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“That's six months from now.”

“So? I asked.

“You're twelve and a half then.”

What is her deal?

Stopping, I turned to face her. “What are you doing out here anyway? I've never seen you around here before. Besides, isn't it past your bed time?” The corner of my lip perched higher as a sly smile crept across my face.

Now you'll leave me alone.

Dropping her chin to her chest, she rolled her eyes, not even entertaining my bedtime comment. “I live right there, in the house on the hill,” she said, pointing to a once abandoned farm house. “We just moved in.”

Glancing up at the house, I could see the windows were glowing with light and not black like they normally were. The curtains swayed back and forth against the sill as the wind blew. A wind-chime jingled as it dangled from the eave of the front porch, the soft notes barely making it down to us.

Turning back away from her, I kept walking, cutting through the tall grass, and following the fence that lined her family's property. “No one has lived there in a really long time, but I think that's only because it's haunted.”

Ha! Nightmares for you little Blue bird. . .

Smirking to myself, I waited to see her flinch at the thought. She didn't, simply arching a brow.

Lifting her legs high above her waist to wade through the grass, she watched her feet as she walked. “My mama said that no one wanted it because it needed so much work, but my daddy said it was because the house was waiting for us. He says fate has a way of finding you, although, I'm still not sure what fate has to do with our house.”

“I don't remember asking for a story.”

“And I didn't ask to meet a jerk, but we can't control everything.” Shrugging her shoulder, her lip curved up towards her nose. “Are you going to tell me your name or not? Because I really don't want to have to give you a nickname, I don't think you'd like it.”

“And why's that?”

“Because what I'm thinking won't be nice.”

Chuckling lightly, I smirked. “As long as it's not red or yellow, I think I'll be fine.”

Grabbing my arm, she held it tight and stopped me from going any further. “Why are you being so mean to me? I haven't done anything to you, have I?”

Sucking in a deep breath, I hung my head and scratched my fingers through my hair. She was right, it was just weird for me to have another kid being so nice to me. I didn't have any friends, so it was just easier to be a jerk right away than it was to lose a friend later on.

Trust me, I had been shit on enough times to know it wasn't worth the rejection, but I still felt bad about how I was acting.

I guess I'm still human somewhere inside.

“I know, I know, I've just had a bad day, that's all.” Stopping, I looked over at her, my expression less hard. “Jayden, my name's Jayden Henry. I live on the other side of that field.”

“See, that wasn't so hard, was it, Jayden Henry?” Blue gave me a funny smile, then grabbed my arm and pulled it towards her. “Now let me see.” Sticking her tongue out the corner of her mouth, her brows furrowed into the bridge of her nose.

I felt her pinch my skin, but not in a painful way. Using her thin nail, she scraped a finger over the splinter. “There, now you're all set.” Holding up the thorn, she bared her teeth with a giant grin. “You want me to make you a necklace with it so you can keep it forever? You know, like people who wear shark teeth and stuff.”

“No, I'm good.” Chuckling, I stepped out onto the dirt road, and started walking towards town. Looking down at the small hole in my hand, I gave her a half smile. “But thanks.”

“You're welcome.” Blue stopped at the edge of the grass, her eyes never leaving mine. It felt like she was studying me, trying to figure out who I really was on the inside.

Was I a good kid or a bad kid?

I didn't consider myself to be either. I was just me, Jayden Henry, a soft mass of sludge, with nothing to say, never really wanting to go home, but no place else to go. I was always anticipating the next shitty thing to come and never thought about my future, because the odds were against me.

We had no money. There was no college fund waiting for me when I hit eighteen, or some inheritance that my father had squirreled away for me. If I was lucky, I'd maybe be able to get a job at the local grocery store once I got older, and hopefully make just enough to survive.

According to my father, I was either going to end up dead or in jail. That wasn't ever going to happen, because I was never going to be like my father. I wanted to be the complete opposite of him. I might have been just a kid, but I knew well enough to not become that man.