Gen and Luke don't say anything for a few seconds. Gen moves her hand slowly towards her bag, which is on the backseat next to Luke. 

As she pulls out her phone I immediately hold up the gun. She freezes and looks at me "Roman, you need to go back to your dad. He seems like he's genuinely worried about you."

"HE'S A FUCKING LIAR," I scream "HE DOESN'T GIVE A SHIT ABOUT ME. AND HE'S NOT MY DAD. HE NEVER HAS BEEN AND HE NEVER WILL BE."

"Roman please, you need to go back to him. He sounds like he wants you to go home safely."

"If I do he'll kill me. Trust me, he's not as nice as you think. He hates me and my brother."

"Why?" Luke asks.

"I don't know. He calls us brats all the time. He can't even remember our fucking names."

"How long have you and your brother been living with him?" Gen asks.

"About 3 years" I reply.

"And he still can't remember your names? Wow." Luke says.

"He knows our names he just never calls us by the right one." 

"Why don't you want to go back to him? There must be more that you're not telling us." Gen says. 

"Fine, he's....neglectful."

"In what way?" Gen asks.

I explain with another story. Again I use Roman's name instead of my own. This means I call Roman, Connor instead.

2 years ago. 

Roman started walking towards me across the cafeteria. I saw that he had a girl with him. He was not the type to hang around with girls. Normally we sat and eat lunch together. Like the outcasts we were. 

"Hey," Roman said "this is Kailin. Ok if she sits with us?"

"Yeah sure" I replied as I didn't really give a shit.

"Hey Connor it's nice to meet you" Kailin said.

We sat in silence for a while. I always hated talking to people I didn't know. 

Roman finally broke the silence "hey so uh.... do you think Chris would be ok if Kailin came over later?"

"Probably not,"  I replied "why?" I grabbed my juice carton and started pretty much chugging the whole thing.

"Well, I wanted him to meet Kailin 'cause....she's my girlfriend."

I nearly choked on my juice. 

"What?" I asked.

"Roman and I have been dating for about a month" Kailin explained.

How the fuck did I not know this? We're twins and he kept this a secret from me for a month? 

I didn't say anything but Roman must have taken my lack of a response as a good sign as he returned home 15 minutes after me, with Kailin.

He opened the door and Chris called from the living room "you're home late Connor."

"It's Roman, Chris I'm doing the dishes you left in the sink. Remember?" I shouted. 

I turned off the faucet and walked into the living room. I wanted to be there if something happened. 

Chris turned around from where he was sitting on the couch and looked at Kailin. 

"Chris, this is Kailin. She's my girlfriend." Roman explained.

"Your what?" Chris asked, slurring as usual.

"My girlfriend," Roman replied "is it ok if she hangs out with me here for a bit?"

"Does she not have a house of her own?" 

"She does but I've been to her house several times. I thought it was time she came here and met you."  Roman explained.

"Well she's met me now. There's tons of other places you can take your girlfriend Connor."

"It's Roman," I explained "and you could try being a little nicer. She's meeting you for the first time. This isn't a great first impression."

"And you think you've done any better?" Chris replied.

"I already know her. We go to the same school. You could at least try and be hospitable." I snapped.

"You don't even know the meaning of the word hospitable," Chris said, standing up. He looked at Kailin "you could do a lot better than these two losers." 

"I like Roman," Kailin replied. Rather bravely I thought. "And Connor's nice too."

"Nice?" Chris said "he's a piece of shit. Trying to tell me how to act in my own house." 

Chris turned to me. "Why are you so protective of her anyway? Isn't she meant to be his girlfriend? Are you jealous or something?"

"No I just think she deserves a little more respect than you're giving her right now" I replied.

"Respect?" Chris said "oh fuck off Connor."  He started moving towards me so I was forced to stand back against the wall. I could sense that this was yet another of his little monologues where he makes me stand against the wall so he can shout at me and insult me for half an hour. 

I don't want Kailin to hear that. Or for her to find out that Roman gets this as well sometimes.

"Roman take Kailin down the road to 7/ Eleven" I told him. I removed a $20 note from my pocket and handed it to him.  

Roman took it and left. Meanwhile I was left to listen to another of Chris' monologues. Insulting me, Roman and now Kailin as well. Of course I stuck up for Roman and Kailin. I let him say whatever he liked about me, I don't care. 

When Roman returned from his date 2 hours later, Chris and I had just finished our latest argument.

"Hey," Roman said "thanks." 

"You're welcome" I replied.

"I love you Con."

"Love yo too Ro."

Gen and Luke both seem horrified. They can't even speak for quite a while once I've finished the story.

"My god," Gen says "and he's still like that now?"

"Yeah pretty much. He's been like that ever since we went there."

"So what happens when your social worker visits?" Luke asks. I forgot that he's adopted.

"We move all of our stuff from our crap downstairs rooms, upstairs. We clean the house and get rid of all the beer cans. And we pretend everything's fine."

"Why haven't you told your social worker what he's like when they're not there?" Gen asks.

"He's always threatened to turn things around and blame us for the way he is. He threatens to say that we're violent and mental. Either that or he says if he ever did get arrested for the shit he's done, he'll just come after us when he gets out. Knowing him, he'd do it too."

The radio, which has been on quietly in the background is suddenly turned up as an urgent piece of breaking news comes out.

"This just in," the newsreader says "police have confirmed that suspected murderer Connor Prince's brother Roman Prince, attempted to take the blame for his brother's crime. Connor Prince is suspected to still be on the run. Roman Prince has been discharged. If you see a young man with green eyes, brown hair and a gun it may be Connor. Please keep away from him where possible and telephone for the local police." 

"So... it's Connor? Not Roman?" Gen asks.

"Yeah" I reply quietly.

"Mom he's a murderer" Luke says.

"He's a suspected murderer" Gen corrects.

"He's got a gun. He's literally holding a gun." Luke snaps.

"I didn't kill her," I lie " I ran away from home 3 weeks ago. I've never even seen her since she dumped my brother."

"There's no reason for him to lie now Luke. Let's just get a hotel for the night and then tomorrow we can head home and he can stay with us 'til they find the real murderer." Gen explains.

Gen pulls up outside a run down hotel. Of course I know that they'll be waiting a long time for the police to find the 'real' murderer 'cause you and I know that he's currently sitting in the car with them.