Author's Note: I'm not even sure exactly what this is right now. All I know is that it takes place just as the Mickens' are coming to Bon Temps and that I wanted Tommy to have a buddy. That being said, it's not an overly canon work and is more or less just something I'm writing whenever I'm bored.

Thanks for reading!

My mom yells at me over the phone. Good ole throat's-gonna-be-sore-tomorrow screaming. I'm in Sam's office where I go every Wednesday night to call my mother. She threatens to find me and drag my ass home, but she's all bluff. I left years ago, and I've been in Bon Temps for almost one. If she really wanted me back home she would have found me. I think she's afraid of what I can do.

Sam's knuckles rap on the door and I look over my shoulder. He signals for me to hang up and get back to the tables. It's busy for a Wednesday. I nod and tell my mom "good-bye," but she's still ranting when I hang up. "Gotta love family," I say as I walk with Sam back to the front of the restaurant.

Sam let's out a sigh as if he knows what I'm talking about and then becomes all business. "Rent's due next week, Ellis," he reminds me. "Try to be nice and maybe your tips will get better," he suggests. I've inherited my mother's sour attitude.

"I've got it taken care of, Sam." Truth is, I've already got the money, I'm just not punctual and Sam's come to take that as me having trouble earning the money I need to pay his rent. Although if he took into consideration the amount of hours I put into Merlotte's he'd never doubt I'd pay my rent on time.

I walk to the podium and grab a few menus for an incoming couple, ignoring Arlene's usual complaints. When she begins to hound me for taking so much time on the phone I just roll my eyes. Unlike my mother, I can control my aggression.

.

I've got the next day off, so I spend it doing nothing. It's only until later in the afternoon that I actually put pants on. There's some commotion outside and I push a curtain out of the way to get a look. My brows furrow as I watch Sam move a family of three into the place between me and Arlene.

I run a hand through my hair. I'm not usually the kind to say hello and greet the neighbors, but we also don't get many new neighbors. Plus, I'm curious. The kid looks about my age, and that's hard to come by in a town where I never went to school and where I never get out to anywhere but Merlotte's.

I squint to get a better look. The guy is familiar. I grab an envelope on my counter marked "rent," fluff my flat hair, and head outside.

"Sam," I call, waving the envelope over my head. "I told you I'd get you rent." I smile and turn to look at the trio but it's the smell that hits me first. I raise an eyebrow.

The woman has dish-water blond hair and bags under her eyes, like she doesn't even know what sleep is. The man needs a shave and a haircut and a lot less pervy vibes. Then there's, "Mickens?"

Tommy Mickens, a boy I went to school with for a stint before he disappeared, stands in front of me looking very much more man than the last time I saw him in junior high. It's been awhile, but I never lose the scent of a shifter—and there's a hell of a lot of shifter scent going around right now.

Sam looks absolutely baffled at the idea that I could know this strange kid, and the parents are looking at me with a weird spark of suspicion in their eyes. But Tommy catches on. "Ellis? Never thought I'd see you again," he says with a grin and looks me over, hands on hips and all. "Although I thought if I ever saw you again you'd maybe have grown a bit." He hefts his hands up in front of his chest so that I know what he's referring to and my cheeks burn with rage.

"Ha," I reply, spinning on my heel. I went out to give Sam his rent, and now that that's done I don't need to put up with Tommy Mickens and his snark. But I look over my shoulder when I reach my door, and his eyes are still on me. Trouble's just come to town.