I was in the middle of my second waffle when my cell phone rang. "Jess its Ms. Jean, i called your aunts house. Shes worried, said she hasn't seen you all night." "Oh shes worried, Yeah i bet shes worried." I said sarcastically. "Look you can't leave your aunts house without notice she is your guardian." Ms. Jean said sighing.  "I know that it's a long story." "Well then i'm going to come get you, we need to talk anyways." "About my mom?" "Yes there is a hearing in a couple of days to decide if you should be allowed back with her." "That soon? What? How this kind of thing takes months!!" I said. "I know, and your mom has been working on this for months. She's been out for a while." "This is so not fair!" I shouted. "I know." She said.

                   "My mother is going to ruin my life again." I said. "No, nobody says you have to go live with her." "Good because i wont" I said. "Ok, We'll talk about it when i get there. See you soon." She said. "I'm staying with a friend he lives three house down from the school on the right side. Its a brick house with green shutters."I said. "Alright." "See you soon." I said hanging up.

                   "What was that about?" Asked devin. "Oh that was my social worker. She says i have a court date in a few day's." "Really wow that was fast"He said pouring more syrup on his waffle. "I know. She said my mother has been out for a while and has been working on this case." I said. "Well can't they send you i don't know papers summoning you to court?" Devin asked. "Maybe she did but my aunt could've kept them, who knows. All i know is that life has hit me in the face and im screwed." I said standing up. I rinsed my plate into the sink and walked outside.

                   Devin came outside seconds later and we sat on the steps. "Look i am here for you no matter what." Devin said. "Yea, but you can't fix all of my problems." "But it's not fair i had somebody decent take care of me. And i want to take care of you. I know you're not some fragile thing that needs to be protected i just...i just feel like..." He trailed off. I put my hand on his knee. "I know what you mean." I said. 

                  "Where are you going to go?" He asked. "Back to my aunts house, where else?" I asked. "You can't do that!" Devin said. "What other choice do i have. I can just tell her the police are on her tail and that she'll go to jail. If she stops making me clean all the time i won't turn her in." I said. "Now your aunt hardly seems scared of a threat. I mean from what you've told me." He said. I nodded. "I guess you're right." "Maybe you can stay here. In the guest room?" He suggested. "No it's not your grandparents problem. It's mine and i'll figure something out." I said.

                 "But what, there are no other options. Let me at least ask." He said. "I can't." I shook my head. He took my hand in his. "Ok well when you get done with your social worker will you call me?" He asked. "Sure thing." I Nodded. I heard a car pull into the drive way and saw Ms Jean getting out. I waved to her. She waved back.

                 "Hi, this is Devin. He's my friend from group." I said. "Devin this is my social worker." They shook hands. "Nice to meet you." Devin said. "You to, Jess are you ready to go?" She asked me. "I suppose so." I said sighing.

                  We ended up at scoops ice cream. She bought me some chocolate chip cookie dough and we sat at a table in the back. "So tell me why you weren't at your aunts house? You really should of called her you know." Ms Jean said. I took a deep breath deciding what to tell her. "Look i would have called and she would of demanded i come home." I said. "she is your legal guardian she can do that." Ms Jean said. "But i don't want to live with her, nobody takes into account what i want." I said defeated. "No we are but you can't just decide over night that you don't want to stay there. And if you don't you at least have to have a good reason." She said.

              "Look maybe i do have a good reason but it doesn't matter. My stupid aunt is right. Where I'm at is better then where i was. So i'm cleaning up her whole house every day at least i'm not getting beat or hit on by a creepy old man." I was rambling by this point. Ms Jean put her hand on my arm. "Ok so i take it your aunt is making you clean?" She asked. I nodded. "Not just that she says the most horrible things to me. It's just like being with my mom. She tells me how worthless i am and that my dad killed him self to get away from me." I sniffled.

             "Ok, now you and i both know he was in an accident. Fine, we'll have to investigate your aunt and there will be a court date....until then we can find you a foster home." Ms Jean said digging through my folder on the table. I just realized she had that with her. "I don't know..." I said. "Are you scared to stay with a stranger? Because these families take kids in all the time." She said. "Yea and how do you know these people are safe?" I asked. "Well they have to go through a rigorous bout of tests. Not just anybody can be a foster parent." She said. "I guess." I said taking a bite of my ice cream.

                "And this isn't permanent. You have family in Tennessee if leaving the state is something you're OK with then we may have you a home." She said.  "Can i think about it and let you know?" I asked. "Of course you can." She shuffled some papers in my folder. "Now, we are meeting with your lawyer at five today." She said. "So let's figure out what you're gonna say. Why don't you want to live with your mom?" She asked. "Because i think statistics prove that my mom is an evil person." I said.

               "70% Of all children who go back to there homes and are abused again. That's not to say that your the 30%. She could of really changed." "Even if she did i can't get over what she did i would not be happy at home with her." "Your happiness is what we want." "I'm glad i just feel like my step father was a huge part of the problem. My mom never could be single. She'll just get another guy and move him in." I said. Ms Jean nodded. "Honey, i'm so sorry. We need to go get your stuff from your aunt and go meet your foster family." Tears stung the back of my eyes. I wish i hadn't said anything about my aunt. At least i had a life there. Albeit it wasn't a good one.

                 When we got to my aunts house there were a couple of squad cars parked out front. When we walked in my aunt was shouting. "You cant do this, you cant touch my stuff." "Mam how many times do we have to tell you we have a court order." "Well that doesn't make it right, what are you doing to that broom put that down." "Mam were just getting fingerprints." He told her. My aunt turned around. 

             "Oh Jess my sweet baby i was so worried about you." "Oh please, you were not!" I said. "Where were you?" "I was at a friends." I said walking back to my room. I grabbed a bag out of my closet. I started tossing shirts and shorts into the bag then i grabbed underwear and flip flops. I tossed in some pjs. Next i headed to the bathroom. I grabbed my soap and shampoo and my make up. I put in my toothbrush tooth paste and deodorant. I looked around trying to think of what i had forgotten. I couldn't think of anything so i hosted the bag over my shoulder. Ms Jean was in the kitchen while the cops walked around my aunts house.

          "Before we go to the foster home, can i stop by my friends house?" I asked. "Sure thing sweetie. If it would make you feel better i can come back by here to pick you up to go to meet with your lawyer and we can go by the foster home afterwards." Ms Jean said. I smiled. "Thank you so much." I said giving her a hug. She hugged me back. "you're welcome i know this is hard for you." She said. She dropped me back off and Devin's. I knocked on the door and he answered a few seconds later.

              He lead me to the living room and we took a seat on the couch. "Well, how did it go?" He asked. "Horrible." I said. "What did she say?" He asked. I sighed. "Well, that i'm going to have to go stay at a foster home until they figure out where to send me. And we all know what that means, until im old enough to be out of the system. Then im thrown out on the streets." I said. "Well i hardly thing it's that serious." He said. "You know it is. You have a place to stay. So you don't have anything to worry about. "I guess you're right." After a minute of silence. Devin spoke up. "So i feel we were starting to finally get somewhere after last night." I groaned. "Oh no did i say something last night?" I asked. He grinned shaking his head no. I punched him lightly on the arm. "Ok what did i say?" I asked. "Nothing you don't already feel so it's no big deal." He said. "Yea ok." I shook my head smiling. He put his arm around me and pulled me to him.

             "How do you do that?" I asked. "What?" "Make me feel so safe when everything else is falling apart." "I don't know. But i'm glad that i can." I snuggled into his embrace. His grandmother walked in. "Hey you two, what's going on?" She asked. There was a bit of drama my way this morning. Devin just looked at me waiting for me to tell her what i wanted her to know. I sighed sitting up.

            I brushed my hair out of my eyes. "My mother called wanting to get me back." I said. His grandmother didn't need to ask about her to know she was part of why i went to group with Devin. "And i'm guessing you don't want to go?" She asked. I shook my head. "No, but if i don't then im stuck living with my aunt and honestly she's not much better. She never has a nice thing to say to me ever and i feel like her servant rather then her niece." I said. She walked over pulling me into a hug. Something grandmother were really good at. I wished mine were still alive but my mom's parents died before i was born. And my dad's parents at eight and twelve. But they were wonderful the short amount of time i had gotten to know them.

           "Well where are you going?" She asked. I shrugged. "I have no idea, some foster family i just hope they aren't crazy." I said, suddenly all these thoughts flashed through my head. And none of them good. Wow my trust in people really sucked. "Well you know you're welcome to stay here." She said. "Really you mean you don't mind?" I asked. "Not at all when Devin said you didn't have a place to go i thought what a shame. Devin had a good place to go to and it's not fair you don't. We just need to set some ground rules but we'll talk about that later." She said. "Ok thank you, staying here would be really great. I don't want to stay with somebody i don't know." I said. "Well that i can understand. You're welcome to stay here as long as you want and need." She said walking out of the room.

           "I told you they wouldn't mind if you stayed here." Devin said. "I know i just didn't want to impose." I said. "I know and you aren't." He said. "So maybe we should talk about last night." He said. "What about last night?" I asked. "We kind of kissed, and then you punched me." He said. "Oh that, I'm really sorry. It's just going to take me some time." I said. "Hey i don't mind waiting as long as you promise not to punch me anymore." He said. "Ok deal." I said. 

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 Ms Jean showed up at four thirty as promised.  "Are you nervous?" She asked, pulling out of Devin's drive way. "A little." "Don't be he's here to help you." "no its not that what if i get put back in my mom or aunts house?" "Well he's a good lawyer and the jury will most likely want to do what will make you happy." "Well i had a question." "OK." "If i had a friend i could stay with, instead of going to a foster home. Could i stay there." "Well i don't see why not. I'll have to look into the house and make sure it's safe. But i don't see that being a problem. We'll just have to have your friends parent or guardian sign papers to be your temporary guardian." She said. "OK that's the best news I've heard all day." I said finally able to breath easier. 

         She pulled into a smallish brick building. We walked inside. There was a secretary at the desk. "Hi we're here to see Mr Grant." She told the girl. The girl looked at the computer. "Name?" She asked. Jess and Shirley." She said. The secretary hit the button on the intercom. "Mr Grant your five o'clock is here." "Thanks Shelby send them on back." He said back to her. "Through that door." She pointed. "Thanks." We told her heading back. 

            Ms. Jean turned the knob and walked in. Mr grant was a big man, he kind of reminded me of Santa clause. He was balding on top and had a pair of glasses perched at the end of his nose. He even had the rosy cheeks and white beard to match. "Have a seat." He said pointing to some chairs in front of his desk. 

         "Well I've met with your mom and her lawyer, it seems she wants to get you back." He said stating what we already knew. "That's right." Said ms Jean. "What do you want?" He asked. This was the first time any body ever asked me what i wanted. "I don't want to go with her." He didn't ask why. I didn't want to go, was all the answer he needed. 

           "OK i see some stuff in here about your aunt but we have plenty of time to talk about that before you get a court date. We'll get together when a date has been set and you and her will both receive papers." He said. "As far as your court date in three days. Ms Jean nor i was told anything of this so we don't have a lot of time. I just want to go through a list of things your moms lawyer might throw at you." Two hours later he had asked me every question in the book and told me which answers were good and which ones didn't sound so good. We left and i was still quite nervous because i didn't know what the judge and the jury were going to say. And i wasn't to crazy about seeing my mom again.

         When i got home it was late. Just enough time to get shown my room and take a shower. I ate some left over set aside for me and went to sleep in my new room.