I Found

1.

"Jasmine, are you almost finished cleaning those nasty windows?" The obnoxious Mrs. Flanden yells out to me from her antiquated rocking chair.

It's the day of the week where I'm stuck with cleaning. I've been in this stupid foster home for over 13 years, and I'm still assigned to cleaning every freaking nook-and-cranny set up in this place.

I don't understand why Mrs. Flanden can't just clean the damn windows herself. She may be 78 years old but she's got a lot of fire built in her, especially mean fire. If she thinks us teenagers do such a bad job at it, then why can't she get her scrawny ass up out of her squeaky chair and clean them herself? She's got legs that are in shape and workable, and she's especially got those with hands that could point at each and every one of our teenage bodies to be told what to do and how to do it.

Technically, we're not supposed to talk back to our so-called "leader" in our foster home, but this time I just couldn't hold my words back.

"Why can't you just clean them yourself?" I ask quietly.

"Excuse me little miss?!?!?!" Mrs. Flanden yells as she stands up intimidatingly.

"Sorry, I guess you couldn't hear me," I say a little louder. "Why don't you get your fat ass out of bed for once and clean these things yourself?"

"That's not how you speak to your leader, young lady!"

"Oh yeah? Watch me!" I start to complain.

"If you think our innocent weak hands don't have the ability to neatly clean these windows, then why don't you let us be normal teenagers, give us our relaxation time, and you spend your time cleaning the home instead of wasting your life trying to boss us around!"

Mrs. Flanden stands there speechless yet angry.

"And while you're at it, ma'am... why don't you clean up your act as well? Cuz it sure as hell will come back to haunt you." I close out my final words.

"You know, you don't have to be here to tell me what I can and can't do, and how I can and can't act," Mrs. Flanden says back to me. "I think you've mistaken who the leader is in this household."

"Leader?!?! Oh please. You couldn't be a good leader or a good role model even if you tried." I say as I start gathering my personal belongings together.

"Where the hell do you think you're going?" She yells, attempting to chase after me like she actually cares about me.

"I'm going to go find a place and a real family, where they actually care about my wants and my needs. I will find a place where I will get treated with respect, and will find people who will actually love me."

"Well good luck with that. Nobody will ever love you!"

And those were the final words I will ever hear from Mrs. Gilda Flanden.

My best friend Leia comes chasing after me.

"Hey girl, where are you going?" She asks with concern on her face.

"I'm sorry to leave you to the wolves, Leia, but I've had enough of her bullshit. I'm going to find a place and find a family that actually want me and will love me for who I am, and for who I'm gonna be in life," I say with guilt, knowing Leia would be stuck at the foster home with that evil bitch. "You could always come with me, but I know you wouldn't want to disobey the so-called 'leader' like I just did."

"You're right. I'm sorry, Jasmine. If I wasn't loyal to her like I am to everybody else, then I would stick with you." Leia says with a sad tone in her voice.

"Don't worry, I promise to keep in touch with you. I won't be far so we can always meet up and chat whenever you need to." I say to reassure Leia that we will always be there for each other.

"This isn't goodbye." She says, approaching me for a hug.

Now it's my time to set off on a new chapter in my life, independently!

I Found, to be continued...