out there somewhere

Micah never thought they'd make it to Iona's Aunt's house, but just when he was about to give up hope, there it was in a very small town. Of course, it didn't have a small-town feel. He was definitely an outsider here.

They weren't all that welcoming to Iona either. Well, not in Micah's eyes. They talked of her not taking care of her Aunt. Had she lost weight? And all those stories about her when she was fat.

Of course, all there was to eat was fatty pork ribs, potato salad and every other starch one might think of for a Fourth celebration, only it wasn't.

Iona's Aunt died in that house while feeding her cat in the kitchen. The recollections of it made Micah all the more uncomfortable. He really didn't like Iona's people.

But Iona played on her phone. She was supposedly texting somebody from back where she worked. She took it all in stride. No one would ruffle her feathers.

And then a long haired dude showed up, his name was Baxter.

"Why did you bring him?" He asked Iona as if he took it personal. By the look he gave Micah, Iona was his woman and he better get the hell out of here before he beat him up.

"You don't have to care, brother." She gave him a dead stare back as if he'd met his match.

Micah couldn't help but wince, wondering if they'd even get through the night.

Finally, they made it upstairs to Iona's room. It looked as if it hadn't changed since she was teen. Posters of pop singers and doodles donned her pink wall.

The bed was only a twin. Seriously, Micah didn't know if they could make it through the night.

He gave her a bottle of water, an apple and peanut butter crackers. Truly, he felt bad for her. Had this been her life, all this time?

"Baxter is my Aunt's only son," Iona told him.

"But, but what is he to you?" Micah didn't know what to think of Baxter's anger issues.

"Somebody, I grew up with. He never liked me," she shrugged.

"Huh-uh," Micah gritted a smile. He didn't see that at all. "But, you're cousins?"

Iona shook her head, no. She said this wasn't her real family, but it was the only one she'd known since she was five.

They sat down together on the shakey bed. He placed his hand on her back and gently rubbed her tired shoulders. He hated to tell her no one really cared about her here. Well, maybe Baxter did in his own weird way.

"I guess he thought I'd be back to try to get the house," Iona said that would never happen. Nothing really belonged to her here. "Nothing is ever really simple with him. After all, his mother was bi-polar and maybe that's where he learned it from."

Micah nodded. He was too sleepy to complain. He couldn't wait to head home.