Maybe this is where I belong...

Chapter 18.

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AMELIA'S POV:
It was after school on Tuesday and Dance Elite tryouts were almost starting. Mariana and I were sitting at a sign in table when Riley walked in with a few other girls. 2:57. I thought to myself, tryouts start at 3:00pm and we only have three girls. My anxiety started to rise but Mariana brought me down to earth.
"Okay. I know you well enough to tell that you're anxious that no one will show up. Stop stressing!" She shook my shoulder in an attempt to get me to laugh and she succeeded.
"Okay okay. I just want this to work out, that's all. This is a really good place for me to make friends, so i'm sorry if i'm tense."
"Look." Mariana pointed to the gym doors opening and a dozen girls walked in ready to try out, including Riley. Before I knew it, my anxiety disappeared.

"Hey, Ami!" Riley jogged over to the table along with two other girls, "these are my friends Jamie and Sophie. They want to try out too." Jamie and Sophie looked at me with smiles, but it was hard to tell if they were fake as a barbie doll, or genuine.
"Hi." I grinned, "Uh, just write your name and your phone number on these lines, okay?"
"Got it!" Jamie replied, along with Sophie and Riley smiling. Mariana nudged my shoulder as she helped the other dancers sign in and she whispered, while giving me her famous smirk. "Told you to stop stressing."

"Hey so since we're friends, I'm automatically on the Dance team, right?" Riley laughed. It was around five o'clock and Riley and I were finishing our cell project together and it felt that we were just hanging as friends, and not doing any work. I laughed in response to Riley, "You were really good today, you don't need me to vouch for you." An hour after we finished our project, Riley and I sat on my bed, chatting and talking.
"Do you want to hang out Saturday?" She asked me. My hands got clammy and my head started to hurt.
"Uh.. I'm sorry I-I can't." I confessed. I didn't want to tell her why, but something was telling me that she was going to ask anyway.
She frowned, "Aw, why not?" My heart was beating a mile a minute. This is my only friend as of right now. I don't want to scare her away because of everything that has happened to me.
"Saturday is the day of my trial against my foster father. He.. He uh abused me, and stuff." I felt myself become anxious and overwhelmed and I wondered if telling her was a good idea.
"Oh my god. Ami. I'm..i'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked, I was being nosy."
"No, no Riley. It's okay. Trust me. It'll hopefully be over on Saturday so we won't have to talk about it anymore." I half heartedly smiled. Just then, she pulled me into a hug. But it was different than Stef or Lena's hugs. A friend was hugging me. A genuine friend.
"What was that for?" I asked.
"What? You need a reason to give someone a hug?" She smirked.

We laughed and talked each others ears off until Stef and Lena had to drive Riley home for the night. I walked into my bathroom to hop in the shower before bed until Jesus met me in the hallway.
"Hey. That Riley chick is cute." He said.
I scoffed, "Nope. Not going to happen Jesus! She is my only friend right now and no way in hell are you dating her. And besides, you're two years older than her."
"Age is just a number." I brushed the comment off and walked away to lead into the bathroom.

Showers were like an escape from reality to me. An escape from wondering where my next home might be. An escape from the terrors that haunt me at night. An escape from my anxiety and doubts. I was letting the water rain over my head as I heard a knock on the door.
"Hey love, you alright in there?" It was Lena.
"Oh! Sorry I'll be out in a minute!" I really lose track of time when I shower.
"No worries baby. Just come down and meet all of us in the living room."
I had dried myself off and put warm sweats on and rolled my hair in a towel and then headed downstairs to find my foster family sitting in the family room. Stef and Lena were on the couch, Mariana sitting in the loveseat, and the boys sitting on the ground.
"What's going on?" I questioned.
"Come sit between us baby girl." Stef patted the gap in the couch between her and Lena. I sat down with paranoia running through my head. Why does this seem serious? What are they going to tell me?
"So since the trial is this Saturday, we wanted to come together as a family to tell you how proud of you we are." Lena took my hands as she announced this. I took a big sigh of relief.
"What? Were you worried we were going to tell you something bad?" B laughed.
"Yeah kinda!" I laughed in response. Stef and Lena gave me what they call a "mama sandwich" which was the most comforting, close-knit feeling I had felt in a long time. Soon after, the rest of the family piled in and we all hung out and watched a movie before bed and I was still snuggling my moms. Feeling like I was right where I was supposed to be.