open. When it was open enough for Alan to slide out, he pulled the door shut before slowly letting the doorknob turn back as he turned to face the outside. By memory, he began to walk past houses and streets. Once in a while, a car would drive by but they didn't seem to care as Alan hid behind his hood.
Minutes passed before he made it to the deserted park, not a person in sight as the orange lights flickered and dimmed making the park look haunted. "Damn," Alan said to himself as he smiled brightly, feely free for the first time in days. He walked past the swings and playground before getting to the court that was under the dimmer lights than the road. Balls were left everywhere, in the grass, and on the court like it was deserted without care. Alan's smile only grew as he grabbed the closest basketball and squeezed it. He was excited, realizing that he could probably get away with sneaking out and coming to the park on random nights so he could play.
Alan began to bounce the ball, feeling the excitement pump through his veins as he began to run towards the goal. He pushed off with his feet as he bounced the ball as hard as he could before lifting it in the air and tossing it towards the hoop. The ball flew through the air as he landed on his feet and began to run towards the hoop, the ball fell through the net and bounced on the ground. Alan meet the ball under the hoop as he grabbed the ball and bounced as his shoes skidded on the concrete; refusing the leave the court as he swiftly turned and pushed the ball towards the direction he wanted. Alan repeatedly threw the ball into the hoop from different spots on the court before controlling the ball to the next spot.
Right before he threw it, his eye caught movement to his side as he tossed the ball up. Alan turned to his side, almost giving himself whiplash as his neck cracked inhumanly. A couple of feet from the court stood MayMay with a juice box and headphones on. She was staring at him as she sipped loudly, almost like she was watching a drama on T.V she wasn't amused with.
"MayMay?" Alan was shocked, maybe even bewildered. The only thing he could do was listen to the ball fade away as it lost its bounce before it fully stopped. "What are you doing?" He stepped closer to her as anxiety rushed up to his bones and down his spine as he clenched his fist back and forth. Nervousness ran through him like the waves washing over the titanic in its final moments. Memories of the past came rushing back, but Alan tried to blink away anything that would distract him from the current moment.
"I should be asking you that." The slurping stopped as she walked onto the court and grabbed a ball, placing her now empty juice box on the ground. "I didn't know you could play." She looked like she was talking to herself rather than Alan, something Alan had noticed the first time he met her. She always seemed in her world and she didn't care about the one she was currently in. "People would kill for you to be on their team." She bounces the ball towards Alan as he stared at her in confusion. The girl he met with Max was different than the girl who sat on the curb with him and the girl now. She looked the same, except her long hair was in a messy bun and she wore loose sweatpants and a jacket.
"Do- do you play?" Alan asked as he grabbed the bouncing ball.
"I use to, I don't anymore." MayMay seemed in a daze as she stared into Alan's eyes, almost daring him to say something. "Why are you up at this time anyway?"
"No reason, I was just exploring." Alan hummed as he began to bounce the ball. "Night is always more peaceful than the day."
"There's a basketball team at school, if you play long enough some get scholars for college." MayMay shoved her hands into her sweatpants as she glanced behind her.
"Only talented players get scholarships, besides. I don't play." Alan kept the ball's rhythm as he bounced, not daring to break the silence that had evolved since he last spoke.
"If you don't play," MayMay smiled. "Then what have you been doing for the past hour?"
"Having fun," Alan smiled. "Stalking people is against the law." He slightly chuckled.
"Yes and lying is against the Bible, yet that didn't stop you." A smile crossed Alan's lips, almost forgetting why he was feeling nervous until his phone went off.
6:30 A.M. Flashed on his phone like a warning sign making him realize he hadn't been on the court for 30 minutes but hours. That's why MayMay was up, it was time for school. Alan's face dropped as he realized that Charlie was up and so was Eric, and he was running out of time to get back before he was caught. "I have to go." He panicked as he dropped the ball and started running in the direction of the house. He could only assume that they hadn't checked on him since his phone wasn't going off with messages about where was he. Alan's only hope was to get there before they realized he wasn't just outside, but he was far from the house itself.
"See you at school!" Alan heard MayMay shout as he crossed the road and ran into the neighbor's backyard as a shortcut. He refused to get in trouble on day four of staying with Charlie, the last thing he wanted was to be locked in his room for the rest of the time he stayed there.