FRIGHT SCHOOL BOOK 1 (COMPLETE) EDITING

B.WHAT NOW?

Somewhere in Maryland, United States...

ROSE: I made sure I wore the grey hoodie over my head as I glanced out the window at the rain falling down heavily.
I could see a couple of children playing in their jackets on the puddle of water that had formed at the side of the road. They seemed so delighted as they kicked at the water with their boots giggling and laughing.

I glanced at my room, the room I had been living in, I looked at the bunk beds and the desks and the floor littered with papers.

Being in the foster care system I had lived with various girls whom all had eventually gotten adopted except me of course so I slowly turned from the 'girl left behind to the teenager still at the foster home'.

I made so many friends during the past years and of course, I also made quite a few enemies for various childish reasons now that I think about it.

The ladies who took care of us were quite kind though not all but it didn't necessarily mean that life wasn't hell.
The roofs had many leakages, the lights went out quite frequently and the rats continued to cause problems. Despite all this, we were able to find happiness in this house but it still didn't make it any less painful to see one after another children getting adopted and you not.

It made me question myself what exactly was wrong with me, what was it that I lacked that my parents abandoned me and made me unfit for adoption.

I cried so many times that eventually I came to accept the reality that I just wasn't a good enough child to be adopted-no one wanted a failure after all.

It wasn't until a week ago when an unusual visitor came by and asked about me. At first, I didn't believe what I heard when Aunt Diddy came bursting into my room around midnight with happy tears that someone was interested in me.

Aunt Diddy had been with me my whole life, she was funny and caring and very emotional as well. She'd always glare at the people who decided to opt against adopting me and every time she'd comfort me as I cried saying that I was very beautiful and deserved an equally beautiful mother and father.

On so many occasions she'd say I shouldn't give up hope though I already knew that ship sailed long ago so I wasn't really sure how to react when I heard that someone was asking of me.

It was on a Thursday night, the weather was extra windy that day and the last orphan except me had driven off into the sunset with her new family.

It was always hard pretending to be genuinely happy for everyone else but me but I soon became an expert at masking my emotions. That night I was the only one left and I was already 15.

"Rose!"

What now?

"God" I breathed out as I clutched my chest "you scared me." I had to balance myself on the bunk bed.

"Never mind that. Hurry up and brush your hair and dress nice."

"Why?"

"Someone is interested in you."

What!

"What?"

Diddy understood the shock on my face, she knew how I wanted my denial to be proven wrong, that it was actually possible for someone to love me.