Wild Ride - The Alternative Version (Book 2)

Chapter 55~Listen Up, There's A Devil In The Church

I couldn't believe it. I felt like I was about to be sick as I realized that for five years, I could have been home with my parents, but instead I spent those years thinking that I couldn't go home because I was legally taken away from my parents. I could've been happy still, I still could've had everything that I've been so desperately longing for. 

Knowing that I had to get out of here now that I know the truth, I printed off all the emails that gave proof that my grandmother had hired 'Judge Brown' who wasn't actually a real judge to make sure that my parents were found guilty. He had a fake I.D. to use for the courthouse to make him appear as a real judge, and he was also the one who supplied my grandmother with nine years of information that she wasn't around to witness it happen, and helped twist it into something to accuse my parents of. How this 'Judge Brown', who was actually Steven Perry, got all this information, I don't know. But I do know that he is a top performance conman that people can hire to create a fraud situation, exactly like he did to my parents. Grandma knew that without a little help from him, there was no way she could get me away from my parents because she hadn't been there for nine years to be able to really prove anything, and my parents would have the answer for everything that went wrong, and would be able to say that it turned good in the end. She knew that no real judge would ever listen to her once he or she knew that she hadn't even met me yet at the time of the court date.

Once they were all printed, I gathered them up and put them in order before I got a stapler out of the desk drawer and stapled them together. I found an empty manila folder in the cabinet below the drawer and stuck them in there. I brought them back to my room, deciding that I would bring them to Papa immediately tomorrow morning, but not before I give my dear, not-so-innocent grandmother a piece of my mind. 

I pulled my suitcase out of the closet and started packing my clothes into it, ready to leave tomorrow. I would leave my stuff here and find Papa, and then we'd come back and get it and I can go back to California.

California. Oh man. My heart races at the thought of going home so soon, my hopes lifting. Maybe there's still hope for me, maybe I don't have to be so miserable anymore. I can go back to loving parents and weird but amazing uncles, super awesome aunts, just family and people who love me in general. I won't have to hear anyone telling me to kill myself anymore, I can move on and get my life back. 

I packed even faster, anxious to get into bed and have it be tomorrow already, leaving a pair of pajamas for tonight and a set of clothes aside for tomorrow. I got all my other belongings into my backpack, not bothering to get the stuff I have for school since I won't need it once I'm in California. I can always just use this backpack for the end of the year since there's less than a month left now. I grabbed the plastic bag with the letters from my parents and the two pictures inside, pausing to take out the picture of the three of us. I looked down at it as I have a million times before, but this time instead of shedding tears or feeling sad, I smiled a real, genuine smile.

"I'll be home soon. I promise." I whispered, staring at the photo for another moment before I put it back in the bag and placed it safely in my backpack. Then, once I was sure I had everything, I changed into my pajamas and took care of my dirty clothes, and I slid my suitcase and my backpack under the bed to hide it, but still made it easy to get to when it was time to grab my stuff and go. As for the folder with the printed off emails, I slid those into the drawer of the nightstand, knowing those were key to getting out of here. I'm not going to stay here any longer than I have to now, I knew Mom and Dad couldn't be guilty of anything, they hadn't ever done anything wrong.

Feeling happy about waking up the next day for once, I slipped into bed and turned out the light, shutting my eyes and letting myself quickly fall into sleep, imagining how amazing it was going to be when I return to California.