Adopted By The Heathers Cast

Take a Deep Breath

I watched the trees pass by the car window as I drove with my social worker, Grace, to my new placement in the foster care system. 

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I remember the day I was taken from my dad. It was a Tuesday, and I had went to school with my sister, Paige, just like any other day. We went to a public school. Our family couldn't afford private school.

I had gone to my first period, science, and about 10 minutes into the lecture I was called to the office. My teacher dismissed me, and I walked to the front office. I saw Paige, who was 13 at the time, crying in a chair. "Is she okay? Are we in trouble?" I asked the secretary.

"No, you aren't in trouble, but I'd like you to have a seat." She gestured to a chair next to my sister, and I sat down. "A couple of days ago Paige came to one of her teachers about what was happening at home."

I froze. I didn't want to talk about my dad and his issues. I know he wasn't fit to be taking care of 2 kids, especially after his wife had just died. His answer to grieving was drinking.

"We called CPS. The situation sounded serious." The secretary continued, and my sister continued sobbing. "They're taking you somewhere safe. You don't have to see your father anymore." She finished.

Paige held out her hand towards me, implying that she wanted me to comfort her. I grabbed her hand and gently rubbed it, trying to make her feel better. But I felt awful too, like I was about to puke. 

"Unfortunately, you'll be seperated." 

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I felt a knot of anxiety in my stomach as we drove across the Lincoln Tunnel into New York. It wasn't that unusual for me to travel to go to my next placement. I usually traveled around in the Northeastern part of the US. 

Shortly, we pulled up to an apartment building in a quieter part of the city. Grace parked and got out of the car, shortly after letting me out. We walked the the sidewalk to the entrance of the building. "You ready?" She asked me, and I nodded. We walked inside and headed up the flights of stairs.

Eventually, we reached the apartment where I would be living for god know who long. Grace knocked on the door, and we waited a few moments. A woman with bright red-orange hair answered the door. "Hi!" She exclaimed, and shook Grace's hand. "Come in," she continued.

Her apartment was fairly big- a bit smaller than Monica Geller's apartment from Friends. She probably had a lot of money. The red-haired woman gestured for us to sit down on a couch.

"Avery, this is Jessica Keenan Wynn," Grace introduced us. 

"Hi Avery, you can just call me Jess or Jessica. I don't mind." She smiled at me. "Jess seems nice,"  I thought to myself.

"Jess, can I talk to you a minute alone?" Grace asked her, and Jessica nodded.

 "Feel free to walk around this main area, familiarize yourself with it," Jess told me. I got up off the couch and went to the kitchen as Grace and her started to chat. 

Jessica's kitchen was beautiful. It was nice and open, and the colors were pretty. I admired it some more until I got called back to the couch. Grace started talking.

 "Avery, I'm going to leave now. If you need anything, you have my phone number. Feel free to call me anytime." I nodded as she got off the couch and exited the apartment, waving at me and Jessica as she did that.

"Bye," I mouthed to her as the door shut. 

A/N: First chapter! Hope you guys are enjoying. I don't know how often I'll be able to update since I'm really busy with school. Anyways, have a great day! See ya, -Laine