7

"See ya, Cody!" Junior said, waving goodbye to Cody, who had to go home for dinner. Joseph was going to stay for dinner, since he had no other dinner because... Well, he's homeless.

"Bye Junior!" Cody replied, before shutting the door and walking to his parents car.

"What do you want to do now, Junior?" Joseph asked.

"Well, we could play checkers, or-"

"JUNIOR! OTHER BRAT! DINNERS READY!" Chef PeePee shouted.

"I guess we're eating dinner." Junior said, then started walking to the kitchen. Joseph followed him.

In the kitchen, Junior not only saw Chef PeePee, but also his dad.

"So you made Junior and his weird friend something special and left me with some shitty regular?!" Bowser shouted to Chef PeePee.

"I didn't think you'd want it! I can make you some, if you'd just wait-" Chef PeePee responded defensively, but is cut off by his boss.

"IM NOT WAITING ANY LONGER! I'll just take my stupid son's plate, and YOU can make him wait! He needs to lose some pounds anyways." Bowser shouted. He swipe his son's plate, and went back upstairs.

Junior sighed at the weight comment. He didn't need to step on a scale to know he was above average. He wanted to start working out, but he didn't know how and his dad didn't want to "waste" money on a gym membership. It was weird to Junior that he was so critical about his son's body yet wouldn't try and help.

"Like you can talk..." Chef PeePee mumbled to himself as Junior and Joseph walked into the kitchen. "I'll make you another sandwich, Junior. Just sit down for now, it might take a while." The chef told the boy. He handed Joseph his plate, and the two went to the dining table.

"You wanna split my grilled peanut butter sandwiches while you wait for yours, dude?" Joseph asked.

"Nah, it's fine. I can wait." Junior said monotonely. He rested his head on the palm of his hand and stared at the table.

"Hey, don't listen to your dad. He's the one who sits and watches Charleyyy all day." Joseph told his best friend, patting him on the shoulder.

"I know... I mean, at least I'm trying... kind of..." Junior said, looking up from the table to face Joseph.

Joseph practically inhaled his dinner. He swiped up any excess peanut butter with his finger and licked it off. "Damn, even though it was burnt it was good. Roy was right, they are cool."

"I can't wait to rub it in Cody's face that he missed it!" Junior said. "Hopefully mine gets done soon, that school lunch was so gross I barely ate it, and all I had was a knock-off lunchable, so I'm starving!"

"I know right? If I had money to get anything else I would've rather done that than ate it." Joseph agreed. "Well, it's getting late. I'm gonna head back to my turf to sleep before some homeless guy steals it. See you later, dude!" Joseph stood up and walked over to Junior.

"See ya, Joseph!" Junior said, knowing that it may be a while until they see each other again, considering the plan. He and Joseph dabbed each other up, and Joseph walked out the door.

"Junior! Your food's ready!!" Chef PeePee shouted from the kitchen. Junior could tell by the smell that it was burnt like Joseph's, but he really didn't care. That's how Chef PeePees cooking always was; he was used to it by now.

"Finally!" Junior said, reaching for his plate.

"Careful, they're hot." Chef PeePee warned. Junior ignored the Chef and took a bite of one of them. He didn't even flinch at the heat, and swallowed the first bite.

"Joseph was right, even if it's burnt it tasted good." Junior remarked, taking another bite and licking the dripped peanut butter off of his lips.

"It's not burnt, it's just a little crispy." Chef PeePee said in an offended tone.

"Whatever you say." Junior joked. He took the last bite of his first sandwich and moved to his second. "So, when are we packing?" He said in a quieter voice, just incase someone was in earshot.

"Soon, once we're sure your dad is asleep. Do you know what you are taking?" Chef PeePee asked. He started to clean all of his cooking supplies, starting by putting the bread and peanut butter back in the pantry.

"Well, I'm gonna take a few shirts and shorts, a pair of actual pants, an extra pair of shoes, some flossers from the bathroom, my phone-"

"Leave your phone here. If you take it your dad could find your location." Chef PeePee interjected, poking his head out from the pantry.

"Oh yeah, right. Then a coat just in case, a blanket and pillow, or a sleeping bag, my crayons and colored pencils, a note book, and if there's room, then I'll take Thomas." Junior finished. He almost seemed a little out of breath.

"I didn't think you still played with Thomas anymore." Chef PeePee remarked, coming out of the closet- I mean pantry and heading to the stove. He picked up the pan and started washing it in the sink.

"I do when I get bored sometimes, or when my phone gets taken." Junior said. "What are you taking?"

"Clothes, blanket, pillow, the little money I have saved, enough food for a few days- hopefully, and I think that's it." Chef PeePee told the boy.

"What if you get bored?" Junior asked.

"I'll be fine. Now, you get your clothes and toys or whatever in a bag. Make sure it isn't too heavy, because we're going to be walking for a while if we want to get far from here." Chef PeePee told him. He finished up the dishes and dried his hands.

"Okay, I will!" Junior said, before going up the stairs to his room.

Chef PeePee knew the bad things this plan could lead to. He knew that every homeless man's friendliness varied, and he didn't want anything bad happening to himself or Junior. And what if they were caught? Bowser would be so pissed he'd probably break all of Chef PeePees bones, then do the same to Junior when no one was watching. Junior's friends would miss him a lot, and his grades would drop from him not being at school if they stayed in the streets long enough.

But there was also good things. The feeling of freedom was a big one. Bowser wouldn't be able to boss them around or lay a finger on them. Chef PeePee could slightly relax for the first time in over 10 years. And Junior would be free from the verbal and physical abuse from father.

Fernando "PeePee" Strongbottom and Justin Braxton Reynolds Jr are in for a intimidating, potentially fun, and most of all, wild ride.

~~~(This is supposed to be next chapter but I forgot to put the heading for it in docs and I don't want to confuse myself so it's going here lmfao)~~~

"Is my dad asleep yet?" Junior asked the Chef. They had both just finished getting ready. Junior said his goodbyes to the trains he couldn't take, and Chef PeePee bid farewell to the kitchen.

"I pressed my ear up against his door and heard snoring, so I think we're good." Chef PeePee replied. "Now come on, we're going through the back door. The front one has the doorbell camera." Junior checked the clock one last time before following Chef PeePee outside, which read 8:49 pm.

The grass and roads were only illuminated by the streetlights, and the few showing stars in the night sky. The air was about 60 degrees, which was cooled by the occasional small breeze that passed by. Junior took the sight in; he'd never really been outside at night, not often anyways. If he was, it was for a brief moment since he was going from the car to the front door.

"Where do we go?" Junior whispered to the chef.

"...That way." Chef PeePee said after a short pause. He pointed to the sidewalk to the left of him. He slightly hesitated before walking down the sidewalk. Junior followed close behind, still taking in the scenery.

All that was heard during the walk were the two's footsteps, a passing car, and the occasional cricket or bug sound. Junior slipped his jacket around his shoulders for more comfort. He had taken both it and a heavier coat as an alternative. He figured the days would be warm, since it is April in Florida, but he didn't want to risk it. He knew there was no going back. He looked back at the house, which was hardly visible now.

Chef PeePee led the boy down whichever sidewalk path seemed safest. He was hoping they wouldn't get mugged. Chef PeePee only had 50 dollars on him anyways, but money was money. They stayed away from sketchy looking streetlights and alleyways and hugged the sidewalk.

"When are we going to stop? My legs are starting to get a little tired." Junior asked, breaking the long-existing silence. It'd felt like hours since they first started walking, but in reality the time was only around 10pm.

"Until we're far enough away, I guess. Or if you or I get too tired." Chef PeePee replied. He seemed tired as well, but didn't slow down his pace. Junior sighed, and thought of something else to say to break the silence. He hated awkward silences, especially when there was nothing else to occupy himself with.

"How long were you working for my dad?" The boy asked.

"Ever since you were around 3 years old. I think in 2011 is when I started. Why do you ask?" Chef PeePee told Junior.

"I don't know, it was quiet. I wanted to say something." Junior replied. "I can't believe you've been working for him that long..."

"I can't either..." Chef PeePee mumbled. "I guess I won't be anymore now."

"...that's a good thing, right?" Junior asked. Chef PeePee was silent, he averted his eyes as if he was thinking of a response.

"It's all I really now. I don't get out much, as you know. There's always pros and cons to something. Though in this case, there's a lot more pros than cons." Chef PeePee joked, letting out a small laugh at the end.

"You got that right." Junior agreed, laughing a bit as well. "I hope my friends don't miss me too much. Did you have any friends there?"

"Not really... There's Marvin I guess, but he's just someone I talk to when he comes to ask me for something. There's also Brooklyn Guy, but he's on vacation right now, and I don't want him finding us since he's a cop." Chef PeePee explained. They walked a little while longer before Chef PeePee decided to pause. He stopped next to an alleyway him and Junior were both next to. "I think we've walked far enough for the night. You tired yet?"

"Very." Junior said, rubbing his eyes. "How far away are we from my dad's house?"

"At least a few miles. We'll sleep until around 5 am, then start walking again. It's the weekend, so I know Bowser won't be awake." Chef PeePee told the ginger. He set his bag down against a wall in the alley behind a dumpster. This made him invisible to anyone passing by, which is what he was going for. Junior followed him, and sat his bag by the chef's. He took his pillow out of it and set it on the ground where he was going to lay.

"You can't just sleep on the dirt ground, Junior. Get your sleeping bag out too." Chef PeePee told the boy.

"But it's warm out, and I'll be fine if I get a little dirty. Besides, i'm too tired" Junior protested.

"We don't have any way to shower out here, how will you get clean again? And also, you'll be bitten by ants and other bugs that just came put of the dumpster we're sleeping against." Chef PeePee said. "Just get it out."

Junior huffed in protest. "Fine." He said, and reluctantly got his sleeping bag out of his bag and laid it half-assed on the ground and flopped on top of it. Chef PeePee fought back a scoff, trying not to be hostile, and got his own blanket and pillow out of his bag. Since he didn't have a sleeping bag to lay on, he found the cleanest piece of cardboard he could see and laid on it.

Neither of them said anything for the rest of the night, mostly since both of them fell asleep fast despite the uncomfortable sleeping conditions. They knew they were going to have some tough times ahead of them. We're they ready? Definitely not. But as said earlier, there's no going back now.