99 to Nowhere

by DOMINO

  I reached out my hand to shake his. "Nice to meet you" I smiled and sat back down.

  "Nice to meet you too—" He scratched the wrinkles on his forehead with curiosity. “How old are you?"

  "Sixteen, but I'll be seventeen soon" I said quickly.

  "I see, well that's a good thing, you need to be seventeen in the state of Illinois" He sighed. "Are you with a current home, foster home, or anything?"

  "No, I mean I was, but I'm no longer there" I answered, suddenly feeling it wasn't going to go as smooth for me as it did with Rio.

  "You left on your own accord I take it?" He winced. His thick blond mustache twitched with his grimace.

  "Yeah, but I had to—" I almost whined.

  "Were you enrolled in school with them?"

  "Yes"

  "Now that poses a problem" He tapped his pen on the desk.

  Rio leaned on his knees with his hands clasped together. "What kind of problem?" Rio asked.

  "In this state there are a few things needed. First we are going to need a withdrawal letter from the school you went to and I'm sure the foster parents or social worker will not give you one. Maxx, you still have time to get back in school and get a high school diploma"

  "Who are they to tell me what is best for me?" I asked. I panicked with the thought of having to see Mrs. Buford or the Johnson's.

  "I understand your frustration, but you aren't emancipated. If you were you wouldn't be in a foster home—" He answered and strained a smile.

  "But I'm not!" I stopped when I realized my voice was loud. I tried to control my tone before I continued. "I left and I'm on my own. I look out for me now, Rio looks out for me"

  "I understand Maxx, what's the name of your social worker?" He asked and pulled out a notepad.

  I shook my head. I wasn't telling him so he could call her. I knew they would pick me up and put me right back into the home I ran from. I snatched up my backpack and ran out of the office.

  "Maxx!" I heard Rio yelling behind me.

  I ran down the stairs of the building to get out; I didn't want to wait for the elevator. I felt tears falling and I didn't want him to see my disappointment.

  "Maxx, come here!" He continued yelling. I stomped through the snow, no idea where I would go. "Wait!"

  "I have to get out of here Rio. You stay, you have to stay and get your diploma, and do all the things you said you would. But I can't stay here—" I shook my head and felt his arms pull me back to face him.

  "Just a small bump in the road, that's it" He whispered. "Don't leave just yet—"

  "I can't stay here Rio" I snatched my arm out of his grasp. "I can't get a GED. I can't go back to school because the only way I can do that is to be in another foster home and I'm not gonna do it"

  "What if he can speak with the agency and get you in a nice home. I'll stay here and do, whatever, until you graduate, and then we can move on—" He persisted. "Don't give up just yet—"

  I began to cry when he pulled me close. "I can't go back there Rio, I can't"

  "It will be alright, it will be" He whispered.

  "No it won't, you don't understand—" I wiped my nose. "The shed, the man that raped me was Mr. Johnson. He's the one that raped me!" I began to scream. "They won't believe me and they'll put me right back there—"

  "Come on, we gotta talk to Mr. Horne, he'll help us" He began wiping away my tears.

  "No just give me some time to think about it Rio, please" I begged and pulled away from him.

  He nodded and twisted his lips. "Alright, wait right here. I'm gonna grab my backpack and talk to him really quick. I'll be back. Don't leave Maxx" He said before he ran back inside.

  Maxx, when will it ever work out in your favor?

  TWENTY SEVEN

  It wasn't three o'clock yet, so we couldn't get back into the chapel; we decided to walk around town. I was feeling really down and Rio tried to cheer me up, telling me what the future would be like. Trying to convince me that we would make it, eventually, somewhere, and all would be well, but I didn't believe it.

  "Let's get something to eat" He said rubbing his stomach, but I froze in place when Cleo came running up behind us.

  "Where are the two of you going?" He asked looking around nervously. He was scratching his neck and his eyes were bloodshot.

  I stared at him with clenched teeth while Rio told him about his test. The smug smile on Cleo's dirty face made me hate him more; I knew he was the one that stole my money and I couldn't hold it back anymore.

  "Give it back" I narrowed my eyes at him.

  "Give what back?" Rio asked. He looked curiously at Cleo and me.

  "Yeah, give what back?" Cleo snickered and scratched his arms nervously.

  I swung at his face as hard as I could, sending him into the pile of snow behind him.

  "My god damn money! Give it back you robbing piece of trash!" I shouted as Rio pulled me away from him.

  "I don't have any money" He stood up to wipe the snow off his dirty jeans. "And who are you calling a robber; I know you've done your share of stealing too. I don't have your money"

  "Because you spent it all probably!" I screamed. “You shot it all up, you druggie!”

  I leaped on him, trying to scratch his eyes out. I felt my body being lifted effortlessly off him by Rio as I struggled to fight. I wanted to kill him.

  "I didn't take shit from you!" Cleo said as he wiped his bloody nose.

  "Did you steal her money, Cleo?" Rio asked and tried to hold my arms down.

  "No, how would I know she had any money?" He answered nervously. "I didn't steal a thing"

  "Rot in hell you piece of shit" I swung my backpack at him. "You took it from my backpack while we slept!" I was trying to catch my breath; I wanted to hit him again.

  "Give it back Cleo" Rio turned to him.

  "I don't have anything" Cleo muttered and turned his pockets inside out. "You're gonna believe her over me? You just met her, you hardly know her man"

  "No reason for her to lie. Did you take it?" Rio asked, stepping closer to him.

  Cleo stepped cautiously away. "No I didn't" He stammered nervously and kept his eyes on me.

  "He's telling lies, Rio, I had a hundred bucks left for us, and he took it" I was ready to lunge at him again.

  "Give it back Cleo" Rio demanded. "Give it back now"

  "Ya know what, screw both of you!" He ran off across the street.

  It took everything in me not to chase after him as we watched him run up the street and disappear down an alley.

  "He took it Rio, what are we gonna do now?" I asked and continued to stare up the street in the direction Cleo ran.

  "I'll think of something" He picked up my backpack. "Come on"

  I shook my head dismally.

  "I got fifty bucks, so that can get us a place to stay if needed and we got the chapel tonight" He said when we sat down in a small diner. "Foods cheap here, so we can fill up and then eat stew again for dinner, unless—"

  I looked up sadly. I was toying with the zipper on my backpack. "Unless what?"

  "Unless you wanna go to the shelter—"

  "No—Nope, I don't wanna go there" I shook my head defiantly. “Soup taste the same on 99 as it does in a shelter, I hate those things”

  The server brought us two large hamburgers and fries. He immediately put out his hand for us to say grace before we began to eat. I grabbed the bottle of ketchup and slapped the bottom of it to put some on my fries.

  "I hate those places Rio, I hate shelters" I shoved a few fries in my mouth.

  "Beggars can't be choosers" He said before he took a large bite of his burger.

  I swallowed and looked around. "Maybe we can get some money, some other way. So, we can stay in a decent hotel or something. Not the whore motel, oh I'm sorry, drug infested whore motel"

  He shook his head and unzipped his backpack. "I got fifty five bucks—" He looked at our plates. "Well, probably about thirty nine after this" He shook his head. "We can't stay
in the chapel forever, they were just being nice, and besides, how the hell can we move on if we sit in the same spot?"

  "Well we still need to stay here until you get your results and I don't wanna stay in the shelter—" I pouted before I took a sip from my glass of cocoa. "I swear to you, that punk friend of yours is gonna get it, if I ever get him alone" I was still fuming. "That hundred bucks could have gone a long way"

  "I know it could have Maxx, but it's gone now, so there's no sense harping on it. It's not gonna change the fact that you no longer have it" He replied. "Don't worry, I'll do something"

  "Like what?"

  "Don't worry, just eat" He managed a smile and motioned for me to finish eating.

  Sitting in the small diner I watched college guys walk in, laughing and talking among themselves. I looked at Rio, he appeared to be studying them.

  "You'll be a college man soon too" I said to make him smile.

  "Yeah and you'll be a college girl. Let's go, it's getting late, and I don't wanna be locked out of the chapel"

  We gathered our things and walked out to be greeted by the cold wind. I shoved my hands into my mittens and strapped my backpack on. I noticed the wind gave him a slight pink flush across his cheeks, making him look innocent. My insides warmed up after I took his hand and walked the next couple of blocks to get back to the chapel. I noticed father Dawson's car was parked out front next to a white van.

  "I guess father McDowell is still ill" I sighed.

  "Guess so" Rio replied and knocked on the large wooden door.

  "Rio and Maxine get in out of the cold" He smiled and opened the door.

  I recognized the red flag immediately, soon as he said my name; I never told him my full name. I spun around to see Mrs. Buford sitting on a pew and a Millington police officer standing beside her.

  "Maxine, we've been worried sick about you" Mrs. Buford said, pushing her short dark bob behind her ears. Her ever-present reading glasses were on top of her head and I hated her more than ever. She sighed loudly before she stood up. "Where on earth have you been?" She put her hands on her ample hips and stared at Rio.

  I was frozen as I stared into the squinty eyes of the pale police officer behind her. He knew I was going to run before I did.

  "I can't, I can't go back there" I stammered before I ran back out the doors.

  I found myself tumbling down the icy stairs, but quickly jumped back up and began to run down the street. I glanced back to see Rio running behind me and I prayed they didn't catch us. I ran across the street, causing cars to blare their horns, before I looked ahead to see another officer running at me full speed and I skidded to a halt. I felt the cold gloves of the officer on my arms, holding me tight and I knew I was doomed.

  "Run!" I screamed to Rio that froze in place once the officer pulled me so I couldn't get away.

  I could see the hesitation and devastation in his eyes before he ran up the street and out of sight; my heart was breaking when I saw his backpack disappear around the corner.

  "Come on little lady—" The officer said with exhaustion, his breath revealing small puffs over his head. “Come on, let's go" He turned me around to snatch off my backpack; I cringed when he put handcuffs on me so I wouldn't run again.

  He took me back toward the chapel and shoved me into the white van. I knew he was mad I made him get some exercise. Mrs. Buford stood out in front of the chapel, shaking father Dawson's hand and I knew he called them, Rio was right.

  "Maxine" Mrs. Buford huffed and hauled her large frame into the seat beside me. "We have been looking all over for you. Where have you been young lady?"

  I didn't answer, all I could think of was Rio, and where he ran off.

  "Do you hear me Maxine?" She sat up to look me in the face, but I kept my eyes diverted from hers, the sight of her made me want to spit. "The Johnson's were worried sick about you. Mr. Johnson was out looking for you for days on end, he was just worried sick" She continued and brushed the bang down on her bob. "I was worried too; you know how hard it is to find a home that will hold foster children as old as you? Do you?" She said before the other police officer got in the van and began to back out of the chapel driveway.

  I looked over to see father Dawson looking in at me and I gave him the ugliest frown I could muster. Traitor!

  "Who was the young man you were with?" She asked. "Is he a local college student or did he run away too?"

  I thought about them searching for Rio if they knew he was a runaway foster kid from Chicago and decided to speak.

  "Yes—" I whispered. "He’s a college kid and was just scared he would get kicked out of school—"

  "Oh, well I hope he learned his lesson" She said haughtily. "Those college boys are nothing but party animals. I hope he didn't try to put you in a bad situation, did he?"

  "No, just you" I replied and turned my head out the window. I struggled to look down all of the alleys and streets we passed. "Where are you taking me?"

  "Well, we have to reprocess you, so you'll be held until tomorrow at the juvenile detention center for girls. Then I'll see about getting you back with the Johnson's" She looked relieved that she finally found me.

  I was pissed, I had been in the center twice before and there was no way of escaping it. "The detention center again? What a surprise" I scowled.

  "This is your last time going to the Johnson's Maxine, if you run away again, and we catch you, it will be the detention center until you're eighteen" She tapped my leg to get my attention.

  I knew the detention center was no better than the Johnson's. The male guards bribed girls for sex and even took it if they wanted to. Also, trying to stay out of fights with other girls was a hard thing to do. They would fight if you even sneezed wrong. I figured my best bet was to be good and go back to the Johnson's and then run away again as soon as I got a chance.

  "Alright, I was just being silly by running away from the Johnson's. I kinda miss them" I lied, trying to sound sincere.

  She smiled and threw her green reading glasses on top of her head again. "Fantastic Maxine, I'm sure they can't wait to have you back" She smiled. She pulled out a few papers and began to fill them out on the way.

  I looked down to see the Johnson's residence, 240 Moonlight Rd, but to me it read 240 Rape Lane. I shook my head and tried to clear it. I gotta get a plan and soon.

  We reached the detention center and I was processed in and taken to a room. I was alone and broken. I glanced up at the surveillance camera on the ceiling. I wasn't in the mood to deal with any girls that were in the mood to prove themselves and was glad I had a room to myself. I threw my body on the bed and covered it with the thin blue blanket. Closing my eyes, I tried to figure out where Rio could have gone. I knew he wouldn't go back to the chapel because trust was broken. I was exhausted and felt tears begin to fall slowly onto my cold pillow. Feeling for my locket, I forgot they took it from me, along with the pearl earrings and perfume, telling me I would get them all back the next day, but I wanted and needed them with me. I rubbed my bare neck and punched my pillow in the darkness until I grew too tired to lift my arm and fell asleep.

  TWENTY EIGHT

  I awoke the next morning to a female guard knocking on the door, her bright blue eyes looking in through the small window. "Up and out of here!"

  I rubbed my eyes and ran to the wall for her to check me over so I could be let out. I knew she had to be sure I didn't gain access to anything that would do her or myself any harm, but I wished I had something to use to slash Mr. Johnson's throat when I saw his smug smile.

  I checked out and looked through my belongings; I didn't see my locket and grew furious.

  "Where's my locket?" I asked the guard that handed me my clothes. I dug into my backpack to make sure everything was still there. "My earrings, where are they?" I stood up and glared at him. I knew they would steal things and I planned on turning the place out if they didn't give it back.

  "Maxine, calm down—" Mrs. Buford interjected and placed a hand on
my shoulder.

  I flung her arm off my shoulder and felt my heart racing. "Give me back my locket!" I banged on the glass window until another guard came out with a small yellow envelope.

  "We keep jewelry separated from clothing, here ya go" He said apologetically, but the other guard continued to glare back at me.

  I snatched the envelope from beneath the counter and looked in it to make sure everything was there.

  "See you real soon, Maxine, I can't wait—" The irritated guard continued to glare and look me over.