I layed back into my pillow. I stared at the torn up ceiling. "Girls." I heard as a door swung open. I sat up quickly. "Naomi." Jane said. Naomi started to cry. She was so thin, it made me sick. She was one of the many african american girls in the home. She was far too pretty to be there. I knew she'd be the next one to be adopted or taken to a foster home. She was also only sixteen. "I think you'll love it at the Robinson's." Jane told her. Naomi swalled hard as she wiped the tears from her cheeks. "They can't wait to meet you." Jane said with a smile. "Come on. Let's get you cleaned up." Naomi stood up and followed Jane out of the room. "Bitch." One of the girls blurted out. We all turned to her. She got a snotty look on her face and began brushing her long blonde locks with her oversized wooden brush. I never knew her name and never cared to. I was afraid to make friends there anyway. I picked up my journal from under my bed and started to write. "What are you always writing in there?" Beth asked. "Just stuff." I said, not wanting to share. Beth rolled her eyes. She layed down on the floor between our beds and began to do sit-ups. "What could there possibly be to write about when you live here and have the same boring shit going on every single day of your life?" She asked as she took a deep breath and continued to do her sit-ups. "She probably writes about things she dreams about that will never happen." Another girl said. I closed the journal and slid it under my pillow. "Breakfast!" Bernice shouted. We all lined up quickly at the door. All of the food made me want to barf. The chicken looked like brains and the potatos looked so clumpy that they didn't have the right to call them mashed potatos. I got a small scoop of corn and a brownie, then sat down at a table. I waited for all of the girls to sit down, so Naomi could say grace. I'd get slapped if I ate before grace. It was the devil's food before prayer as far as they were concerned. We all bowed our heads and Naomi began to speak. I didn't listen to a word she said, but as soon as she stopped talking, I scarfed down my brownie. I looked up and everyone was staring at me. "She didn't say Amen yet." A young girl said to me. We all looked at Naomi. "Amen." She said. I rolled my eyes and picked at my corn. When I felt I was finished, I threw out my plate and walked out to the court yard. I sat down near the big fountain. I closed my eyes to meditate, but was rudely interupted by a tapping on my shoulder. I opened my eyes with frustration and turned around. Jane was standing there with a man and a woman. I stood up almost falling over. "I'd like you to meet Mr. and Mrs. Shipp." Jane said smiling. I just smiled and gave them each a head nod. "They're looking to adopt two girls from the home." Jane explained. "I think you'd fit in perfectly with their family." "Really?" I asked a little too excitedly. "We have a son that is seventeen." The man said. "I'm Paul and this is my wife, Kim." I looked at Kim and she smiled. She seemed a bit shy and nervous. Paul was very good looking and I could only imagine how their son would look. "May we interview you?" Paul asked. "Yeah, sure." I said smiling at Jane. "I'll leave you three be." Jane said. She gave me a thumbs up as she walked away. "So, this interview is going to determine whether or not you choose me?" I asked, feeling slightly offended. "Well. . ." Kim said hesitating as she looked at Paul. "Since we have a son, we just want to make sure we won't have any conflict with him." Paul explained. "Okay." I said forcing out a smile and pretending I understood. They told me a little about themselves and their son. I found out his name was Aaron and he was on the high school basketball team. "What are some of your favorite things?" Kim asked. "My biggest passion is writing. I write poems a lot." I said. "Oh. That's great." She said smiling. I just nodded. "It's nice to know that you are passionate about something. It shows great pride." Paul said. I wasn't too sure what he meant by that, but I took it as a compliment. "Your ours." Kim said as she wrote something down on a sheet in front of her. "Really?" I asked. "Yup." She said.
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I layed back into my pillow. I stared at the torn up ceiling.
"Girls." I heard as a door swung open. I sat up quickly.
"Naomi." Jane said. Naomi started to cry. She was so thin, it made me sick. She was one of the many african american girls in the home. She was far too pretty to be there. I knew she'd be the next one to be adopted or taken to a foster home. She was also only sixteen.
"I think you'll love it at the Robinson's." Jane told her.
Naomi swalled hard as she wiped the tears from her cheeks.
"They can't wait to meet you." Jane said with a smile. "Come on. Let's get you cleaned up." Naomi stood up and followed Jane out of the room.
"Bitch." One of the girls blurted out. We all turned to her. She got a snotty look on her face and began brushing her long blonde locks with her oversized wooden brush. I never knew her name and never cared to. I was afraid to make friends there anyway. I picked up my journal from under my bed and started to write.
"What are you always writing in there?" Beth asked.
"Just stuff." I said, not wanting to share.
Beth rolled her eyes. She layed down on the floor between our beds and began to do sit-ups. "What could there possibly be to write about when you live here and have the same boring shit going on every single day of your life?" She asked as she took a deep breath and continued to do her sit-ups.
"She probably writes about things she dreams about that will never happen." Another girl said. I closed the journal and slid it under my pillow.
"Breakfast!" Bernice shouted.
We all lined up quickly at the door. All of the food made me want to barf. The chicken looked like brains and the potatos looked so clumpy that they didn't have the right to call them mashed potatos. I got a small scoop of corn and a brownie, then sat down at a table. I waited for all of the girls to sit down, so Naomi could say grace. I'd get slapped if I ate before grace. It was the devil's food before prayer as far as they were concerned. We all bowed our heads and Naomi began to speak. I didn't listen to a word she said, but as soon as she stopped talking, I scarfed down my brownie. I looked up and everyone was staring at me.
"She didn't say Amen yet." A young girl said to me.
We all looked at Naomi. "Amen." She said.
I rolled my eyes and picked at my corn. When I felt I was finished, I threw out my plate and walked out to the court yard. I sat down near the big fountain. I closed my eyes to meditate, but was rudely interupted by a tapping on my shoulder. I opened my eyes with frustration and turned around. Jane was standing there with a man and a woman. I stood up almost falling over.
"I'd like you to meet Mr. and Mrs. Shipp." Jane said smiling.
I just smiled and gave them each a head nod.
"They're looking to adopt two girls from the home." Jane explained. "I think you'd fit in perfectly with their family."
"Really?" I asked a little too excitedly.
"We have a son that is seventeen." The man said. "I'm Paul and this is my wife, Kim."
I looked at Kim and she smiled. She seemed a bit shy and nervous. Paul was very good looking and I could only imagine how their son would look.
"May we interview you?" Paul asked.
"Yeah, sure." I said smiling at Jane.
"I'll leave you three be." Jane said. She gave me a thumbs up as she walked away.
"So, this interview is going to determine whether or not you choose me?" I asked, feeling slightly offended.
"Well. . ." Kim said hesitating as she looked at Paul.
"Since we have a son, we just want to make sure we won't have any conflict with him." Paul explained.
"Okay." I said forcing out a smile and pretending I understood.
They told me a little about themselves and their son. I found out his name was Aaron and he was on the high school basketball team.
"What are some of your favorite things?" Kim asked.
"My biggest passion is writing. I write poems a lot." I said.
"Oh. That's great." She said smiling.
I just nodded.
"It's nice to know that you are passionate about something. It shows great pride." Paul said.
I wasn't too sure what he meant by that, but I took it as a compliment.
"Your ours." Kim said as she wrote something down on a sheet in front of her.
"Really?" I asked.
"Yup." She said.
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