I fell in love with a nerd

Chapter Seven - How bad could it be

Jake P.O.V.

"So are you going to tell me why Melissa Stone has been sleeping on your bedroom floor for a week now?" Mom asked over coffee.

Melissa was still asleep and I'd planned on bringing her breakfast in bed. Well, breakfast in bag anyway. She still refused to take my bed, so I'd been sleeping in a sleeping bag next to her for a week. I was about to tie her to my bed, just so I could get a decent night's sleep. Thoughts of tying her to my bed sent my mind running in a direction that I didn't need to go when my mom was sitting there waiting for an explanation.

I sighed, "When did you figure out that she was staying here?"

Mom rolled her eyes, "All week. By the time I finished reading my book that first night, I knew she was still here, so I came to check on you. I found you both in sleeping bags on the floor. That's where you've been for eight nights now. So what's going on?"

Melissa had confided in me. She didn't get along with her foster parents. They were verbally abusive and had even gotten physically abusive a time or two, but never enough to leave any evidence. They were in it for the money, which is why they didn't care if Melissa slept elsewhere. They got paid as long as the system thought Melissa was where she was supposed to be. The whole thing disgusted me and I didn't understand why Melissa would choose to live like that, instead of just tattling on the Payne's. Then she explained that they'd remove her from their care and place her elsewhere, probably in another town. Which meant she'd have to change schools and she didn't want to do that. She was so close to turning eighteen, I understood where she was coming from, but would my mom?

I sighed, knowing that I would have to break my confidence to Melissa, because if I didn't then my mom would run off and mention it to someone and then word could get back to Social Services, "Mom, you have to promise that you won't react before you give yourself the chance to think things through. I mean it. I don't want Melissa to get shipped off to Timbuktu."

Mom frowned, "I promise to keep an open mind and inform you if I decide to do anything about the situation, whatever it is."

I didn't know if I liked the sound of that, but I didn't have much choice if I wanted Melissa to stay safe, "Fine, ok, she's a foster kid and her foster parents suck. It's a business to them. They don't care about the kids who are placed with them. I found out Melissa wasn't staying with them and instead was sleeping in a shack that's ready to fall down. So I brought her here. She doesn't want to tell anyone what her foster parents are doing because she's tired of getting shuffled around and just wants to turn eighteen and finish school before she says anything."

Mom sat silently staring into her coffee cup for several moments and I started to get worried. When my mom was quiet, it wasn't a good thing. Then she stood up and grabbed me, pulling me into a tight hug. Then she let go of me and went to knock on my bedroom door. Melissa tentatively opened it and stared at my mom wide-eyed. Mom didn't say one word to her. She simply pulled her in for a bone crushing hug as well. When mom released her, she turned and headed for the front door, grabbing her purse on the way. After she was gone I turned to face Melissa, who looked completely confused.

Should I confess what I'd done? Of course I should. Melissa trusted me, so I didn't want to start lying to her now. "Uh, so I...mom obviously knows you're here. She asked me why you've been staying all week and I had to tell her."

"Jake! You promised!" She accused and headed for her small bag of belongings.

I felt panic set in, so I rushed after her, grabbed her and forced her to turn to face me as I explained, "Would you please stop and listen? I made her promise not to do anything. Well, she didn't actually promise that, but she did promise to tell me if she planned on doing anything. You saw her just now. She couldn't even get one word out, so she's not going to say anything. At least not yet and if she decides that she needs to, then we'll figure it out then. Please, don't run from me though. Please stay here, with me. I would hate not knowing where you are and if you're safe."