Hey readers! Wow, 4 reviews already? Shout-out to CalZonaMojofan, LilaCaffee, anastastiaofbohemia, and Fangirl44! Cyber-cookies for you guys! Anyway, sorry my opening chapter was so short. I'll try to make this one a little longer.
Sam. An innocent-looking, sweet-faced, puppy-dog-eyed girl stood before Maureen and Joanne, and the significance of this moment finally hit them. This was their foster child! The sweet, innocent child they would be taking care of for four whole months!
Mr. Williams began to speak. "This is her third foster home since her father died, and she's a little bit emotionally unstable.
"What do you mean by 'unstable'?" Joanne asked worriedly.
"Oh, it's nothing at all to concern yourselves over. However, it still hurts her to talk about it, so if you guys could avoid the topic and comfort her whenever she brings it up or seems especially down. I didn't mean she has any mental problems. She's just a very sweet, confused girl" Mr. Williams replied.
Tentatively, Sam flashed a tiny smile at Maureen and Joanne, then ran back to hide behind Mr. Williams.
"Aww!" gushed Maureen. "Just look at that face, Pookie!"
Mr. Williams pulled Sam aside to talk to her and say goodbye. Joanne relaxed a little. The kid was shy and sweet. She wasn't obnoxious, violent, or hurtful. She took a deep breath. This shouldn't be too hard, she reasoned with herself. Maureen deals with her in the mornings and afternoons while I'm at work, and Maureen will help me at night. This won't be too bad. I can do this. As much as she hated to admit it, she was glad Maureen had to do almost all the work.
"Bye, I'll miss you" said Sam's soft voice as she hugged her social worker goodbye.
"Don't forget, I'll be here to check in in two months, and if you need me, just call. Bye, Sam."
And with that, Mr. Williams got up and left the apartment, leaving Maureen and Joanne alone with Sam.
An almost painful period of awkward silence lingered heavily in the air for the world's longest five seconds. Sam was the first to speak
The innocent, shy look on her face twisted into one of hard anger and disgust. "Ok, listen here, you hobos-" Sam started to snap but was then cut off by Maureen
"I think you mean bohos!" Maureen shouted impulsively. Joanne stepped on her foot hard. "Ow!" Maureen yelped. Joanne stepped down hard again.
"Like there's a difference?" Sam snapped as she rolled her eyes. "I have endured enough pain and hardship in my life to have to put up with things I don't like, such as, I don't know, FREAKISH LESBO MOMS!"
Maureen gasped. Joanne's face crinkled with fury as she tried to calm herself down. She's just having a bad day, though Joanne, rationalizing yet again. This can't be easy for her, moving into an all new life with an all new family, particularly one that works in ways she isn't familiar with. Just be firm with her, and everything might actually turn out ok.
"Ok, Sam, I understand that you might be uncomfortable with the prospect of a new life, but you have no right to talk to Maureen and I like that. Now please take a few deep breaths, try to calm down, and then we can get to know you."
Sam's eyes hardened with anger and hatred. Joanne didn't know what her problem was, but the girl looked like something Joanne has just said ticked her off, and she was about to blow.
"I DON'T WANT A NEW FAMILY! AND THE IDEA OF HAVING TWO MOMS IS TWISTED AND DISGUSTING AND YOU'RE WEIRD AND I HATE IT AND I HATE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Sam screamed at the top of her lungs. She then stopped screaming, took a few ragged breaths, and lowered her voice to an angry growl. "You had better be nice to me, or I'm calling the cops."
"Listen Sam, you have absolutely now right to talk to us that way and if you don't stop right now-"
Sam cut Joanne off. "When I say 'Be nice to me,' I mean give me exactly what I want, when I want it, or I'm calling the cops to say that you've been abusing me."
Impulsively, Maureen cut into the conversation to make a childish comment. "If you want to the police, you would be lying." She said
Sam rolled her eyes yet again and pulled up her sweatshirt to reveal a stomach destroyed, coated with purple, back, blue, yellow, and green, tender-looking bruises with lots of veins pressed up against them. There were also blood-red scabs and open, bleeding cuts. Joanne stared at her in horror. It was the most brutal, disgusting thing she had seen in her entire life. Maureen looked like she was going to throw up, and Joanne didn't feel much better. An intense wave of nausea crashed through her stomach, and she fought the urge to puke on Sam's shoes.
Sam pulled down her shirt and looked Maureen and Joanne directly in the eyes. "And who do you think they'll believe, you, or me?" she asked in a menacing voice.
Joanne felt extremely intimidated. She knew how pathetic it was to be scared of a little kid, but it didn't stop the fear that was taking over her brain. "Who did that to you?" Joanne managed to ask.
Sam's face turned tomato red with anger. "WHAT BUSINESS IS THAT OF YOURS?!" she roared.
Maureen and Joanne were silent. Maureen stared at her feet. Sam looked pleased. "That's what I thought."
Joanne was disgusted. Just who did this girl think she was? She showed up, made homophobic hate remarks to the two women, threatened and blackmailed them into being her personal servants, and possible scarred Maureen and herself for life with her scars? Stand up to her! Joanne told herself. Do something! But Joanne just somehow couldn't bring herself to do it.
Sam broke the tension by strolling out of the room with her Kipling backpack into the guest room that she would be sleeping in for the duration of her stay at the apartment.
Maureen shot Joanne al look of pure terror and panic. Joanne closed her eyes and sighed through her teeth. It was going to be a loooong four months.
Sooooo… What did you think? Please please please review, if you do, I will subscribe to you, read all your stories, and review every chapter! Pinky-swear!