The Unpredictability of You and Me

seventeen - the folder

Trying to push all thoughts out of my head, I walk over to my desk cabinet and pull out the bottle of anti-anxiety meds. I'm supposed to take one every night to help with my issues, but I've been forgetting a few nights lately. There's only three tablets left, so I make a mental note to ask Mom to go refill it later.

Grabbing the folder, I sit back down at my desk and open it. It's thick, at least twenty pages. The first few pages are just legal papers. Contracts between my parents and the state about fostering kids, confidentiality agreements, etc.

I stop when I see my mom's familiar handwriting. It's therapist notes. She said she was Carter's therapist. I guess she talked to Adrian a few times too.

Name: Adrian Salvador Perez
DOB: 05/28/2002
Date: 10/26
Duration: 60 minutes
Start time: 1:00 PM
End time: 2:00 PM

Patient is visibly anxious. Does not use stress ball. Does not want to talk. Appt goes with minimal talking. Rarely answers questions. Seems inattentive.

There's notes from three other meetings like that. I guess he was serious about not wanting to talk to a "shrink."

Then, there's transcripts from school. He's a grade above me, a senior. His grades aren't failing. They're mostly C's and D's with a few B's sprinkled in there. I know he's not dumb because he always gets all the answers right in class anytime a teacher calls on him, but he just does the bare minimum to pass. I guess Carter was right, though, because there's a lot of absences.

I flip a few more pages until I see Dad's handwriting. I recall him telling me that he was Adrian's social worker for a little bit. The first section reads all of Adrian's information. The second reads Needs Interfering with Treatment Plan, and the boxes checked are, Housing, Legal Assist, Placement, Finances, Abuse/Neglect, Stress.

I raise my eyebrows. That's a lot.

For the Mental Status box, Dad marked down, Anxious, Depressed, Agitation, and Passive.

For Serious Injuries and Illnesses, it has written down, Gunshot wound at the lower left side of stomach, unidentified burn on upper right back, Bipolar disorder (not being treated)

On the next page, it shows a criminal record. I know he went to juvie and got expelled, but he's never mentioned it.

Minor charged with a misdemeanor of having possession of a firearm
Minor charged with felony arson at a educational establishment
Minor charged with misdemeanor of possession of marijuana

Arson? I look at the door to Adrian's room in surprise. I don't know what I thought he was capable of, but arson wasn't on the list. Especially at school. Maybe I don't know him as well as I think I do.

The next page is from what seems like a transcript from a police interview. It's dated from last year. I skim over it quickly. The first part is Carter's interview about what happened when his dad shot their mom. It doesn't have many details. Carter wasn't there when the shooting happened, anyways.

The next page is Adrian's interview. It's dated a few days later. I guess he couldn't talk while he was in the hospital.

Detective Spencer: This is Officer Kelly Spencer with the NYPD interviewing victim and witness, Adrian Salvador Perez about the shooting by the suspect, Benjamin Rivera that took place on August 26th resulting in the death of Julia Michelle Perez. Mr. Perez, do you promise to be completely honest during this interview?