I couldn't believe my dad was trying to get full custody of me. I'd known him for only a couple months, and now he was trying to take me away from the person who raised me my first thirteen years of life. I know she isn't perfect, but she's my mother.

Angrily, I grabbed my overnight bag and started throwing in clothes. If he thought I was going to just take this sitting down, he was sorely mistaken. I went to the bathroom and got my toothbrush, then stormed out to the living room, bag slung over my shoulder.

"Where are you going?" He asked, me standing up.

"To be with my mom," I told him angrily.

"Nora, you need to stay here," he told me, but I was already to the door. I slammed it on the way out and half expected him to follow me. As I stormed down the hallway, though, I didn't hear him follow me. As soon as I got outside, I headed underground to the subway. I took the train to my mom's and was greeted warmly.

"Hey, kid!" She hugged me. "I didn't think I'd be seeing you again so soon."

"Dad told me he wanted full custody of me and I got pissed and left," I explained. She just nodded. She was probably glad I was already choosing her over him. As I took a seat on the couch, I noticed drug paraphernalia all around. There were needles, spoons, bags. I took a closer look at my mom and noticed her eyes were bloodshot. She was hyped up, and I knew she was on a high.

"Mom, you're not trying to quit?" I asked her.

"Baby, I've been coping for two months behind bars. I'm just giving myself a little treat," she explained. "Do me a favor and go buy us some food down at McDonald's."

She pulled a twenty out of her bra strap and handed it to me. I took it and put it in my pocket, then headed out the door. The street her friend lived on was a mixture of broken-down houses, ominous looking old apartment buildings, and businesses. The McDonald's was two blocks away. On the way, I passed homeless people, trash, stray dogs. Lin and Vanessa's neighborhood wasn't like this. I felt like I lived in two different worlds. My parents and my life was so different depending on where I was.

At McDonald's I ordered five cheeseburgers, a bunch of fries, and four Cokes. I took the food back to the house and my mom and her friends started devouring the food. They talked about what they were going to do that night. A couple of them were prostitutes, and needed the money for drugs. They were talking about what corner to hit.

Mom wasn't paying any attention to me, so I went to the kitchen table and started doing my homework. I was behind since I had missed a day.

I worked for an hour or so, their drug-induced laughter in the background. I'd long ago learned to tune it out. My phone kept buzzing with texts from Lin, telling me I needed to come home before dark. I ignored him.

At almost 10:00, they were all still full of energy, laughing and having a good time. If I was going to go to school tomorrow, I needed to get to bed. Previously, I'd slept on the couch, but they were all in there, TV blasting. I told mom I was going to lay down in her bed and did my best to settle down. I put on my headphones and was able to drown out the noise.

In the morning, I overslept, and I forgot to allow extra time for the subway ride. My card had money already loaded on it, so I quickly got dressed and raced to the subway station. When I finally got to school, I was half an hour late. I went the office and was marked tardy, then got my pass to class. Already, I was exhausted and just wanted to go back to bed, but I trudged through the day. I thought about where I should go after school. Should I go home to mom, or go to the Mirandas'?

My decision was made for me, as I was summoned over the loud speaker to the main office at the end of the day. Lin was there waiting for me to take me home. I sighed when I saw him there waiting for me.

"Why are you picking me up? I can ride the subway myself," I told him with some attitude.

"Because I need you to come home with me," he explained as we walked towards the door.

"What if I don't want to go home with you?" I countered.

"I'm not giving you a choice," he explained. "You look like you got caught in a tornado. What happened?"

I raked my hand through my hair self-consciously. "Nothing," I told him as we walked down the steps of the school.

"What time did you stay up until?" He asked me.

"Ten-ish," I told him.

"And did you sleep well?"

"I slept fine," I said, getting annoyed.

"Did you sleep on the floor?"

"I'm not telling you because you'll probably use it against my mom in court!" I said, storming ahead of him towards the subway. He seemed to give me my space as a rushed down the stairs and towards the trains. We got on the train and didn't speak until we'd gotten back above ground again. In fact, we didn't speak until we got back to the apartment. I began to head towards my room, but Lin stopped me.

"Nora, wait," he told me as he leaned on the kitchen counter.

I turned and crossed my arms. "What?"

"I need you to know that I'm not trying to take you away from your mother," he told me. I couldn't believe he actually had the nerve to say that. We both knew it wasn't true.

"Of course you are!" I said, my voice raised. "You're trying to get full custody of me. How is that anything but trying to take me away from her?"

"I want you to be with her," he continued, "but I want you to be with a healthy her. Right now, she's struggling with drug addiction and she's homeless. She needs to get her life together. You're better off with me and Vanessa right now."

"But she's been in jail for two months, Lin," I pointed out. "She wants to spend time with me."

"And she can," he said. "But you also need to get a good night's sleep and get to school in the morning. Spending some time with her after school and on the weekends is fine, but you don't need to be spending the night with her. Don't you agree with that?"

I rolled my eyes and shifted my weight. My mom could be exhausting and I had to admit that I was able to just be a kid more when I was with Lin and Vanessa. With mom, I had to be the adult sometimes. I would never admit that to him, though.

"Can I go to my room now?"

He sighed and nodded his head, not getting the answer he wanted.

That night at dinner, Lin and I were both subdued and not very talkative. I think Vanessa was getting tired of me, because I was making her husband upset. She probably thought things were a lot easier before I was around. I bet Vanessa hoped they got 50/50 custody. I must have been looking at her while I thought about this, because she smiled at me.

"Nora, how was school today?" She asked in a friendly tone.

"Fine," I mumbled.

"Has your mom found a place yet?" She asked and Lin looked at her.

"No, not yet," I whispered. "She still needs to find a job."

Vanessa nodded and decided not to dig any deeper. Luckily, Sebastian intervened.

"I pooped on the potty today," he announced to the table. Vanessa chuckled.

"Sebby, it's not polite to talk about that at the table, but we're all very proud of you," she admonished him gently. Most of the rest of dinner was spent listening to one of Sebastian's monologues. I was grateful so we didn't have to sit in uncomfortable silence. After dinner, I discreetly disappeared into my room to be alone.

About half an hour later, there was a knock at my door. It was Vanessa.

"Hi sweetheart," she greeted me and closed the door.

"Hi," I said quietly, setting my homework aside. She sat on my bed and smiled at me warmly.

"I know you're in a bit of a rough position right now," she began. "Having parents who are apart makes it hard on a kid."

I nodded, pulling a pillow to my stomach to hug it.

"You were pretty quiet tonight at dinner," she said. "Do you want to talk about anything?"

Vanessa was super nice, but sometimes I wish she was mean. I wished she fit the whole evil stepmother thing. When I accepted her kindness, it felt like I was forgetting about my mom. My mother was the one I was supposed to go to for advice. Vanessa shouldn't be the one doing it. My mom wasn't really asking how I was doing, though, so I took the bait.

"I don't know," I said, biting my lip. "I don't like that Lin's trying to get full custody of me."

She nodded in understanding. "You've been with your mom your whole life," she pointed out. "I've never met your mom. How do you think she's doing?"

I sighed, finding it hard to describe. "She's trying," I said softly. "But she's still a mess."

"Is she taking care of you when you're with her?" She asked gently.

I was silent for a few long moments, wanting to say yes, but knowing I couldn't. I shook my head. "No."

Vanessa sighed and leaned forward to put a hand on my arm. "Nora, we're worried about you," she said. "This is all so much for a thirteen year old to deal with. We don't want you getting all caught up in your mom's drama. You need to be a kid."

"But she needs me," I said, feeling tears coming to my eyes.

"She loves you a lot," Vanessa said. "But it sounds like she's always had a lot going on. She wants to be a good mother, but she's got a lot of issues going on, doesn't she?"

I nodded, feeling the tears coming harder.

"You're a kid, and you shouldn't have to deal with adult issues," she went on. I knew she was right, but I also knew I was the only thing keeping my mom on the edge of sanity. I was her responsibility, so she tried to keep it semi-together. Right now, she was failing though and I knew it.

"Have you liked living with Lin and me and the boys the last few months?" She asked gently. I nodded, wiping away my tears.

"We have too," she looked into my eyes so I knew she was serious. "Especially Sebby and Franky. They adore you."

"But I give you and Lin so much trouble," I pointed out, tearing up again.

"No you don't," she corrected me. "You've been dealing with way more than the average adults has to deal with. You're allowed to cause a little trouble."

I laughed a little at that through my tears. I knew I could be a pain in the ass. "Come here," she said, scooting over and putting her arms around me. I allowed myself to be enveloped in her warm hug. It always felt safe with the Mirandas. I never had to worry about where my next meal would come from, or getting myself up for school, or getting slapped.

I let her hug me for several long minutes. As I started to pull back, she gave me a kiss on the side of my head. "You're a good kid," she told me. I didn't believe her, but didn't correct her.

She told me she'd check on me before bed again and then left me to be by myself. That night, I went to bed early, around 8:30, because I was so tired. My bed felt so nice.