I was placed with a very nice foster family less than a week after Mrs. Gratt had tried to take me back to California. My foster parents, Matthew and Brandon, had just gotten married earlier that year and were looking to foster a child that they could eventually adopt. They wanted a teenager since they knew how hard it was for teenagers to get adopted. Matthew was especially understanding of this. His parents had died in a car accident when he was fifteen, and he had spent the next three years bouncing around to different foster homes.
Joshua’s trial came about a year after he had killed Adam. He was sentenced to six years in prison. Not for murder, though. He was declared innocent on that charge, on account of self-defense. The six years was for all the trouble that had come afterward.
I had cried when he was sentenced to six years, but not for too long. We were both alive, and that was good enough for me.
Three years later, Joshua was let out early for good behavior. Matthew and Brandon took me to the prison to pick up Joshua. They had taken me once a month every month to visit him. Now he was coming to live with us until he could get back on his feet. He was ready to go straight, once and for all.
Matthew and Brandon had adopted me the year before, and even though I would never stop loving my dad, Matthew and Brandon were two of the best parents I could have asked for. They completely supported my dream of becoming a fashion designer. They had even bought me a sewing machine when I first moved in with them. And Brandon had a telescope he let me use all the time. We discussed all kinds of astronomical things at the dinner table. It was nice to have people who supported my interests. But the best part? They knew my history. They knew the truth about the night Joshua and I tried to leave Las Vegas, and they didn’t judge me. And they didn’t judge my brother. And if they could accept the two of us for who we were, then maybe we weren’t so bad after all.
“What time is he getting out?” Brandon asked as we stood in front of the prison.
“Ten,” I replied, bouncing from one foot to another.
“Well, what time is it?” Matthew asked.
“Nine fifty-eight,” I said, checking my phone.
“What’s up, guys?” A voice asked.
I looked up. Joshua was walking toward us.
“Joshua!” I cried. I ran to hug him.
Brandon and Matthew caught up to us.
“Hey, Joshua,” Brandon said, hugging him.
“It’s good to see you, man,” Matthew said.
Brandon and Matthew were like Joshua’s parents, too. They had been very supportive of him since they took me in and even paid for a lawyer for Joshua.
I thought it was nice, Joshua had the kind of parents he had always wanted. Parents who loved us unconditionally.
An hour later, we were home. We were in the middle of eating breakfast when all our friends showed up.
Everyone except Jordan did, anyway. There was never a big blow up or anything, but Jordan had suddenly stopped hanging out with the rest of us a few months after Joshua had been sent to prison.
Joshua hadn’t seemed too surprised when I had told him about it. He even admitted that it was probably because no one in the group had abandoned us after everything that had happened.
Jordan had a stick up his ass about something, but I didn’t care. It wasn’t my problem.
Anyway, everyone in the group came over. Whitney, Jack, and Shane had been made a regular part of the group, and Greg hung out with us sometimes as well. You know, when he wasn’t too hung over or anything. But even though Greg seemed hung over that morning, he still showed up.
“Hey, Josh!” Shane and Jack yelled, running into the house with the rest of the group following behind.
They tackled him.
“Hey, guys!” Joshua said. He stood up and hugged everyone.
I was surprised he was tolerating all the hugs. Scoppios weren’t normally huggers.
Whitney hugged Joshua. “It’s good to see you, Josh.”
“Yeah, man. We’ve missed you,” Kyle said.
Greg and Caleb came next.
Caleb, always trying to be tough, simply gave Joshua a fist-bump and a “’sup?”. Then he hugged Joshua. “I’m glad you’re out.”
Greg, however, went straight in for a hug.
“I tell Chrissy all the time, the house is too quiet without you two around. I need you back.”
Joshua smiled. “Thanks, but I’ve got my own home now,” He looked at Matthew and Brandon, who smiled at him. Like I said, they were the best parents I could ask for.
Cameron and Tyler came last. They seemed a little nervous. For a second, I wondered if Jordan even knew they were here.
“Jordan says he’s really happy for you. You know, for getting out early,” Cameron said.
Joshua grinned. “Tell him I said thanks. How are you guys?”
“Good,” Tyler said. “I think the better question is, how are you?”
Joshua laughed. “I’m a lot better now that I’m out of there.”
“Oh my god, just hug it out already!” Whitney said.
Everyone laughed.
Joshua hugged Cameron and Tyler.
“Well, we see that you guys are eating breakfast, so we’ll come back later,” Tyler said afterward.
“No, stay!” Brandon said.
“Really, there’s enough for everyone,” Matthew agreed.
It was true. We had made enough food to feed five families.
“Alright,” Kyle said, sitting down and grabbing a pancake off the platter. He bit into it. “Are these chocolate chip pancakes?” He asked.
I nodded. “Of course. Would you expect anything different here?”
“These pancakes are like a taste of Heaven,” He said through a mouthful of food.
Everyone laughed.
Since there weren’t enough seats at the table, we all moved into the living room. Everyone was sitting on the couch, on the chairs, and even on the coffee table.
“Can I make a toast?” Joshua asked, standing up.
Even though everyone had full mouths, we all managed to say yes.
“Alright. So, three years ago, Chrissy came to live with me. And I was pissed. I didn’t want her here,” Joshua began.
I threw a pancake at him.
“But,” He continued. “I discovered that I love and care about my little sister. For years before that, I didn’t think I needed anyone. I didn’t think I needed a family, because I didn’t think that I had a family. But Chrissy reminded me that I do. And then she was adopted by Matthew and Brandon, who became my family as well.” Joshua turned to them. “I want to thank you guys for taking such good care of her. I don’t know if she’s ever told you this, but she thinks the world of you two.”
“I do,” I said, leaning over to hug them.
Joshua continued, “And the rest of you? You guys are my family, too. You all proved that when you stuck by me. And I want to thank you all for that. And that’s all I have to say. I don’t know how to finish these things, so, to family.”
Everyone raised their glasses of orange juice, or milk, or whatever they were drinking. “To family.”
The group stayed over all day. We all spent time catching up with Joshua and telling him stories about everything that had happened in the three years he had been gone.
About an hour after it got dark, Cameron and Tyler left. Their dad was coming home from a weeklong trip, and they wanted to be up to greet him when he came home early the next morning.
After that, everyone began slowly leaving. It was around eleven thirty when Kyle left. He was the last one to leave.
“We’ll clean up,” Joshua told Brandon and Matthew. “You guys go to bed.”
Joshua and I cleaned up and went outside to take out the trash.
I looked up at the sky. “There’s a lot of stars out tonight.”
Joshua nodded. “I’ve missed the stars.”
I looked at him. “It’s like they know it’s your first night out.”
He grin
ned. “You’re right.”
We sat down on the porch, watching the stars in silence. We watched the stars disappear, and then we watched the sun rise on a new day.
About the Author
Sunshine G. Bruno is the young author of Bad Reputation. She has also released Kill the DJ, Beauty’s Only Skin Deep, and Election Year 2050. Sunshine G. Bruno lives in Las Vegas, Nevada, where she spends her time with her family and two dogs, when she’s not writing books, of course.
Go to her website sunshinegbruno.com for all kinds of information about her books.
Follow Sunshine G. Bruno on social media.
Twitter: @sunshinegbruno
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