Dedicating Every Day to You

Chapter Forty-Six

School is starting in two days, and it's entirely possible that I've never been so stressed-out in my entire life. My class schedule just came in the mail, and I'm sitting on the hallway floor in shock, holding the orange sheet of paper clutched tightly in both hands.

John comes up behind me. "Is everything okay, Kat?" He sounds more than a little concerned, and I suppose it's warranted- I don't usually sit down in the middle of a room and pull my knees up to my chest.

"I mean, the world isn't ending," I reply. In a way, it feels like it is, but melodrama isn't really my strong point. This orange piece of paper thought it would be fun to ruin my life, but the world hasn't come to an end- just my existence at school.

There's a light thump, and John flops onto the carpet beside me. He immediately starts coughing. "When's the last time anyone vacuumed over here? Never mind. Let me see that paper too." He rests his chin on my shoulder, and we both stare at the orange sheet of paper.

There shouldn't be anything threatening about a class schedule, and yet, every time I look at it, it seems to grow scarier. John clears his throat and begins to read it aloud.

"Homeroom, Mr. Lloyd-Weber, seven thirty to eight. Level A ballet, eight fifteen to eleven thirty. Spanish, Senor Rosario, eleven forty to twelve fifteen. Lunch, twelve fifteen to twelve forty-five. Geometry, Mr. Johnson, one to two. Home Economics, Ms. Hunterson, two fifteen to four thirty. Basic Choreography, four thirty to six." He looks up. "I don't see what's so bad."

"Everything's awful!" I wail. "First of all, Mr. Lloyd-Weber is the strictest homeroom teacher. If you even think about talking in his class, you get detention. And then whose idea was it to put me in Level A ballet? That's the highest-level ballet class in the whole school! I'll be the youngest one in there!" My eyes are actually welling up with tears. "And Theo and Harriet and I are going to compare schedules tonight, but I bet we won't have any classes together-" I dissolve into sobs.

John pulls me close and holds me against his chest. He strokes my hair and lets me cry, occasionally humming softly to me. Once I've gotten almost all of my tears out, he holds me at arms' length. "Listen, baby. It's going to be okay. I know you're a little worried now, but you love school. Everything's going to turn up great, I just know it. Remember how nervous you were before it started last year?"

Very slowly, I nod. Last year, on my first day, I was stressed out because I wouldn't know anyone. Now, however, that's not a problem. I have Harriet and Theodosia, Philip and, yes, even George.

He kisses the top of my head. "I thought so. Now, come on, we're leaving for Nina's dinner soon."

Harriet's sister Nina is leaving for Stanford tomorrow, and as such, her family is throwing her a little farewell dinner party. I was invited as Harriet's partner in crime, and John is chaperoning me as a friend of Sally's. Alex is not coming, because he and Jefferson have a bit of a bad history with one another. He's staying home and binge-watching Star Wars instead.

I dry my eyes on my sleeve and walk upstairs to shower. I have a lot of hair to deal with, and so I have to get ready early.

********

We pull up at Harriet's house, and John holds open the car door for me. I skip out, my dress flouncing around my knees. It's grey and printed with blue butterflies and splashes of paint. I wore it the day of my speech on adoption, and I now think of it as my memory-making dress. John told me to dress nice for tonight, and this was pretty much all I could think of.

Sally answers the door, smiling at both of us. Her wild hair is an even bigger mane than usual, and she looks very pretty in a black dress with a poofy skirt. She gives us both a giant hug, and I inhale her spicy perfume. She leads us inside, and almost at once, Harriet crushes me in one of her patented bone-snapping embraces.

"I thought you weren't coming!" She buries her head in my arms. "Theo and I have been sitting and comparing schedules- come do it with us!"

Reluctantly, I take her hand and follow her into their living room. Theo is also here, sitting on the long squishy couch with a notepad in hand. Beside her are two more orange sheets of paper, and their noisome shade burns at my eyes.

Theodosia hugs me when she sees me as well, then pats the cushion beside her. Harriet has the best couch in the entire world, with giant pillows that you can sink into. "Who do you have for homeroom, Kat?"

I lean against her, resting my head on her shoulder. "Mr. Lloyd-Weber." I drop my schedule onto Theo's notepad, the lurid orange page fluttering down. She scoops it up and reads it silently, her mouth moving as her eyes scan the page.

"We don't have any classes together," Theodosia finally says. Her voice is soothing, almost maternal, and she squeezes my hand. "But it's going to be alright. You'll make a whole bunch of new friends, I just know it."

"Dinner," Sally calls, and I'm thankful for the reprieve. If her words hadn't come at just that second, I know for a fact I would have burst into tears.

We all take our seats around the table, Harriet right beside Nina as always. They squeeze hands beneath the table. Before we can eat (shame, too, my stomach is rumbling), Thomas taps a fork against his glass of wine.

"Before we dig into this gorgeous feast that Sally made-" here, they share a tender glance that makes Harriet gag- "I want to let Nina say a few words. She's flying out very early in the morning, and so we arranged this little farewell for her."

Nina clears her throat and smiles at all of us in turn. "First of all, I want to tell my parents how fantastic they are for supporting me. Words cannot describe how happy I am that I get to return to Stanford for my sophomore year. I promise I'll do you proud out there."

Thomas reaches across the table and squeezes her shoulder. "I don't think we could be prouder of you if you were valedictorian."

She snickers. "Just you wait- I will be." Nina brushes a lock of hair out of her eyes and continues. "I want to take this moment to make an announcement."

Thomas's friendly expression vanishes in an instant. "If Benny proposed to you, the answer is a resounding no. You're too young, and he barely has a job- did he even finish high school?"

"Papi, calm down." Nina places a reassuring hand on his arm. "I'm definitely not getting married- although I'm almost twenty years old. If I decided to marry him, it wouldn't be your decision."

"What is it, then?" Sally scoots forward in her chair slightly.

She takes a deep breath. "I finally figured out at college...what I want to be. What I want to do." Nina looks at each of us in turn. "Harriet and I have both been blessed to be able to live with the parents we were born with. When I was younger, I always ignored the foster kids who were in my school. I was too busy to pay attention to them.

"Now, my little sister's best friends were both adopted, and I've seen how happy they make her. I love hearing their stories about the families they've been with and their experiences in the foster system. I want to hear more of their stories, meet their friends who have other tales to tell. That's why I'm going to become a social worker. And, if it's okay, I want Kathryn and Theodosia's stories to be my thesis project."

We all sit in silence for a moment, Nina's words washing over us like the waves of the ocean. Finally, Theo reaches over and hugs Nina. It's strange, seeing someone hug someone else that they barely know, but it feels right, so I do it, too. She laughs and ruffles our hair. I sit back, feeling a little less stressed out.

I don't think Nina knows how much I appreciate being told that my story is worth something. That being a foster kid doesn't change the interest my life holds for her. As everyone picks up their forks and begins to eat, I'm left with the lingering feeling that this school year might not be so bad after all.