Chapter 19

(edited)

A couple days later, Karder still hadn't asked me to homecoming, so I thought it was my turn to step up.

I grabbed a poster board and started doodling him on one knee holding a bouquet of flowers up to me. I smiled as I drew. I hadn't drawn anything for a long while.

I used to draw constantly, I was obsessed, until, I transferred to the Foster's home.

It was finally time to write the poem. I chewed on the eraser of my pencil, sitting criss-cross on the floor when all of a sudden, I got a knock on the door.

"Come in!" I exclaimed. Jacob entered my room.

"Um, Ayrika, can you come downstairs please?"

"Sure! Just one second." So I dropped the pencil, while getting up, I tucked my hair up on top of my head in a bun, and walked downstairs.

I then saw Karder standing there with a big sign that read:

"To the princess that I love,
and while every inch of her is stunning,
i can't go alone so I decided I'll go with that girl they call Ayrika Joy White, so Miss White . . .
Will you be my date to homecoming?"

He held out a bouquet of red roses and smiled widely. "Will you be my date to homecoming, Miss Ayrika?"

I smiled and shook my head. "You really went all out didn't you? Here I was worried that you had forgotten."

"Me? Forget? About asking a beautiful girl as yourself to homecoming? Never in a billion years."

I smiled widely.

"So, is that a yes?"

"Of course, it's a yes!"

He sighed of relief. I ran up to him, embracing him. He held me in the air and swung me around.

"Oh, we have to get a picture for Linda! She said she wanted to see it."

"Of course! But how are we going to get a picture?"

"Oh. . . I hadn't thought of that."

I rolled my eyes. He was an idiot, but an idiot for me. And I loved that big idiot.

"Oh well! Well, why don't we go outside! It's a gorgeous day!"

"No! Wait, Ayrika!"

I didn't hear him and I opened the front door to see two very bulky men standing in front of me.

"Miss." They bowed.

"Miss?" I scrunched my eyebrows up and Karder was next to me. He slowly shut the door behind him.

"Ayrika, sweetheart, I need to go talk to them for a minute, okay?"

"Okay, but don't be too—"

"Thanks!" He opened and shut the door behind him.

". . .long." I concluded.

Then it got me thinking. Who were those guys? Why were they here?

I got distracted by the sound of little barking noises.

"Olive! Come here baby!" I said kneeling and opening my arms wide. She came running and put her front paws on my knees and licked my face. "Do you wanna go for a walk? Huh? Huh?!"

She barked and licked my face.

"I guess that's a yes!" I smiled and picked her up. Still thinking about the two men I strapped her into her harness and clipped her leash on it. I headed out the garage door instead of the front.

But, that's when I noticed something, I never thought I'd ever hear in my entire lifetime.

I saw a boy that looked very familiar in a black suit. He turned so I could see his face.

I swallowed hard. "K-Karder?"