Lost and Found

Chapter Seventeen

You can't start the next chapter in your life if you keep rereading the last one -Ardy Cabornay

***

I was getting ready to go out and buy some groceries for Layla's family when a knock at the door stopped me in my tracks. I quickly grabbed my bag and the list the family wrote. Then headed for the door. When I opened the door my mother was standing there. Her hair was curled and she was wearing a skimpy, red sundress.

"What are you doing here?" I said curtly.

Mother smiled. "Well, I figured since you aren't going to Colorado anymore, you would come live with me again," she responded.

I faked a laugh before stopping and looking her dead in the eyes. "I'd rather kill myself."

"You really think these people will let you live with them forever?"

I tried to swallow the lump in my throat. She was right, there was no place for me to go. Was this really going to be my future? Living in my version of Hell with the devil herself? No, I screamed at myself - I'm not going down without a fight.

"First off," I said. I felt something ignite in me. I knew that it had been there for quite a long time but just needed that spark, "these people have been better role models in five minutes than you have been in a lifetime. Unless it was instructions on how to be a slut. Second, I'll never come back to you as long as I live. In fact, if you shot yourself right now I wouldn't care."

My mother moved closer to me, grabbing my shoulder. "Juliette, you're nothing special. You think that you're gonna change the world. You're one of the reasons it's so crappy. No matter what you do you will," Her grip started to tighten, "end up coming back to me. Begging for forgiveness. So let's just skip the middleman."

I grabbed her hand before twisting it so she couldn't move. "Go to hell."

"Where will you even end up going. You're practically homeless." A smug smile fell on her face.

"She's going to live with me," a voice said, coming out of nowhere.

Both us turned to look at who it was. Ethan was coming up the drive.

"You heard me," he continued. "Now leave."

"Juliette, are you still hanging out with this idiot?"

Ethan and I said in unison, "Leave."

Mother rolled her eyes and sighed. Then she leaned in close to me. "Just another person who's going to leave you cryin' in the rain," she whispered. Then, she walked away, but not before winking at Ethan. His response, an eye roll.

When my mother's car finally turned the corner I fell to the ground. Ethan rushed over and pulled me into his arms. Instead of pulling away like I should have, I fell into his embrace, letting the tears fall from my eyes.

"What did she mean by 'where will you end up going?'" Ethan asked.

"I didn't get into Colorado," I managed to say between sobs. I felt Ethan tense up. He tried to pull away but I tightened my grip around him.

"You do realize that is how snakes kill their prey?"

I laughed. "Shut up."

"What are you going to do?"

"I have money saved up. I guess that I'll rent an apartment and go to Toledo."

Toledo is a great school. It's just a community college. My last choice. Anyone gets in. That's where my mother went.

"Jul, I'm sorry."

Then something clicked in my mind. Looking up at Ethan, I asked, "Why are you even here?"

Ethan looked away for a second, collecting his thoughts. "I saw you with Paul."

"Oh." I unhooked my arms and moved away from him.

"You looked like you were about to shoot yourself." I looked up and found that his gaze was already locked on me. I looked away quickly. "Why are you doing that to yourself?"

That was when it clicked. I wasn't dating Ethan because I didn't want to hurt Paul. Ethan had girls around him all the time anyways. But what if I was actually hurting Ethan by not being with him?

Finally, I spoke. "I don't want to be just another girl."

"I wouldn't fight this hard for just another girl. I'm fighting for my best friend."

I opened my mouth to say something when his phone went off. He took it out of his pocket and I saw the name Maddie on the screen.

"Hey," he said after answering. The phone was so loud that I could hear the voice on the other end.

"Hey Babe," she said. "My boyfriend is out of town. You should come over."

I saw Ethan smirk. "I'll be over at nine."

Ethan turned to look at me but I had made my way to my truck.

"Have fun," I mocked. Then I got in my truck and drove off.

After getting the groceries I blindly headed down a familiar route. I still don't know where I was planning to go when I got in my truck but I ended up pulling up to my old house. I got out of the car and walked to the door. Counting to three in my head, I knocked on the door. An older lady with gray, blonde hair opened the door. She wore mom jeans and a long-sleeved, green shirt.

"Hi," I started, "my name is Juliette Foster. I used to live here. Is there any way I could come in for a second and look around?"

"Um...sure," she responded, opening the door wider to let me in.

I walked into one of few places I called home. I saw the familiar staircase. "Can I go upstairs?" I asked. The lady nodded.

"By the way," she said, "I'm Alyssa."

"It's nice to meet you," I responded.

When I got up to my room and saw the light blue walls, a tear fell from my eye. "Piper, Dad, I miss you so much. Why did you have to leave?" I asked. The window, which was half open blew a paper onto the floor. I picked it up. I recognized it. It was a letter that I had written when I was younger. It read: Dear Juliette, I hope that everything you ever wanted comes true. Right now Ethan and I are on bad terms but I found a quote I loved. "How lucky am I to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard" -Winnie the Pooh. It's true, I'm lucky to have met somebody who knew how to make me laugh when I want to cry. I just wanted to give you this advice, yes it's another quote. "You and I will meet again. When were least expecting it. One day, in some place far off, I will recognize your face. I won't say goodbye my friend. For you and I will meet again." -Tom Petty. You may not want to give Ethan another chance when you see him again. But do me a favor, give him one. Let him come back into our life. It's going to be hard but please, please. Let him in. From, Fourteen-year-old you.