Fostering a New Me

Reese flung herself down on the upstairs couch attempting to do some breathing exercises her therapist had taught her to use when she got angry. It didn’t take much to flair Reese’s temper these days; especially when she got grounded from her phone – like just now. Her phone was her only escape to a life that used to be, connecting her with a family she knew she may never see in person again. She huffed loudly at the bedroom door towards Mrs. Jefferson. She thought this foster home might be different. Five foster homes in 11 months. That had to be a new record, right? It couldn’t be any worse than the Wellington’s she was forced to stay with for three whole months. The Wellingtons were horrible people, not fit to be parents. Mr. Wellington was always yelling at the kids, and he had a favorite. Reese hated it when adults chose favorite. Reese’s bio mom also had a favorite, and it wasn’t Reese. Reese’s mom thought her younger sister, Jasmine, could do no harm. What Reese’s mom failed to realize was her 15-year-old daughter was taking care of everyone in the household before she was taken. Reese was beautiful, like her mother. She had long dark hair, olive skin, and dark almond eyes with a flake of green when the light hit them just right. However, Reese’s mom had let bad habits take over her life, and neglected to care for the beauty she once possessed. Reese tried to shake the images of her mother from her head as she heard a knock on the door. It was her foster dad, Mr. Jefferson, wanting to talk to her about the events leading up to the removal of the cell phone. She dreaded the talk. She had taken care of herself for this long, and she didn’t need anyone stepping in now. At least Mr. Jefferson was nice. He never raised his voice at her like Mr. Wellington. Reese figured if she complied, he may cave and give her phone back before the week was over. “Is it okay if I come in, Reese?” Mr. Jefferson cautiously asked, not knowing what mood he might find Reese in at the moment. “Sure, go ahead, knock yourself out.” Reese’s sarcasm foamed at her lips. She really was not in the mood for a talk. “I hear that’s what you tried to do to that poor girl at school today,” Mr. Jefferson chuckled. “I certainly don’t want to be next.” Reese rolled her eyes. She knew he would never believe her side of the story; no one ever did. Reese had started at Maddison High her sophomore year. She was new, and she was an outsider. However, because of her good looks she gained a lot of attention quickly. It wasn’t exactly all positive. A junior, Adam, took particular interest in Reese. He was the star of the basketball team, and had the attention of every girl in school, including Lexi. Lexi was a snotty, privileged girl with golden bouncing locks of hair that always looked like she had just come from a beach photo shoot. She had been working to get Adam’s attention for the past two years, and she was not about to let some newcomer get in her way of all of her hard work; especially some foster kid. Adam had been walking Reese to class all week, and it set a fire in Lexi’s cheeks at the site of it. Lexi spotted Reese in the hallway with Adam no where in site. She saw the opportunity of a large rolling trash can come into view, and bumped Reese so hard she fell knocking the trash can over on her in the process. Lexi cackled, “Now you will smell like the trash you truly are. Make sure you stay away from my Adam.” Reese’s hot temper fueled her body even faster than she anticipated. Before she could even blink she was up on her feet with a fist on Lexi’s right cheek bone. So much for the therapist’s suggestions in that moment. Reese knew her foster parents would not be happy with her actions. She could see the look on Mr. Jefferson’s face when he walked in. There was more that he wanted to discuss with her than just the fight that day. “I talked with the principal, and he agreed to only give you two days of in school suspension.” He looked at Reese’s eyes for some type of relief, but they remained emotionless, locked in place. His facial expression saddened. “Mrs. Jefferson and I have been talking about the question you asked us last week.” Reese had a bad night last week, she longed for a family, and she finally got the courage to ask the Jeffersons if they had any intention of adopting her. They told her they would have to discuss that, and they would get back with her. She understood; it was a big decision. Looking at the way his eyes shifted, and his lips curled downward Reese knew what was coming. He took a deep breath as if trying to gain the courage and said, “Mrs. Jefferson and I feel that we are not at a stage in our life to bring in a teenager permanently. We have three younger children, and don’t feel it would be fair to you always tagging along to things they wanted to do.” And there it was. Reese Henderson was once again rejected. The pain didn’t pierce her heart as badly as it had in the past, but there was an even bigger fear rising up within her. Her sixteenth birthday was right around the corner, and time was ticking on finding a forever family. It wasn’t uncommon for teens to age out of foster care and fall right back into the cycle they were rescued from. She knew she couldn’t go back. She prayed she wouldn’t have to go back.