“She’ll require a lot of…” Deena glanced at me, her desire to talk about me behind my back practically rolling off her in waves. “…attention. She tends to act before she thinks—” Deena shot me a meaningful look, and any outrage I had about them talking about me like some sort of rescue animal was immediately tempered with a hefty dose of guilt. I mean, she wasn’t wrong. That was why I was in this mess in the first place.
“Don’t get me wrong,” Deena said. “She’s a good kid. But if you already have another teenager in the house, this might not be the best placement.”
My heart sped up even as I squished down the ache in my chest. Was Deena really going to pull me from this placement? I didn’t quite know what to feel about that. Part of me was relieved, because Ms. Reid seemed like an emotionless robot. But another part was in full panic mode. Where would I go if not here? Was she going to put me in residential after all? I’d rather be with the emotionless robot—there was more freedom.
“You needn’t be concerned,” Ms. Reid said. “Mickey’s a good kid—he might even be a good influence on her. I’m sure we can handle any challenges.”
Deena studied Mickey, her silence wrapping around me, driving me mad. “You know what?” Deena said at last. “Let me step outside for a second while I get a few things confirmed with my supervisor, all right?”
My heart dropped to the floor. No. She was going to put me in residential. After all, it was like she said—no one wanted a teen. At least no one but ice-eyed Ms. Reid.
Deena grabbed the door handle just as Ms. Reid stepped forward and touched her shoulder. Deena’s gaze swung over to hers and got…stuck.
“This is a good placement for Kella,” Ms. Reid said, not blinking once. “A foster brother will be just what she needs.”
Neither side looked away, as if they were in the middle of a face off. I shifted from foot to foot. Watching them stare at each other was getting a little awkward.
Deena finally nodded her head and said, “Well, Kella, it looks like you’ve got a nice place here.” I gaped at her. If I’d learned one thing about Deena, it was that she didn’t do sudden reversals. Not that I was complaining, but…
Deena added, “And having a brother for company’ll be nice, don’t you think?” She turned to smile at me, her eyes watery and over-bright.
I glared at her, not dignifying that last part with a response. A brother wasn’t like a pet fish. You didn’t buy a kid a new one when the old one died—or got hospitalized.
“Kella?” Mickey held out a hand. “Welcome home.”
There was that word again— home. Mickey’s mouth quirked up into an easy-going smile, but his green eyes bore into mine with an uncomfortable intensity—expectancy, even. I pretended I didn’t see his hand and mumbled a few filler words before turning away.
Deena and Ms. Reid kept talking, but I tuned them out as I examined the house. The stairs stood directly in front of me and to my left was a study. A coat of arms hung over the fireplace, and two mahogany bookshelves stuffed with leather-bound titles flanked either side. A couple powder-blue, gold-studded armchairs faced the fireplace, too prim for comfort.
The unmistakable sound of pills shifting in a bottle jerked my attention back to the conversation in front of me. “Kella can take one of these every eight hours if she’s in pain.”
I squeezed my lids tight for a few seconds. The looney pills. No worries, I wouldn’t need them for much longer. When I opened my eyes again, I peered down the hallway to the right of the stairs. There was a kitchen. With a land line.
I nibbled on my lip. There looked to be a closet around the corner. Maybe the phone cord stretched far enough that I could talk to Caleb in private. Not that I’d get the chance to find out soon, though. From the way Deena was talking, he could be in a coma for weeks—or even months.
When I heard my name, I jerked my head up.
Deena and Ms. Reid were looking at me expectantly.
I cleared my throat. “Yeah?”
“Ms. Reid asked if you would like to unpack your things before dinner.”
“Oh.” What things? The only clothes I had were the ones on my back, and I only had those because I’d kept a change of clothes at my brother’s old apartment for emergencies.
As if answering my unspoken question, Deena held out a backpack I hadn’t noticed before.
“This has some basics,” she said with a small smile. “There’s clothes to change into after you get yourself showered.”
I nodded and took the pack, my arms jerking up since I wasn’t expecting it to be so light.
Now that Deena was leaving, I didn’t want her to go. I stood there, wondering what to say. Or do.
Deena seemed to get how I was feeling. Stepping closer, she rubbed my shoulder with her hand. “Hang in there, girl. You got this.”
I snorted. “No, I don’t. It’s got me.”
“Things won’t be so bad. Just give them time.” Deena turned the door handle.
“Deena?”
“Yeah?”
“Sorry. For earlier.”
She shook her head. “Hon, I told you—I get it. Just try to…think before you act next time, okay? You have a great place here.” Her gaze swept the house before landing back on me.
I heard her loud and clear. Don’t screw up.
Deena shut the door behind her.
Ms. Reid’s gaze shifted to me, her skinny-jean smile getting more broken in. “I’ll show you to your room.” I followed her upstairs, my feet sinking into the gray carpet.
“Here’s your bathroom.” She gestured toward a door opened just enough to make out a blue marbled shower curtain with matching blue bath rugs. “And this is your bedroom,” she said, opening the door for me. Inside was a blank canvas. Nothing hung on the
