Different Is Okay

Chapter Three

After spending an hour in the principals office, he finally lets me leave. I got off with a long lecture about respecting teachers and a warning to never let it happen again. Only because I'm new of course, but next time I would get detention. Oh I'm really scared now.

I'm seventeen, I have my drivers. The only problem, I don't have a car. That's another one of the reason moving around so much sucks, no one wants to hire you because they don't want to have to replace you again when you leave. I usually try to make it work at my foster homes. Unless of course I really just dislike the people I'm staying with, or the school. Or I make a stupid mistake and have to run away. This one though, I just really hate. I don't fit it. My new goal is to get kicked out of school and kicked out of my foster home. Hopefully I end up somewhere better.

As I'm walking home a bunch of girls in a convertible drive by. When they see me they start to drive very slow keeping up with me. I see them shouting things at me but once again my head phones are covering my ears. I also really don't care to hear what they have to say. They are what you call the 'popular' girls. More like sluts that want everyone's attention, and they get it too. My first day I got a welcome gift from them. Brown hair dye. Apparently they don't like the colour of my hair, I guess that's just to bad because I'm not gonna change it for anyone. One of them gets out of the car and gets in my face. I take off my head phones.

"Can I help you with something?" That came out more bitchy then I planned.

"I see you didn't take our advice and use that hair dye we left you"

"Now why would I want to do that?"

"Because you look like the Canadian flag." Her laugh sounds like a dying pig.

"What can I say, I'm patriotic."

"We are in America." She has anger in her eyes. I think the fact I'm not running and crying yet like the others they torture bothers her.

"Well that's to bad." I smile.

She turns red full of anger, her blonde hair makes it stand out even more. "Why don't you go home to your foster parents that only have you so they get money!"

"Oh don't worry I will." I laugh and walk away. I can't believe they think they can hurt me with their little insults and the truth. One thing I know for sure, this isn't over.

Once I finally get to my house, the door is locked and they haven't given me a key yet. I don't think they trust me. It's like they have never seen a girl with red hair and piercings before. They look at me like I'm an alien and they barely talk to me. Not that I care. I have two foster brothers, that are actually pretty cool. Evan is a year younger then me and Bryan is half a year older. I actually get along with them, and they don't look at me like I'm an alien. They have been through some of the same shit I have. We kinda just connected.

After I banged on the door for like half an hour, Evan opens it.

"Hey loser" he says laughing at me. "You know the back door was unlocked, its always unlocked if the front door is locked."

"Smart ass."

"Fine! Next time I won't help you."

"Next time I'll go though the back door."

"Next time it will be locked too" he smiles deviously at me.

"I'll break a window to get in and tell them you did it."

"Now that's brilliant, if they didn't have cameras everywhere which they do" he chuckles.

"Fine you win!" I laugh.

"Apologize" he gives me and evil glare.

"I'm sorry" Oops that's was a little to sarcastic.

"That's good enough" he laughs, "welcome to our humble home of happiness!" That couldn't get any more sarcastic. "Our To Do list is on the fridge" he gives me the most fake smile I've ever seen and I can't help but laugh.

"All that!!" I almost scream seeing the list.

He puts his hand on my shoulder, "and it has to be done by the time we get home." He says pretending to be our foster mom.

I laugh and push him away. "Get to it then!" I grab my boom box and turn it up all the way. I can work better with music.

After two hours of cleaning the get home, we are only half way done. I shut the music off.

Our foster mom starts to shout. "This place is still a disaster! And where is Bryan?!"

Where is Bryan? I look at Evan confused, he shrugs his shoulders.

"We haven't seen him" Evan says looking worried. Even though we know Bryan can take care of himself.

Evan is smaller, scrawnier. He's got blonde wavy hair and looks more like twelve then sixteen. He has baby blue eyes and a perfect face, he makes girls go crazy and he knows it. Bryan on the other hand look like he could be twenty-one, but he's only seventeen. He has brown hair that on occasion he spikes and sad green eyes. A smile worth dying over, but he is very shy and keeps to himself. The girls look and drool, but they can't get near him. He is almost eighteen which means he will be able to live on his own soon.

"Well when did you see him last?" Our foster dad looks like he's about to explode with anger.

"This morning! Maybe once at school, but we didn't talk" I answer worriedly.

"Or maybe your lying brats that are covering his ass!" She doesn't believe me!

"It's true!" Evan is shouting now to. They are about to call the police when Bryan walks in the door.

"Where have you been?!" Our foster mom and dad shout in unison.

"With a friend, why?"

"Well if you would have been here to help clean they would have been done!"

"I'm sorry." Bryan's voice is kind and gentle. That's the kind of guy he is. Well I guess the kind of guy he is on the outside, but I can tell he has secrets hidden inside. Something that has left a scar nobody can heal. Even when he smiles his eyes look sad. Like a lost puppy.

"Well now you have to finish by yourself!" Out foster dad isn't pleased.

That's the kind of people I live with. If you're under their roof you clean. If the cleaning is perfectly done, they let you leave but that's only if you're going somewhere useful and for a good reason. Parties, no. Hangout, no. Library for homework, yes. What do you expect we do, we lie. Its not the worst thing we have done. I haven't had to here yet though, and thats sad.

According to the boys there is a party in the forest this evening. Everyone invited. I bet they will all be sitting in a cabin, drinking wine and chatting. But hey I haven't been out of this hell hole in to long, so why not give it a chance.