Page 14 of Drifting

What a dick.

CHAPTER FIVE

Betty hooks me up to the pain medicine, which I need, not just for the pain, but also for who’s about to step through the door.

“Miss Winter, glad to find you in one piece. You’re a hard person to track down. We’ve been looking for you for the last six months.” Mrs. Abney sits her short, stout body in the chair beside my bed.

She hasn’t changed much in the last three years. There’s a little more gray in her brown hair and more lines around her face. She’s not that old, though. She’s in her late thirties; people like me made her old before her time. She’s not a bad woman. Nice, really.

I give her a lackluster smile. “I bet.”

Then, her words sink in. Did she say they’ve only been searching for me for six months? I left the group home three years ago. Why have they only been searching for six months?

“I wish you would have called me instead of running, Shelby. I could have helped you. Ashland is in the process of being shut down. They never reported that you ran away, and that’s just one of many infractions. None of the staff seemed to know when you took off. The reason we knew you weren’t at Ashland is because your mother is out of rehab. The state approved you to move back in with her.” She gives me a big smile, not understanding how she’s ruining my life.

I can’t help but roll my eyes. “How many times are we going to play this game? I’m less than a year away from turning eighteen. I’ve done fine taking care of myself for the last three years. For once, can’t you just pretend you didn’t find me? Let me slip through the cracks?”

“I know your life’s not easy, and this isn’t the first time I’ve told you Patty’s clean, but I can swear to you, this time it’s different. I checked in on her a couple of times while we searched for you. Take it from someone who’s been in your shoes, if you pass up this opportunity, and something happens to her, you’ll regret not going to seeing her.” She gently bites her bottom lip while holding her breath.

I let out a huff of disbelief, mumbling, “I doubt it.” My nails cut into the heel of my hand as I grip the bar of the hospital bed rail tighter. I’m trapped; there’s no way of getting out of this. “What happened to Cindy?”

She gives me a forced smile. “She’s not one of mine, but the standard rule is that she’ll be sent her back to her parents.”

"You know her stepmother beats her, right? And makes her do everything.” My eyes flutter closed, and it takes a lot of effort to open them back up.

Stupid medicine.

“I know you’re close to your cousin, but my hands are tied. I’m sorry. I’ll ask her social worker to do a house check when I get to the office, but there’s not much else I can do. You can’t keep your eyes open, so I’ll be quick. Your mom will be here in four days to take you home. Until then, you’re my responsibility. Do I need to have a guard posted at the door? Or can I trust you?”

“I can’t go anywhere, can I?” I point to my leg.

She grimaces. “Somehow, I don’t think a broken arm or leg would stop you from running if you wanted to. Give your mom a try."

I wave my hand. “Fine, fine.”

The pain medicine pulls me under.

* * *

“She’s going to be pissed when she wakes up,” a voice says, breaking through my sleep. “Who’s going to tell her the bad news?”

“I’m not doing it,” a taut voice says.

“Not it,” says another voice, which I know. Ricky.

“Pussies. What’s the bad news?” I mutter with a gravelly voice.

I rub the crust from my eyes, then slowly open them.

“Hey, Shelby, how are you feeling?” Billy gives me a half-smile, then his nose wrinkles as he reaches for my bruised face. He touches my cheek before backing off.

Ricky hands me a cup of water.

I take a sip, then give it back to him. “I’m pretty miserable. How about you?”

“Dealing with everything.” He rubs the back of his neck. “Um, about the bad news…”

“Just spit it out. How bad is the car damaged?” I force out.

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