“Don’t start anything,” I muttered, putting myself firmly between him and Elyse again.
“I’m not starting anything,” Elyse said, frowning.
“I wasn’t talking to you. We’re good, right?” I nodded her way, then glanced back at Charlie who was glaring at Elyse. “Right, Charlie?”
“Aww. Look at her protecting her little man. Lucky is all boo’d up with someone on her own level this time.”
“What are you talking about?” I asked. She was exhausting, and I had my hands full with Charlie. Where the hell was Jake?
“Well you never had a chance in hell with Jake. But look at you. You got yourself a little Mexican boy to play with. Birds of a feather, right?”
“I’m Dominican!” Charlie yelled, trying to push past me. I had dropped my bag and was literally holding him back.
“Charlie, stop!” He was stronger than he looked, and I was grunting with the effort of holding onto him.
“Dominican, Mexican. Who cares? They’re both brown. Why don’t you just go back to wherever it is that you came from?”
What did she just say? I nearly lost my grip on Charlie for a second and fought to hang on to him. I pulled on the back of his jacket. He was yelling at her in Spanish now.
“Calm down, kid. Even you can do better than this Indian whore.” She spit at me, and I felt bits of it hit my face. I was so shocked, I lost my grip on Charlie, who stumbled. I wiped saliva off my face and stared at her. She walked toward me, sneering. “You’re a piece of shit, Lucky. No one wants your worthless ass. That’s why you’re in foster care. Not Jake. Not even the little Mexican here. No one will ever want you.” She was right in front of me now. “You’re nothing. An Indian whore who has nothing to offer except what’s between your legs.”
I heard Charlie yell “Soy Dominicano!” as I pulled my arm back, my hand clenched tightly. But I didn’t see him until I felt my fist connect solidly with the person in front of me. The person who, a second ago, had been Elyse. But Charlie had somehow ducked away and gotten between us, and my fist hit him in the side of the head so hard, he went down, his face bouncing off the pavement. I heard a scream and only vaguely recognized it as my own as I pushed someone out of the way and fell to the ground beside him.
“CHARLIE!” I screamed. He was limp, his eyes closed, with blood dripping down his face. “CALL 911!” I shrieked, watching as Elyse and her friends turned and walked away without raising their phones.
“I hope she killed him,” I heard Elyse say as I cradled Charlie’s head in my lap.
“Help!” I yelled, whipping my head from side to side, trying to see where my bag was so I could grab my phone.
“Lucky?” It was Jake. He was here and he’d help.
“Jake, please. Call 911. Charlie…he’s unconscious. Oh my god. I think I killed him.” I was hysterical. Jake knelt down beside me, pulling his phone out of his pocket and touching Charlie’s face.
“He’s not dead, Lucky. Calm down. Yes. I’m at Weston Heights High. Can you send an ambulance? My friend is unconscious. I don’t know what happened. Yes, he’s breathing. Okay. Thank you.” He hung up just as Charlie started to move, groaning.
“Oh my god! Charlie! Stay still. You’re hurt.”
“Lucky, what the hell happened?” He was dialing again. “Sarah? It’s me. Charlie got hurt. The ambulance is on its way, but can you meet us at the hospital? I don’t know. Okay.”
“I…we were talking and Elyse came out and called him Mexican and said she thought he should go back to where he came from and he was upset and then she called me worthless and a slut…and she spit at me. I lost my temper. I tried to hit her but Charlie got in the way.” I was sobbing even though Charlie was now struggling to sit up.
“Stay down, man.” Jake held him down gently. “You’re all right, Charlie, but you need a doctor.” He looked over at me. “You knocked him out?”
“No! I don’t think so. I hit him by mistake and he went down and hit his head on the ground. I think that knocked him out. Oh my god, Charlie. I’m so sorry.”
“Stop crying on me, Lucky!” he croaked.
The ambulance arrived then, and EMTs pulled me away and strapped Charlie to a stretcher.
“Do I have to go to school tomorrow?” he asked one of the EMTs.
“Probably not,” the guy said, laughing. He shone a light in Charlie’s eyes. “I think you have a concussion.”
“Is he okay?” I asked him desperately. “Did I give him brain damage?”
“I doubt it. He seems fine, but we’ll take him in and have him checked out. You can meet us there.”
Jake pulled me away so the EMTs could get Charlie in the ambulance.
“Come on. We’ll follow in the car.”
I got in. Numb at first. Then scared. Terrified that Charlie would lapse into a coma or something before we got there. Or that he’d have some kind of lasting brain damage that changed him entirely. Or that he’d be dead.
“Can you go faster?” I begged Jake. He stepped down on the pedal and we lurched forward. Sarah was getting out of her car when we pulled up.
“What happened?” she asked, looking terrified. “Where is he?” Jake took her arm and started leading her to the front of the hospital.
“The ambulance brought him in. He’s awake. I think he’s okay. Maybe just a concussion. But they need to check him out.”
“A concussion! What happened to him?”
We were at the door now. I opened my mouth to answer. Then closed it.
“Lucky?” She stopped and turned to me. She was even more scared than I was. She loved him. I could see it all over her face. I was about to answer…or try to, when Edward ran up.
“Where is he? Is he okay?” He looked frantic, and I realized all over again how much these two loved the boys. Maybe could have loved me. “What happened?” He was looking at Jake.
“It was me,” I told them, stepping in front of Jake. “It’s my fault.”
“You did this?” Edward asked incredulously. I nodded. “How?”
“I…I was aiming for Elyse, and Charlie got in the way. I hit him by mistake and he…he hit the ground hard. With his head,” I clarified.
“Oh my god.” Edward turned and bolted through the doorway, closely followed by Sarah.
“Come on,” Jake said, holding out his hand. I hesitated for a second. But I couldn’t put off seeing Charlie forever. If I had hurt him in some way that was going to affect him for the rest of his life, I needed to know. I needed to see for myself if he was all right. I took Jake’s hand and let him lead me in after Sarah and Edward.
“I didn’t mean to hurt him,” I whispered.
“I know you didn’t. He’ll be fine, Lucky.”
“How do you know?” I asked.
“I don’t. But let’s go find out.”
I nodded, following, trying not to look at all the people in various stages of injury or illness lining the hallways.
“He’s in here,” Sarah called, leading us through a set of double doors and into a hallway that was alive with doctors and nurses, machines beeping, and a few patients wheeling machines looped with tubes and wires around beside them.
Charlie seemed so small tucked into his bed. A doctor and nurse were talking quietly while the nurse made notes on a clipboard. Charlie looked pale and sickly with his head sporting a bandage and his eyes closed. The doctor looked up.
“Are you the family?” he asked. Edward and Sarah nodded, clinging to each other. “He’s asleep. We have to wake him up hourly because he has a concussion. He took quite a knock to the head.”
I stared at Charlie while the doctor spoke, willing him to be okay, to wake up. To be his happy, puppy-dog self again. But he slept on, with just the odd movement of his eyelids and the beeping of a heart monitor to show he was still alive.
“Is
he going to be okay?” I choked out.
The doctor glanced at me.
“Yes. He’ll be fine. He’ll have a massive headache for a day or two, but he’ll be back to normal before you know it.”
“Oh, thank god!” Sarah said, lowering herself into a chair beside the bed and taking Charlie’s hand in hers. Edward stood behind her, his hands on her shoulders.
“You should go home,” he told Jake. “Both of you. Get some sleep.”
“Okay. Tell him we were here, when he wakes up,” Jake said, pulling me toward the door. I wanted to stay. I wanted to be there when he woke up so I could tell him how sorry I was. That it had been an accident. That I would do anything to take it back.
CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
Another Morning
I didn’t sleep much that night. I’d drift off and then wake up suddenly, remembering the sound Charlie’s head had made when it hit the ground. Like a melon. Or a pumpkin. And I’d feel sick to my stomach until I convinced myself over and over again that he’d be okay. I got up the next morning before the sun rose. Sarah and Edward hadn’t come back from the hospital, and the house was deadly silent. I sipped a cup of Earl Grey and watched the sky change color.
Jake wandered into the kitchen at virtually the same moment that Sarah and Edward walked in. All three looked exhausted.
“How is he?” Jake asked before I even had a chance to open my mouth.
“Yeah,” I blurted out. “Is he all right?”
Sarah nodded. She looked tired.
“The doctor said he’ll be fine. They’re keeping him until later today to run a couple more tests. Just to be sure,” she said, seeing Jake and me open our mouths to ask.
“But the thing is…” Edward said, glancing over at Sarah. “He just as easily could have been not okay. You could have…it could have been a lot worse, Lucky.”
“I know,” I said, my eyes filling up again, despite my claim that I never cried. “And I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt him.”
“But you meant to hurt someone else,” Sarah said. “The school called and told us you were fighting with that girl again.” She shook her head. She was sorry. I could see that. I had hurt Sarah and Edward just as much as I had hurt Charlie. Maybe more.
“They’re expelling you,” Edward said. “We’re sorry, Lucky. But Cynthia is coming to pick you up.”
“You’re sending her away?” Jake asked. “It wasn’t even her fault. Elyse spit at her! She called both of them names.”
“The school won’t reconsider. I called and tried to talk them out of it.” Sarah looked at me regretfully. “It’s your second fight, and you were on probation for the first one. And you seriously hurt Charlie…I know it was an accident.” She held her hands up before I could argue. “I believe you, Lucky. But if you can’t go back to school…it’s the only high school in our district. You have to be moved to a home in another district.”
“I could bus to another school!” I pled, looking from Sarah to Edward. “Please! I like it here! Don’t make me leave.” I was openly crying now. Jake put an arm around me, looking at Sarah and Edward.
“Can she do that? Just go to another school? I’ll go with her,” he said.
“It doesn’t work that way. I’m sorry. We both are,” Sarah said. She was crying too now. She pulled me away from Jake and into a hug.
The doorbell rang.
Cynthia from Children’s Aid was on the other side. She smiled, but her smile looked forced.
“You better go pack, Lucky,” she said.
I went upstairs, pulling my things out of drawers and off hangers and stuffing all of it back into my bag. I took the photos from the night table and stared at Grandma and Grandpa before adding them to my things. Lastly, I took my phone and texted Ryan.
ME:I got into a fight
RYAN:Again?
ME:Yeah. Same girl
RYAN:Did you win?
ME:Not funny.
RYAN:It kind of is. RU OK?
ME:No. I hurt one of my foster brothers. I have to leave
RYAN:The school?
ME:And the house
RYAN:RU serious?
ME:Yah
RYAN:Where RU going?
ME:I don’t know yet
RYAN:If u don’t stay in one place, I’ll never get to visit!
ME:I know. I’m sorry. Want to meet me at Grandma’s sometime?
RYAN:Sure!
ME:Kk
RYAN:So what happened?
ME:I got spit on by the cheerleader who did the war dance. She called me and Charlie names
RYAN:I hope you knocked her on her ass
ME:I tried
RYAN:Good
ME:Not good. I hit Charlie by mistake
RYAN:You never could hit what you were aiming for…
ME:I messed up big time. Charlie is in the hospital
RYAN:WHAT? Is he ok?
ME:He will be. But I’m expelled. I have to move to a home in another district
RYAN:Shit. Sorry Lucky
ME:Thx
RYAN:Text me when you get there
ME:Kk
CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
Cynthia from Children’s Aid
I still hadn’t made it back to the house to get some stuff for my grandmother.
I still hadn’t managed to see Ryan.
And I still hadn’t visited Grandma for a few days. I needed to call her.
But the bigger issue was Cynthia, who was trying to find me a place to stay. She stopped at a coffee shop and made some calls while I sipped a hot chocolate.
“No. She needs a place tonight. Right. Are you sure? Okay, thanks anyway.”
This wasn’t her first call.
“No luck?” I asked. She frowned at me but didn’t answer.
“Hi, is this Kevin? Hi Kevin. It’s Cynthia from Children’s Aid.”
I tuned her out. Honestly, if she didn’t find a place soon, I was going to suggest I stay with Ryan again. I know “it wasn’t an option” before, but it had to be better than sleeping on the streets.
Or in Cynthia’s Prius.
“Okay. Thanks.”
“You found a place?” I asked.
“No. Drink your hot chocolate.”
“Hi, is this Paula? Hi Paula, it’s Cynthia from Children’s Aid.”
ME:CfromCA can’t find a place for me
RYAN:Stay here
ME:Right? If she doesn’t find a place, I’m so there
RYAN:Sorry this is happening to you
ME:It’s fine. Once Grandma is better, I’ll be home
RYAN:Lucky…
I watched the dots blinking for a minute then gave up.
ME:What???
RYAN:She might not get better. At least not better enough to come home
ME:She will
RYAN:…
ME:SHE WILL
RYAN:Ok
ME:I’ll let u know where I am. If she ever finds a place
“I found a place!” Cynthia looked triumphant.
“Oh goody,” I muttered.
“I think you’ll be happy with this one,” she said.
“Oh, yeah. It’s just awesome being sent to a new place every other week. And none of them are home!”
“This one was your own fault, Lucky. Let’s not forget that. You’re going to end up in juvenile detention if you’re not careful!”
“Are you serious? I haven’t committed a crime!” I shouted.
“You did, actually! You assaulted another girl! And you could have really hurt Charlie!”
“She started it!” I insisted. “And I didn’t mean to hit Charlie.”
Cynthia took a deep breath and then started again.
“Listen. I
know this isn’t easy. I know things are beyond your control, and your first home wasn’t a good fit.”
“You mean the ‘home’ where the foster father tried to sexually assault me?”
Cynthia clenched her jaw before continuing.
“I found you a place you can go to tonight, and it’s close enough that you can attend your old school.”
“Wait…the one I was at today?”
“No, Lucky. They expelled you. Remember? I mean the school you went to when you lived with your grandmother.”
“Are you serious?” I asked, barely daring to breath in case she took it all back.
“Yes.”
“Oh my god…thank you!”
“I’d say ‘no problem,’ but it was a huge problem. Just…try not to get yourself kicked out of this one.”
“I will,” I promised her.
ME:I GET TO COME BACK TO SCHOOL!
RYAN:Srsly?
ME:Yes! I’ll see you tomorrow!
RYAN:YAY!
CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
Home #3
It’s not really surprising that my eyes were focused somewhere around my height when the door to the latest in my ever-growing list of foster homes opened. But I was about three feet too high.
“Hi!” a tiny little person chirped at me.
I adjusted my gaze and saw a kid who should be starring in a Disney movie. She was literally that cute.
“Hi.” I grinned at her. It was hard not to smile at her impish little face with her front teeth missing. She had pigtails. Actual pigtails.
“Is Paula home?” Cynthia from Children’s Aid asked.
“PAULA!” the girl yelled without taking her eyes off me. I laughed.
“What’s your name?” I asked her.
“Lucy.”
“No way! We have almost the same name! I’m Lucky.” I stuck out my hand and she shook it.
“Your name’s Lucky?” She giggled.
“Swear to God,” I told her solemnly.
“That’s so funny!”
A woman came to the door then.
“Lucy, can you help Greg with the dishes, please?”
As Lucy skipped away, the woman smiled at me, pushing the hair out of her face and basically looking like she badly needed a day off.
Just Lucky Page 10