On Our Own

Chapter 12

After cleaning up the broken chandelier and helping Jack and Matt, who thankfully weren't that badly hurt because they landed on the couch, everyone was rounded up and were sitting in the dining room. The DCFS lady was waiting by the end of the table avidly writing notes on her clipboard.

"Okay, first of all who are you?" Jessica asked Liam.

"Liam Hall," he said with a cocky look on his face.

I shot him an angry look. "John dropped him off earlier today," I said trying to explain.

"Doesn't know about new arrivals," the DCFS lady muttered.

"We knew," Monica rushed to explain. "We just haven't formally met him yet."

"Okay, first of all, what happened? I thought Leah was watching all of you?" Jess said, ignoring Moncia.

"Look I don't care for this family drama, I need some answers, why are they not in school?" The lady who later I found out was named Carol asked.

"The administrative board has suspended them, but they should be welcome back very soon," Jess explained trying to make it sound better than it was.

Carol wrote something else down and continued on asking about stupid things. It was almost seven now and she wouldn't stop grilling us. I told Ethan to go home, and James said the same to Colton and Charlie. Now no one was talking to me, as if it was my fault DCFS showed up.

"Look I can't close you guys down because you're the only foster family in a fifty mile radius, but you need to change some stuff, my recommendation is to find another adult to watch the children when you two aren't home," she then turned and pointed to me. "Even though this one is seventeen, she's not an adult."

Carol finally left around eight and Jess and Monica immediately went to the kitchen to make dinner, but I knew they just really wanted to talk in private.

"That was awful," James said quietly.

"Well that blew up," Casey muttered.

"Does this happen often?" Liam asked.

"We're just having a hard time," Nina said softly.

We ate dinner and it was relatively quiet except for introducing Liam. Dinner was almost over and I thought maybe I could sneak off without getting yelled at, but they started questioning Liam.

"So how do you like it here?" Monica asked him.

"It's cool, I like the third floor, lots of video games," he said.

Immediately all the boys and Casey winced. Monica and Jess didn't know we plugged all the consoles in as soon as they left each day after they unplugged them.

"Oh you played them now, did you?" Jess asked.

I think Liam realized he had gotten us in trouble and shut his mouth.

"I wonder who plugged them all back in?" Jess said dryly.

No one said a word.

"It's okay, we'll figure out a different punishment," Monica said, looking at Jess who was clearly losing it.

"I'm thinking you all do the dishes, and after that half of you can clean the garage, and the other half can do the bathrooms," Jess said.

We all nodded and as soon as the dishes were done, we got to work. I was about to join team garage when Jess called me back over to the kitchen. Here we go, I thought to myself. I looked over at Monica who was biting her lip nervously.

"Uh, you called for me?" I asked nervously.

"Leah," she said, sighing. "I get it, this was our fault for leaving the house in your hands. However you stood here not too long ago and told me that you were an adult and that you wanted to be treated like one. Yet somehow your sound judgment led to you inviting a boy over and letters my all the kids run wild?"