On Our Own

Chapter 11

When we arrived it was almost three, visiting hours would be over in an hour. We went through to the visiting rooms and I saw Carter at a table. I nodded to Ethan and we started to walk over. I looked back to see where Liam went, but he already sat down next to some boy. I went over and sat across from Carter. He smiled half-heartedly and handed me a paper.

I opened it and read it:

The guard told me you called and planned on coming, so I wrote down everything I wanted to tell you. A lot of stuff went down, my mom came and visited me, she tried to apologize. I didn't really care for it, she's still using, so it kind of showed me who or what she really cares about. My bail is at fifty grand. I'm gonna be tried next month and being the messed up black kid I am, they'll probably give me five years or more. I'm sorry about all this, I don't particularly care about Monica or Jess, no offense or anything. Just tell them I'm sorry for whatever inconveniences I caused.

Once I finished reading it, I put it down and looked at Carter. This kid didn't deserve any of the things he was going through. I noticed Ethan pick up the letter and read it, but my eyes were focused on Carter.

"Do you have a lawyer?"

He nodded, but from his face I could tell it wasn't a good one.

"Crap," I muttered and Carter nodded sadly in agreement.

After staying until a little bit before four, we had to leave. I hugged Carter goodbye.

"Don't worry. I'll be here for every part of it, okay?"

He didn't respond, he just handed me an envelope with a sticky note on it. I was about to ask what was going on, but he had already been called back.

I looked down at the sticky note, 'don't open until you know when to,' it read.

Ethan and I looked at each other, but clearly now was not the time to open it. I stuck it in my back pocket for now and looked around for Liam. We found him talking to the same boy from earlier and when the guard came and took the boy back, I nudged Liam and he got up. He looked off, the smug grin he was wearing only hours ago, was gone. Qutiely, all three of us walked to my car.

"Who'd you go to see?" I asked Liam again as Ethan drove us.

He looked at me but he didn't say anything.

"I went to see an old foster brother," I explained. "He's being charged with illegal drug possession and distribution."

"That sucks," Liam murmured.

"It's really unfair, he's a good kid too. He didn't deserve it," I muttered.

It was silent the whole way back, I think we were all feeling something, it was weird. It felt like everyone was sad in their own way. I was feeling for Carter, and Liam was obviously upset about whoever he had met. Then there was Ethan, the poor guy was probably overwhelmed with all the misery we went through on a daily basis. It wasn't something people saw in their normal, perfect lives.

We finally approached the house and Ethan turned the car off, we all just sat there for a moment.

Finally Liam spoke, "He's my brother, he's going to be in for life."

Ethan and I looked at each other, we didn't know what to say. I looked back at Liam and saw tears forming in his eyes.

"But he didn't do it, it was my parents, but the evidence pointed towards my brother."

Liam wiped his eyes and after promising I'd take him again, he left the car.

I thought about that, his parents were dead and the only family he had left was pinned for something he didn't do. Maybe hating on this kid for his 'tough' act wasn't right. We were all just broken kids in the end.