Foster Care [COMPLETE]

Welcome to the club

Tuesday
February

"YOU GOT INTO A FIGHT WITH EACH OTHER?!" Cheryl yelled at us. We were seated on the couch and she was storming around the living room. Christian followed her with a somewhat bored look and sighed every time she tried to scold us.

"Mom..." Kieran mumbled. "Seriously you've got the wrong idea..."

"The principal called me, Kieran! You sprained Max's knee!"

"I hit first..." I mumbled.

"It doesn't matter who started it!" Cheryl whined. "I'm upset because I love both of you and I want you to get along!"

My heart jumped in my chest. She... loved me? I'd only been with them for 4 very short days. If she could love me after 4 days then why couldn't my mother love me after 15 years? She never once showed affection. I'm surprised I made it past the age of a month with her as my caretaker. She couldn't even remember to feed or let the cat we had when I was 7 inside. It ended up dying in our backyard after starving for a few months. I don't think we ever named it. We just called it "kitty" even though it was a boy.

"I'm sorry Cheryl..." I whimpered as I sheepishly wiped a tear that had forced its way out of my eye.

"No no no don't cry!" She shrieked and cupped my face in her hands. "You don't have to be sorry!" Suddenly my face hit her chest as she threw me into a hug. Her perfume reminded me of peonies. She smelled like a summer garden. If she were a sound she would've been the sound of running water. I nuzzled her neck as she started stroking my hair.

"Is this what it's like to have a mom?" I whispered. Cheryl squeezed me tighter, wrapping her arms all the way around me and pulling me even closer.

"Yes, Max..." She whimpered. "I'm not gonna let anything happen to you..."

Wednesday
February

Kieran and I went unpunished. Why? I have no idea. We weren't even suspended or sent to detention. We basically just got a snack on the wrist when we spoke with the principal. Apparently, Kieran was one of the good kids at school, one of the kids who never got into any trouble. That surprised me considering how he had so many friends over who all seemed to be pretty rude. They looked like the type of people who drink and smoke when their parents look away. Kieran sounded pretty disturbed when he spoke about Puck and Auto smoking and drinking so it was somewhat confusing to think that his friends wouldn't do the same.

Kieran had shown me yet another side of himself after we fought and that side surprised me. He was... gentle. After hurting me he'd spent every moment of his awake time caring for me. He brought me food when I was hungry, carried me around since walking hurt and for once, actually cared about me. We talked for the first time. Talked for real. He asked about my feelings about being separated from my mom. It was nice. I felt like I really got to know him. Lesson learned. Sometimes you need to punch someone to get them to open up to you.

Going back to school after beating each other up felt strange. Everyone knew; it was a small school after all. Most people would've probably expected us to come back to school hating each other so they were quite surprised when Kieran came into the school carrying me on his back. It had probably been a completely normal Wednesday for everyone until we walked in. The corridor slowly went quiet as people turned their heads. A few mouths fell open, including Kieran's friends who were waiting for him. Not just the three musketeers though. Kieran had an actual flock of people waiting for him by his locker that he just ignored.

"I don't understand how some people like liquorice..." he mumbled.

"Yeah, it's just weird and gross..." I chuckled. I felt like a tired kid as he carried me on his back. My knee was seriously aching so I was thankful for his effort but it was awkward to be carried around by him. Everyone stared.

"Like my mom loves it. She even likes Scandinavian salt liquorice... I can't even have it in my mouth without gagging..."

Right before we walked into our classroom someone stepped in front of Kieran and he stopped abruptly.

"What's going on here?" Annie asked and glared at Kieran. "I thought you two hated each other..."

"Nah we're basically twins!" Kieran chuckled and nodded to me. "Adopted twins..."

Annie stared at me for a few seconds, studying the bruises on my face. I probably looked terrible. I hadn't brushed my hair and my swollen eyes probably didn't help my already sleepy-looking face. It was painfully obvious that I hadn't gotten any sleep last night. I hadn't been able to get comfortable with my achy knee. I am the type of person who turns a lot in their sleep so even if I managed to fall asleep if still just wake up after 5 minutes when I turned. I licked my busted lip, tasting the irony blood flavour that the wound gave off. It was pounding under my tongue and I knew that constantly tonguing it wouldn't exactly help. I just couldn't resist the meaty texture of the broken flesh on my lip. It was nearly impossible to avoid biting and sucking on it whenever I was bored.

...
"Hey, Max!" Kieran said as we walked out of school after our last class. "I'm gonna hang out with some friends do you wanna come with?" I glanced over his shoulder and saw the annoyed faces of his friends. They rolled their eyes and shook their heads after Kieran spoke.

"No, I'm good... thanks though..." I mumbled.

"I'll drive you home then, does that sound okay?"

"We could drive him home!" A high, raspy voice crackled behind me. I turned around to see Auto skipping over the parking lot. She was wearing a puffy black skirt and a thin crop top that was practically see-through. Underneath that she was wearing a black lace bra and a necklace that had slipped in under her shirt. She was wearing black shoes with thick soles that made her look taller and her hair was all over the place like a tangled birds nest. I looked back at Kieran with a hopeful look. He was pale as a ghost. "Aww c'mon pretty boy... let me borrow your little toy..." she giggled and grabbed my arm.

"Uh..." Kieran glanced around at his friends. They were waiting for him by their cars. "I don't know... Max has a sprained knee..." He stuttered.

"And who sprained it?" Auto grinned as she tugged at my arm. Kieran was fidgeting with the hem of his shirt, glancing nervously at Auto.

"What's the hold-up?" A deep voice murmured behind me.

"Prince Charming is being overprotective of his pretty princess..." Auto snickered. "Come on Max! Come with us! He's not in charge of you!"

I looked back to see Puck's huge stature behind Auto. They had a strange energy about them and I couldn't resist it. They were the type of people I just needed to know. Kieran's friends were calling his name in the parking lot. "Do you wanna go with them..?" Kieran mumbled and made intense eye contact with me. He looked scared.

"Yeah..." I mumbled. "If that's alright with you..."

"Great then let's go!" Auto giggled before pulling me away from Kieran. "Let's go get frozen yoghurt!"

I couldn't help but laugh at Auto's excitement. She looked quite gothic and scary but her energy sparkled like a child's. Puck, on the other hand, oozed of this weird suppressed happiness. He flashed shy smiles whenever Auto laughed and nodded when she spoke. He was definitely the quiet twin. They shared an old three seated truck. Puck got into the driver's seat and Auto sat in the middle. Her legs were just long enough to reach the floor and she would've probably been able to drive the car if she wanted. She was also a bit too short though and if she would've been the one to drive, she would've probably struggled to see clearly past the large steering wheel. 

"Hey, Max!" Auto said after we'd been in the car for a few minutes. "I know we don't really know each other but I think we'll be great friends!" She smiled at me.

"So your mom's abusive?" Puck asked. I flinched at the question and took a deep breath as I thought of her. How on earth did she escape police custody? Who helped her?

"Yup," I mumbled. I wanted to change the subject and maybe talk about something more lighthearted when Auto suddenly gave me a gentle pat on the leg.

"That makes three of us..." She mumbled and gave me a melancholy smile. "Welcome to the club, Max..."