"Hey, Jake . You should start waking up . We're almost there . " Mr . Duncan patted my shoulder as if waking me gently .
I opened my eyes slowly, pretending to just wake up . After driving all Friday, we stayed in a little dinky motel to sleep . Then early Saturday morning, we got up and hit the road again . California is a long state, so to drive from the south to the north would take more than a few hours . This morning I pretended to sleep the rest of the way so I wouldn't have to hear Mr . Duncan's forced small talk any longer .
AdvertisementDon't get me wrong, he seems like the nice guy type, but all he's been talking about is my foster family, The Atkins . The parents both work as real estate agents in a small company they own themselves . They have four boys in high school: a senior, a set of twins in their junior year, and a freshman like me . They live in a quiet house, on a quiet street, in a quiet neighborhood, in a quiet town . Can four teenage boys be described as quiet? It all just sounds like nonsense to me .
"Watsonville is only a city away from the beach . It may be a small community, but there are multiple bigger cities on all sides so you get a bit of everything . " Mr . Duncan is just like a machine of endless facts and comments . He exited the highway and started to take some streets . "Mary Atkins and her youngest boy, Noah will be there to greet us . From what I understand, Wayne and the older three boys are on a small trip, but will be home tomorrow . "
I stared out the window, with nothing to say . This whole thing feels a bit surreal . I'm no longer a prisoner to my mom, but now the state is going to just put me with a random family? They could be just as crazy .
"Starting Monday, you'll be eligible to go to high school with the other boys . I've already signed you up with Mary and Wayne as your temporary guardians . I've spoken to the school counselor at length about your case so if you have any problems, you can go to her . " Mr . Duncan tapped his steering wheel . "I'll leave a piece of paper for you with names and numbers just for clarification . You'll also have a psychiatrist, which you'll need to visit once a week . Mary will get you all signed up and settled with that . "
Great . So they think I'm the crazy one .
I started to zone out on what he was saying and started to focus more on what I was seeing . Mr . Duncan was driving through small neighborhoods with the occasional grocery store or fast food restaurant scattered throughout . Definitely a small town feel to it .
"Jake?" Mr . Duncan raise his voice, grabbing my attention . He glanced at me to make sure I was looking at him . "I know that there's a lot to take in . Don't be nervous . I've got your back . If you feel uncomfortable or scared, you should reach out to me or your psychiatrist and we'll find you a new temporary home . "
I scoffed inwardly . Scared? What can be scarier than my own mom trying to kill me?
"Your new home is coming up . " His driving got slower as we moved through more residential streets . He slowly pulled into an empty driveway of a pink house .
I kid you not . Pink . The two story house was pink, with white shutters framing the windows . A small porch with a wooden swinging bench was very picturesque . Something out a magazine .
I looked at Mr . Duncan, unsure if this was really it . He just gave me a reassuring smile and got out of his car .
Chapter end
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