Meeting The Brother

Max did indeed note the discomfort on River's face, he had seen her react similarly back at the skating rink. He couldn't put his finger down on what it was, but there was something seriously wrong with that one. He had to force his need to help down as he looked to Kevin after the girls left. "Alright, you wanna get out of here now?"

---

Tam sighed, "2148 17th Street..." When they got to her home she hopped out of the car and went inside.

"Tam! The fuck you been, girl?" her father said with a growl from his recliner, a fresh can of beer in his hand.

"Like you care. I'm gonna take Chris out for... a school project his teachers want him to do."

"At seven in the evening?" Her father said with a belch.

"Sort of a get-together...? All the kids and their parents will be there."

"Then I should go."

Panic filled her heart. "No no, you don't need to. I'll do it. You're... uh... you're comfortable on the chair as it is..."

Her father belched again and shrugged. "Fine... You look enough like your mother to pass for her as it is..." He chuffed and looked at her in a way that made Tam feel sick.

"We'll be back home soon..." Tam said as she went to Chris's room where she found him playing with his ninja turtles.

"Tammy!" Chris said with a bright smile. "How was work?"

"Good. Wanna come with me? I met some new friends who want to meet you and play." Tam said as she already gathered some things for him in his backpack.

"Friends? But you don't have any friends." Chris said, rather bluntly. From the mouths of babes...

"I do now. Met them at work. And one of them is, like, super rich and probably has a ton of video games we don't have. So...?"

Chris lit up at the mention of video games. "Sounds fun!"

She got Chris dressed and shooed him out the door, thankfully her father didn't much regard them aside from another belch.

"Alright guys, this is my little brother, Chris. Say 'hi' Chris."

Chris looked at the group of pretty girls and suddenly felt sheepish. "Uhh... Hi..."