My Perfect Mistake

Chapter 24 (Part 1)

                  

Chapter 24

*Victoria*

            I finally arrive home, my legs burning from the long walk from the school. My eyes feel puffy and dry from wiping away the tears.

            "Why are you..." she pauses as she looks me over. "What happened?"

            "It turns out you can't trust anyone these days." I say. "Caleb and his friends had a great time insulting me lowering my self-esteem."

            "What do you mean? I thought you and Caleb were friends."

            "Yeah, he had us all fooled. His friends called me a slut and crybaby, and he thought it was the funniest thing ever."
             "I'm sorry sweetheart. You don't deserve all of this heartbreak. If it makes you feel any better, I've signed a contract for my own fashion line. I move to New York in two weeks. I know that you've just gotten settled here after our move, but you're more than welcome to come along with me. If not, I'll pay the mortgage on this house and you can stay here, while I pay rent in New York. This line will give me more than enough money to do both, so don't worry about anything."

            "That's great mom. I'm really happy for you." She deserves this more than anyone. She's sacrificed a lot for her fashion line. I'm just happy she was still able to accomplish her goal in life. "I'd love to move to New York with you. What's a couple months in a new school?" I shrug. "It's not like I have many friends here. Charlie will be disappointed, but I'll keep in touch with her. I'll be graduated and on my way to college in no time. And I was actually thinking of applying to NYU."

            "Perfect! I don't think I'd be able to leave you here alone anyway." She takes me into a tight hug and places a kiss on my cheek. "I guess we should start packing."

*Aaron*

            My knee bounces uncontrollably as I sit nervously in my potential lawyer's office. My mother sits beside me. She bites her nails, something she only does when she's worried or nervous.

            "Mom, what if we can't afford a good one?" I ask.

            "We'll figure something out, don't worry. I refuse to let those people take Sophie from us, even if it's weekly or bi-weekly. Who knows what kind of damage they could do to her."

            I told my mother what Grace's parents did to her and ever since, she's been on my side. She's just as worried as I am.

            "Sorry to keep you waiting." A woman says, coming into the room. She takes a seat behind the desk and pulls out a note pad. "I'm Kristine Daniels. I understand that you're here to talk about custody of your daughter. What is the exact situation?"

            I told Kristine about Grace's nine months without a family and how her parents want to take Sophie away from me.

            "Have you thought about why her parents want to see Sophie? Perhaps they really want to be involved in her life."
             "Are you saying we should just hand her over?" my mother asks.

            "I'm just trying to make sure you're absolutely certain that you want to fight this in court."

"We are absolutely sure." My mother says. "I refuse to let them ruin my grandchild like they did their daughter."      
             "Alright, then I'll do everything in my power to help you keep her."

***

            I walk into school on Monday and meet up with my friends. They all talk with each other except Caleb who looks glum.