Save Me

[2]

Then

Life in the foster home was always interesting. Nothing was ever quiet, that's for sure. During my stays with Amy, there was no less than 3 other kids in the home. Amy kept a tight ship. Nothing got by her. Whether it was Jarret trying, and failing, at selling some marijuana on the block, Marissa trying to sneak out at night to go to a party, or Sammi trying to sneak her girlfriend inside. Amy caught it all.

There was only one other kid there my age when I was there for the last time. His name was Emmett. He was ten. Amy told me to stay away from Emmett but did I ever listen? No.

Emmett and I were best friends for as long as I was there. He was a trouble maker, no doubt about that. He would pull pranks and blame it on anybody else around. He taped an air horn to Amy's desk chair, put fake bugs in our food, poured oil in front of our doors so we would slip and the list goes on. But the worst one he did was he put red dye in the shower water. Still to this say I never knew how he did it.

Amy tried to get Emmett to behave so he could get adopted but it never worked. Emmett would just do whatever he wanted. He marched to the beat of his own drum.

The only person Emmett would listen to was me. After coming into the house for the third time I would just stay in my room. I didn't want to leave because I had nothing to do. Amy was always busy and the older kids didn't want to hang around a naïve 9 year old. After the third day in my room Emmett came in. He didn't say anything. He just got into bed next to me and pulled me into him.

He didn't say anything to me. He just held me and for the first time since getting taken away from my dad, I cried. I let everything out that I've been holding in. When I was done crying I slept.

The next time I woke up Emmett was still next to me. He didn't leave. When he saw I was up Emmett got me out of bed and took me downstairs for breakfast. After breakfast I got dressed and Emmett and I played outside.

From that day on Emmett was my friend. Even though he would make a lot of trouble he was my friend. He also never blamed any of his pranks on me. Emmett was kind of like my older brother. He and I were always together. Amy liked it because I would keep Emmett out of trouble. I mean Emmett would still pull pranks but not as much.

After I left the foster home I didn't know what happened to Emmett. I almost forgot about him. That was until I got home from school one day last year. I don't know how he found out where I lived but I didn't ask. He was sitting on the porch steps a backpack behind him.

When he saw me he smiled. It had been 7 years since I last saw him. Needless to say I almost didn't recognize him. That was until I saw the little scar on his cheek. The second week I was there he fell into the corner of the coffee table and cut his face open. Amy had to take him to the hospital to get stitches.

He stood up from the porch and I dropped my bag before running to him. Well it was more like into him. He just picked me up and held me. We stayed like that for at least twenty minutes.

Emmett finally put me down and to my face in his hands. He flashed me a small smile before he kissed my forehead.

"It's been to long Rikki" He spoke. His voice a lot deeper from the last time we spoke. Before it sounded like a squeaky toy. Now he sounded like a man.

"How did you get here?" I asked.

"I have my ways." He said.

"Emmett I swear if you did anything illegal." I started but he cut me off.