A

"Kev. . ."

"Huh?"

"Kev, c'mon, it's time to go, hon. Time to get up."

"Huh. Hmmmmm," I let out a sigh. "What time is it?"

"It's early."

"What time?"

"4:00"

"Can I sleep a little more?" I said with my eyes closed.

"No, we gotta get going."

I sat up, threw my legs over the side of the bed and looked around my empty room and yawned. I scratched my head. I turned on the light. My clothes were folded up on the floor beside my bed and a fresh towel next to them. The sun wasn't up. After I showered and dressed I went into the kitchen. There was no food in the house, no furniture. The place was empty and it reminded me of the day we moved in. Dad walked into the kitchen towing 2 suitcases behind him and asked me to take them to the car but I could only carry one at a time.

"I was having this dream last night. . .right when you woke me up. . ."

"Ok, let's talk about it on the way. Right now we need to load up the car."

"Ok," I said, took the first suitcase out, had Steve help put it in the trunk, and came back for the second one. Dad had picked it up along with my bookbag and took it out. He put my bookbag in the back seat. "What else is there?" I asked.

"Go in and look. I don't think there's much left. Where's your mother?"

"I don't know," I said and Steve and I went back into the house. Mom was standing at the sink with her purse and was putting two orange pill bottles back in it. She picked up a paper cup, filled it with water and threw it back.

"Dad's looking for you," I said and she looked at me for a second and then smiled, bent over, and kissed me on the cheek.

"Are you all ready?" she asked.

"I think so," I said.

"Why don't you guys get in the car, dad can get the rest," she said and Steve and I went back outside to the car.

"Is that everything?" dad asked.

"I don't know, mom said to get in the car," Steve told him as he and I climbed in. Dad looked frustrated and went back inside. Steve reached into his bookbag and pulled out his tape player, put his headphones on, pressed "play", and turned and looked at me. He grinned large enough to show all of his teeth, nodded his head to the music, and closed his eyes as though he was not only on his way to somewhere new, but also somewhere far away from us, smiling as if to say, "Fuck you people, I'm gone already." I punched him in the shoulder just to bring him back for a second and an angry look came over his face mixed with a look of having been turned over to the authorities by a good friend. I was immediately sorry and then he brought me back harder.