Lost Together #2
Except for Finn’s unpredictable mood swings, we were working together, but it was truly so much more.
We all shared jokes and fun stories. I was careful not to say too much, but they all laughed at my crazy grandma hiding cash in plants.
However, there was no laughter when I fed us some of Noma’s meatballs, since the kitchen was out of order.
There was nothing but moans of appreciation.
This time I didn’t cry. It felt right that my foster peeps got to enjoy something so special to me.
Ethan’s meltdown ended up being a gift. It brought us even closer, including Dale.
He was patient, yet stern. He was kind, yet strong.
Yes, we were his foster kids, but his sympathy only went so far.
Dale felt we got a shitty hand but refused to let that be the whole story.
He insisted we weren’t helpless. He confided to us how he was us.
Dale was a product of the flawed system, however, he made better decisions than some and chose to make a difference. One little foster kid at a time.
No wonder he takes on boys at our age. He’s been on the other end of our circumstances.
And what was this fellow foster’s huge weakness?
Her name would be Harmony.
She squealed and jumped up and down once seeing her custom-built island in her new kitchen. She leaped into Dale’s arms and showered him with kisses before she hugged us all endlessly. Her reaction had one big chest at peace, and little chests growing with pride.
That ended our summer on a high note.
Starting high school in a new district sounded like a nightmare; however, with my fellow fosters, it ended up being quite epic, trudging through new stomping grounds.
Finn, a sophomore, was already established through baseball and being a jock.
Ethan and Gage transferred to Dale and Harmony at different times during their eighth grade.
They were familiar with a couple of people, and had they not been so traumatized and extremely reserved due to years of abuse, they may have actually made some friends.
Sarah and Blue were in middle school—the eighth grade—together.
Sarah had already been with Dale and Harmony for two years.
Seb and Caleb arrived during the earlier parts of the summer.
So why did Harmony smiled at me on the first day of school, claiming, “A puzzle isn’t complete until its last piece”? I wasn’t sure.
Nor was I sure what some girls meant when they sat at our lunch table, uninvited, wishing they could be adopted by the “Cullens”.
I cringed because I was Noma’s. “I haven’t been adopted.”
One girl had long black hair that shined in the cafeteria lights. If I wasn’t owned by a part of my imagination that had a fin, I would’ve even thought this girl was hot.
She said, “Relax, Nine. We’re referring to a vampire movie.”
Finn plopped next to me with a tray of food. “Already to the Twilight status?”
I blinked. “Twilight— Vampire— Wait… Nine?”
Opening the juice box on her tray, she shrugged. “That’s your nickname from your last school.”
Paying attention to where Kristen had driven me the day Noma passed, I knew I was only a county or two away, but didn’t expect my disability to already be known.
Nostrils flaring, I slid my damaged hand under the table and into my lap.
She rolled her eyes.
See? Girls roll their eyes all the time.
“None of what I’m saying is an insult, Nine.” She began to peel an orange. “Me and my girls think the Misfits are hot.” She eyed Finn. “Yes, sports star, that includes you.”
He choked on a bite of food while I thought, Misfits?
I was about to tell ol’ Shiny Hair that she could shove that peeled orange right up her pretentious ass; however, I didn’t dare when I noticed the rest of the boys.
They were readjusting their seats and shoulders, all grinning at each other as if they had suspected that all along they were ‘hot’.
It’s just that no one had noticed until now.
Even skinny Caleb appeared to be considering trying out for the football team.
Shiny Hair was an enlightened, wise sophomore who knew what she just did for my fellow fosters, and for that, I owed her.
She winked at me. “See ya after school?”
I grumbled, “Yeah,” and took a huge bite of my cheeseburger. I was going to need the energy with this girl.
Me and the guys were gathering after school to load on the bus while they showed me little pieces of paper, all with phone numbers on them. The ‘Misfits’ didn’t have cell phones and it didn’t seem to be an issue to the girls.
Finn couldn’t stop staring at the wad of paper in his pocket. He sneered, “I didn’t need help from you, Johnny boy.” He stared at me, pissed. “I was doing fine on my own.”
I was going to ask what had crawled up his ass, but decided not to ruin the moment when observing Caleb grinning like a fool and sliding the ones he received deep into his pocket as if keeping them safely stored.
Seb held his in his palm. “W-will this g-get me in t-trouble with Blue if I k-keep them as t-trophies?”
Just then, Gage more closely examined one of Ethan’s digits. “Heeeey,” he held up a piece of paper, “Brittany gave me her number too!”
I laughed until wondering why I had no numbers in my pocket—
“Hey, Nine!”
Fuck. Attempting not to frown as I turned around, I mustered an, “Oh, hey.”
She smirked. No fool. “So, you need me to get straight to the point. Noted.” A hand went on a hip, then it popped to the left for good measure, I suppose.
“My choice.” She pointed around the school grounds.
“I can have my choice, and I’ve chosen you.
Hence, no one offering you their number.
Now it’s time to find your intelligence level. ”
Clearly, she didn’t have a confidence issue, and somehow it was working for me. The way there was no guessing settled me inside. She was a concrete base. I already knew where I stood with her.
Licking some teeth, my eyes took her in. She had tan skin and dark, slightly slanted, eyes. Possibly Native American. Her lips were full and definitely kissable. But it was her stare, with those dark eyes, that captured me most. The way she studied me as I did her.
Intrigued, I finally said, “I’d like to think I’m not stupid, if that helps.”
“It does. So, what do you choose?”
I chuckled. “Don’t even know your name.”
“Not as important as what’s inside, but my name is Tallulah. It means leaping water.”
Internally, I jolted. Dancing water stars.
She gestured for me to reciprocate the name exchange while telling me, “All I found out was Nine. As you made clear at lunch, that’s clearly not a fave of yours.”
“I’m—” Maddox Gentry, that may mean crazy loon with brain damage. “—Johnny, and it means… well, I don’t fucking know.”
Eyes locked on me as her head turned in question. “You don’t seem to like that name either.”
I exhaled with an annoyed shrug. “Well, it’s what I got.”
As if my lie and pitiful truth, rode on a breeze that spoke to her spirit, she leaned back before saying, “Now I see.” Then she smiled, as if this Misfit now made sense.
“So, Johnny,” she approached me, “let me know your choice when you figure it out.” And slipped a piece of paper into my front pocket.
Buses were starting to pull away, making the guys nervous. We were missing our ride to the Weathers’, so I agreed, then ran to catch the bus that was choosing to leave us behind.
As alluring as Tallulah was, I couldn’t help but think of another. One who most likely didn’t exist, yet greeted me with dancing stars every time I was near water.
Once back at the Weathers’, I searched Harmony’s bookshelves to learn about myths. Maybe someone had written about being blown off a bridge, thrown into water, and saved by a mermaid. Maybe if that story existed, I wouldn’t feel so alone. Hey, Librarian, can you hook up your baby boy?
I didn’t find the particular book that tethered me to my imagination, but I did find a book that pertained to Greek mythology. I sat on a couch and opened the book that spoke about the River Styx. A dark river, a boundary between Earth and the underworld— Wait, Styx?
“What are you reading?”
I slammed the book shut and answered Harmony. “Nothing.”
She eyed the closed book in my lap. “Not a ‘cool’ read?”
I lifted a brow at the clear age gap. “What?”
Standing in front of me, Harmony did a little wiggle, possibly dancing. “You know. Girls won’t think you’re cool if you’re reading Greek mythology?”
Not able to stop the laughter crawling up my throat, I begged, “Please stop,” I one-handedly gestured to her movements, “whatever that is.”
Faking hurt feelings, she stomped her foot. “I can dance!”
“Ifyousayso.”
Her jaw unhinged, then she said, “But… Dale says I move like a siren.”
“Like a blaring fire truck siren? Yes.”
She plopped next to me, the cushion barely adjusting to her small form. “He’s been lying all these years?”
I assured her, “He’s been loving you for all these years.”
My mind drifted with those words, Lying all these years.
Loving all these years… There were so many hidden secrets in my life.
Some the librarian was holding from me, and some not even she seemed to know.
This was beyond frustrating. Now I had no one to fill in the blanks.
Would I ever learn the truth? “Harmony, for real, lying out of love, it’s a forgivable offense, right? ”
Affectionately, and for long moments, she smiled at me. “Old soul Johnny.” She exhaled and stared out the bay window. “Is there anything that is wrong when coming from love? Love, no matter its form or timing, is a life force we all need.” She looked at me again. “Without it, we wither away.”
It was as if I suddenly understood her. Truly. Harmony, every little tear she shed with her fosters’ sad pasts was a grateful one because she got to us before they withered away.
She put an arm around my shoulders. “There is no shame in loving another when one love has passed. That love is still present, too.”