Chapter 67 - Num

Heart thought about the girl cat to get his brain off of where his feet were taking uncertain steps towards.

'She looked older than a kitten, but she seemed lonely. Are you lonely? Do you get cold at night? Do you have anyone who makes sure you eat?'

'Min always made sure I would eat, even if what she used to feed me wasn't very good. She always made sure I had someplace warm to sleep, and most of all she always, always, always, always made sure I was never alone.'

Home didn't seem so scary anymore, it was warm, comforting and much better than staying out here in the growing cool of the evening.

Heart entered the little code to get into the building and ran up the four flights of stairs as fast as he could, then down the long hall, and put the key into the door, but before he could even turn it the door handle turned and yanked back. He stared at Min startled, tears in his eyes.

Min's face was frowning in annoyance and anger. "Where the hell have you been?"

"I'm sorry Min! I was bad." Heart flung himself into Min's arms and Min caught him, every bit of anger draining out of her face and replaced with concern.

She wrapped her arms around him and carried him over to the couch carefully setting him down but not letting go. Instead, she sank right into the brown couch nestling her body tightly next to his.

"What happened? You are filthy and is that a bruise on your chin? Heart what...?"

"I'm sorry Min. I didn't want to upset you... But I didn't want to come home."

"Heart...I don't even know what to say."

"Why wouldn't you want to come home?"

"Because I didn't want to get into trouble." Heart said sniffling softly. A soft breeze blew through the living room and he sighed enjoying it, gulping some of it down to give him the courage to say what he needed to say.

"I punched Fuse in the chest."

Min looked at Heart stunned, her mouth gaping at him.

"I...I.."

"I don't know what to say. "

"Why…. did you punch Fuse in the chest?" Min asked very slowly.

Heart observed her very carefully relaxing as he sensed that she was upset but not as angry as he thought she would be.

"Fuse said that I couldn't play Ngoo Kin Hang with the other kids today to celebrate the festival."

"He said that only the kids with families could play Ngoo Kin Hang with him. But there was no one else to play with, the whole class was going to play it."

"I ordered him to take that back, I said I have a family, that I have you."

"He laughed at me and said I didn't have any parents, what family did I have? Then he said I was an orphan, and that there was a place for kids like me, and it wasn't school. He shoved me and told me to go play alone because I am unlucky."

"So I punched him."

"He said you didn't count!"

Heart looked down at his hands unhappily.

"The idiot deserved it."

"Heart! We don't call people names, and we certainly don't punch them when they have insulted us."

"Why not? I woulda punched him too?" Tee said cheekily.

Heart and Min both turned to look at him, he grinned and set the food he had brought over down on the countertop.

The smell of the barbecued pork and the sausage tickled his nose, and his stomach growled hungrily.

"Well, I guess not only are nine-year-olds vicious with their mouths, but their stomachs can also be pretty vicious too. What do you say, big sis, have a heart and let him eat first before you send him off to the army to pay his dues."

Min glared at Tee.

"You are not helping the situation at all! Hitting someone is not good, Heart. Ever."

"No matter the circumstance." Min stood up and walked over to the counter and began helping Tee get out plates, and he sat up and looked at Tee.

Tee gave him a wink.

"Honestly, I think he was pretty nice, he hit the kid once. I certainly wouldn't have been that nice at that age. Especially if someone insulted my sister."

Min smacked Tee in the arm glaring at him.

"You shouldn't be encouraging him to start fights, Tee."

"Yeah you are right, he is too scrawny right now, he will get his butt kicked."

"I did get my butt kicked." Heart responded, turning back and slumping into the back of the couch, since his ribs hurt from trying to peer behind him at the two of them.

"Yeah, I can tell. You are an absolute mess. You realize you are showering before you go to bed tonight right?"

Heart groaned.

"I won't melt from a little dirt Min."

"No, but I will if I have to take your bed apart and haul it all the way down to the laundry machine outside Uncle Piriwat's shop. If I have to do that then you are helping. Since your bedding isn't light and fluffy."

Heart groaned, then sighed.

"And I didn't get like this from fighting. I stood up and punched Fuse like a man and I didn't fall when he punched me back. He hits like a girl." Heart said, rubbing his nose unapologetically.

"Then how the heck did you get dirty? Also, not good, don't be proud of how you beat someone up."

Tee snickered, and Min elbowed him. Heart hid his smile behind his hand for a moment before masking his smile neatly and uncovering his mouth.

"I got like this because I laid on the ground in the back alley to pet a squishy cat!"

A loud mew interrupted Heart and they all turned to the open window. Where the black and orange cat now stood on top of the little ledge inside the window. Her paws balancing neatly on the little edge as if it were no difficulty at all.

Heart smirked.

"Squishy!" Heart exclaimed.