It's Just Me

Chapter 19

I am alone yet again, walking home.

Alone.

I look at the puddles in the street I am walking on. I see my reflection. My long brown hair is drooping down my back and shoulders. My black boots are making a clicking sound as I walk. My head is hanging low. I have my hands in my jacket pockets. I am looking down at the ground, which is probably not a good idea since I am in the street. I look up and see a jewelry store in front of me. There is only one way the street turns and I know that is the direction to the foster home. I look up again when I reach the turn, and see the foster home on ny left. I open the door and walk inside, rub the bottom of my shoes on the Matt, and walk to ny room. I see how messy I had left it, so I decide to start cleaning up. I pick up the clothes I left on the floor one by one, growing them into the laundry basket that is next to my desk. I wonder if anyone posted the prank Angela and I pulled on James on the YouTube or something. I look at ny desk and spot the laptop that came with my room. Where is Julia? I wonder to myself. I want to invite her over, and I know I will forget to do that if I look up my prank on YouTube first. I pick up my cellphone and call Julia. She probably won't answer, considering that she works at a hospital until 6:00 PM and it is 3:36. The phone rings about 5 or 6 times, and Julia finally picks up. "Hello?"

"Hi Julia."

"Hello there, Zoey." She says smiling. I can tell she is smiling because of the way she is talking."Long time no see."

"Yeah." I say."Do you want to cone over at 7:00?"

"I can come." She replies. "I don't have to work so, you get it."

"Or I can come visit you now if you have time now."

"Oh sure." She tells. "You can come visit me now. I just started break. I go on break at 3:30 everyday, so if you ever have some time on your hands you can visit me at that time."

"Okay." I reply. "I can walk to the hospital. See you soon. Bye." I hang up the phone and walk over to my door. I notice in the hallway that I forgot to look up my prank, but I just keep walking. I walk out of the door to that big foster home, and immediately, the hospital comes into distance. I reach the hospital door after walking for about 5 minutes. I open the door and walk inside. I see a girl crying. She is getting stitches. I walk over to her. I know kids like me. Maybe I can make her feel better. "Hi." I say to the go sitting in the chair. I lean into her. She looks like she is about 4 or 5 years old. The doctor stitching her up says,"What are you-"

"Okay, lady, do you want her so keep crying?" I ask her quickly.

She looks at me and continues stitching up the wound as the girl starts crying again. "It's okay. It's okay." I assured the little girl. "What is your name?"

"I'm Malika." She says between sobs. I can't help it. I giggle.

"I'm Zoey." I tell her. "Now, how old are you?"

"4 years old." She stops crying a bit and smiles at me. I love little kids.

"Well, Malika, I know how to make you feel better about your leg." I tell her. "Now, first you need to say 'magic'." I say.

"Magic." Malika repeats. She is not crying now. A woman starts to run toward the table.

"Hi Malika!" She greets. She frowns at me. I don't understand if she's mad or confused. "Go away girl." That was rude. I put my hands up in the air for a second and roll my eyes. I turn away and start to walk towards the room I was hospitalized in. I hear the girl start yelling my name and screaming. She is crying again. I walk back over to her. Apparently her mother's smile fades into a frown again. "What?" I ask Malika. "What's the

matter?"

"I want you to stay with me!" She sobs again.

"Aw, that's sweet and all but your mommy is here to take care of you now."

"But I like you better!" She says kicking her leg that isn't getting stitched up. I giggle again.

"Hey." Her mom says to me. "How old are you?"

"14." I reply.

"How would you like to babysit her?" She says pulling a sticky note out of her bag. She takes out a pen and writes something on it. "Here is my address, email, and phone number."

"Did you hear that?" I ask Malika. "I'm going to be your new baby sitter!"

"Yay!" Malika yells, swinging both of her legs up. I laugh again.

"All done." Announces the doctor. "You can take her home now but she can't use her right leg much and make sure that any pets or animals don't chew on it. That is the self dissolving string, so you don't have to take her back here to get the stitches removed after 3 weeks."

"Thank you, doctor." Says Malika' s mother. I look at the address on the sticky note.

"Oh cool. You live on the same street as the foster center." I say.

"Why do you say that?" Malika's mother asks me.

"I'm a foster kid." I tell her.

"Oh." Says Malika' s mother. She is frowning again with one eyebrow up. "Oh I forgot to tell you. I am Shannon."

"Cool. Text me if you need me to babysit. If I don't answer the text then call me." Shannon picks Malika up off the table and cradles her in her arms.

"Bye." She tells me as she walk out of the hospital.

I am smooth.