CHAPTER 2

A soft knock on my bedroom door catches my attention and I bounce off my bed, turning off the music playing through my stereo.
"Yeah?" I call out, opening the bedroom door expecting to see Mum. Instead my eyes drop down to Leroy. He's looking up at me with big puppy dog eyes, blue pupils shining so brightly. His lashes are so thick and long and he bats them repeatedly — a trick I taught him myself.
It's insanely cute and irresistible.
"Trish, I'm hungry!" He whines, reaching up to pull at the hem of my hoody. I frown and bent down, wiping at a crayon mark on his cheek.
"Where's Mum, bud?" I ask him, giving up on the stain. It doesn't budge. Leroy simply shrugs, glancing down at his bare feet. I feel my jaw clench in anger and I shake my head, taking hold of his hand in mine. Typical.
"Come on cutie, I'll fix you up a sandwich." I respond over enthusiastically, hoping he couldn't sense the anger in my voice.
Leroy is my baby cousin but I see him as more of a younger brother. His parents died from a joint drug overdose when he was two, leaving him without a family. I remember the day Mum bought him home, he arrived with two clean t-shirts, one pair of shoes and a plastic bag of stuffed toys. I fell in love with his puppy-dog eyes as soon as I looked in to them. Leroy is now five and part of the family.
The kid is bright, bubbly and simply adorable. Mum doesn't deserve him, at all. She attempts to care for us but it's never enough. One meal a day is all she provides along with a mountain of clothes. Thankfully I'm old enough to look after myself but I can't say the same about Leroy. Material possessions is all Mum cares about, buying our love instead of gaining it. Leroy never complains about it but I guess it's because he's too young to know any different.
"Can I have tuna sweetcorn please?" Leroy asks me, clutching my hand tightly in his as we trot down the stairs. I nod, giving him a small smile. "Sure, do you want anything else?"
"A chocolate teddy!" He cries out, a smile beaming across his face. I let out a laugh already knowing he'd ask for his favourite snack. A chocolate filled teddy bear. . . He's been addicted to them for the past three years.
He beams up at me, a pink tint covering his little cheeks. It warms my heart knowing that one little boy looks up at me with pure love in his eyes. I would never take that for granted.
A child holds so much innocence. In their eyes, you can do no wrong. They don't judge, they don't stereotype. They don't listen to the rumours and instead they form their own opinion of you.
"I love you bud," I murmur quietly, ruffling his blonde curly locks with my hand. He bats my hand away from his head playfully, scrunching his nose up in false disgust. I chuckle at his reaction however his response really does make me happy.
"I love you Trish.”