Katie
noticed her foster mother, Sandy, and Oz right away sitting next to
each other in separate sofas. It was hard to see now, but Sandy was
tall, young and had long blonde hair. None of them said a word.
“ Oz, we went
trick-or-treating at the circle,” Katie lied, disregarding what she
had said. “We thought it would only take a minute.”
That was stupid. No one went to the circle.
That was where old people walked around.
“ After that, we found a
real haunted house,” I added. “Katie was terrified. She nearly peed
her pants.”
Katie made a face at me.
“ Jess, I told you to wait
for me,” reminded Oz in a tense but level voice. “I didn’t want you
two to go out alone.”
That was it. I was going to be grounded
forever. But then, an epiphany seemed to hit Katie.
“ We got jumped,” she
said.
Oh, yeah, I had totally forgotten about
that. Good job, Katie!
“ Jumped?” said
Oz.
“ A bunch of–”
I cut Katie off. “Huge football players took
us apart. One of them pulled a shotgun on me.”
“ But you guys are okay?”
said Oz.
“ Yeah. A policeman saved
us. He shot one of them.”
“ Jess, that’s enough. Get
your jacket, and let’s go.”
Oh, my God, I was dead.
Oz picked up on my petrified look. “Katie,
did you borrow my jacket from Jess?”
I gave Katie a pleading nod.
“ What jacket?” she said
anyway.
“ Katie,” I
whined.
“ You lent me her jacket?
When?”
“ It’s upstairs in her
room!” I said impulsively to Oz. “She forgot – no, I haven’t told
her yet!”
Oz stood up. “You haven’t told her you’re
going to let her borrow the jacket?”
“ Uhmm . . .
yes.”
“ Wait here. When I say
that, I mean don’t move.”
Oz strode out of the room. It was quiet for
a while. What was she going to do to me after I tell her I had lost
her jacket? What freaked me out even more was that Sandy was
sitting in the dark not saying a word. But then . . .
“ You all deserve to be
punished–”
“ No one asked you to
speak!” thundered Katie.
Sandy got out of the sofa and slapped Katie
in the face. “Get in the kitchen now!”
“ No.”
“ Don’t hurt her,” I
pleaded quietly.
Sandy turned to me. “Do you know what kind
of girl you’re running around with? Do you know what she did two
years ago?”
“ Sandy, don’t tell him,”
cried Katie, looking frantic.
Sandy looked into Katie’s eyes and said,
“She killed a girl.”
A tear seared down Katie's cheek. “It wasn’t
my fault. She tripped.”
“ You were fighting with
her, right? It’s your fault.”
Katie had never told me about her life
before we had met, always avoiding the topic. But it took me just
one second to search my heart and make up my mind that Katie was my
best friend, and she always would be no matter what she had done in
the past, good or bad.
“ I don’t care,” I
said.
No one paid attention, it seemed.
“ Girl, I said get in the
kitchen–”
“ Shut up,” muttered Katie.
“I’m tired of listening to–”
“ You listen here, you
juvenile nuisance!”
Katie was now standing face to face with
Sandy.
“ You ain’t mí real
mamá! ” Katie barked into her face.
“ You’re a foster mamá! Stop telling me
what to do! ”
Oz came running in and pulled Katie back,
who intentionally knocked over a lamp.
“ Pick - that - up–”
sneered Sandy.
“ I’m not your maid! You pick it up, you sick . . . I don’t care if you die! ”
Tears streamed down her reddened cheeks. I
knew that Katie hated Sandy, but I didn’t realize exactly how much
till this point.
“ Becky, this is not your
house,” said Sandy.
Oz took my hand and dragged me out of the
house. What was she doing? Katie and Sandy were just about to
fight. If we didn't resolve this, something terrible might happen
between them. But I kept quiet. Oz didn’t say a thing either while
we headed home. She had me walk ahead of her, which made it
difficult to know how much trouble I was in. When we
noticed her foster mother, Sandy, and Oz right away sitting next to
each other in separate sofas. It was hard to see now, but Sandy was
tall, young and had long blonde hair. None of them said a word.
“ Oz, we went
trick-or-treating at the circle,” Katie lied, disregarding what she
had said. “We thought it would only take a minute.”
That was stupid. No one went to the circle.
That was where old people walked around.
“ After that, we found a
real haunted house,” I added. “Katie was terrified. She nearly peed
her pants.”
Katie made a face at me.
“ Jess, I told you to wait
for me,” reminded Oz in a tense but level voice. “I didn’t want you
two to go out alone.”
That was it. I was going to be grounded
forever. But then, an epiphany seemed to hit Katie.
“ We got jumped,” she
said.
Oh, yeah, I had totally forgotten about
that. Good job, Katie!
“ Jumped?” said
Oz.
“ A bunch of–”
I cut Katie off. “Huge football players took
us apart. One of them pulled a shotgun on me.”
“ But you guys are okay?”
said Oz.
“ Yeah. A policeman saved
us. He shot one of them.”
“ Jess, that’s enough. Get
your jacket, and let’s go.”
Oh, my God, I was dead.
Oz picked up on my petrified look. “Katie,
did you borrow my jacket from Jess?”
I gave Katie a pleading nod.
“ What jacket?” she said
anyway.
“ Katie,” I
whined.
“ You lent me her jacket?
When?”
“ It’s upstairs in her
room!” I said impulsively to Oz. “She forgot – no, I haven’t told
her yet!”
Oz stood up. “You haven’t told her you’re
going to let her borrow the jacket?”
“ Uhmm . . .
yes.”
“ Wait here. When I say
that, I mean don’t move.”
Oz strode out of the room. It was quiet for
a while. What was she going to do to me after I tell her I had lost
her jacket? What freaked me out even more was that Sandy was
sitting in the dark not saying a word. But then . . .
“ You all deserve to be
punished–”
“ No one asked you to
speak!” thundered Katie.
Sandy got out of the sofa and slapped Katie
in the face. “Get in the kitchen now!”
“ No.”
“ Don’t hurt her,” I
pleaded quietly.
Sandy turned to me. “Do you know what kind
of girl you’re running around with? Do you know what she did two
years ago?”
“ Sandy, don’t tell him,”
cried Katie, looking frantic.
Sandy looked into Katie’s eyes and said,
“She killed a girl.”
A tear seared down Katie's cheek. “It wasn’t
my fault. She tripped.”
“ You were fighting with
her, right? It’s your fault.”
Katie had never told me about her life
before we had met, always avoiding the topic. But it took me just
one second to search my heart and make up my mind that Katie was my
best friend, and she always would be no matter what she had done in
the past, good or bad.
“ I don’t care,” I
said.
No one paid attention, it seemed.
“ Girl, I said get in the
kitchen–”
“ Shut up,” muttered Katie.
“I’m tired of listening to–”
“ You listen here, you
juvenile nuisance!”
Katie was now standing face to face with
Sandy.
“ You ain’t mí real
mamá! ” Katie barked into her face.
“ You’re a foster mamá! Stop telling me
what to do! ”
Oz came running in and pulled Katie back,
who intentionally knocked over a lamp.
“ Pick - that - up–”
sneered Sandy.
“ I’m not your maid! You pick it up, you sick . . . I don’t care if you die! ”
Tears streamed down her reddened cheeks. I
knew that Katie hated Sandy, but I didn’t realize exactly how much
till this point.
“ Becky, this is not your
house,” said Sandy.
Oz took my hand and dragged me out of the
house. What was she doing? Katie and Sandy were just about to
fight. If we didn't resolve this, something terrible might happen
between them. But I kept quiet. Oz didn’t say a thing either while
we headed home. She had me walk ahead of her, which made it
difficult to know how much trouble I was in. When we
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