Alone

Tyler

Mrs.Smith leads me to my room, which was upstairs. It was not big, but not small. It was pretty plain, so I would have to put some style into it later. I unpack my stuff, and not being much I finished quickly.

I took a shower, taking in my new surroundings. I still couldn't believe this was happening, but I didn't want to cry. I wasn't allowed to call my mother, not until they let me, which was beyond stupid. I wonder if she knew they took me to a foster home.

I was hoping I wasn't gonna be here very long, and that I could return home soon. I blow dried my hair, then crawled into bed. It was a fairly big bed, and I was tiny compared to it. Although I'm sixteen, I could be taken for fourteen, because I'm so short and skinny. My mother always said I was petite.

As I thought about home, and if I would ever see my mother again, and if she was gonna make it out of the hospital okay, I couldn't help the tears that sprung to my eyes. The painful lump in my throat was unbearable, and I let out a soft sob, and with that, all my pain fled from my eyes. I cried quietly, trying not to wake anyone up.

* * *

I woke up, my face sticky from dried tears. I stretched, not wanting to leave the warmth of the bed unless it was to go home. Candy was curled up in between my chest and my legs that were tucked close to me. She was a little ball of warmth. She snores lightly, sounding almost like a cat does when it purrs. I pet her, and she stretched out, yawning and slowly opening her eyes. I get up and get changed.

I look in the mirror at my chosen outfit. A tight black T-shirt, some ripped Jean shorts, and some plain grey socks. I put my hair into a cute messy ponytail. I quickly apply my usual makeup.

I'm not sure if I'm allowed to leave my room, but I do anyway. I pick up Candy and carry her along with me. I go downstairs and my nose is met with the wonderful smell of bacon. I see that Mrs.Smith is cooking.

"Good morning," she says with a small smile.

I just smile at her, then put earbuds in, blocking myself away from the world and everyone in it. Taking a seat, I wait for my food. Soon she gives me some, and I eat it slowly.

I stay sitting where I am after I finish. Someone walks in and I look up. It's a boy. I only see the back of him as he talks to Mrs.Smith. I'm guessing he's her son? From what I can see, he is wearing a black hoodie and some dark jeans. He has black converse on, just like the ones I have. His hair isn't too short or too long, and it's  light brown color. It looks sort of messy from my perspective, but in a cute way. He looks about my age, if not older. It's hard to tell because of his height, he must be almost 6 foot, if not taller.

Suddenly Candy barks at him, and he jumps and turns around. I quickly pull out my earbuds. By the surprise on his face, I'm guessing he didn't know about me. He looks me up and down, then at Candy. He has stunning blue eyes, and his dark hair brings it out in an amazing way. He has beautiful lips and perfect eyebrows. I pull my eyes away, feeling heat rise to my face. I pet Candy to soothe her.

He looks over to his mom. "Who is she?" He asks her. His voice is so perfect, and I can't help but want to hear it more. 

He didn't sound rude by the way he said it, just curious. "Oh, she's our new foster kid. I was about to tell you that before the dog barked," she said, glancing at Candy.

"Candy," I correct, the first time I talked. His eyes flash towards me, burning into mine. They look at me a bit confused. "That's her name, Candy," I say a bit quieter, looking away.

"Oh..that's a nice name," he says, "I'm Tyler."

"Summer," I say to him. He nods his head.

"Well I was just about to head out to the store to get stuff for the start of school tomorrow. I kind of procrastinated...need anything?" He asks me.

Before I could answer, Mrs.Smith did.

"Actually you should take her with you. The poor girl only came here with a few things. Barely enough clothes for a day," she said. The way she said it made my cheeks grow hot. Not only did she insult me, but also she made herself seem like she was so much better than me. This poor foster girl has nothing compared to us. We are rich and she probably came from some poor family, if not the streets, is what it sounded like to me.

He looked over at me, then back to his mom and nodded his head, agreeing to taking me out with him. I pick up Candy and follow Tyler out the door. He has an extremely nice car. I sit next to him and buckle up.

"You don't have to bring..Candy with you. My mom can take care of her while we are gone," he says, reaching over to pet Candy.

I shrug and look out the window as he pulls out of the driveway. I never let Candy out of my sight ever since the day the other puppies were stolen. We never found out who took them. It only takes a few minutes before we arrive at the mall.

We get out and I put Candy on a leash. He lets me get whatever I want, insisting that he has enough money. He even lets me get stuff for my room. I pull out my phone to check my texts when he looks over and says, "Want a new phone?"

I look up at him to see him holding an iPhone 10. I simply have an iPhone 5s. I shake my head no,not accepting to spend that much money on a phone.

"Oh common, it's alright I don't mind buying it," he said, looking down at me.

Dang he's so tall. I just shake my head no again.

"Fine, if you don't want that, I'll have to get you this," he says smirking at me.

I look at what he's holding out. An iPhone X. There's no way I can let him buy me either of those.

"No, you can't get me that, it's way too much money."

He just shrugs, not listening to me as he looks at the different colors. "What's your favorite color?"

I roll my eyes. "None, and your not getting me that."

He rubs his chin, as if deep in thought. He looks at me. "How about black, like your shirt?"

If I had to pick one, it would have been black, but I wasn't gonna admit it. I just roll my eyes again and look away. "So is that a yes?"

"No."

"Okay," he says and walks up to the worker there. I hear him asking to buy it. He walks back holding it with a smug smile on his face.

I let out a dramatic sigh. This guy is beyond my comprehension. Who would want to buy a phone for me, an expensive one at that, even after I clearly insisted not to?

He hands it to me, and I stare at it, not believing it's mine. My family has never been that rich, and when my dad left us it only got worse. My mom could barely keep a job and I was usually picking up part time jobs whenever I could to help pay for the rent.

We walk out and continue shopping. I find myself getting nervous for my first day of school tomorrow. 11th grade was not gonna be fun, especially now that I'm in foster care. I've never been one to easily make friends.

Well I can only hope for the best...