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“They’re down there,” Alice’s dad says to whoever is descending the stairs, one creaky wooden step at a time.
Carter spits the paper ball from his mouth when Presley appears and looks over the stair railing at us.
“Room for one more?” he asks, eyes sliding over us all.
I smile brightly, relieved that he’s here. “Always. Where’s Paisley?”
Alice pulls the chair out next to her, he grabs it and moves around to me. I glance at Carter when Presley grips my chair and slides me to the left and away from Carter who I was just forcefully feeding paper for calling my drawing, toddler-level neat. Presley sticks his chair between us, his face showing no expression other than stress and Carter just shrugs, looking unsure on what to do or say.
“Drink?” Asher asks him and he nods. “Orange soda?”
He nods again and she slides a can his way.
“Where’s Paisley?” I ask again.
“Ask your foster mom,” he utters and we all wait for him to elaborate. He doesn’t. He just looks over what we’ve done so far.
Could she have taken what I said seriously? Would they do that? Do they have the power to just take in other people’s kids?
Presley’s words break me out of my thought process. “I don’t like this.”
“What?”
“Taking charity.” He turns towards me and his hand goes to my thigh. I glance at Carter who doesn’t seem to have noticed. “I don’t feel right taking money from people. There are people worse off.”
“Nobody will mind,” Asher says, frowning sympathetically, and Alice agrees with an animated, “Fuck no, they won’t.”
“I’ll mind.”
“It’s not for you, it’s for your sister,” Carter puts in.
“I know, and I’m grateful to you guys for doing this but I’ll figure it out.”
I huff and screw up another piece of paper, ignoring the hand now tightening on my leg. “You’re being a stubborn idiot. Swallow your fucking pride and let people help you.”
“I don’t care. I’ll get a job and—”
“Throw your future away?”
He shakes his head, sending blond hair tumbling into his eyes. When he pushes it back, he continues, “My future is already gone. I can’t leave Paisley and I can’t take her with me.”
“Says who? Society? With a bit of extra cash you could still do everything you want to do and raise Paisley.”
“She’s right,” Carter agrees, smiling at me when I catch his eyes.
“Yeah.” Asher shuffles the papers and places them into a neat pile. “You’d be an idiot turning this down.”
His shoulders lift. “Then, I’m an idiot.”
“Fine,” I say, raising my hands to stop everybody who wants to speak from speaking. “What’s your grand plan?”
“I’ll quit school, get a job…”
“To earn enough to pay for everything you need you’ll need to work morning until night,” I snap. “Who’s going to take Paisley to school? Who’s going to make her dinner?”
“I’ll figure it out.”
“No, you won’t and she’ll end up in care in a failing system, forgotten about, unloved, her clothes in a fucking trash bag.”
“I won’t let that happen.”
I slam my hand on the table, feeling frustrated because I know how this goes. A lot of my friends in juvie were from the foster system, some in the asylum were too. I’m sure there are amazing homes out there like Stanley and Lane’s, but the majority are just in it for a paycheck. “You won’t have a choice and you know it. Where are you going to take her, huh? When she’s discharged.”
“Mom said they can both stay with us for the week as they figure things out,” Carter puts in. “That should buy them some time.”
“Think you can find a few grand in a week, Presley? And that’s just how much it will cost you to move into a new place and replace your stuff.”
Presley doesn’t look at me, he has also let go of my thigh.
“Let us throw a fais-dodo or something.” I place my hand over his and squeeze. “Let us help you help your sister.”
They all beg him, trying to make him see reason until finally he nods once. “Fine. Do whatever.”
I know he’s grateful even though he doesn’t show it. He’s one of those that doesn’t know how to be grateful in a normal way, likely from being put down by his dad his entire life.
“Fais-dodo it is.”
Presley’s hand goes back to my thigh as he relaxes and I’m relieved when Alice gets him smiling and laughing with the rest of us.
Carter seems happier too and we slip into an easy friendship as we plan one hell of a party that will likely never get accepted. Still, it’s fun to think about.
After a couple of hours, Alice’s dad brings down more food, sandwiches and the like from the deli a few doors down, and Presley steps out to take a call when we finish eating.
Alice is tweaking the music and Asher is yelling at her mom on the phone.
