Adopted

Chapter 65

"Jess, hon, what's the matter?" Mom asked, bending down beside me at my desk. 

I couldn't answer her because I'd started crying and I couldn't stop.  

She wrapped me in her arms and rocked me while I cried.  She didn't tell me to stop, she didn't ask me why I was crying. She just let me cry.  She didn't even shush me.

When I was done, I leaned against her and just sat. 

"Better?" she asked. I could hear a thickness in her voice. I looked up and saw she'd been crying too. 

"Why are you crying?" I asked. 

"Because you are, and because I don't know if I can make it better for you. I don't know how hurt you are inside from what happened to you. I can't make your arm heal faster, or your skull. I can't grow your hair or take away the scars you're going to have.  I can't stop the press from chasing this story. I can't make the bad dreams go away,"

"But none of that is your fault," I said. 

"And none of what happened to you is yours," she said 

"I know that," I said. 

"So, my sweet girl, what are we going to do? Hmm? How do we make this better for you?"

"I don't know. I wish I knew," I said. 

"PopPop said you were upset by the press outside the house," Mom said.

"There were so many and they were so loud. They were asking all sorts of questions and I wouldn't have been able to answer them, even if I wanted to," I said. 

"I know, hon. I'm so sorry. If Dad were home, we'd be able to get Zack to get rid of them. When he calls later, I'll ask him if he has any ideas. Zack might have some security friends in town who can help us out. Now, what about your homework? I see your pen is over on the other side of the room. I'm wondering if you're trying some sort of ghostwriting, I'm impressed."

"I got frustrated. I can't write with my left hand," I said. 

"Oh. If only there was some sort of technology someone could use where they could just push buttons and words would appear," Mom said, pulling down my laptop from my desk. "Well, would you look at that?" 

I laughed. 

"Or, if you want, I can write out your answers for you,"

"I'll type them out," I said. 

"Okay. And honey, if anything feels overwhelming, don't bottle it up, okay? Come talk to me. Or, PopPop and Granny while they're here. Or Dad when he comes home.  Or even Uncle Josh, or Uncle Pete, or Uncle Tyler, or Uncle - well, you get my point."

"Okay."

"Now, get your homework done, it's not too late. We can have a snack before you go to bed if you want."

"Okay, Thanks Mom," I said. 

I finished my homework, and went downstairs. Mom put out some cookies and milk, and I sat with her and my grandparents, had a snack and went back upstairs to get ready for bed. 

The rest of the week went pretty much the same, well, without the breakdown over homework and frustration.  Dad spoke to Zack and he called one of his friends, who came by the house a few times and helped get some of the press to move on. He said  he probably wouldn't be able to clear all of them, but most of them stopped coming by. 

Granny and PopPop went home about two weeks later. Mom thanked them for sticking around and helping out. A few times, PopPop came to pick me up from school and somehow we always managed to get lost but find an ice cream shop. I knew PopPop knew the area, but I played along with him. 

I had physio for my left arm a couple of times a week at first, which made helping out more a bit easier. But it didn't help my handwriting. Thank goodness I had a computer. 

In  the middle of October, my cast came off my right arm and I started physio on my right arm and hand. It felt so weird when that cast came off.  Mom and I celebrated by going to dinner in Santa Monica. 

When Dad called that night, I told him and he told me he had something special planned to celebrate. 

"What?"

"It's a surprise," he said. 

"Daaad!" I exclaimed. 

"Nope. I'm not telling. You'll find out tomorrow," he said. 

"You're so mean!" I cried. 

"Yup. But you love me anyway," he said. 

After we hung up, I got ready for bed, finished my homework and then said good night to Mom. 

"What's Dad got planned for tomorrow?" I asked. 

"I don't know what you're talking about," Mom said. 

"Yes you do," I smirked. 

"Nope. I haven't a clue. He hasn't said anything to me."

I didn't believe her, but I figured I'd let it go. 

I got up the next day and got ready for school.  Mom still wouldn't admit she knew anything about what Dad had planned. 

School went along like any normal school day.  I still couldn't participate in PE, so I got more homework done during that period than I  had before getting my cast off.  Kids were still coming up to me six weeks later, and Darren and his friends John and Adam checked in with me every once in a while. It was kind of cool.

The whole time I'd been back at school, Jacob, who sat near Paige and I in English, had been really quiet, and, while not exactly avoiding me, sort of not really talking to me. Almost like he was afraid of me or something. 

"Hey, Paige," I said at lunch. 

"Yeah?" she asked, looking up from what we thought was supposed to be meatloaf, but we weren't entirely sure. 

"Have you noticed that Jacob's been really quiet? Like avoiding me or scared of me or something?"

"Didn't you know?" Astrid said, stealing a tater tot from my plate. 

"Know what?" I asked. 

"Eric's his brother."

"Really?" I asked. "So why is he avoiding me?"

"I think in some part, it's because, um, in case you've forgotten, Eric and his buddies beat the shit out of you in September. And then they went to court. And your parents are probably going to launch a civil case. At least, that's what the news said," Astrid said. 

"That's stupid."

"I think he's also supposed to not talk to you because of the whole legal stuff," Joshua said. 

"Oh," I said. 

Jacob hadn't been mean or angry looking. He'd smile at me from time to time, but he'd otherwise avoid me. I thought I'd talk to Mom about it after school.

When the bell rang at the end of the day, I headed out to the front of the school and found Mom's car easily. I got in and did up my seatbelt. 

"Hi, Mom,"  I said.