• When we got to his house there were camera crews everywhere. Ryder groaned and went around the small neighbor to the back and parked. We ran across his neighbor’s lawn then to the back door of the small little home. A dog barked to my right and I saw a small brown lab sitting in a kennel, wagging his tail.

    “Hi puppy,” I said sweetly. He barked happily.

    “That’s Ottie,” Ryder said putting his hand on the small of my back.

    “He’s cute,” I said as Ryder opened the back door.

    “He’s Jesse’s dog,” I nodded. He was the one closes in age to Ryder…I think.

    I heard the noise as soon as the door opened. Screaming kids, laughing, TV blasting in the living room. Ryder laughed and stepped in bringing me with him. He shut the door and I stood still almost frightened from the all the noise. Kids barreled down the hallway to my right carrying a tabby cat clothed in a baby doll dress…with a bonnet. The kitchen on my left had food on the stove and some of it looked like it was burning.

    “s**t!” Ryder ran over leaving my hand empty and pulled the fish off the stove. He turned off the burner frowning. “Mom!” He yelled.

    “THE FISH!” Came a loud yelled as Ryder’s mom ran into the kitchen. She had short gray hair and pretty blue eyes. She looked a lot older then I thought she would be. “Oh goodness! Thank you! I was feeding the baby when I—Who’s this?” her eyes looked at me with startled eyes, she hadn’t seen me before but then she smiled kindly. She had an apron on and a baby rag on her shoulder. Ryder grinned and came back over to my side.

    “Mommy!” Screamed a little boy’s voice as he ran into the kitchen. He had red hair and the most different eyes I had ever seen! It was an orange-ish yellow….it reminded me of a sunset.

    “Michael, what’s wrong?” she asked worried. Big tears streamed down his face as he put his tiny finger up to her. She saw it was a little red and smiled.

    “Let mommy kiss it,” she kissed the tip then pretended to try to eat it. The little boy, Michael, giggled and pulled away with a smile. “Go play some more baby,” she said and he ran along not really noticing Ryder and I. She sighed and looked at us. “I’m sorry, we at least have one of the kids get hurt a day.” She gave a chuckle. “So, what is your name honey?” she seemed very sweet, I thought.

    “Mom this is Trinity…from Wal-Mart,” Ryder said, his cheeks getting a little red. His mom’s mouth turned to an O and then she grinned at both of us.

    “I’m Carrie,” she said politely. I smiled.

    “Nice to meet you,” smoke billowed from the oven and we all looked over.

    “The cake!” Carrie squeaked as she ran over. Ryder chuckled and shook his head.

    “Let’s go away from the kitchen. I think that cake might catch on fire.” Ryder steered us into the small house and we went into the living room. It was crowded with kids of all ages. I almost felt overwhelmed. They all looked up at us.

    “Ry, Ry!” A little blonde girl jumped to her feet and bolted into Ryder’s leg, hugging him. He laughed. She looked up and then to Trinity. Her smile got bigger. “Are you here to play Barbie’s with me?” she asked. I shook my head not knowing what to do.

    “Rainbow this is….my girlfriend. She’s here to meet all of you,” he said looking Trinity in the eyes for a minute. His eyes were bright with happiness. Rainbow hugged me around the waist and I flinched startled. Then I patted her pretty head.

    “Hi,” I said quietly.

    “We want to meet her too!” Two little brown hair boys stood in front of us looking identical. They had said it in unison.

    “She’s pretty,”

    “Whats your name?” They asked.

    “Um…I’m Trinity,” I said. Their eyes shown with interest.

    “Do you like cops and robbers?” One twin said.

    “I like playing the cop, its more fun.” The other twin said.

    “No its not!” the first one said. They started to fight.

    “Hey! Rusty ! Rance! Knock it off! We have guest.” They stopped and nodded.

    “Hi! I’m Hollyn,” a tap on my shoulder made me turn to see a girl with glasses and a nerdy smile. She must be the one that was 13. Its that stage around puberty where you’re not yet grown into your body yet. I thought of mine and shivered. I was a big dorky kid.

    “Its hard to tell the twins apart but Rance is always the one who starts the fights first. Rusty is like the leader so Rance listened to him…sometimes,” Hollyn said. I nodded biting my lip. “Chason the baby of the family is sleeping but maybe mom will let you hold him!” She said her eyes lighting up. “He drools a lot but he’s cute.” I laughed a little. The stress of meeting so many people was fading…a little. “Mom I’m going out!” A voice said coming into the living room. A girl with purple hair and tight clothes walked in and stopped and stared at me. Ryder grimaced at her outfit.

    “Who are you?” she asked rudely.

    “Yvette!” Carrie scowled from the kitchen. She shrugged.

    “This is Trinity, my girlfriend,” Ryder said. Yvette stared at me with menacing eyes.

    “So another girlfriend so soon?” She snapped. Ryder looked down and picked Rainbow up. She fiddled with his hair.

    “Yvette, not now,” he ordered. She grabbed a purse and jacket hanging on a chair and glared at him.

    “Whatever. I’m leaving,” Yvette took off out the front door. We heard her screams at the camera people and Hollyn gave out a laugh. Another girlfriend so soon? What was that supposed to mean? Did Ryder lie about not having a girlfriend since his last one dumped him? I looked at him and his eyes were pleading not to start. I nodded stiffly.

    “Can she hold me?” Rainbow asked Ryder looking at me. “She has pretty earrings.” Ryder kissed her forehead.

    “Why don’t we leave her alone for now,” Ryder said with a small laugh. She nodded. “Now, where’s Jesse and Meeka?” he asked.

    “Their in their rooms. Meeka yelled at me because I wanted her to play Barbie’s and she said she was doing her college school,” Rainbow said with a pout.

    “We’re going to go see them okay? Hollyn with play with you,” Ryder put her down.

    “Hey!” Hollyn scowled from across the room. Ryder took my hand and we went back the hall. He knocked on a door and opened it a little.

    “Jesse, I have someone I want you to meet,” Ryder said and we walked in. Jesse sat on his bed with Ryder’s ear phones in and a magazine on his lap. He looked up and smiled kindly and took off his ears phones.

    “Trinity this is Jesse, my roommate,” he pointed to the bed across from Jesse’s. I smiled at Jesse.

    “Ryder talked a lot about you,” I said kindly. He smiled shyly.

    “Thanks…So you’re the girl that he was stuck with in Wal-Mart right?”

    I blushed slightly and nodded. He winked at Ryder.

    “Cool. Meeka is in her room. I’m sure she would want to meet Trinity,” Jesse said. He looked at me and smiled kindly. “Nice to meet you Trinity.”

    Ryder knocked on Meeka’s door quietly and smiled at me.

    “No Rainbow, I’m not going to play Barbies with you. I’m busy!” Meeka shouted from inside of the room. Ryder chuckled and opened the door.

    “I don’t play Barbies,” Ryder said. Meeka looked up from a small silver desk with piles of books spread across it. She had light brown hair and brown eyes and wore a pair of black rimmed glasses. She looked tall and curvy and also tired.

    “Ryder, oh, who’s this?” She asked looking at me with a blank expression.

    “This is Trinity,” Ryder said with a squeeze to my hand. I smiled at her.

    “Hi,” Her lips tightened into a thin line.

    “I guess Ryder already told you, I’m Meeka.” She got up out of her chair and stood at least two inches taller then me.

    “Um, er, yes, he did. All good things,” I reply weakly. She was a little intimidating. She nodded.

    “I think my mom’s got food ready I’m sure, I’ll come back down stairs with you guys and help her,” Meeka answered. She glanced at Ryder for a second giving some kind of message and smiled a little at me. We all walked down the stairs and went into the kitchen.

    “Ah there you are Meeka! I can see you met Trinity. Isn’t she so pretty!” Ryder’s mom said with a delightful look in her eyes. I blushed a little. Meeka nodded and looked at me. With sad eyes she nodded again.

    “She is,” then she glanced at Ryder. Something again pasted between them. I looked away.

    “Okay, okay kids! Everyone to the table…now!” Carrie yelled, it echoed through the house and with a rush all the kids were running full throttle into the dining room. Meeka went into the living room and got the baby and put him in his high chair at the table. Everyone was queshed it looked like. The table was only supposed to fit 4 but it had 7 sitting around it.

    There was a bar that looked into the kitchen and Ryder and I took a seat there.

    “Now, now, settle down, your dad will be home soon. Let’s give thanks,” all the kids bowed there heads and Carrie gave thanks.

    Before I knew it, the kids had eaten everything on the table while I ate my first bite of chicken. Ryder laughed at them and he too had finished his quickly. Meeka sat next to me chewing her food slowly. The door opened in the front of the house and all the kids screamed with joy.

    “Dad!” the twin boys, Rainbow, and Hollyn all ran toward the living room.

    “Hey!” a man’s voice said with joy. Ryder’s father came into the kitchen wearing a business suit and carrying a briefcase. He grinned at all of us.

    “Did you save me any food or did the goobers eat everything?” he said. The kids that had ran to the living room came around the corner and grabbed onto him. He laughed and kissed them all on the forehead. He had gray hair just as Carrie did but he looked handsome for an older man.

    He looked at me after the kids had moved to go play. “Carrie, please tell me you didn’t adopt anymore kids?” he said with humor. Carrie laughed and took her husbands coat and briefcase.

    “No dear, this is Trinity, Ryder’s girlfriend,” she said winking at Ryder. Ryder grinned.

    “Well hi Trinity, I’m John. You must be the girl from Wal-Mart,” he said sweetly. Like his wife. I nodded.

    “Yes sir,” he laughed at that. He went to Meeka and kissed her head.

    It made me think of my father and how he never does that. It made me feel an ache in my chest.

    “Hi daddy,” Meeka said without looking up at him. The ache grew bigger.

    After everything was cleaned up and Meeka, Carrie, Ryder and I both sat, still at the bar talking. They asked about my family and I told them about my brother. It was strange. I had never told anyone but Ryder about that and here I was telling his family. But I felt completely myself with them. It felt good.

    “Ry, come play with me!” Rainbow said at the kitchen door. Ryder rolled his eyes but he was smiling.

    “Not know Bow.” She pouted. Ryder sighed and looked at me.

    “Go,” I said with a laugh. He got up and ran after Rainbow chuckling.

    Meeka sighed too and leaned against the bar.

    “You’re really good with him,” Meeka said.

    “Thanks. He’s a really good guy,” I answered. She smiled fondly at me.

    “I think your perfect for him. With his last girlfriend…it was rough.” She said sadly. I nodded.

    “Yeah, I can’t believe she would break up with him. He’s…what?” I asked. She was giving me a funny look and Carrie came over to lean on the counter.

    “Break up? No, they never broke up. She died in a car accident.” Meeka said, my heart pounded in my chest.

    “What?”