O'Shaun

Chapter 7

O'Shaun sat down in front of Michelle McBride on Monday morning, "why don't you pick up my call kid?"  She asked angrily shaking her head.  "We were worried about you, you're not supposed to go off with the foster parents without the release forms, you know that!"  She yelled at him.

"I don't know, I was running late, and I just thought fuck it!  I didn't think it was a big deal."

"You look good, so how's it going?  I heard you made it in the basketball team."  She smiled at him, looking at how clean he was and handsome with a shorter haircut.

"Yea,"

"So, do you like them?"

"I guess, I've only been with them for a few weeks.  I like the school though, I'm popular all the girls want a piece of the O'." he snickered as he swiveled around in the chair across from her.

"Oh okay," she said, "so you're the big man on campus?"  She laughed playing with him.

"Nah, I'm just messing with you."  He answered as he twiddled his thumbs looking at the clock on her wall.

"I bet you've got a girlfriend hey."  She said teasingly.

He started playing with her stress ball on her table as he smiled.

"Wow, I'm impressed O'Shaun.  You're doing good.  Janice and Tony are talking to my colleague and were gonna see if we can sort this paperwork out for you.  I told you, we'd find somebody good for you.  Now do you trust me?"  She said smirking proud of her achievement.  

"He's a serial killer Michelle, that's not good.  He laughed.

"You know he's not a serial killer, that's not funny O'Shaun.  He was charged with a murder he didn't commit, he was granted clemency, so we just need that paperwork to come through and were all good.  You're funny kid."  She said shaking her head at him still snickering."

"Anyway, I need you to answer my calls, I still have to check in with you and make sure you're doing okay.  Do you hear me O'Shaun?"

"Yea, I hear you.  My phone is dead though."  He said.

"I'll give you a voucher for Walmart so you can get another one."  She said ransacking the drawers of her desk.  "Oh yea, Tony told me you got arrested the other day, can you please stay out of trouble, this is a chance for you to change your life around."

He sat down on the chair across from her and swiveled around, "I see you got another certificate."  He said looking back up at her wall, purposely changing the subject.

"Yea, that was for the community service I had done with a group of homeless kids last week.  We planted a garden of vegetables, they loved it."  She said as she took the stress ball from him, "I need this more than you.  So, what's your girlfriends name?"  She handed him the voucher for the phone, and he put it into his pocket.

"Bailey," he smiled as he said it. 

"Wow, look at you kid. Are you in love?"  She said looking at him through her glasses.

"Nah," he lied not looking at her.

There was a knock on the door and a short white man walked in with grey hair, Tony and Janice stood behind him.  "All good, we are just waiting for the clearance from the court, and you lovely folks can go on home."  He said.

"O'Shaun you remember Mr. Parker, don't you?"  Michelle asked him.

"Yea, I do," He said not looking up at him.  He didn't like him much, he thought he was racist and patronizing.

Janice walked in and shook hands with Michelle and thanked her for all she had done. 

Tony came in and touched O'Shaun on the shoulder, "ready son?"

O'Shaun got up and followed them out, Michelle coughed.

"Excuse me, don't I get a goodbye?"

He turned back and she hugged him, you be safe and always pick my calls or call me back as soon as you can."  She really hoped this was the perfect family for him, even though she was going to miss his visits.  "I'm so proud of you."  She whispered in his ear.  He walked out of her office, following Michelle and Tony.

O'Shaun got ready for school, he put on his jeans, with a red polo shirt.  He could smell toast and eggs cooking downstairs, he saw Janice busy in the kitchen as usual.  "Hey Shaun, how are you?"  She asked when she saw him.
"I'm aight, where's Tony?" He asked looking around for him.
"Oh he went downtown to meet somebody for work."
"Oh ok," he said biting into a piece of toast.  He saw Bailey walk past the front window and he got up, "I've got to go Janice.  I'll catch you after school." He said rushing out.
"Wait, don't forget your lunch." She yelled after him.

He stuffed the lunchbox into his bag and ran after Bailey.  She was wearing tight blue jeans that made her behind look big, and a tight indigo blue sweater that showed her cleavage.  "Hey Bailey!"He shouted. 
She stopped and turned around, she smiled and waited for him to catch up to her.
He got up to her and put his arms around her, they kissed and he looked into her eyes that had already healed from the bruising.  "Where are you going so early?  It's only 8 o'clock." He asked her as they continued walking.

"I had to get out of there, he wasn't going to work today and I didn't want to see him."  She said quietly.  "So what's going on with you?  Did the paperwork come through from the courts?

"Yea, we got it late last night so they're officially fostering me now."  They got to the school and Bailey hugged him and she walked off towards the library.
"Hey where are you going?"  He asked barely finishing his sentence.

"I'll see you after school she said rushing off." 

O'Shaun walked to the gymnasium and saw Hakeem shooting hoops. He put his bag down and joined him. "Where were you on Sunday man? We were waiting for you."  Hakeem asked as he dunked the ball into the hoop. 

"Yea, sorry bout that man, I had issues with my family. How did you guys go?"  O'Shaun answered as he dribbled passed Hakeem and made a three pointer.

"We lost, but we made it into the final. There's another tournament coming up in a couple weeks, try and come down if you can. We can make some money." Hakeem laughed as he shot a three pointer.

O'Shaun dribbled the ball and did a layup, he noticed Bailey coming out of the girls locker room.  He stared at her as she walked quickly out of the gymnasium, he passed the ball to Hakeem and picked up his bag and began to follow her.

"Yo man, where you going?  We ain't done yet."  Hakeem yelled out behind him.

O'Shaun followed Bailey into the back towards an unlit corridor. He turned the corner and saw her talking to an old man wearing overalls, it looked like the school gardener. O'Shaun moves a little closer to make out what they were saying but he couldn't hear as the house captain came over the school speakers and announced that the senior prom is only three months away. O'Shaun watched the loud speakers that crackled as the captains voice came out of it. The school was old and needed a lot of upgrading. O'Shaun looked back to Bailey only to find her and the gardener gone. He turned back around and headed to class.