Connor got to Pizza Hut right on time. He was good at being on time, that’s why he excelled at deliveries. It was pretty lame, but he knew all the backstreets in town and he took them well over the speed limit because the cops didn’t care. If you wanted to go 60 down one of those old pothole laden roads, you were free to do it.

When he got to work, he donned his hat and got out. He punched in the 4-digit code on the back door and slid inside. He grabbed the Pizza Hut car topper from the back room and went back outside to stick it on the hood of his car. Then he came back in to get his bank for the night. They started you off with $15, 10 ones and a 5-dollar bill, so you could make change and still get tips.

He ran into the manager, Tamera, a thin black woman who was way too interested in the lives of her employees.

“What’s going on, Connor,” she said neutrally. He had to stand back and wait for her to finish cashing out some order at the window. Once she’d closed the cash register, he slipped in behind her to put his code in and get his bank.

“It’s going,” he said.

Tamera eyed him a little curiously, but left him alone. She went off towards the office in the back.

The phone started ringing as Connor finished at the register. He sighed and turned to answer it. “Thank you for choosing Pizza Hut. Is this going to be for pickup or delivery?”

“Hi! I had a question actually,” some bubbly chick started.

Connor leaned over the counter, resting his chin in his hand. “What did you need?”

“I was wondering if you guys had the pizza buffet.”

“Sorry, you just missed it. The buffet’s a lunch special and it ends at four,” he said. The girl started to ramble about something else, but Connor was already hanging up. He hated dumb customers. He hated taking orders. He wished the servers would grab the phones, but they got busy in the evenings.

He left the phones behind and went to do the dishes. Chad, the opening driver, usually started the morning dishes, but he rarely finished them. He was lazy, he took forever dispatching on orders, and his times sucked.

Chad had gotten around to sorting the dishes at least, and Connor went to stack some dirty pizza pans in the plastic rack. He slid them into the oversized dishwasher and closed it up, listening to the water rushing and disinfecting the pans inside. He sighed, wondering how things were going back at the trailer. He really didn’t care, but he was wondering anyway. He was half convinced M would end up trying to kiss Hannah, and though that didn’t really bother him, it kind of did.

He’d just have to wait and see. He thought of texting Hannah, but if Tamera caught him with his phone out, she’d take it until they closed. Connor hated being controlled like that. He’d wait to check his texts until he was out on delivery.

It was getting close to 5 and Connor had just finished the last of the dining room’s dishes. He rounded the shelves behind the dishwasher with an armful of clean plates when he noticed an order had popped up on the dispatch monitor. The whole store was full of computers, and this one, on the opposite side of the pizza station, was set up for the drivers. He dropped the clean plates off and then went to check the address.

“Hey Connor.”

He flinched as the second driver of the night clapped him on the shoulder. Josh wasn’t supposed to be here for 10 more minutes, but the guy tended to be early. Of course, that seemed to be because he liked talking to the server, Angela. He usually went into the dining room to grab a pop and sit at the bar with her for a couple minutes before his shift.

“Did you get any of the pans oiled? Did Tamera post the dough list yet?”

“You know she won’t for another hour,” Connor said shortly. “And no, I was finishing Chad’s dishes.”

Josh laughed. “That kid’s a laugh. He was telling me how he let some college kids tip him with weed the other day.”

Connor bristled. “Yeah, that’s nice.”

“I guess. I don’t touch that stuff,” Josh said, taking his hat off to ruffle a hand through his long dark hair. “I’m going to grab a drink before I get my bank. I’ll see you later,” he breezed off, probably sensing Connor’s discomfort. Josh wasn’t much older than Connor but he had a wife and a kid. He was pretty straight laced and respectful, and tended to leave him well enough alone. Connor relaxed a bit once he disappeared.

And then the phone rang. And rang again. And then again. Connor growled and stalked off towards the back phones and the computers with the order menus. He glanced out the window on the swinging door that led into the dining room, seeing Josh, soft drink in hand, chatting with Angela and keeping her from taking the order.

“Is someone grabbing that?” Tamera’s voice floated from the back office, and Connor huffed, running to grab it before she said anything else.

“Thank you for choosing Pizza Hut, is this going to be for delivery or pick up?”

“Delivery.”

Connor hit the delivery selection on the screen. “Can I get your phone number first,” he asked, going through the usual spiel.

“Delivery up!” the new guy on production yelled from the pizza station. Connor looked skyward, hoping this asshole on the phone kept it short.

“Do you have any specials?” The guy asked.

“Want me to rattle off every special we have or did you have an idea what you wanted?” Connor asked shortly.

“Um, well, I guess… do you still have the special on the two mediums pizzas?”

“Yep,” Connor hit the pizza selection and waited impatiently for the guy to regurgitate his order. Luckily, the guy kept it simple after that, ordering a meat lovers, a supreme and 2 liter. Connor finished up quickly and read off the total. “We’ll be there in about 30 minutes,” he said and the guy mumbled his thanks.

“Oh hi, Connor, I didn’t even see you come in,” the new kid said when Connor finally made it to the pizza station. He slid the order over, two large pizzas and side box.

Connor grunted. “You got the receipt for this?”

“I just threw it away.”

Connor sighed and quickly backed out of the dispatch menu. He pulled up the ticket for the order and printed a copy so he could check the amount due, the address, and the name.

“You’ve got to show me how you do that,” the new kid said. He beamed at Connor, pausing to push his glasses up the sweaty bridge of his nose.

Connor ignored him. He checked to make sure everything on the receipt was in front of him and he even opened the pizza boxes to double check. Everything looked in order though.

“Think it’s going to be busy again tonight? Tamera’s really on my back about not messing up anymore. I don’t know why it even matters, we all get a free pizza when I do,” the new kid said.

“Yeah and we lose product with no revenue,” Connor scoffed. “It’s Monday night football, dude. What do you think?”

“We’ll probably be busy,” the kid sighed. He pulled a wad of paper towel from his back pocket and mopped his red, sweaty face. Connor caught sight of his name tag as the new kid attempted to clean up. David it read.

Connor sneered at him. “Well, David, you’d better go check the make station. I just put in another order for delivery.”

David looked surprised but he was quick to get with the picture. He returned the wet towel to his back pocket and hurried behind the pizza oven.

Connor grabbed up his order and headed out the back. He shoved everything in the Honda’s passenger seat and then hopped behind the wheel. He started the car and backed up into the road.

The house was just past the shopping center he’d stopped at the other day. It was in a cul-de-sac of little ranch houses. There was a bike on its side in the driveway and a basketball hoop with a missing net hung crooked over the garage door. Connor eyed the place critically as he parked and got out. Families were a mixed bag of tippers. He’d never been to this particular house before, so he’d have to see how it went.

He collected the pizzas and went up to the front door, stepping over the bike as he went. He knocked and heard some little dogs start barking inside. The door opened and a teenage girl with long hair appeared behind the screen. She looked Connor up and down, a smile playing on her lips.

Connor shifted the order onto his right arm and checked the receipt again. “The total’s $25.68,” he said and the girl continued to look him up and down. The dogs continued to bark in the front room behind her. Connor grit his teeth.

“Mom!” the girl called over her shoulder. She was wearing cutoff shorts and a low cut half-shirt displaying cleavage and a flat belly.

Connor averted his eyes uncomfortably and scowled. This girl’s lack of clothing wasn’t anything like M’s was. She wasn’t innocent or clueless. She was a fucking slut.

The girl laughed and Connor’s gaze snapped up. Was she laughing at him?

“I’ll be right back,” she said easily and went into the back room. Connor glared after her and in her absence, he glanced down through the screen at the little dogs. Two white fluffy mutts barked their heads off. The slightly smaller one caught sight of Connor in the window and ran directly at the door, jumping and thudding against the flimsy metal.

Connor reared back as the dog scratched and tore frantically at the door with its nails. He sighed with impatience and shoved the receipt into the pocket on the pizza bag. He waited, his muscles flexing as he clenched his fists over and over with frustration.

The girl returned with a bundle of money. She pushed the attacking dog aside and slipped outside, shutting the screen door behind her. She simpered up to Connor, like a fucking whore looking for cash. She was the one who was holding out a bunch of dirty money though, and Connor took it from her, shifting to balance the pizzas against his hip as he counted the money. It was $30.

“Can I have 4 dollars back?” the girl asked and Connor peeled 4 singles out of his wallet and threw them at her. “Hey!” she cried, but he couldn’t care less. He rudely shoved the pizzas into the girl’s arms and marched back to his car. He squealed out of the drive, not looking back.

“Fucking bitch,” he muttered. “Can’t even figure out how to pay me. ‘4 dollars back?’“ he mocked the girl’s voice, making his pitch loud and extra whiny. ‘“Fucking cunt!’

He drove back to the store, furious all the way. He put the money in his wallet when he was stuck at a red light. He got back to the store at 10 past 5. The whole trip had taken less than 15 minutes. Connor signed back into dispatch and his initials popped up on the screen next to the new delivery. David stood across of him, cutting the meat lovers pizza for the order. Where were Josh’s initials? Wasn’t he clocked in yet?

“Where’s Josh?” Connor snapped as David slid the meat lover’s pizza into its box.

“Tamera sent him to the bank to make a drop,” David said. He turned with the tongs to get the supreme pizza out of the oven.

Connor usually tried to be fair about sharing the deliveries, but after that shitty tip? Connor went into the cooler to grab the 2 liter to complete the order. When he returned, the pizzas sat on the dispatch table ready to go and he loaded everything up and headed out.

It turned out to be another shitty tipper. Another disappointment. When he got back, Josh was out on another delivery and the phone was ringing off the hook. David and Tamera were busy making pizzas so he rushed to answer it, just wanting the noise to stop.

“Thanks for choosing Pizza Hut. Is this going to be for pickup or… “

He trailed off. There was faint static on the other end and he waited impatiently for the line to connect. The crackling on the other end rapidly jumped in pitch, turning into a strange, high pitched buzzing and Connor slammed the phone on the hook.

“Fuck,” he muttered, rubbing his ear. What the hell was that? He eyed the phone suspiciously. Maybe it was a technical error.

And then it started ringing again.

Connor grabbed the phone as it finished its first ring. “Thanks for choosing Pizza–”

“This is Connor Flynn?”

Connor felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up straight. The call was permeated with the same static the last one had contained, but the voice was clear. It was male, deep and commanding, and the sound of it put Connor on edge.

“Who is this?” he asked.

There was a pause and with it, the static picked up again. Connor cringed. That sound was hurting his damned ear.

“This is Connor Flynn?” The voice repeated itself, the crackling static fading into the background.

“Yes! Who is this?”

“You found Michael for me. I’ve been looking for him.”

A chill ran down Connor’s spine. “What are you talking about?”

“I’m talking about the boy you found in the swamp.”

Connor tore the phone away from his ear and fumbled with the receiver. He slammed it back onto the hook again and took a shaky breath. He was drenched in a cold sweat. Clammy goosebumps covered his exposed flesh.

“Everything alright?”

Connor whirled around.

Josh hung around the corner, watching him with concern. Connor shoved past him and went back to the dishwasher.

How had that guy known anything about him? Who the fuck had just called?!

He was still puzzling over the mysterious caller when he took the next delivery. He didn’t pay much attention to his tip. He couldn’t shake the creepy feeling that call had struck deep inside of him.

There were no more strange calls though and nobody mentioned any static on the phones. Connor really didn’t believe it, but he tried to convince himself that the call had been nothing but a prank. How they’d known about M was anyone’s guess, but nothing else Connor came up with made any sense.

Josh ended up leaving around 10 once the orders slowed down.

It wasn’t until close to 10:30 that Connor got another delivery. He dispatched as usual and went about his task routinely. The order was on credit, so he didn’t have to mess with any cash. He handed over the pizzas, told the fat, greasy college kid an unenthusiastic good night, and hopped off the porch.

He was getting back into his car when he spotted a figure standing under the streetlight across the road.

Connor paused with his hand on the car’s door latch.

The figure was standing maybe 100 yards away and appeared to be masculine. The form was tall and looming. Connor couldn’t make out any features in the dark, only the outline of a short-brimmed hat and the pale blotch of hands clasped in front of him. He looked familiar too, Connor remembered a similar looking man at the grocery store yesterday…

The man was completely motionless.

Connor yanked on the handle and quickly got in. He pushed the lock on the door before putting the keys in the ignition. He hit the lights and looked over his shoulder, back towards the man.

But there was no one there.

“I’m fucking losing it,” Connor huffed, but he was relieved. He turned the radio on as an afterthought. He rarely listened to music and the station was tuned into a lame pop song that he instantly hated. It was a hell of a lot less creepy with it on, though and he left it alone as he started to back out of the driveway. He scanned the sidewalks all the way back to work but there wasn’t another soul in sight.

When he got back to the store he began breaking things down for the night. They closed at 11:30 during the weekdays, and nobody liked to stay late.

When 11:30 hit, David let out a huge sigh of relief and walked around the kitchen, his hand up, asking everyone for a high-five because he hadn’t messed up an order all night.

Tamera laughed and gave him one. Angela was washing some silverware in the back and she gave David a high-five, too. Connor gave the kid a stony look when he was approached though and David wilted.

The kid was a big stupid nerd. Tall and kind of on the fat side. He was usually sweaty and tonight his apron was covered in pizza sauce. Connor didn’t want to touch him.

They finished closing up a little before midnight and Connor cashed out. He’d made nearly $40 in tips.

On his way home, he deposited the tips in his bank. Electric was due at the end of the week and came out automatically. He’d have to make an additional $60 before then or his account would be in the negative. He didn’t like to dwell on money issues, but tonight, he let himself worry. It was better than keeping his eyes peeled for more dark figures standing at the side of the road…

As he pulled out of the bank’s drive-thru ATM, Connor thought about M. He sped up a little, checking his phone for any messages.

There were a couple from Hannah.

We’ll need to have a serious talk about M when you get here, was the girl’s last text.

Connor blinked. He wondered if anything strange had happened at the trailer while he’d been busy.

Everything alright? He asked.

Hannah responded momentarily. Everything’s fine. We just need to talk.

Connor worried his lip. I’m on my way home now.

Cool.

He drove home down the dark, empty streets. Usually the solitude of the night calmed him, but he felt unnerved. From the call, from the strange figure watching his last delivery, from the serious talk Hannah wanted to have….

Connor pulled up to the trailer a quarter after midnight. He tossed his hat onto the dashboard and turned the car off. Just as he got to the front door, it opened and Hannah appeared.

“There you are,” she said.

“Yep. Here I am.” Connor stepped past her. He saw M on the couch and did a double take because the boy was clothed in jeans, a t-shirt and socks. He was grinning from ear to ear and seemed extremely pleased with himself.

“Rough night?” Hannah asked and Connor noticed how closely she’d followed. He had to back up, nearly tripping over his own two feet before he could navigate around her.

“Something like that,” he said blankly. He kicked his boots off near the door and edged around Hannah. He escaped into the kitchen. There was a door beside the refrigerator that led into the pantry which contained his washer/dryer set. Hannah shadowed him and Connor felt obligated to explain himself. He felt so damned uncomfortable.

“I should probably get a shower.” He scratched his fingers through his greasy hair.

“I’ll come with you,” she said. “We need to talk.”

Connor sighed. He entered the pantry and peeled his work shirt off. Hannah stood in the doorway, watching him, and Connor turned the washer on, tossed his shirt inside and added a little soap

Hannah’s gaze from the doorway was insistent and Connor’s stomach slowly filled with tension as the washer filled with water. He had a bad feeling about this ‘serious talk’ but he didn’t protest. He left the washer to run and went back through the kitchen with Hannah trailing after. M smiled brilliantly at him, but Connor barely met his eyes.

“We’ll be right back, M, just sit there and watch your show,” Hannah said as they passed.

Connor went into the bathroom and stripped. He turned the hot water on and climbed into the shower. Hannah perched on the edge of the sink, watching him with her dark eyes. Connor shut the shower curtain and got under the spray of water.

“So, I showed M how to take a shower. I also showed him how to dress properly,” Hannah said from the other side of the curtain.

“I saw,” he said, thinking he’d probably never see the kid’s bare ass again.

“I don’t know if you’re right about him being locked up his whole life, but I’m not sure about the amnesia anymore, either.”

Connor thought about mentioning the strange call at work, but he didn’t. He felt paranoid. As if mentioning the call would somehow make it happen here as well. “How did the reading lessons go?” he asked instead.

“Not too bad. He was really excited to learn something new. He told me you showed him how to clean up. He elaborated on how cool your phone was, especially Candy Crush,” she sounded like she was smiling. “I can’t believe you still have that game.”

“Yeah, whatever.”

Hannah laughed.

They were silent for a moment and Connor started to relax in the warm water. He shut his eyes as he poured a bit of shampoo into his palm and he scrubbed his scalp, sighing with pleasure.

“He also told me about how he wants to kiss you.”

Connor’s eyes snapped open and he cursed as a bit of soap ran into his eye. He splashed water into his face, growling with pain.

“What?”

“Soap in my eye!” He hurried up and rinsed his hair. He washed up quickly with his usual bar soap and was out in 4 minutes flat. Hannah let him finish in peace. She didn’t say anything more.

He shut the water off and stepped out onto the bathmat. Hannah was checking him out, her gaze appreciative. She wordlessly offered Connor his towel and he accepted it. He scrubbed it through his wet hair and then wrapped it around his waist.

“I really have no idea what to think about this kid,” Hannah said. “He told me that his mother wanted him to experience love and all that, but when I asked him who she was he zipped his lips.”

Connor fidgeted on the bathmat. “So, he didn’t try to hit on you?” he asked.

“No, he didn’t. He’s really gung-ho about hooking up with you.”

Connor avoided Hannah’s eyes. He pushed past her and went into the bedroom.

Hannah was hot on Connor’s heels. “Listen. I have an idea.”

“What kind of idea?” He finished drying off in the dark room but Hannah cursed under her breath and hit the dome light over the bed. The small, dirty room was lit with a warm glow and Hannah gently shut the door behind them.

“I don’t think you should have to deal with this. I know you don’t do well with “feelings” but I don’t think M deserves to have his head ripped off for liking you. So, he’s gay, or he has no idea what he’s talking about, but he honestly seems harmless.”

“And?” Connor snapped. He was annoyed with the implication that he didn’t already know that. He’d been nice to the kid, more so than with anyone else. He’d accepted M into his home, not without a fight, but he’d warmed up to the kid pretty quickly. This idea that M had spent his whole life locked up by some weird mother figure, missing out on the world, was pretty fucked up, but Connor was coming to terms with that as well. That wasn’t M’s fault. Probably not, anyway.

“And, I’m not sure you can deal with a gay boy lusting after you. You can barely handle the straight stuff.”

Connor couldn’t really disagree.

“I already spoke to my mother,” she said. “She used to be a teacher too, remember? I explained the situation to her and asked if I could bring M to stay with her for a while. I’ll be crashing there as well, in my old room. Mom’s agreed to watch M during the day while I have classes and then I’ll be back to help out.”

“What?” Connor whirled around, still naked, but not really caring. “Seriously?”

Hannah bit her lip. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing!” He turned his back on the girl’s calculating stare and rubbed the towel through his hair aggressively.

“… You’re… not attracted to him, right?”

“No!” Connor glared at her over his shoulder. “Why the fuck would I be? You think I’m gay?”

“No, I don’t think that,” she said, but she was still looking at him, like she was going to solve some sort of fascinating mystery. “I mean, we do alright in bed—”

“Fuck off, Hannah!” Connor flushed, falling back on the bed and covering his face. The towel had fallen to the floor, forgotten, and Connor pressed his palms into his eyes. He saw spots of light and he pressed harder, seeing an explosion of color behind his lids.

“I don’t know what we’re supposed to do with M, but I’d like to help him. I dragged you into this because we found him here, you found him actually,” Hannah said, sitting on the bed beside him.

Connor groaned. “Don’t remind me.”

“I just think… until we can explain everything to him, that maybe you shouldn’t have to deal with this. You did a good job, teaching him a few things here and there, but let me take over for a while. He’s a sweet boy, if he really was kept prisoner his whole life, he deserves to be able to enter the world as soon as possible. And he’s yet to see anyone besides you and me. Mom and I can teach him how to read and write. I can have more talks with him about his sexuality. I don’t know, maybe before too long, we can find him a job. Get him out in the world so he can be productive.”

“Did you tell him that?” Connor laughed sarcastically. “I’m sure he’s going to love it.”

Hannah touched his shoulder. She sounded like she was smiling again. “What happened tonight?”

“Shitty tips, dumb people,” Connor said. “I wish I didn’t have to pay electric on Friday or I’d be calling Daryl.”

“For weed?” She laughed. “C’mon, baby, you don’t need that guy. I wish I could get you to go back to school and finish your degree—”

Connor removed his hands from his face. “What degree? I was undeclared the whole time I was there.”

Hannah sighed. “I know you don’t want to be at Pizza Hut for the rest of your life.”

“And what if I do?” He asked, mocking her syrupy tone.

“There’s nothing wrong with working in the foodservice industry, but it doesn’t make you happy,” the girl snapped and Connor lowered his gaze, feeling surprisingly embarrassed. He hated that Hannah knew anything about him. It wasn’t like she was going to tell everyone his secrets, but… he just felt exposed. Small. Stupid.

“Everybody hates their job,” he said.

“That is so not true,” Hannah said gently, stroking his cheek.

Connor shrugged.

“Have you thought about what you’d like to do for the rest of your life?” Hanna prompted, trying to keep the conversation alive. “I mean, you run every morning, maybe you could look into physical education.”

“I hate working with people,” Connor said roughly. “I hate people in general.”

Hannah sighed. “I know you do.”

There was a moment of silence, in which the girl laid down beside him. Connor felt slightly annoyed by the conversation, but he remained on his back, still and quiet.

Hannah pressed closer to his naked body. “The first time I met you, I could tell you were in peril—”

“I wasn’t in peril,” he scoffed. “It was the first day of college. I was allowed to be a little nervous!”

“Shhh,” she stroked Connor’s damp hair and feeling obligated in some way, he shut his mouth, stewing with annoyance. “You seemed lost and not just because you had to use the campus map to find your next class. I did too. You’re lost because you don’t know what you want. I don’t even think you know yourself. Not the real you. Inside.”

Connor rolled his eyes. “Please, let’s not get all touchy-feely.”

“Why?” she asked and Connor glared at her, seeing the way her dark eyes sparkled in the dim overhead light. She was exuding compassion and Connor felt deeply uncomfortable. He looked away quickly, not knowing what to do or say.

“I don’t know,” he said finally.

“You know, you can talk to me,” Hannah said.

“We talk all the time,” Connor snapped.

“Well, we don’t talk about the important stuff. And I wish we would. I get that you don’t like anybody to see you as weak, but I’m your best friend, honey. If you don’t let me help you, then you’re all on your own,” she said. “I know you think that makes you strong, but it doesn’t. Letting others help you makes you strong. Admitting your weaknesses, that makes you even stronger.”

“I’m not weak,” he said tensely.

Hannah sighed. “We all have our weaknesses. It’s not a flaw, it just makes you human.”

“Whatever.”

“I just wish you’d tell me more about your past,” she said after a moment. “I know it has something to do with the man you are today.”

Connor grunted.

“Lots of people have messed up childhoods,” she continued, “And some of them work past it. They don’t let it drag them down—”

“Nothing is dragging me down,” Connor said, starting to sit up, glaring down at the girl on his bed. “I made the choice to drop out of school. I decided to work at Pizza Hut. If I want, I can quit and find something else.”

“Ok,” Hannah tugged gently on Connor’s arm, attempting to get him to lay back down again. Connor resisted her, just to be an asshole, but he eventually went, laying down flat with a huff.

“Just think about it, ok?”

“Think about what?” he asked briskly.

“About the future.”

Hannah was stroking his hair again. It felt good, even if Connor didn’t want her to do it. He let his eyes fall part way closed, but he very specifically did not think about the future. He wouldn’t be able to relax if he did. The future stretched long and cold and dark out in front of him… He never felt comfortable when he tried to make long-term plans or important, life altering decisions, but Hannah was right, damned her. He did hate his job, but it was what he had. He had the trailer too, as terrible as it was and the Honda parked out front, even if it was a piece of shit. He just wanted to live in the moment and ignore his impending doom.

Hannah rolled on top of him, her knees digging into the mattress on either side of his hips. Her long hair cascaded down, making a curtain between them and the rest of the room. Her eyes glittered, brimming with desire, and just as she leaned down, probably to start kissing him, there was a tentative knock on the bedroom door.

Hannah jerked up and Connor’s eyes opened fully. They both turned to face the door.

“What is it, M?” Hannah asked, her voice overly pleasant and high-pitched, tinged with a hint of frustration.

“Um, the show’s over,” M said through the door.

Hannah sighed and climbed off Connor. She flicked her long locks out of her face. “I’ve got to break the news to him anyway. I didn’t tell him that he’s coming with me tonight.”

Connor sat up as well. “I’m sure he’ll be fine.”

“I just hope you will be. I always hate leaving you here alone. I thought maybe taking care of M would help you in some way. I seriously didn’t think, not for one second, that he was going to end up hitting on you.”

“Yeah. Who would have ever thought that,” Connor huffed, moving to grab his sleep pants from the end of the bed. He slid them on, covering up.

“You don’t even know how attractive you are,” she said and Connor caught her ogling him again. “Girls are always checking you out, you know.”

Connor looked away again, trying to hide the guilt in his eyes.

Hannah smiled at him and with ease, she shook off the passion and desire that had drenched her moments before. Connor glanced to see the girl had slid off the bed.

She opened the door to reveal the blond boy, waiting patiently out in the hall. “C’mon, M, I’ve got to talk to you for a minute,” Hannah said to him. M looked past her though, into the room. He met Connor’s eyes and smiled gently.

Hannah frowned and took M by the shoulder. She led him out of the bedroom and down the hall, back to the front room.

Connor stayed in his room, feeling sad for some reason.

It didn’t matter that Hannah was taking M away. It didn’t matter at all. Connor worked the same shift tomorrow, technically today, but no one was being technical. He did the same thing Thursday, Friday and Saturday and was off, as usual, Sunday and Monday. He was busy. He had bills to pay and he’d probably make enough to get himself some smoke. So he figured he’d do that over the weekend.

Hannah usually tried to come over on the weekends, but she probably wouldn’t now that she had taken over babysitting duties. They hadn’t discussed what would happen next week, when her internship started, but Connor had a feeling he wouldn’t see M again.

So, he’d get over it.

He languished in self-pity for a moment or two, then ventured out into the living room. He felt like he should at least try to say goodbye. He’d taught the kid a thing or two, but now he was moving on. That had been the plan from the beginning; there was nothing to be sad about. In the living room, Connor found Hannah and M sitting together on the couch. They both looked up as he entered.

Hannah’s lips were pursed together, a sure sign she was in ‘convincing’ mode. M’s face was crumpled with sorrow and Connor felt his stomach drop.

“Did I do something wrong?” the blond boy asked immediately, interrupting Hannah who had been saying something in calm tones.

“I just think it would be best for you to come stay with me and my mom for a little while. Until we get everything figured out,” she said, turning to Connor for help. M turned to Connor as well and suddenly he had two sets of expectant eyes on him.

“That’s what Hannah thinks is best,” Connor said uncomfortably.

M looked at him, long and hard, his eyes filled with sadness.

“I must have done something wrong,” he said again.

“No, absolutely not,” Hannah said, moving to put an arm around M. He shrugged her off, making a little noise of displeasure. “My mom and I are both teachers. We can help you.”

“Connor can help me, too,” M said. “He already has.”

“Don’t you want to learn more about reading and writing? My mom can teach you about history and math. She’s an excellent cook as well, she can teach you that too,” Hannah said soothingly. “I’ll be at school most of the day, but when I’m home, we can talk about anything you want—”

“But what if I want to talk to Connor?”

“Then you can call him on my phone. But he’s got to go to work most nights.”

“Connor!” M looked like he was close to tears and Connor, far from comfortable with the situation unfolding before him, tried to follow Hannah’s lead.

“They can take better care of you, M,” he said. “I’m a terrible cook.”

“No you’re not!”

Connor fidgeted. “Hannah, maybe he should just stay here—”

“We already talked about this,” she said quickly. “Let me handle it.”

Connor sighed and threw up his hands. “Whatever,” he left the living room, going into the pantry and taking his work shirt out of the laundry. It was damp and smelled like lavender. He tossed it into the dryer.

“But I don’t want too!” M cried from the other room and Connor slammed the lid shut on the machine. He leaned over it, massaging his temples.

“No!” M cried again.

Hannah’s words were lost in the sound of the dryer kicking into action, but Connor was sure she was being very convincing. She’d convinced Connor. She did that a lot. She always seemed to know what was best. M had better get used to it.

He hung out in the laundry room until M stopped yelling. When it was quiet out in the living room, he figured it was safe to come out.

M was sitting alone on the couch while Hannah collected her belongings. The boy’s head was down; Connor couldn’t see his face. For once, M didn’t even bother to look at him.

“Connor? I told M we could try to call you tomorrow night after work.”

“Uh, sure,” Connor said.

She smiled. “Perfect. See, M? I told you that’d be alright.”

The boy nodded, but he kept his eyes lowered.

“Alright, we’d better get going. Mom left the door open for us and said she made us beds for the night. I’m going to have to get up super early and go back to my place for my school stuff, but that’s alright. No problem.”

Connor wanted to ask if she was sure, but he didn’t. Hannah didn’t do things she didn’t want. Hannah slung her bag over her shoulder and came to kiss Connor goodnight. He kept his lips closed, but the girl didn’t seem to notice.

“Let’s go, M,” she said and the boy got up.

Finally, he glanced at Connor. His gaze was blank and his mouth, the same luscious one Connor had been trying not to ogle, was turned down at the corners. “Bye,” he said.

“See you around,” Connor said.

Hannah waited at the door for M. She held it open and waited patiently for the boy to step outside.

“You’re in for a treat. Is this the first time you’ve rode in a car?” she asked, slipping outside, and shutting the screen behind her. Connor couldn’t hear the boy’s response, but it didn’t matter.

He went to lock up behind the two of them then he stood in front of the door, listening to Hannah’s car roar to life outside. He stood there until the sound of gravel being displaced was long gone. The sound of silence pressed in on his ears in an uncomfortable way and Connor growled to himself. He was used to being alone. This was how he preferred it.

Thinking he’d try to catch the late night news, he flicked on the TV and took a seat on the couch. His bed pillow was still on one end and the throw blanket was folded on top of it. He tried to shake off the feeling of loss, but it gnawed away at his insides. He didn’t have time for this. He had work tomorrow…

 ***

The next day, Connor did his usual routine. He went jogging and watched the news while he did his weight training. He did a couple more sit-ups than usual and ate some toast afterwards.

He took a shower and got dressed for the day, collecting his work shirt from the laundry room.

With nothing else to do, he sat down with his phone. He hadn’t received a single text from Hannah and that was unusual. She usually liked to comment on her classes, or her roomies; sometimes the weather or what she wanted for lunch, but she’d said nothing today.

Feeling incredibly dumb, Connor broke down and sent her a message.

How’d it go last night at your mom’s?

He waited for a reply, flipping idly through the channels on the TV. He muted the volume after a few tense minutes and waited to hear the stupid chime that signified a new message. He settled on some court TV program, watching a fat black lady with ridiculously long purple fingernails rant to the judge. He wondered what her issue was, but didn’t care enough to turn up the volume.

Connor’s phone chimed and he jumped to check Hanna’s reply.

Everything’s fine, she texted and Connor waited for more, but there was nothing.

Growling with frustration, he went against his better judgement and asked for more detail. What’s he doing today? He’s with your mom, right? What’s her name again? Maybe I should have her phone number just in case anything goes wrong.

He then had to wait nearly four minutes before Hannah would reply. The Galaxy Express was nearly crushed to dust in his big hand before he received an answer and it wasn’t even an answer.

You’re awfully concerned. I thought you didn’t care.

Well, I took care of the kid for a couple days. You made me care, Connor texted, feeling nasty.

Well, my mom said she was going to try some basic math today. They seem to get along pretty well, actually, and her name’s Beth, I thought I told you that.

Connor again waited for more but that was the last of her texts. He asked again for the woman’s number, highlighting the fact that the kid had a seizure the other night. What if she needs help? What if M gets hurt?

If anything goes wrong, mom will call me, Hannah texted. But nothing bad is going to happen. Hey, I’m right in the middle of lecture. I’m trying to take notes for this exam on Friday. I’ve got to go.

Connor felt like someone had slapped him. He threw his phone across the room and it landed against the back of the easy chair, falling between the cushions.

I shouldn’t have bothered…. Connor thought bitterly.

The hours dragged by and Connor was impatient to get to work. Not because he wanted to be there, but because this day felt like a waste. He just wanted it to be over with.

Connor ate lunch and took the dishes to the sink. He lazily attempted to wash them, hanging over the sink, watching the bubbles swirl around the drain.

He could still feel the joy radiating off M… The memory from yesterday’s lesson on cleaning had burned the bubbles and M’s bright smile into his mind. And he remembered how hard he’d got with that lithe, oblivious body pressed against him.

“Motherfucker,” he muttered to himself and leaned over the sink. He opened the fly on his jeans and grabbed his dick, pulling it out so he could stroke it hard and fast.

“Stupid fucking brat,” he mumbled, his eyes sliding shut as a shock of pleasure spiked in his belly. He wasn’t trying, but M floated to the forefront of his mind. The boy’s full, pink lips, his soft, creamy thighs… He remembered that first morning, after teaching M Candy Crush and going on a run… Connor had returned to the trailer and had been presented with the sight of the boy’s tight little asshole. His balls hanging below them, his dick swinging in the free air.

That image made him tremble with desire. He tightened his fist around his cock and gasped. Stars appeared in his vision, blotting out the kitchen sink full of bubbles and he squeezed his dick hard as jets of cum erupted from the tip.

He collected the spunk in his hand out of habit. His breathing was ragged and uneven and standing there, the water still running, his fly undone and a load of cooling semen in his fist, he felt a surge of anger lurch up from deep inside him.

He slammed his fist against the counter, squishing the load of cum into his palm. “Fuck you, Hannah,” he grunted. She’d taken M away the second Connor had started to show some interest. The bitch was jealous. If she’d been trying to help him, then she’d failed miserably. Connor was even more confused with M gone. Now he was fantasizing about and longing for the little blond; his absence was only making things worse…

Connor was pissed with himself too. What the fuck was wrong with him? Jerking off like a madman to the image of a cute blond boy? What the fuck!

Unable to shake his anger, Connor hastily cleaned his hand off under the faucet. He was getting cum all over the dishes. It cut through the bubbles and slipped down the drain.

He abandoned the dish washing and went back to the couch. He turned up the volume on the TV and zoned out.

 

***

 

When he got to work, he parked in the back and went to punch in the code to let himself in. The door opened before he could finish and Chad, the shithead, nearly ran him over with the large trash can on wheels.

“Sorry, dude,” Chad said, running past him on his way to the dumpster.

Connor said nothing; he breezed inside and got his bank for the night.

The usual crew was there. David was cutting a pizza up, adding the garlic butter to someone’s crust. Tamera was on the phones, entering an order. Connor went straight to the dishes Chad had left for him and absorbed himself in the task.

Josh came in an hour later, just when Connor got his first order of the night. Josh said hello before he went into the dining room to talk to Angie, but Connor said nothing. He was double checking the address on dispatch and grumbling because it was taking him to the apartments.

“Delivery up!” David yelled, even though Connor was standing right there. “You ok?” David asked, giving him a second glance. The dumb kid had to push the glasses up his sweaty nose to do so, and Connor scowled at him.

“Fine. Just preparing to get stiffed.”

“What do you mean?”

Connor sighed, grabbing the 3 large pizzas. “The folks at the apartments down Spaulding are cheap as hell. Mark my words,” he checked the receipt. “It’s a 35-dollar order and they won’t tip me more than a buck.”

“Oh,” David watched him pack everything up. Connor dispatched, grabbed the credit slips that printed and stuffed them into the check divider. “Good luck, I guess.”

“Whatever,” Connor said and then headed out.

He sped down Main Street and made a couple turns until he hit Spaulding. He drove into the apartment complex and parked. The receipt said it was on the 4th floor and he geared himself up to make the trip upstairs. There were no elevators in this shit hole.

He grabbed a pen, slid it inside the check divider and grabbed the pizzas. As soon as he got out of the Honda, a group of kids ran past him, nearly knocking him over. They yelled and ran towards the park in the plaza, in the center of the complex, and Connor glared after them.

He entered the apartment building. They had a series of buzzers, but he’d been here before. This place was so rundown, the door opened easily if you yanked on it. So much for security.

He ran up the four flights of stairs, and trailed down a hallway stinking of weed. He reached apartment 409 and knocked, hearing a TV blaring inside.

The door opened and a black guy with a beer belly stood before him. “That was fast,” he said, taking the check divider from Connor.

“Yeah,” Connor said, already feeling annoyed.

“Ok,” the guy quickly handed back the receipts, not even bothering to take the customer copy. He held his hands out for the pizzas.

Connor grabbed the check divider and glanced at the merchant copy. The fucking asshole hadn’t left him a damned penny! He’d just signed the damned thing with an illegible squiggle!

“I can’t accept this. You didn’t fill out the tip or total,” Connor said, gritting his teeth.

“Oh, sorry,” the guy accepted the receipts back, wrote some more, and then handed it back. “There you go. Sorry my man, I don’t have much for a tip. Don’t you get that delivery fee anyway?”

Connor glanced again. The guy had simply rounded up to the next dollar, tipping him with fucking nickels and dimes.

“No.” Connor handed over the pizzas. The selfish bastard had proved him wrong. Not even a fucking dollar! The guy grabbed his food and slammed the door and Connor was left to barrel back down the skunky hallway, shaking with anger.

When he got back to Pizza Hut, there was another delivery on the screen. Connor almost smashed the keyboard when he saw it was on Spaulding again. Some dumb fucker had seen the Pizza Hut car topper and figured that sounded like a good idea.

“Did you get tipped?” David was eyeing him inquisitively. It looked like he was finishing the delivery order. He was packing some breadsticks in a box, adding the marinara.

“Yep!”

David smiled and went to grab a thin crust pizza out of the oven, using the pizza rocker to slice through the crust. “Hopefully it was more than a dollar.”

“Asshole gave me 60 cents!”

“Oh, man, that’s rough.”

“Fuck off!”

David zipped his lips.

It was another long night. When Josh finally deigned to log in, Connor let him have the next one. It was in another rundown part of town and he really didn’t want to take it. The dough list was posted and he busied himself with the monotonous work. He couldn’t fucking wait to get out of here.

At the end of the night, he cashed out with a whopping 22 bucks. 14 fucking orders he’d had tonight and each and every one of them had been an asshole.

He drove to the bank and deposited his shitty tips. He’d ended up leaving his phone at home so he had no idea if Hannah had bothered to fill him in on the rest of M’s day. He remembered her saying something about calling after Connor was done with work, and he sped up a little.

He got home and rushed up the steps. Squish.

“Oh—Fucking hell!” Connor screamed, leaning against the side of the trailer and hitching his leg up, checking the bottom of his shoe. It was dog shit. Those fucking kids had left dog shit at his door again!

He wrenched open the screen door and slammed the keys into the slot, cursing as he kicked his shoe off and went inside.

“Fucking assholes!” he said to no one, because the trailer was dark and empty.

As usual.

He went to take a shower first. The smell of dog shit was lodged in his nose. It took him nearly 45 minutes to wash up the mess after that. He cleaned his shoe in the kitchen sink, then he dumped a couple buckets full of soapy water on the front step. He threw his work clothes in the laundry and afterwards, he slumped onto the couch, angry, frustrated, a whole lot of negative emotions swirling inside him.

He hated his job. He hated people. And clearly, they hated him too.

After stewing in negativity for a while, he again thought about the call from M and Hannah. He went to grab his phone, fishing it out from the cushions.

It was just past 1 in the morning and there were no notifications on his phone. The last text from Hannah was hours ago, saying she had to go. There were no missed calls.

“Bitch!” He tossed the phone back into the chair. He was so done with this day. This shitty, worthless day. He took himself to bed where he laid for hours, listening to the bug zapper sizzle the clueless fuckers to death. He passed out eventually, and finally found himself a bit of peace.

The next day wasn’t quite as bad as Wednesday had been, but it sure didn’t start off that way.

He woke up to see Hannah had finally texted him. She was sorry for not calling, but both she and M had passed out before midnight.

Connor didn’t forgive her. He responded with a simple, ok.

She said M was doing great. He was reading simple words and his handwriting was a lot neater than she’d expected.

Ok.

The math lessons had gone well, Hannah told him. And after a crash course in addition and subtraction, Beth had taken M to the park where they’d talked to an old couple with a dog. M had loved petting it. It was like he’d never seen one before.

Connor was definitely not interested in a dog. Ok, he texted back.

Are you doing alright? Hannah asked.

Not really.

What’s going on?

Had another bad night, he texted. He was about to elaborate when Hannah’s next message came through.

Crap, we’ll talk more later. My group’s up next for presentation.

He scratched his fingers through his hair, and dropped the phone next to him on the couch. He would have said ok again, but why bother. Hannah was busy and M was having a great time. They didn’t need him. They didn’t even care.

That night, Connor dutifully showed up to work. He took his deliveries and didn’t bother to check his tips until the end of the night. He felt next to nothing when he calculated that he’d made another 40 bucks. Whatever. It didn’t even matter.

They closed up shop for the night and Connor was able to leave his coworkers behind. He headed to the bank to deposit his tips and it was on the way there when his phone started ringing. He fumbled in his back pocket, swerving over the yellow line.

It was Hannah’s number.

“Hello?”

“Connor!”

It was M, and Connor slowed down as he turned into the bank. Instead of going through the ATM, he parked and shut off the engine.

“Hey, how’s it going,” he asked. At work, that question was rhetorical, but Connor was truly interested tonight.

“It’s going alright,” M said. “But I miss you.”

“You do?”

“Yeah. Beth is a nice lady. I like going to the park and seeing all the nature, but I miss watching TV with you.”

Connor laughed. “Where’s Hannah?”

“Asleep,” M said after a pause. “I saw her call someone today and I asked her how to spell your name so I could find it in her phone.”

“Whoa, that was pretty sneaky of you.” Connor grinned.

“Is that bad?”

“No, don’t worry about it,” Connor said. “She said she was going to let you call me anyway.”

“Ok!”

Connor was grinning. He didn’t even notice it, but he was. “So, tell me how the lessons are going? Hannah said you’re doing better with reading and I agree. You figured out her contacts list.”

“Oh, I love it! She taught me how to sing that song. ABC’s. I know what an M looks like now.”

“Well, I wish you could actually spell your name, not just the first letter.”

“I know. But I like counting and math. Beth plays a game with me and when I count good, she gives me a piece of candy!”

Connor rolled his eyes. “That’s some serious motivation.”

“I know!” M sounded like he was vibrating with excitement. Connor chuckled. “She was trying to teach me some American history today though. I didn’t like it. It was confusing.”

“I don’t like history either,” Connor said. “America’s got a dark past. They should probably save that for later.”

“It used to be dark?”

“No, stupid, this country used to be pretty evil. We originally stole it from the Indians. Then we brought a bunch of slaves over to work the lands. It’s pretty messed up.”

“What are slaves?”

“Nothing you need to know about,” Connor said.

“Oh, ok,” M said happily. “Hey, Hannah said you had a bad day at work. Are you ok, Connor?”

“I’m fine,” Connor sighed, rubbing a hand across his face. It was greasy from all the oil he’d worked with earlier doing the dough. He needed to get home, get in the shower. But that could wait.

“Are you sure?”

“I guess I’m a little lonely,” Connor admitted. He was completely alone out here. The bank was dark, the stores surrounding it were too. A car passed on the main road but then it was dark again. Nobody but this strange boy would know he’d had a moment of weakness.

“Maybe you shouldn’t live by yourself,” M said helpfully. “I think you should come get me.”

“I honestly don’t know where you are,” Connor said. “I asked for Beth’s phone number but for some reason, Hannah won’t give it to me.”

“She’s keeping me away from you,” M said. “She made me talk about you. A lot. She asked if we kissed or if we slept together and I said no. You make me sleep on the couch.”

Connor’s face instantly filled with heat. “Really?”

“Why does she care if we kiss? Why does she care where I sleep? Why does she ask so many questions?”

Because she’s jealous? Connor thought. “She’s just trying to figure you out,” he said instead, not wanting to put guilt on the boy. He wouldn’t understand anyway. Connor had told him, quite clearly, that he and Hannah were simply friends. Why complicate things in the kid’s mind?

“Well, I still think I should come back and stay with you. I’ve already learned a lot here.”

“Did you tell Hannah that?”

“Yes. I tell her every chance I get,” M said. “That’s why I think she’s keeping me from you. She’s my friend. But she doesn’t care what I want.”

Connor bit his lip. “Just wait until the weekend. I’ll meet with her and we’ll talk about it.”

“How long is it until the weekend.”

“Just a few days,” Connor said. “It’s technically Friday now, and Saturday is the beginning of the weekend.”

“That’s right! Hannah was teaching me the days of the week!”

Connor smiled. “You’ll be a genius soon. I’m sure.”

“A genius?”

“You’ll be really smart,” Connor said, rolling his eyes.

“Are you at home now?” M asked, a hint of longing in his tone.

“No. I’m dropping my tips for the night in the bank.”

“What does that mean?”

“I have to pay electric on Friday. So tonight. It comes out of my bank at 8pm and I just barely managed to get enough money to pay it.”

“What do you do at your job?” M asked. “How do you make money there?”

Connor sighed. “That’s a question for another time, kid. I should probably get home. It’s late.”

“Oh, ok.”

M sounded devastated and Connor instantly felt bad for turning him down.

“You should probably get some sleep, M. I’m sure you have a lot of learning ahead of you tomorrow.”

“Yeah.”

“Listen, if you really want to come back to the trailer. I’ll make it happen.”

“I do,” M said. “I never wanted to leave, Hannah said you wanted me to.”

“That’s not true,” Connor said.

M was quiet for a minute. “I think she wants to be your mate, Connor. Why do you say she’s your friend?”

Now it was Connor’s turn to fall into silence.

“Connor?”

“I don’t know, M. I know she wants to be more than friends. But I’m not really comfortable with it.”

“Would you be more comfortable if… she was a boy?”

M was definitely not stupid, but Connor saw right through that one. “No. It would be worse.”

“Oh.”

“I’ve got to go. But I’ll see you really soon, ok?” Connor said. “You know how to call me now, so if you need to, do it.”

“As long as Hannah’s asleep,” M said. “She always changes the subject when I ask.”

Connor didn’t really know how he felt about that. He understood the girl’s jealousy. Sort of, anyway. When they’d been at school together, Hannah had her fair share of guy friends. A lot of whom seemed to be attracted to her. It hadn’t mattered to Connor though. He would have preferred to see her go off with one of them actually.

“I’ll see you soon,” Connor said again.

“Bye, Connor.”

“Goodnight,” Connor said and he hung up.

He turned the car back on and backed up, angling for the ATM drive-thru. He deposited the money, smiling when he saw the balance was exactly as it should be. The rest of the bills would get paid next week when Connor got his paycheck, but anything he made Friday and Saturday would be his to keep. And it sounded like he’d have to think about going back to the grocery store, because he was about to have a houseguest again.

Connor went home in a pretty good mood and it was all thanks to M.

***

He woke up the next morning in a good mood. He stretched and yawned and then rolled out of bed, grabbing his jogging shorts and heading out the door.

The jog was invigorating, although it was another hot day. When he got back to the trailer, the first thing he did was grab a drink to quench his thirst. He was pouring sweat and he grabbed a paper towel from the roll resting on the counter and mopped up.

Then he heard his phone start buzzing like crazy.

He went to fetch it. It was still in his room, and by the time he got there the call had gone to voicemail. He sat on the edge of the bed and glanced at the screen.

There were three missed calls from Hannah, and they’d all been made in the last 5 minutes. As he checked the logs, Hannah called again.

“Hello?”

“Connor thank god!” it was actually Hannah this time. She sounded frantic.

“Um, what’s up?”

“Connor! M had a seizure. My mom’s said she’s going to call an ambulance. He’s ok now, I guess, but he’s fell over and hit his head.”

“What?”

“He had a seizure!”

Connor leapt up, running into the kitchen, and reaching for the junk drawer. He rummaged around, grabbing a pen and a scrap of paper. “What’s her address. Tell her I’m coming now! Tell her not to call 911.”

“Why? I thought you wanted—”

“What’s the address?!”

“3827 Randolph Lane.”

“Do what I say or they’ll fucking take him away from all of us,” Connor pressed. “M’s a nutcase and they’ll want to know why.”

“Okay,” Hannah gasped.” Just hurry.”

Connor hung up and ran out the front door. He started to lock up when he realized he hadn’t even grabbed his keys. He rushed back inside, grabbed the keys, locked up behind him and hurried to get in the Honda.

He knew where Randolph was. It was just outside campus, about a half hour from the trailer. He tore off down his gravel drive, rocks leaping up, hitting the windows as he flew for the road.

He had to hurry. He had to save M.