TWO
NOBODY WANTED TO BE AROUND AN ASSHOLE.
I didn’t even want to be around myself.
But I packed my shit and climbed into the back of the same car that took me from place to place—home to home—every single time.
It was an endless circle of dreams I knew weren’t a real possibility for me.
Slouching in my seat, I pretended my stomach didn’t twist with nerves as I watched the world glide past outside the window. The scenery changed the farther we drove. Looking away from the world outside, I turned to Deloris.
“You never answered my question about these people,” I said. “What’s wrong with them?”
The radio was on, and gospel music littered the air around me with words I didn’t believe.
Deloris was into Jesus.
Meanwhile, I couldn’t understand why God would let anyone abandon young kids without love and leave them to starve on the streets. Needless to say, Deloris and I didn’t agree on the whole religion thing. And thankfully, the music was low, nothing more than whispered words.
Deloris reached over and turned it the rest of the way down.
“What makes you think something’s wrong with them?”
I snorted.
Wasn’t it obvious?
“They want me, don’t they?” I asked. “My own damn parents didn’t even want me. That should tell them something.”
She sighed, and a full minute went by before she spoke again. “Can you try not to be the kid with the whole freaking world on your shoulders for once, Sebastian?”
She surprised me. “Whoa. Careful, Deloris. That’s some colorful language there.”
I turned up the radio, ready to block out the rest of the car ride. It didn’t matter if I had to listen to Jesus jams. It was better than the bullshit I knew she was about to spew. As soon as I turned the music up, Deloris hit the button, turning the radio off completely.
I frowned at her. “What’s your problem?”
“You’re my problem!” She smacked the steering wheel, making me chuckle.
“Only for the next twenty minutes or so. Guess you’ll just have to deal with it.”
“You’re my problem until I say otherwise. And just because you’re going to a home doesn’t mean I stop worrying about you. I want this to be a permanent solution because you need this, Sebastian. I’m afraid of what’s going to happen to you without the stability you crave.”
I watched the trees shift outside my window and slowly started to realize how much I would miss Deloris. Other than my cartoons, she was the only consistent thing in my life.
And as much as it pissed me off, she was right.
I craved stability.
No.
I needed it.
And it was wrong for me to be such an ass to her since her consistency was all that kept me from losing my mind.
“There’s nothing wrong with this couple. They’re unable to have children of their own, and they want an older child because they want to be able to spend time with you. Also, the mom used to be a foster child herself, from what I gather. She probably wants to give you opportunities she wasn’t offered. From what I can tell, they’re good people, Sebastian. Embrace this adventure.”
I rolled the back of my head over the headrest to return my gaze to Deloris. “The only thing I want to embrace right now is a cheeseburger.”
Deloris’s lips tugged at the corners, and I could tell she was trying not to laugh. Finally, she gave in and threw her head back, laughing out loud.
“You’re something else, kid,” she said as she pulled into the closest burger joint.
An hour later, we pulled up in front of a large brownstone in one of the nicer parts of Brooklyn. Kids on bikes scurried beside the car, looking at me as if I was from another planet. When I got out of the car, I felt like I was on another planet. I’d never lived in a neighborhood or home as nice as the one looming in front of us.
I slipped the strap of my worn backpack over my shoulder and shut the car door. A tiny seed of hope planted itself deep within, and I swallowed hard, hoping the feeling didn’t bite me in the ass. Maybe Deloris was right; maybe I could find my happy ending here.
My hands were sweaty with nerves when I pulled the rest of my stuff from the back seat. My knees knocked as I walked behind Deloris up the six steps to the front door. She knocked, the sound echoing all around me, and then she pulled me in front of her. I glared at her, but she used her fingers to trace a smile on her face before turning me to face forward.
A lady in her late thirties answered with a smile. She was a few inches shorter than I was, brunette and tiny, I noticed, but then my eyes landed on her chest. Nothing was tiny about her tits. They were perky beneath the light sweater stretching across them.
Dragging my eyes away from her chest, I took in the rest of her. She was pretty for an older woman. Her blue eyes sparkled with excitement, and her plump lips looked kissable as she smiled up at me.
Pushing her chestnut hair from her eyes, she reached down and plucked a miniature dog from the floor before it could escape. Looking up at me with her big blue eyes, she smiled even bigger.
No.
She wasn’t pretty.
She was beautiful.
The longer she stared at me, the more my heart began to pump blood furiously through my body. Most of the foster parents I’d been placed with had never looked like the one standing in front of me. They definitely never made me feel the way she was making me feel.
“You must be, Sebastian,” she said, her soft voice soothing something deep within.
I stared at her as if I was a deaf mute.
As if I’d completely forgotten how to communicate.
“Sebastian,” Deloris said with a nervous laugh.
“Yes,” I croaked
My voice was squeaky as if I hadn’t already gone through puberty.
I searched my brain for something more to say, but even my usual smartass comments were nowhere to be found. I was left standing there like an idiot.
“Gosh, I’m sorry. Please, come in. My name’s Jane,” she said, ushering me and Deloris into the foyer and placing the tiny dog on the floor at her feet. “But you already know that.” She laughed nervously. “I’m sorry, I’m a little nervous.”
Deloris smiled and patted her gently on the arm. “I think we’re all a little nervous, Mrs. Jepson. Excited, but nervous.”
“Please.” She covered Deloris’s hand with her own. “Call me Jane.”
I couldn’t help myself.
A laugh burst from my lips.
Both Deloris and my new “mom” looked at me confused.
“Your name’s Jane Jepson?”
Again, laughter bubbled from the back of my throat.
“Yep. Jane Jepson. I’m aware of how close it is to Jane Jetson.” She laughed along with me.
I watched The Jetsons often. I couldn’t help but feel like maybe it was fate that I’d end up with the ultimate cartoon mom. A shitty foster kid like me and Jane fucking Jetson.
“So …”
She took a step toward me, but the fluffy dog at her feet darted in her way, and she stumbled. I put my arm out to protect myself in case she fell on me, and her fingers wrapped around my arm as she steadied herself.
A warm smile spread across her face. “Thank you.”
She was thanking me as if I’d meant to help her.
I hadn’t.
Her laugh was nervous—her smile shaky—when she released my arm. Her blue eyes moved from me to Deloris before landing on the floor.
“She likes you,” Jane said.
I looked down at my feet when I realized that was where she was looking. The small rat dog sniffed my dirty shoes a few times before she turned and ran away.
“Did you find it okay?” Jane asked Deloris, filling the awkward silence.
“Yes,” Deloris said politely. “You have a lovely home.”
She reached out and patted Deloris’s arm. “Thank you. Once we’re done with the renovations, it will be my dream home.” Again, her blue eyes moved my way. “We moved in six years ago, and I couldn’t imagine living anywhere else. The neighborhood is nice and safe. There are plenty of kids around here your age, and your school is only five minutes away. We’ll be able to walk there together.”
“I’m not a baby,” I said firmly. That was the last thing I wanted her thinking. “You wouldn’t believe some of the crap I’ve been through. In some cultures, I’d be considered a man. If I was on the other side of the world, I’d be married and have a few kids by now.”
“Sebastian!” Deloris scolded and began to apologize to Jane, but Jane surprised us both by throwing her head back and laughing.
“It’s fine and correct.” She added for my benefit. “No teenager wants to be walked to school by his …” She stopped before she said the word, and her eyes darted toward Deloris. “Well, by me.”
That wasn’t exactly true, I thought, but I kept my mouth shut.
“A group of kids from the area walks to school together, but we still have a few weeks before summer vacation is over and we have to worry about any of that.”
I didn’t respond, so Deloris filled in the silence. “Of course.”
Jane Jetson, which was what I decided I’d call her from that moment on, twisted her fingers together. “It’s actually perfect timing. You’ll be able to settle in before starting school.”
“My thoughts exactly,” Deloris said, nudging me with her shoulder. “Right, Sebastian?”
“Yeah. Sure.”
There was a long pause before Jane Jetson was talking again.
“Well, what do you think so far, Sebastian?” she asked, twisting her fingers nervously. “Think this could be your new home?”
She was excited. I could see it dancing in the depths of her sapphire eyes. But for me, it wasn’t a big deal. I’d heard that sentence too many times in my life for it to mean anything anymore.
I turned slightly to take in what I could see of the house. We stood in a large entryway. The chandelier above me was rusted and meant to look grand, but instead, it just looked creepy. The smell of sawdust and paint tickled my nose, which meant they were in the middle of renovations.
“Yeah, Sebastian, what do you think?” A male voice came from my side, and I turned to see a man in his early forties leaning against the doorway.
He moved into the house and planted a soft kiss on Jane’s cheek.
He was a fucking joke. Tall and skinny with shaggy hair and a patchy attempt at a beard. All he needed was the green shirt, flare corduroys, and a brown Great Dane to talk to and he’d be part of the Mystery Gang.
My eyes moved over his gray T-shirt and dark jeans. Something about him rubbed me the wrong way, and I didn’t like him.
“Sorry, I’m late. I was hoping to be here before you showed up, but I got caught up at work.”
“I’m Darrell Jepson. Nice to meet you, Sebastian.” He reached out his hand for me to shake it, and I stared down at it as if shit covered it.
“Okay.” He dropped his hand and pulled Jane Jetson to his side and hugged her shoulders like they were two happy parents of a brand spanking new baby and not my fucked-up ass. I knew my worth in the kid department of life, and I was no spring chicken.
When I didn’t say anything, Jane nodded to Deloris that I would be fine and then turned to the stairs.
“How about I show you your room, Sebastian? Would you like that?”
She was excited again, and I could tell she wanted me to be too.
“Whatever.” I shrugged as if it was no big deal.
I’d never had my own room before. I had a bed where I could crash for a few weeks until the “family” decided to dump me back with child services. So I couldn’t deny that a tiny sprout of excitement was beginning to bloom. Although, I’d choke on the words before I admitted it to anyone.
Deloris coughed and shot me a warning glance.
I sighed in aggravation.
I guess I needed to play the part just in case they decided to keep me. “Sure. A room sounds cool. This bag’s pretty heavy. Somewhere to set it down would be nice.”
Jane shook her head, an apology forming on her lips. “Oh, gosh! Of course, it is. Here, let me take it.”
Her fingers were gentle and soft as they moved over mine. She took the bag from me before I could protest and moved so we could follow. I’d never had anyone treat me the way Jane was treating me. It was strange having her fuss over me.
I couldn’t afford to entertain the idea that my stay in this lady’s home would be anything but temporary. No matter how nice Jane Jetson seemed.
She wasn’t my mother.
And she never would be.
I was a lost cause.
The sooner these people realized that, the better for them.
People didn’t step in the path of a runaway train, and that was exactly what I was.
Free, unattainable, destructive.
Yeah.
My stay with the Jetsons would probably be the shortest of all.
“Here, honey. Let me take that.” Darrell took my heavy bag from his wife, and I followed them up the stairs.
My eyes settled on Jane’s round ass as it bounced up and down with each step she took. It was sick and disturbing, but my hormones controlled me these days. It was expected.
Deloris poked me in the back when I paused to take in the view, reminding me to move my feet.
Once we reached the landing, I skimmed the new space. They’d obviously already finished the second floor because, unlike downstairs, no smell of fresh wood and paint lingered. The walls weren’t spotted with fresh plaster and the wood floors had been refinished.
It was nice, but again, I had to remind myself it wasn’t permanent.
Jane moved toward a door on our left, and her elegant fingers wrapped around the antique knob.
“This is your room,” she said, her cerulean eyes lighting up once again. “And that door right there leads to your own bathroom.” She pointed at another closed door across the hall.
Her eyes found mine in the dim hallway, and a happy smile illuminated her pretty face—a face I was quickly becoming infatuated with.
Darrell stood behind her with his hand on her shoulder like an excited new father as she pushed open the door. They stood stiff, wearing nervous smiles as they waited for me to step inside my new room.
The walls were blue as if they’d expected a young boy when they painted it. A full-size bed centered the space, and positioned under the window facing the street was a wooden desk.
It was nice—the nicest place I’d ever lived, but I gave it two weeks before they were shipping my ass back and returning me like a faulty purchase.
“Sebastian?” Deloris called my name, breaking me from my thoughts. “It’s time for me to go and let you guys get better acquainted.”
I wasn’t sure I was ready for Deloris to leave, which sounded stupid. I wasn’t a baby, and I’d all but tried to push Deloris out of my life over the years. Still, a tiny bit of panic slipped into my stomach at the thought of her leaving me with people I didn’t know. People who didn’t understand me the way Deloris did. People who didn’t get my sarcastic jokes or know my history.
This panic wasn’t usually there when Deloris left me with a family. Something was different, and I wasn’t sure I felt okay with that fact.
But when I turned around and saw Jane standing just behind Deloris, things didn’t feel so terrible. A smile I was slowly getting used to lit her cobalt eyes, calming my wrecked nerves.
I breathed away the panic and tried to calm myself. I’d never let these people know how worried and afraid I really was. Fear was a weakness I wasn’t willing to let win.
I was Sebastian Stephens.
I’d been through it all.
I could handle this situation the same way I’d handled the rest of my life.
Calm.
Cool.
Collected.
And just for a while, I would let myself believe that things were going to be okay even if I knew deep down it was total bullshit. Things would never be okay. Not until I was old enough to come and go as I pleased. Not until I was old enough to make my own decisions. Not until I was in charge of my own life. That time was rapidly approaching.
Once Deloris was gone, Jane lingered in the doorway for only a second after her husband had gone downstairs.
“I’ll just leave you here to get comfortable,” she said, reaching for the knob to shut the door. “Welcome home, Sebastian.”
Again, a nervous smile tilted her plump lips, and her eyes moved over my face once more before the door shut the view of her away.
The door clicked with finality, and in my mind, the tiny click sounded more like a large iron door slamming shut—closing me in the space like a prisoner, yet surrounding me in a solitude I’d never been able to reach before.
It was strange, feeling locked in a situation I had no control over, but if I was stuck somewhere, at least that somewhere was nice. So far, the place wasn’t so bad. Even if the man of the house was a watered-down version of a man.
At least I had Jane.
And if Jane was willing to try, then I supposed I should be willing, too.
The bed squeaked beneath me when I sat and dropped my backpack onto the floor. It was a comfortable mattress—an expensive one—and I’d never slept on anything so nice. As I laid back on the plush comforter and enjoyed the first space I’d ever been able to call my own, I took a deep breath and exhaled.
I suppose there was no harm in trying, which was exactly what I planned to do. Especially if it meant I could have nice things and admire Jane’s sweet smile every day.