Foster + j.j.

xxxxv.

*alyssa*

I sat in the family room of Joe's house, holding a cup of tea. After the bus dropped me off in Philly, I walked to his old home, thankful that his family still lives there.

Patty, his wife, welcomed me with open arms and is letting me stay for as long as I need until I can afford to live on my own. Well first things first I need a job to earn that.

I took a sip of my tea, feeling uncomfortable in a house I've been in so many times. It just doesn't feel right.

"Hi!" I heard a little girl's voice say towards me.

I looked in the direction of the stairway and saw a little girl, about seven or eight, over the banister, smiling.

She had reddish blonde hair, a freckled face, fare skin, and her eyes were a gray blue color.

"Hi," I said confused of who this girl is.

"My name is Marissa and I'm seven years old," she held up seven fingers. "What's your name?"

She ran down the stairs, jumping onto the brown sectional couch, next to me.

"Alyssa," I answered her, putting my tea down onto the coffee table on a coaster.

"That's a pretty name! I like that name! Can I call you Lyssy? Why are you here? Patty told me that you came to visit for a while. How long are you going to be here for? Can we be best friends? Wait since you'll be here for a while, can you sleep in my room?"

This little girl kept chatting my ear off. She was asking too many questions so fast that I couldn't even answer them after she asked them. For a seven year old she has no problem speaking to anyone. I've never been able to do that.

Well she isn't Patty's daughter because she didn't call Patty mom. I wonder why she's here then.

"Marissa, stop bothering Alyssa. You can play with her later. Let me talk to her for a few," Patty said saving me from this situation.

"Aww, okay then. Call me down when it's time to play!" She ran back up the stairs.

I looked over at Patty.

"Alyssa, I've thought about what you said earlier and you do know that running away from your problems doesn't fix anything, right?"

Of coarse I forgot that Joe's wife was a psychologist.

"Patty, as much as I loved it there, I just couldn't stay after that happened. I love Jack, I genuinely do. But after this, I don't know anymore."

"You didn't answer my question," she told me softly.

I huffed, "I don't know to handle my feelings okay? All I know is when something gets tough that I go some where else in no time. I just want a perfect life so I go some where new to start fresh and forget about what happened."

"I know that whenever you had a problem, Joe would take you somewhere else and it would make you feel better for a small amount of time but emotions demand to be felt and there's nothing you can do about it."

"Do you really need to quote The Fault in Our Stars?"

"If it'll get you to listen to me then yes."

I stayed quiet.

"Just give it some thought. You'll be okay. Just give it some time."

She placed her hand on my leg and got up, leaving me with my own thoughts.

~^~

I'm really sorry I haven't been updating, I'm just in a serious mental block and I can't seem to get out of it.

More coming soon.

The ending is near...