Was Something Wrong ?

"I –I-I…" Jeff was caught by surprise and he could only stutter. He did not know how to respond to his question.

What was he supposed to say?

"I am so-sorry for troubling you boss." Jeff kneeled on the ground since that was the first thing that came to his mind when he faced the questions. He was guilty and remorseful for being a burden.

"I am really sorry. I apologize for all the problems I caused.." Jeff was slightly trembling. He was afraid he might be once again discarded because he was a useless good for nothing kid.

-

-

He had been a burden to his parents, so even they disowned him, kicking him out of the house on the streets.

"Don't ever show up on this doorstep ever again." His dad had kicked him out of the house on a rainy night without even a proper clothing. Forget about clothes he did not even get a chance to wear his shoes.

As for the money…..

His stomach grumbling all the way he reached a vendor but he only had air inside his pocket. Swallowing the saliva in his mouth he walked away, the rain hitting his injuries on his face he got when he was in a fight that day which was totally not his fault.

"Useless…"

"Good for nothing.."

"Troublemaker.."

That's what they called him but…

No one ever listened to his side of story. Before he could even defend and justify himself he was shunned out by his own parents.

"Hah…if you are not even going to bother listening to me why even ask me questions?" Jeff wiped the rain falling on his face bitterly. He even doubted they were his parents.

Bare foot, he walked along the empty streets reaching an empty alley or so he thought. Wanting to take a shelter he went inside a small shop but there they were.

The ones responsible for his injury. The senior from his high school or more like delinquents that had brought trouble all over the locality with their misconduct and he was just another small victim.

"Ohh…look who we have here!" A baldy with a tattoo on his bald head looked at Jeff taking a puff of his smoke. He let out a snicker which sounded more like mockery looking at his sorry state.

His followers laughed following his suite shaking the whole of the shop with their loud and malicious laughter.

-

-

"That was fun…an evening exercise." Stretching his buff body the baldy walked laughing towards the thin figure which lied on the wet and cold ground breathing shallowly.

"Boy, let's have fun next time too.." Picking up the baseball bat the baldy walked away with his followers and gangs following after him like a tail.

"This sucks…." With the breathe about to escape from his lungs Jeff cursed heavily. 'But this is also okay…I don't need to find a place to stay for the night...' The pain and mental exhaustion took toll on him and before he knew it his eyes were slowly closing.

But..

'Who the hell is that…' Squinting his eyes that were blinded temporarily by the light from a car Jeff tried looking at the idiot who did that.

-

-

The headlight from a car glowed up the figure on the street as it lay helplessly on the rain.

"A hit and run case?" Liam looked at the boy covered in blood lying on the ground.

"It doesn't seem to be so." The driver who was near obserbed carefully as he informed. "Boss, he might be a runaway kid."

"A runaway huh??" Liam looked at the boy, various emotions playing in his dark black eyes.

"Take him with us." Liam leaned back on his seat and closed his eyes as he ordered the man. "Ehhh?? But boss…." The driver did not think it was a nice idea to bring someone random inside a car especially when their business was a sensitive one.

"Its fine. Just do it." Liam did nor want to bicker anymore. As the boss his decisions were final and that was it.

-

-

Before he knew it, jeff was picked up from the street and taken to a warm and cozy place to sleep. That was the first time he had ever felt warmth from anyone or anything and he owed that beautiful feeling to Liam but now…..

Jeff trembled slightly as he begged for forgiveness. He did not want to leave the gang, he did not want to miss the warmth he had felt in the home he was given by Liam and most importantly he had been attached to Liam before he knew it.

"Boss…I will do better so please don't kick me out.." again. But Jeff swallowed the last word in his throat.

*Silence*

Trembling he waited for the words of Liam as if he was waiting for the final verdict from a king.

"Hahahahaha….." A laugh rang out throughout the room.

"This boy..." Liam looked at the boy who was trembling as if he had bullied him. "Why would I even kick you out?"

"But I am such a loser…" Jeff gritted his teeth acknowledging his own shortcomings.

"So what?" Liam stopped and asked in his deep and low voice. "I am also not the smartest person around. You have things you are good at and well there are things that I am good at."

Getting up from the couch Liam extended his hand touching the hair on his head and rubbing it till it became a nest of bird.

"So stop staring at me with those round bunny eyes and gear up you dork." He flicked his finger at his forehead still with a laugh on his face.

"Then I can stay here right?" Jeff looked at him like an excited kid.

"Yes yes, no one can kick you out unless I am the one." Liam gave a smug look. "So try and curry favor with me…" He gave a short laugh in the end which came to a sudden halt.

"Thank you boss…" Like a high school kid whose confession has been accepted Jeff jumped up at him and gave a 'brotherly' hug.

"Tsk..kids now days.." He laughed patting his head. He felt he was acting more like a babysitter than a loan shark these days considering how he was always around small kids like Lucia and Jeff.

Embarrassed at his sudden outburst, Jeff hurried away and covered himself with the blanket from head to feet. "Goodnight boss." For some reason, his face felt hot to the point he could feel them burning his hand.

"Hmm…take it easy boy.." Liam returned back the wish as he looked out of the window at the pale moonlight. He had a premonition but he did not know what that was.

A phone call broke his deep thought. "What it is?" He answered solemnly on the phone.

"What??" Liam had a 'not again' expression on his face. "Ok, I will be there soon. Okay.." Liam hurriedly cut off the call and hurried out the door of the room.

Before he left, he looked at the cluster of blanket on the bed and gave a shallow smile. "I will be back soon."

When the hurried footsteps died away, Jeff came out from inside his blanket and looked with worried expression.

"Why is he in such a hurry? Did something happen?"

But since it was a matter of boss's privacy he felt it was not right to pry in those matters that did not concern him.

Pulling the blankets he decided to sleep so as to recover fast.

He did not want to become a burden to him even though Liam had said it was fine but for him it was not fine.