Forgotten: Seventeen and Homeless by Melody Carlson Read Free Book Online

Florida at the time and having some health issues related to decades of chain-smoking Camels.
    I suppose I actually thought she might come and stay with me so I could finish the school year. Or perhaps she'd invite me to come out to Florida to live with her. I even entertained thoughts about her taking me to DisneyWorld. But my dear sweet grandmother called our state's Department of Children's Services, and the next thing I knew, I was slammed into a foster home with a bunch of other losers like me.
    And if I thought my mom was bad, the foster home was way, way worse. I don't even want to think about it all these years later. But by the time my mom returned and got the authorities to release me back to her care, I'd nearly been raped twice, had a nasty case of head lice, and had developed the beginning of what I'm sure was an honest-to-goodness stomach ulcer.
    Now I pace back and forth in my room. I am so angry that I'd like to hit something ... or throw something ... or just scream so loudly that all the neighbors come to see what's wrong. I even consider running down to the pay phone and making an anonymous call to the police. But that might land me in the foster-care system again. I am so not going there. To say I'm trapped is an understatement. But what options do I have?
    I consider calling Isabella since she's my closest friend. And it's possible I could ask her for help, but she had to go to some out-of-town family thing today. And even if she was home by now, what would I say? Do I invite myself over to spend the night? And if I did spend the night, what if I lost it and just spilled the beans? What would happen if I told her the whole ugly story? I know she wouldn't understand. How could she? Her worst problem in life is a bad-hair day or getting a B on a test. Or the fact that her parents overprotect her. She's always complaining about how they keep such close tabs on her. And she can't do anything without checking in every step of the way.
    I remember how her mom grilled me when I first met her, like she was worried I might be a bad influence on Isabella. What would her parents think if they knew my mom and some strange man were smoking drugs in our condo right now? For sure, they'd never let me see their precious daughter again.
    What would Jayden think if he knew about this? Even as I consider his reaction, I know I will do everything possible to keep him from ever knowing. It would ruin everything between us. I know it. The shame I feel myself... just to think about my mom and that creep ... right here in our condo. It's disgusting. And humiliating. And I hate it. I hate him. I hate my mom. I hate my life.
    The next morning, I wake up just as angry as I was when I went to bed last night. I go into the kitchen and start opening and closing cabinets, slamming them so loudly I'm sure our neighbors are ready to complain. Well, let them. And let my mom deal with it!
    "What are you doing?" my mom demands when she comes into the kitchen, blinking at me with blurry red eyes. "Are you crazy?"
    "Am Icrazy?" I shoot back at her. "That's novel coming from you.
    "What?"
    I point my finger at her. "Look at you! You're a big fat mess. I know that you've lost your job. And now you're shacking up with some drug freak and-"
    "Watch out what you call my friend."
    "Your friend?" I let out a big sarcastic laugh. "With friends like that, you don't need any enemies, Mom."
    "I'm warning you, Adele; don't you talk to me like that."
    "Warning me?" My voice is so loud I'm sure everyone in the complex can hear me. "What are you warning me about, Mom? That you've destroyed our lives again? That you blew your last chance to make it? That you're going to start hiding from your problems by using drugs again? Just what are you warning me about? I'd like to know!"
    "I'm sick of you and your attitude, Miss Goody Two-shoes! You always talk down to me, like you're so much better. Well, you're not any better, Adele. You've just had more