Until I left...without any warning. Here one day...gone the next. Apparently, I'd exhausted every available home on Wicked so the only place I had left to go was an old couple in the city who were older and low on patience for unruly teenagers. It was either that or go back with dear old mom and dad...my real mom and dad...and that wasn't fucking happening.

I didn't return after graduation like I said I would, and that pissed Murph off. But in my defense...that was an easy thing to do.

"When you came back, you were different," he says, like he can read my mind.

Maybe that's what pissed him off.

"I went through a lot in those couple of years," I say, fixing myself a cup of coffee.

"Okay...why are you bringing it up now?"

I let out a sigh. This feels like twilight zone shit. I never thought I'd see these people again, and they just dropped onto my doorstep one night. Literally.

"Someone I knew from then...just became my new neighbor."

"A friend?" he asks, glaring at me with a head tilt as he cuts open another box.

“Fuck no.”

“An enemy?” His hands freeze.

"Sort of."

"A woman?" His eyebrows jut upward as he asks.

I don't answer, just take a sip of the coffee, which is answer enough.

Murph doesn't respond, thankfully, but he goes back to what he was doing. I know girls for me is an awkward conversation. I'm not one to be public with my relationships, and I certainly don't date often. In fact, I don't think my friends have ever seen me with a girl at all. Not even once.

"It's not like that," I mumble. "Well...it was, but that was a long time ago. I have a little bit of...bad blood there."

"What kind of bad blood?" he asks, suddenly intrigued. Now he understands the reason I'm coming to him with this information. Murph and Logan and I don't have family. We have each other. When you're out in the world alone, you need to find your own tribe, the people who will back you up no matter what. And we all tend to find ourselves in sticky situations. I showed up for Logan over spring break and for Murph when things went down a few months back with Savannah.

I'd die for my brothers, and I know they'd do the same for me.

"I turned her brother in for something, and they never really forgave me for it."

"What did you—"

"I don't really want to get into it. I’m not proud of it, but the point is...they're suddenly back in my life, and I'm not sure I can trust them."

He stands up and walks over, placing a hand on my shoulder. "We've got you, Rafe."

"Thanks, man," I answer, finishing my coffee.

A customer walks in the door, making the bell ring as Murph goes out to greet them. I could be over exaggerating things here, but I'd rather be cautious than sorry.