Figuring Out Foster

Chapter 1

In the entire seventeen years that I have lived, I never got attached to anything really. Never thought of the past as anything to hold onto, it changed too quickly, too many times to care.

Though, as I walked out of my home with the last of my boxed valuables in hand, I had to admit there were a few things I kept hidden in my heart.

"Do you really have to go, Maggie?" My best friend, Cassie, asked. I put the last box into my car, and turned to her.

"My dad got promoted. There's nothing that I can do." I sighed, and then checked my bag for my keys. I couldn't find them anywhere. I riffled through my bag again. They were gone. I looked up at Cassie to find a guilty look plastered all over her face. She was never very good at keeping secrets.

"Hand them over," I simply stuck out my hand to her, expecting her to give them to me, but of course she didn't. Instead she backed away from me, avoiding my 'I'm-disappointed-in-you' look.

"But really during senior year! Where's the justice?" Cassie said infuriated, throwing her hands up to the sky. The dark curls atop her head, hair she had always complained about growing up, bounced as she moved around. A memory of her running her fingers threw my straight hair flashed to my mind.

"Cassie, you know I'm going to miss you." I confessed to my exasperated friend and held her hands.

"What if you meet new people?" Cassie calmed a bit.

"I probably will," I beamed at her.

"Maggie," Cassie whined not wanting that to happen.

"But I promise you will always be my best friend," I hugged Cassie. "Now give me my keys." After a slight pause, she reluctantly handed them to me, "Bye, Cass."

"You better call me!" She shouted and backed away from the car as I got in.

I didn't let myself hesitate a moment, as I drove away from the place I've called home my whole life. If that wasn't bad enough, the whole nine hour drive seemed so much longer and bored me more than I thought it would.

The new town I am moving to is Middleboro. Never heard of it? Well, me either.

As I pulled off the highway, I noticed that the town was actually nice. Small, I guessed, but nice. It seemed to be nestled into the woods by all the tall redwood trees in the area.

Pulling up in my in front of my new house, I noted that my dad wasn't home yet. As his ten year old beat down Chevy, something he has never let go of since he was a teenager, was missing from the driveway.

He's probably still at work.

I checked out the house as I got out of the car and shrugged. The house looked normal. A little rundown but just like any other suburban house. I yanked open my passenger door and reached in to grab one of my boxes stashed there. Too bad I'm already obligated to hate it because it's not home, I thought to myself.

As I lifted one of my boxes from the car, my foot caught on the uneven driveway when I turned. As I tripped the box tilted, its contents spilled; miscellaneous clothes and underwear were now all over the broken concrete before the box thumped to the ground.

Oh, what a day this has been.

My first thought was to just leave it there and walk inside, but after a pause I bent down to pick up my clothes. I hesitated when I notice a shadow casted over me.

"You need help with that?" I looked up quickly at the friendly voice.

A guy that appeared to be the same age as me had crouched down next to me. And was completely invading my personal space, but that didn't seem to mind him as he began to pick up my "delicates" and putting them back in the box.