Figuring Out Foster

Chapter 4

Being almost completely done with straightening my room, I shoved my bed. Effectively, it closed the gap on the last remaining inches between it and the wall.

Placing my hands on my hips, I glanced around the room. Everything wasn't in the same place as before because the furniture was too heavy to move that much. My bed was awkwardly in the corner of my room, and my dresser was by the door, but you know, it wasn't too bad, sort of.

I heard my dad's car as it pulled into the driveway. I quickly straightened a few more things in my room as he opened and closed the front door.

"Mag's you home?" He called up the stairs at me and I heard his briefcase thump down on entry floor.

"In my room!" I replied.

His footsteps were hasty on the stairs, so I quickly jumped on my bed. I tried to act as if there was nothing different to my room and waited for him to enter. It didn't take him long to walk in and immediately notice a difference in my decorating.

"Oh...you changed your room around?" My dad asked as he took in the room around him with creased brow, "Hmm. It doesn't look normal."

"No dad, you just don't get it. It's more Fung Shui, this way." I nodded, not understanding how I could have come up with that fib so fast.

"Right..." I noticed how he drew out the word in disbelief, but didn't say any more about it. He gestured for me to scoot over and give him more room on the bed. When I moved he took the opening on the edge of my bed, "So how was your first day? Make any friends?"

I immediately thought about everything that had happened today and realized there was little I could tell my dad about. I was going to have to choose my words wisely, so that he wouldn't worry about me.

"Well, this morning the next door neighbor offered to drive me to school..." I started out, but my dad interrupted me.

"Was it a boy?" My dad was quick to ask, which made me mentally roll my eyes.

There were actually two boys, but I decided to not tell him about Foster. I knew that Michael's credentials would ease my dad's mind, so I only talked about him.

"His name is Michael. He is really a nice guy, the class president and everything."

"Ah... so are you two close now?" This question made me want to roll my eyes even more as I knew my dad was thought Michael and I might be an item too early.

"No." I shook my head, "but I met a girl at school, her name's Jess. She seems like girlfriend material."

"That's awesome, Mags! Tomorrow is Friday, why don't you invite her over after school? I would like to meet your first friend here."

"You're getting off work early for once?" I asked sounding more irritated than I wanted. I missed him, and haven't seen him much since moving here. Even though, I was kind of glad that he wasn't home often because of Foster's antics.

"Sorry I'm not here more often. It must be hard for you," he patted the top of my knee before he stood up. "Well, I'll go start dinner."

Just as he was about to walk out of my room, he noticed that the blinds on window where missing, "Maggie, where are your blinds?"

"Oh, you know dad. It's all about the Fung Shui these days... blinds hinder the natural sunlight in a room"

"Kids and their Fung Shui," he mumbled as he left my room.

I sighed in relief that he didn't question me further on the blinds, given that I didn't even have them anymore. They were probably hidden somewhere in Foster's room at this very moment.