Free A Hourse to Love by Marsha Hubler

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    warmly. “Welcome to the family of God.” I can’t take much more of this God stuff , Skye thought. When I run , nobody’s gonna fi nd me!
    Three times a week at Maranatha, drug and alcohol counseling forced Skye into what she considered her own private torture room — Mrs. Chambers’
    office.
    “Get off my back!” Skye had complained at her fi rst session. “I don’t need you jumping al over me. I’m not high on any drugs!”
    “Maybe you’re not on the hard stuff,” Mrs.
    Chambers said, “but any kid who needs a handful of uppers a day needs help. And that includes you.” After that Skye had nothing to say.
    Stil , she had to face individual counseling again on Friday. After I C, pizza, and bowling, al but three of the others had been dropped off at home. Both Mr. Scott and Mr. Ling had retreated to their offices with their clients, and that left Skye alone with Mrs.
    Chambers.
    Skye’s emotions ran wild. On the outside, she was seething with hatred. On the inside, she just wished everyone would vanish into thin air.
    “Wel , Skye,” Mrs. Chambers said as she folded her hands on the desk, “is today going to be different or are we going to meditate for an hour? You know I’m in this for the long haul. We’l meet as long as it takes to tackle your problems. If you’d start talking, you’d realize that hope and solutions are available.
    What do you say?”

    Mrs. Chambers smiled and Skye looked down. As usual when sitting before this woman, Skye’s heart pounded like a drum and her stomach did backflips.
    Afraid? Of Mrs. Chambers? Yet there was something in Mrs. Chambers’ smile and in her deep blue eyes that caused Skye to feel conflicting emotions. She detested sitting in this office alone with her — and yet she somehow liked it, although she would never admit it. Somehow Eileen Chambers was different. Despite the stupid rules and the fact she stood for everything that Skye hated, Mrs. Chambers real y did seem to care.
    Skye wrestled with her feelings. She’d felt this conflict between liking and hating before. Staying in between the two hadn’t worked in the past, and Skye was sure it wouldn’t work now. She had tried liking
    — no loving — her foster mom four homes ago.
    Skye had handed her heart to Mrs. Taylor on a silver platter. What a mistake! When she discovered that al Mrs. Taylor wanted was a babysitter for the twins, Skye’s heart had been ripped out like a button off a rag dol .
    On the other hand , why not have a little fun? Skye thought. Tell a few dozen lies just to get it over with.Why not? I have to sit here anyway.
    Skye looked up into Mrs. Chambers’ pleading blue eyes.
    “Is that a yes?” Mrs. Chambers asked.
    Skye nodded and gave a stingy this-ought-to-be-good smile as her heart slowed a little and she found herself relaxing into the chair.
    “I think that after a while you’l find that you actual y enjoy these sessions.” Her eyes darted from Skye to the paper and back. “Al we’re going to do is chat, so take a deep breath and relax. I’m just going to ask you a few questions. For the last two weeks we’ve been discussing how important it is to confront your fears. Remember?”
    Skye nodded and ran one hand slowly through her hair.
    “I’ve read your court records, and for a thirteen-year-old kid you’ve been through an awful lot. Can you remember how many foster homes you’ve been in?”
    “Four, five. I don’t know,” Skye forced out.
    Mrs. Chambers gently opened Skye’s file.
    “According to this, you’ve been in thirteen foster homes and never longer than six months. How do you feel about that?”
    “I hated every one of them,” Skye said.
    “Hate drives people to do terrible things. Do you know what hate is?”
    Skye felt her heart pound a little faster before she answered. “It’s when you can’t stand something so bad you could throw up, punch somebody’s lights out, and run away al at the same time!”
    “Did any of those