Down For The Count

Crossing The Line

Paisley's POV

My social worker would be here to pick me up at noon tomorrow, meaning I had to have everything packed tonight.

Spending the night at Violet's house last night may have been a mistake. I couldn't concentrate the entire time, I couldn't focus on having fun. I could only focus on having to leave. Having to pack up and go.

It's been a gloomy day for all of us. They picked me up from Violet's, and then I just kind of went to my room until dinner. If I had to see them and spend time with them, everything would just come rushing back to me, and I didn't know if I would be able to hold my emotions back.

So as usual, I did what I do best. Isolate myself from Lin and Vanessa all day.

Dinner was hard though. I didn't have an appetite. I was scared about what tomorrow would hold. I know change will be good for all of us...but honestly, I'm terrified.

"Wrong pile." Vanessa said to Lin, causing me to break from my thoughts. "This is a white blouse, meaning it goes in the white pile. It is not a hard concept."

"I don't understand why we're color-coding. It's all just going to end up shoved in her suitcase anyway." Lin mumbled as he put the white shirt in the pile with all the rest of my white clothing.

"Color-coding is structured. It makes things neater. We love color-coding, don't we, Paisley?" Vanessa asked, and I looked up at the mention of my name.

"Oh, uh...yeah, sure. Color-coding is everything." I said, Vanessa looking pleased with the response.

"I hope you know she only said that just so she didn't hurt your feelings." Lin said to Vanessa, and despite how terrible I was feeling, I couldn't help the small grin that appeared.

"Whatever." Vanessa laughed, folding another t-shirt of mine and putting it into the corresponding pile on my bed. "Doesn't change the fact that I'm still going to color code."

The color-coding proceeded until we had every color pile laid out on my bed, until all the clothing was removed from my dresser and closet.

"Okay. Suitcase me." Vanessa said to Lin once she was content with all the piles structured.

I watched as Lin retrieved the large suitcase from the back of my closet, bringing it over to my bed where all the clothing was laid out.

I did make the point that if I was to be living in a children's home, there was no way that I needed so much clothing. But neither of them would hear it, claiming that they wanted me to have as much as possible with me when I proceeded into the new environment.

I stood back a little bit, watching Lin and Vanessa pack my clothes into the suitcase.

It's...weird. In 24 hours, I won't be here. I'll be in a cold bed that's not my own. In a room that's not my own. In a home that's not my own, a home that doesn't belong to Lin and Vanessa.

Change is good. I have to keep drilling that into my head, because it's the only thing preventing me from full on breaking down.

I watched as they packed the suitcase that I would take with me on the next chapter of my life. The suitcase I would take with me as I walked right out of their lives.

I bit my lip hard in a desperate attempt to keep my emotions down, and it worked. Inwardly, I was freaking out. My chest was tight, and my heart was aching. My stomach was doing backflips, I was incredibly nervous.

But outwardly, I was showing nothing, and that's a good thing. Emotions should be kept in.

"Okay! We're golden!" Vanessa smiled after a struggle to get the stuffed suitcase closed. But...it was closed. It's all packed up. "Are you gonna wait until tomorrow morning to pack your toiletries?"