• She can’t even remember to pick me up. I grimaced, and Jared noticed.
    “What’s wrong?” He knew, but I explained to him anyway.
    “Ah, sorry ‘bout that.” I glared at him, but he turned to face the cars that were streaming down the road. None of them our mother.
    “I wonder, do they even care about us?” I seemed to be the only one who was shocked. Jared, on the other hand, answered the question casually.
    “Nope. At least not with real, motherly love.” I frowned. I didn’t understand what he meant by “motherly love”. I asked him, and he smiled.
    “Michael,” he said my name with a chuckle. “its love.” He looked at me with a sly grin. I frowned, thus edging him on. A broken down car with a coughing muffler came up to us. Robert was our adopted brother, he’s 19 and a half. He owns a pretty crappy car, some type of van, and his own apartment and he’s taking it to court to own us instead of Lucille, our she-devil of a fake mother. But Robert was not a happy guy and he couldn’t keep a job for more than a month; he fights a lot. Inside our house, however, Robert is one of the nicest big brothers you could ask for. But right now, as his old coughing van pulled up, I could tell something was terribly wrong.
    “Get in.” He told us flatly. We obeyed. We were half way down the road when Jared asked what happened. At first, Robert did not answer. I thought he didn’t hear Jared, so I asked the question again.
    “Lucille is in the hospital.” I beamed, but neither Jared nor Robert were happy. I asked why, and told him that he could keep us now.
    “She’s blaming it on us, You, especially, Michael.” I gasped.
    “On what proof, the rotten whore!?” Jared screamed.
    “She “tripped” when Michael was the only one home, remember, on Tuesday? Well, now she’s blaming him and saying she saw him stick his foot out. She broke, two? Two bones I think?” Robert didn’t seem to care I could be in big trouble.
    “She should have broke her fat neck!” Jared proclaimed proudly. With a sense of reality I still couldn’t understand their emotions. Jared’s brand new anger, Robert’s laid back attitude, what did it all mean? Jared and Rob continued to argue. I looked out the window, ignoring their Jared’s attempts to get Robert to get upset. I don’t think Jared cared either; he just wanted to argue. Then, we passed eighth street and I knew it was my time to run. Why?

    I tried to kill her. Lucille. Me and Barry tried to kill her. And Drew, but she ditched half way through so she isn’t entirely at fault. Drew, Barry, and me were all housed with Lucille at one point. Drew and Barry are sister and brother and one year older than me; they left last year. After telling me horrifying stories of what Lucille is capable of, Barry and I decided to end her fat food-filled life. We put glass in her soda, tried to overdose her five times, but nothing worked. Tripping was a last resort, at least it injured her. She needs to lose the weight though. Barry told me the drugs and glass got absorbed into her fat tissues. I asked Drew, before we tripped her, why she was leaving. She told me she didn’t want to get caught, she didn’t want to go back to juvy or the adoption center. She said bad, really bad things happen there, and those things have happened to her. She cried and ran off back home, her foster parent’s home. Barry and me were left on the porch staring at her. But none of that mattered now. Barry and I both knew Lucille would blame it on us. Jared and Robert are clueless, they would’ve protected me and got stuck in this gob of lies I made; Barry and I had to run away. To protect my foster brothers and to protect Barry’s life.

    I noticed Rob was not driving fast. This was the perfect time. I opened the car door, and nobody saw me tumble out. I scraped my arm and face on the fast moving road, and I managed to hear Jared scream after me and Robert stop the car. I picked myself up and started to run. Barry’s house was my only destination. I had food and other supplies in my backpack, and Barry should too when I got to his house which was two blocks away. Rob stared running after me; then I knew I was screwed. I had to swerve now, or he would catch me. I was still running in the road, a heavy traffic road might I add. Cars were honking, people were shaking fists at me, but all I cared about was leaving.
    “Go away Rob! You gotta let me go!” I knew he wouldn’t listen, he was stubborn a lot.
    “You could just tell me what you’re doing!” I snorted loudly.
    “Can’t do that! Don’t worry, Robert, I’ll write to you.” I was surprised at how calm I said that sentence. It was my goodbye, for both Robert and Jared. I can see Barry’s house now, and I can see him running ahead of me. He’s smart.
    “Where…Where’s Drew?” I called out to him. Robert had stopped running after me, so I could run a little less fast.
    “Drew is waiting at the gas station!” The gas station is only a few blocks away. We would make it in time. I was running next to Barry now; he slowed down so I could catch up. But I still heard footsteps behind me. Robert stopped chasing me. I turned my head.
    "Jared!?!"