He puts his hand on my face and his palm rests on my cheek just barely touching as we don't break off.

My heart beats from my chest and I can feel it in my head. We soon break off and look at each other. He has a tiny hint of a smile on his face but mine is making no emotion, not even a straight line. Nothing to give a hint of what I am thinking because I don't know what I'm thinking.

He puts his arm around my back in between my shoulder blades and I wrap my arms around his back and neck, burying my face in his shoulder. 

"I'm sorry-I didn't mean-I-"

"I know," I say quietly into his shoulder.

He hugs me tighter and I curl up a bit more. After a little while, he speaks up in a quiet and soft voice.

"Do you wanna go back to your own bed?" He asks unsure if I'm awake.

I don't want to get up and leave but I don't want to sleep in his bed with him. I hug him tighter before backing off a little. He lets go of me and I slide back and off the bed. He watches me till I go completely behind him and lay in my own bed.

It's so much colder. I grab my blanket and curl up into a ball as I cover myself. I face the wall and my eyes burn from being so tired just making the tears in my eyes worse. I look at the picture covered wall and close my eyes and I fall asleep.

oOoOoO The Next Morning oOoOo

I wake up to hear the shower running. I rub my eyes and look around. Memories of last night rush back. I question whether it was real or not. I slowly get up as red paints my face.

I close my eyes and bury my head in my hands before dropping my hands and getting up. I get a pair of jeans and a gray sweater and a random pair of shoes as I think about what happened last night and what things are gonna be like between us now.

I look through my drawer realizing I have the rest of my hoodies in my bag. I sigh and pull out one of my bags. I unzip it and open the lid. 

At the same time, the bathroom door opens, I look over and Alan comes out wearing jeans, and a plain black t-shirt. He looks at me and smiles, I smile back as I turn my attention back to my bag.

"Finally woke up?"

"Yep. Pretty happy I don't got kid duty today either." I say looking for my hoodie stash.

"Watcha doing?"

"Looking for a hoodie."

He walks over and looks over my shoulder as I find all my hoodies. I pull a few out of the way looking for my bigger, softer one with my school logo on it.

"Wait just a minute."

He quickly comes beside me and I quickly look to him and the hoodies. And I realize what he is looking at. My heart stops and my eyes go wide. He goes to grab that hoodie but I quickly close the lid and sit on the top of it.

"Beth."

"Yes?"

"What hoodie was that?"

"What hoodie?"

"The one the guys just so happened to explain giving to Tori."

"I don't have her hoodie."

"Really? Then get off the suitcase."

"Nah, I'm good right here."

He lifts up the side and reaches in as I try to close it on his hand.

"Ow!"

He soon pulls out the hoodie and I sigh.

"Can I ask why you have her hoodie?"

"Borrowing it."

He raises an eyebrow. 

"Why didn't you want me to see it?"

"You don't need to go through my suitcase."

"That so? Because you hadn't said anything about saying goodbye to Tori on that day, and you and her happened to leave school the exact same day."

"That is just a coincidence."

"They have never heard her full voice and never seen her face."

"From what I hear."

"She is a street fighter after school and a nerd otherwise."

"What are you getting at?"

"Oh, nothing, Tori." He says smirking.

"What are you talking about?"

"They don't know your this Tori girl do they?"

"Wait, wait, wait, you think I'm Tori?"

"Nice try. I have known you since you were five. I'm not dumb either. You have been playing them!"

"There is no convincing you that I'm not Tori?"

"Nope."

I sigh. 

"I'm not Tori!!" I say surprised that he figured it out.

I am not about to tell anyone that I am Tori.

"Six years old, you wanted to change your name to Tori and run away. You said that you wanted to have a fake identity that was named Tori and was mute so that you could leave."

"Your point?"

"Six years old, you learned about street fighting from a book way above your reading level."

"So?"

"Age seven, you said you were gonna be a streetfighter named Tori who is secretive and number one. And me and Willow were gonna be the only ones to know."

"It's coincidental, I'm telling you!"

"You are playing them."

"Even if I was, so what?"

He smirks. How did he figure this out before the guys did?!

"You're a player!"

"Before I say anything you have to promise that whatever I say stays between us."

"Done."

"I got into street fighting when I got out and learned to improve over time. I had always had my face hidden, stayed mute and on top. Before I met any of them. When I had I realized that I needed to keep my distance. But then I had become close to them as Beth and they were drawn to Tori."

"Oh, shoot."

"When I found out they liked her, they would not stop talking about her, or me, or, you know what I mean. And I can't let them know it's me. They are kinda my only friends there and I like hanging out with them but if they found out, everyone at school would find out. And I would have to move schools, lose them and lose a lot of trust that I had gained."

"How awkward was it when they talked about her to you?"

I remember one thing specifically and I rub the back of my neck as my face goes red.

"Extremely awkward. But you are the first person to ever know any of this."

"What did they say?"

"Tori was hot, cute, among other things I won't repeat."

Alan breaks into laughter.

"It's not funny! Plus they expect me to be this nerd girl who doesn't do anything wrong while you guys know me as this tough girl who won't put up with others and bullies."

"You kidding?! It's hilarious!"

I roll my eyes as I grab the hoodie from him and put it in my bag, grabbing my school logo one and my clothes.

"I gotta go take a shower, stay out of my stuff."

"Alright."

I turn and walk into the bathroom. I take a quick shower that lasts only a few minutes before I get out and change into the comfy sweater and even comfier hoodie with my black jeans with a hole in the knee. I quickly look in the mirror as I brush my hair off to the side. 

What happened last night? It feels like a dream but one so vague I know it's real. I know it meant something to me, but nothing like I want to be with him. At least I don't think so. I mean, I love the guy, as a friend. This has never happened before. Nothing like that so I don't know how I should feel. And I don't know how he feels either. 

Plus, to make things worse, HE KNOWS I'M TORI!!! No one was supposed to know, I can't trust anyone with knowing that! I don't want him to know!!! I am honestly freaking out. But I have to put that in the back of my head so no one else will catch on. Why am I so dumb?!?! It's a curse I swear!

I run my hair off to the side of my head again before coming out. He is on his bed fidgeting with his fingers till he turns his head to me and smiles as he gets up. I return the smile as we go to walk out the door but a knock comes before we open the door. Willow and Cherry don't knock.

Alan looks at me and back to the door as I shrug my shoulders. He opens the door and Andrew stands there with a smile on his face along with another lady. Each of us kind of have our person who is our main trusted adult and I know she is his while Andrew is mine.

This could mean three things, we're in trouble, we are getting adopted, or we are getting out or moved for some reason.  

"What are you two doing here?" I ask with a puzzled look.

"Why don't we go to my office?" Andrew says still smiling.

We are dead. We are so dead. I don't know why but we are D.E.A.D. 

They begin to walk away and we follow behind them. Alan whispers to me.

"We never murdered anyone right?"

"Not that I can think of," I whisper back.

"Then why are we being sentenced to death?"

It's an ongoing joke. If you are called to any office it usually means you are adopted or being moved somewhere that you never return from. I personally think it's juvie to prison but others say you are going to die so when you are called, we say we are dead. 

As we walk I see Willow and Cherry with their adults come up behind us. They quickly catch up and the adults all talk as we look confusingly at each other.

"Are we being sentenced to death?" Cherry says looking at us.

"I mean, I didn't murder anyone, don't know about all of you," Willow says looking between all of us.

"I am eighty percent sure I didn't kill anyone," I say looking to them.

"We can hear you, Beth," Andrew says looking back to me.

They all chuckle quietly at me.

We soon make it to Andrews office, full of chairs. The adults all sit behind the desk while we take seats in front of them.

"Whatever we are here for, it was all their fault, I had nothing to do with it!" Alan says pointing to us and looking to them.

"That's a lie he started the fist fight!" Cherry says looking at him.

"More like Beth started it!" Willow pointing at me.

"What? It was self-defense and he deserved it!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, what fight?" Willows adult says looking to all of us.

"What fist fight? I didn't say fist fight. There was no fight." I quickly say as the other smile and nod in agreement.

"That's not why you are all here. But we will be talking about this fight later. You are all called here on good news."

"Huh?"

"When you were all outside we had some potential adopters out there."

"You all have been chosen by certain family's to be adopted."

Our jaws hit the floor.

"Where? We aren't all being split into different states or countries are we?" I quickly ask.

"Actually, this is a unique case. Never seen something like this. Four families, all in this city, all within a close proximity wanting to adopt each of you. Plus we figured this would be a better arrangement so we chose this over a few other options for you all." Alan's adult says smiling.

"We have their information right here," Andrew says pulling out some folders with our names on different ones.

We all reach forward and grab the folder with our name on it.

Beth's folder:

Bethany Jones

Parent's: Gaby and Charles Elliot

Adress: ############################

Brothers: Asher: age 10, Leo: age 16

Sisters:  Rain: age 9

Medical Infomation: N/A

Extra Notes: N/A

Home Phone: 541-###-###          Work Phone: 541-###-###          Emergency Phone: 541-###-###

Family Doctor: Dr. Patterson

It is filled with more info but that is the gist of it. I have three siblings. This is gonna be tricky. I am completely speechless. It is just the seventh day! I am not mentally prepared for this!

"When is this happening?"

"Wednesday, today will be your last day here. You will be leaving at nine AM and you will all be going to the same school!"

Oh, shoot.

We all gasp in disbelief and pure happiness. 

"I got a brother my age and a little sister only eleven," Alan says still scanning over his paper.

"I got three sisters, ten, sixteen and seventeen," Cherry says smiling.

"A brother and sister. Fourteen and five." Willow says as if confused about what she is reading.

Same school. I won't live. I am dead. Literally. I won't survive. What am I supposed to do?! I'm so done for.

"You all best get packing."

"But before that, Beth, your reward will be carried out for tomorrow so what would you like to do?"