Hopelessly Broken

19. Real Life

4.25.20

"I think... I think I trust you more than I have anyone ever before, Jack," I admitted quietly.

"From now on, we lean on each other. Now we just gotta deal with my father," Jack responded. His words cause me to groan aloud. "Don't be like that. I'll stand behind you no matter what. What's the worst that can happen?"

"Oh... I don't know... Maybe he'll decide that I'm literally worthless and not let me see you ever again?"

"He doesn't rule my life, Dev. He can't just stop me from going to school ever again. I'll at least see you there if not anywhere else."

"Fine. It's worth a shot," I sighed. We can't just live a lie forever. "But let me clean up my face first."

I stood up from the floor and made my way to the bathroom that was right next to Maggie's bedroom. When I looked at myself in the mirror, I realized how much different I looked. My eyes were still their icy blue, but they seemed to have softened slightly. My hair was still pretty tame ever since I had gotten it cut, so I didn't have to worry about it as much as I used to. However, the things that stood out the most at this second were the bold red circles brimming my eyes that showed I had been crying. I splashed water into my face to try and calm the redness, but it only helped a little bit. I realized that it wasn't going to get any better before rubbing the towel next to the sink over my face and walking out of the restroom.

Jack grabbed my wrist once I was out of the bathroom before dragging me back into his bedroom. "He's sure to come in here sooner or later. We can just chat until then," he suggested. I nodded in response, and the conversation began.

"So, Jack, what's your favorite color?"

"I like dark blue. It reminds me of the ocean. My sister used to bring me there all the time with her friends. They loved me. What's yours?"

"My favorite is green. Not like neon green, but one of the darker shades. It's calming, and it makes me think about a forest. I don't remember much about my parents, but I know that my father had these gloriously green eyes. I remember them looking at me with love and admiration. I don't know why my parents left me, but it really stings that they have."

"How old were you when they left?"

"Three. They just handed me over to the orphanage. As I mentioned, I don't remember why. The strange thing is that I only remember my father. My mother is a mystery to me."

"Weird... Anyways, what's your best memory?"

"Mine is... Actually I don't know. How old are we talking?"

"Whenever. Mine is probably my eighth birthday. I remember having a party with all of my close friends and my sister. There was a lot of cake and things like that, but that wasn't the best part. That was the day that my sister told me that she liked girls instead of boys. I guess I sort of enjoyed that she shared that with me before even telling our parents. I remember that day as a reminder that we could talk about anything together no matter how difficult."

"That's awesome. I really like the day that you came after me in that dumpster and told me that we were family."

Before we could end up telling each other anything else, a knock resounded on the door. "Jack? Can I come in?" Lincoln's voice asked through the wood.

Jack looked at me briefly, and when I nodded, he replied, "Sure, but don't freak out."

"Why would I freak out?" Linc questioned while pushing the door open. "Oh. Why are you here?" he deadpanned.

"He's here because I brought him here," Jack snapped. "Now what do you need?"

"Your mother... Isn't doing too well."

"While I'm usually not the person to throw blame at others, this is your fault, father. You think you're protecting us, but you're making things ten times worse. Mom and I both connected personally to Dev, Dad. When you sent him back, you destroyed that connection. You hurt me, you hurt mom, and you sure as hell broke Devon. Do you even realize how much shit I had to do to get him back to normal!"

Once Jack was done with his little explosion, he sunk back against the wall. I rubbed his back gently, and he shot me a grateful smile. Lincoln was still standing there in shock until he suddenly snapped out of it. "Uhm... Yeah... Right," he murmured before slowly retreating from the room.

"You don't need to leave, we just want you to understand," I added.

Linc paused with his fingers brushing the door handle before admitting, "I just don't want to hurt my family more than I already have by crashing that damn car. I've tried... So hard... And clearly I've failed. I'm sorry about that." Suddenly, I heard a muffled sob come from him. I immediately stood up and walked towards him. I wrapped my arms tightly around him from behind, and his hand dropped away from the handle.

"I forgive you... Dad," I muttered into his ear. I was mostly testing out the word, but it sounded better than I thought it would. Clearly Lincoln thought so too because he rotated around in my grip and squeezed me back just as hard.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," he repeated into my ear.

Suddenly, the door pushed open behind us, and I heard Jamie ask, "What's happening in here? Family hugs?" before joining our embrace. Jack also climbed down from his bed and came into our little hug.

"Let's go," Lincoln declared when the group pulled apart.

"Go where?" I questioned.

"We're going to go and seal the deal. We're going to adopt you, Devon." I put my hands over my mouth and began to sob slightly from the shock.

"Really?"

"Yes, really."

I broke into a huge smile at his words and nearly sprinted to the car. I was like a little kid that had been told to spend as much as I wanted at the candy store. Once we arrived at the orphanage, I had to calm myself down so that I didn't run into the place and make a huge fool of myself.

"Hi, I'd like to speak to the director about adoption," Lincoln told the receptionist.

"Name and age," he responded while opening up something on his computer.

"Devon. 17," Linc told him. I guess I did turn 17 a few days ago... I forgot.

"Alright, follow me, Mr. Smith will be with you in a few minutes along with Ms. Whittsiker."

I bounced around in my chair for the entire five minutes it took them to arrive, and I only settled slightly when they did. I was hardly paying attention to the conversation between Lincoln and the dude that yelled at me for fighting Jack, but when I turned back into the real world, everyone was staring at me intently. "Sorry?"

"I said do you feel comfortable in legally becoming the child of these people?" the man asked, annoyed.

"I do," I responded.

"Alright, all you need to do is sign this. Devon, go clear your room."

I shot out of my chair and sprinted up the steps until I reached my room. I shoved all of my personal belongings into a carry-on suitcase before looking around the room one last time. The only thing I had left behind was the pack of cigarettes. I don't think I'll be needing them where I'm going.

As I was leaving, I was stopped by Meg. "I'm so proud of you, Devon. You did good, kid. You deserve this."

"Thank you. I'll miss you, Meg. Thanks for not letting me lose hope."

"You're welcome, dear. I'll miss you too," she responded. "Now go get on with your life!"

I walked back into the adoption room to be met with only smiling faces. Jamie... Lincoln... And especially Jack. These people are my new life. These people are my real life.

I'm ready... Real world here I come!

***

The end. You'll see him again, I promise. I had this really good idea a few moments ago that will probably end up happening. Let's just say that he'll end up mixing with another series of mine eventually. Speaking of other series, I already have a first chapter of another story planned. You'll know what it is when you get it. Thank you for taking the time to read my story, and I'll see you again eventually.