11.

I laid down my diary, I had plenty of homework to do, as I didn't want to get behind on school. My school books already were on my desk when I heard a knock on my door. "Come in." I sat ready to do homework at my desk.

"Am I welcome to do my homework together with you?" Lillith peeked her head around the corner, she was wearing an oversized t-shirt she always used to sleep or whenever she wanted to feel comfortable, with shorts underneath.

"You always are." She walked in with her pile of school books. She sat down on my bed since I only had one chair and handed me notes from the classes I had missed. I was surprised she had notes on classes I had missed, but I didn't question her. 

"You know it was my fault I missed those classes, right?"

"I know, I also know how seriously you take school, it's your escape from this life. He had it coming," Lillith added with a sinister smirk on her face.

I smirked too. "He did."

"Could you teach me some of those moves?" Lillith asked while she laid open her math book.

"How do you even know what happened?"

"My brother is in the same school as you are, who do you think gave me the notes of your missed classes?"

After Lillith left I lay restless in bed, twisting and turning because I couldn't fall asleep. Just then I heard a sound coming from my window, Jake's face appeared, looking for me. A little ashamed of the way I must look with my hair all messy in my pj's I got up and opened the window.

"What the hell are you doing here," I whispered.

"I missed you," he said while he crawled into my bedroom. Although it was dark, my room was still the same as the day Lillith first inspected it, no posters on the sterile white walls, all my clothes were in my closet, my diary was hidden, I had two pairs of shoes now and a new coat but the rest was neatly tucked away in my closet.

"What are you doing here really." 

"Well, you just beat up someone way taller than you today, I wanted to just be with you for tonight," he said. For hours we talked, whispers between us no one else could hear until I fell asleep with my head on his chest, the both of us fully clothed but closer than ever before.

The next morning when Lillith walked into my room to wake me up she gasped seeing me in Jake's arms and closed my door behind her immediately. I woke up and so did Jake.

"Did you guys..." Lillith started off.

"No," Jake and I said in unison.

"No, we did not, he sneaked in and we fell asleep while talking," Jake rolled his eyes, believing his sister thought he would do that already.

"Don't roll your eyes like that Jake Celestine Miller," Lillith said in a firm tone. "You know I still think she deserves better than you."

"You couldn't use my middle name anymore," Jake said furiously, he looked at Lillith as if he wanted to strangle her.

"Knock it off the two of you, Lillith, your brother wouldn't considering he knows I'm not ready for any of that ew, and also don't bully your brother with his middle name, and Jake, be nice to your sister who looks out for me or I will be the next one using your middle name."

"Okay," they both replied in unison.

Lillith left, getting herself ready for school and Jake washed his face and left the same way he came. While I got ready I realized I'd never slept so well, I was well-rested for the first time I could remember. Thirty minutes later I was ready when the doorbell sounded through the group home announcing the taxi was here.

The first class that day was math. Kevin was still absent today so I could stay in the class we usually had together. In the middle of the class, a teacher knocked on the door.

"A cab has arrived for Miss Mercier."

"What's going on? why do I need to leave school?" I wanted to know while we walked through the hallways.

"They only said to a meeting at CPS." We walked in silence and I sat down in the taxi once we reached the parking spot the taxi used to wait for me.

Once I figured we were going to the group home I lived at I knew something was wrong. When I saw my legal guardian's car parked I immediately put up the emotional walls I have been letting down the last months, ever since Jake was in my life.

"Jade, good morning," Bella said as if she was excited to see me. "Please take a seat," she continued when she saw I wasn't amused to be taken away from school for this.

"What do you want, let's cut the crap and be straight to the point since you found it necessary to put yourself over my education," I said while I sat down.

"Jade," Stella said in a warning tone, "be nice to your legal guardian."

"Or what?" I said in a daring tone.

"It's not like she does anything for me, let's be honest one of my housemates is basically financially responsible for me and clearly, I care more about my education than she does, please don't beat around the bush and keep me any longer from school than needed."

"As you wish," Bella said. Bella was a short woman, not fat or thin, just somewhere in between, she had light brown hair. Everything about her was saying nothing as if she had no own identity. I didn't know much about her, I just knew that I didn't like her from day one and I didn't like to play pretend.

She was just one of those people who worked for CPS to see it as a nine-to-five job as if her work didn't affect the lives of children, she didn't care about the work or the children, never put in any effort if I needed anything, so I did my minimal effort too.

"Jade you have ten minutes to pack all of your belongings, we move you to Summerville."

"What do you mean, where will I go to school then?" I asked, feeling anger building up in me.

"We will have to see where we put you with schooling but you have ten minutes," she said to me.

"You can't do that."

"I'm your legal guardian, I can, so start packing Jade, don't make this any more complicated than it has to be."

I started packing, quickly I wrote a note to Lillith, in a huge sports bag I packed half my clothes and in a backpack the other half. I left my school books here, leaving a lot of space, and put my fragile items in the last bag. I was in tears, this morning I woke up in Jake's arms, now I had to move miles away from him unsure when I would see him again.

I called Jake's number, a few times but he didn't pick up. I just spoke in a voicemail. I was crying, my voice was drenched with emotions I hated to show to others. I hated sounding this weak, I hated that the time had come so soon to leave all I had behind. 

I felt broken, powerless and angry. I knew I would find a way to get back. I swore right then and there that I would come back to Lillith and Jake, I would do anything in my power to come back to my best friend, my new friends and the first boy I ever fell in love with.

While I checked if I had everything, my laptop, camera, phone, clothes, shoes, and diary. Jake called back.

"Jade, where are you?" I could hear the worry in his voice, I knew he cared about me and worried more about me than he showed.

"Jake, they're moving me away to North Carolina."