Free My Forever by Jolene Perry

Daniel looks back down at me then. “Who then?”
     
    “It doesn’t matter.” I shake my head.
     
    Daniel looks mad but he won’t press me. “Where are you staying? I mean , I’m sure if you went back to
M
om and
D
ad and told them you were sorry they’d let you come back.”
     
    “But I’m not sorry, Daniel. I mean , I’m sorry that I’m pregnant , but I’m not sorry about anything else.” He won’t understand. I know he won’t.
     
    His eyes widen. “What, the Mormon thing?” I think he’s going to laugh in frustration and disbelief.
     
    I just nod.
     
    “This is crazy. Just because you have a crush on some boy…” He rolls his eyes.
     
    “Thanks for giving me so much credit.” I’m kind of pissed at him now and cross my arms.
     
    “Well, I took a backpack of your stuff today. I just grabbed a few things this morning with Hannah’s help .” He hands a pack toward me.
     
    I sigh a huge sigh of relief. A nger gone. I’ll have at least a couple changes of clothes now. “Thank you so much.” I lean forward to give him a hug , but he backs away from me. It stings. Bad. It’s not that we’re super close, it’s more that he’s my twin, my brother
.
I lean back, hurt.
     
    “I don’t agree with this. A ny of it.” He walks away.
     
    It’s a simple thing , but the gesture and the meaning are huge. I wipe away tears as I slide the back pack over a shoulder.
     
    I’m beyond tired.
     
    I’ve been kicked out by my family .
     
    My brother just walked away from me.
     
    I have nothing except whatever Daniel put in my backpack.
     
    I start to walk down the hall but don’ t know where I’m going. A warm hand touches my shoulder, and Michael pulls me into him. I sob a ll over his chest, soaking his T -shirt , unable to move . He holds me there for a few minutes before we start slowly walking.
     
    I don’t know where we’re going. I don’t care. He’s too warm and fee ls too good for me to care.
     
    We step inside the nurse’s office , and I go to a green vinyl bed and lie down. I close my eyes , and Michael covers me with his jacket. It smells good , and it’s warm. That’s all I need right now. I pull it up and wish to go to sleep. To make my day disappear. And my night disappear .
     
    Mrs. Davies immediately sits on the bed across from me. I don’t wait for her to ask. Michael knows very little. I think he’s still here , but I’m not sure.
     
    “My parents know. T hey kicked me out,” I say.
     
    “Do you have somewhere to
go
?”
s
he asks.
     
    “N o.” My answer brings on more shaking. I’m crying like I’ve never cried before. It’s sort of shocking but also feels good, like I’m getting rid of something that’s been clinging to my insides.
     
    “Are there any friends I can call down?”
     
    I don’t answer.
     
    “You’re friends with the Masons, right?”
     
    Michael must be gone.
     
    I nod. Maybe if it s ’ her idea it wouldn’t be too hard to accept their support for the day.
     
    “Is he the dad?” She looks as if she’d be surprised if I said yes. Just checking I guessed.
     
    “No.” I nearly laugh at th at. Daniel asked the same thing. The thought i s absurd on a million levels.
     
    “Where were you last night?”
s
he asks, as if suddenly realizing that I’d had nowhere to be.
     
    “Denny’s.”
     
    “Okay.” She nods and rubs her hands down her thighs once, thinking. “You try to get some sleep. I’ll be back in a few.”
     
    “Thanks.”
     
    What will she do for me? What can she do? I have no idea , and I don’t care. I’m too tired to care. I close my eyes
,
but the rejection from my family washes over me again and again and the stupid bed is really hard. I pull Michael’s jacket tighter around my shoulders and breathe his scent in again and again. The world slowly dissolves into peaceful blackness.
     
    Mrs. Davies puts her hand on my arm. Tracy, Michael and a wo man walk in the room. I sit up, feeling