Here's to the Night

Chapter Four

Harper:

"Can I crash here?" I asked as my friend Emily opened the door.

"I suppose so." She rolled her eyes sarcastically. For the longest time Emily was the closest thing I ever had to family, we always ended up in the same foster home together, one abusive father and money hungry mother after another. I vividly remember one couple who fostered us, David and Dawn. Whenever we did something wrong they would force a teaspoon of tabasco sauce down our throats. After months I finally managed to save up enough change to replace the tabasco with ketchup. They never found out and Emily being the big trouble maker that she was pledged her eternal existence to me, in other words since the mere age of seven she owed me big time. I always figured her bad behavior and my ability to blend in is what saved me, at ten years old I was adopted. Emily on the other hand remained in the system until they kicked her out at eighteen. She swears up and down that's not the reason at all though, she says its because most couples only want pretty blonde girls with blue eyes, like me. No good family wants a frizzy haired red head with glasses and a bad temper.

I felt my feet crunch over beer cans as I walked towards her couch. "Jeez Em." I groaned stomping hard on a still lit cigarette burning the carpet.

"Oh don't go lecturin me itzz my place." She mumbled obviously drunk. "Where have ya been anyways?"

I laid down on the couch resting my head against a worn out throw pillow. "Everywhere." I shrugged. "Blame the gypsy soul I guess."

"Linda tried calling, she's worried bout you." She took another swig of beer.

Linda was my adoptive mother but I never really referred to her as mom.

"Sure she is." I mumbled.

"Well at least you have a family that cares Harper."

Em was always on some rant about how ungrateful I was, after a while I learned to tune her out and only hear what I wanted to hear. It's a gift really...

Just as I was about to make some sort of snarky remark back I noticed an empty box of tampons across the room.

"Shit!" I yelled just now realizing I was about two weeks late.