Because We Had Us

Chapter 8. A Party Of Secrets

Corin

     I must say that was definitely some of my best acting. Yes, the bruises were all real, but the silent breakdown, the tiny lip quiver, and the look of despair was all fake. I did feel kind of bad watching Jo's face drop in sympathy, but a messed up part of me loved seeing how much she cared about me. The first time I saw her I thought she was a total loser for hiding behind a dumpster, especially since she had a little girl with her.

     I never hid when I was on the streets after being kicked out by another foster parent for being too loud or eating too much. Well, technically they didn't throw me out, but when I heard their whispers of relocating me to another family I ran. I blended with city's crowds in the day and at night I slept at an abandoned gas station on the north side of town, that is until the cops found me and placed me in the care of social services. I was one year away from being a legal adult and escaping the never ending cycle of the foster system when the COA doctor showed up on my, well the boys home's doorstep, and rescued me.

     When he told me to find Jocelyn and bring her back to him my first initial thought was what a perv, but I followed through with his instructions because he could take me back to the home whenever he pleased. Sure, our partnership was one of ultimatum's, but it was worth it. Not only did that man free me from my cruel reality, but he also led me to my new dumpster diving best friend. Yea I came up with some nicknames of my own when I first met her; she did call me bread boy after all.

     I don't have some kind of fiend with bread. Jo just saw me "stealing" my first meal in three days if you consider bread a meal. I wouldn't even consider it stealing since the store doors were unlocked and since I beat that old guy to the store. Whats that saying? The early bird gets the worm or in our case the bread.

     A lot of things have changed since that day, but I'm used to change. It's kind of oddly comforting to me, since my whole childhood was changing from one money hungry family to another. I gave up on finding a real family a long time ago; that is until I met Jo, Miriam, Ruth, and Laz. We are all so different, but somehow our contrasting personalities all work together. We're like a puzzle. All the pieces are different, but to make the picture they all fit together in different ways.

     Every foster kid dreams up their own picture perfect family in their mind growing up, but I never would of expected these weirdos to be mine. Wether or not I liked it at first we became family, and they're the best thing that's happened to me since I guess ever. Especially Jo, that's why I put on that whole fake act. I ran off to set up her mini birthday celebration, along with Miriam and Ruth.

     Last night when we were all piled in my small room soundly sleeping Miriam jumped into my bed, like she always does, and whispered to me, "Tomorrow is Jo's birthday." She then proceeded to put her finger over my mouth, silencing me. Obviously she wanted her to have a big birthday party with cake, embarrassing family members, music, and all of her friends from back on Earth. That's what the drawing labeled Sissy's 18th birthday, with the one backwards, portrayed anyway, but that wasn't our reality anymore. I had to explain to her that we couldn't have all of the things in her drawing.

     When I planned her birthday celebration I didn't invite the 'optimist' mob, but they showed up anyway and then literally ghosted us the next second. That term is a lot funnier when being used literally, as in they disappeared underneath my falling but very heroic body. Though it was unintentional that eerie situation, which caused me to question everything, gave me an excuse to storm away and set up Jo's 'party.' Laz was supposedly distracting her, which I assumed meant he would be shoving a comic in her face or burping the alphabet to entertain her for a little while, but I shouldn't have expected the typical.