Okay, okay, I know I'm absolutely horrible for taking this long. And I am really really sorry. Between the craziness of life and other writing projects, I didn't have the time for this. But good news! I actually took down another story that I started, and my other writing projects ended, so I will have all of my writing time for this! :)
Also, I am leaving next Saturday evening. I know it sucks, but that was planned way in advance. I won't be back until the 31st, either. BUT I'm planning on one more update before then. And I'll have my notebook on the really long plane rides, so I will be able to get some writing done there. (I'm flying all the way to England.) So that's good, right?
Just please don't hate me, and I promise I'll never take this long ever again!
Okay, on with the chapter.
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Chapter 2: Nerves
The next day at the press conference, the mood was tense. The teens had all dressed as nicely as they could without going over the top, but that had only made them more uncomfortable and worried about the questions they would face. Thanks to hitting a wreck on the way there, Melissa and Nathan had been the last ones to arrive, so Jackson didn't get a chance to find out the outcome of the talk with her parents before they all had to sit down.
They had answered pretty mundane questions. How did they survive? What was the tension like? Were there any major fights? Who was in charge? Even without having to discuss it, they all managed to spread out the answering, none of them hogging all of the limelight, not even Taylor. In fact, she was rather quiet. David stood at the podium throughout, picking reporters to ask their questions. Jackson watched him repeatedly check his watch, so there was no doubt in his mind that this thing would run one minute past thirty minutes.
The parents, and Travis, stood in the wings, watching nervously as their "precious babies" sat through the conference. Melissa often looked to her mother for support, and she also managed to see Taylor's dad and Eric's mom glare in frustration. It almost made her laugh.
"Okay, one last question! These kids need to get home and be with their families," David announced into the microphone. "Yes, the lady in the blue top. What's your question?"
The woman who had been called out by David stood up and poised her tape recorder out toward the stage. "Bethany Haven, Los Angeles Times. Something we're all dying to know is…were there any romantic relationships while you all were on the island?"
The teens looked at each other nervously, all silently trying to figure out how to best answer the question. Finally, Nathan spoke up, taking his natural position as the leader. "Well, each of us sort of found the person that we clicked best with. Sure, typical teenage stuff happened, but we came to an agreement that no one could let romance getting in the way of survival."
"But does that—," Bethany started to ask.
David cut her off, "I'm sorry, Ms. Haven, that wraps up the end of this press conference. Thank you for coming out today, ladies and gentlemen. I'm David Novak, the representative for the Flight 29 Down survivors."
The group stayed posed on the stage for a minute as cameras went off, but when Eric got up and walked away, the others took notice and followed suit. Jackson waited nervously in the wings saying goodbye to his friends, and soon enough, he, Travis, Melissa, and her parents were the only ones left. The adults were standing to one side, and Melissa and Jackson were a few feet away, just far enough to be out of earshot.
"Mel, did you talk to your parents?" Jackson asked quietly.
"Yep," she nodded, "actually, they told me that we could all talk about this now, after the press conference. They haven't told me anything yet, so I'm as in the dark as you are."
"All right then, let's get this over with." Without even thinking about it, he grasped her hand before heading over to Travis and Mr. and Mrs. Wu.
As soon as they were all together, Travis turned to Jackson and said, "So, I hear there are some things we need to talk about."
"Yeah, I guess there are." He was trying to sound cool and calm, but he felt like he was acting like a scared little girl.
"Let's get to it, then." Travis led them down off the stage and to one of the tables. The room was now empty, so no one would interrupt them.
When Jackson stepped down onto the carpeted floor, the first thing he felt was Melissa's mom touch his arm. He leaned over, and she smiled knowingly. "There's no need to act so afraid, son. We don't bite. Just relax, and we'll see what we can come up with this afternoon."
"I'll try," he replied.
At the table, Travis and Jackson sat on one side of the table, and Melissa and her parents sat on the other. Melissa didn't like being so far away from Jackson during a conversation such as this, but she knew she'd just have to deal with it. Her parents hadn't been too excited when she had first told them his story, but she had soon convinced the two of them that he wasn't as bad as it sounded. Her mom, Sharon, had been the first to even somewhat side with Melissa, saying that she could see the passion in her daughter's eyes and that if Melissa truly believed that Jackson was a good person, they had no reason not to believe her. Like any typical father, Patrick said that having his teenage daughter's boyfriend living in their house was just asking for disaster. She had told them his full story, or at least everything she knew, as well as all of the things he had done to keep the group safe on the island. She had left her parents' room that night on their promise that they would think things over and come to a decision before the press conference, and Melissa could only hope and pray that what she had said and done was enough.
"Mr. and Mrs. Wu, I'm Travis Rhodes, Cody Jackson's social worker, but I'm sure you knew that already. What is it that you wanted to talk to me about this afternoon?"
Patrick spoke up first, "Well, as you well know, our daughter and Jackson became very close friends while they were gone. Melissa came to us last night very distressed, and she said that Jackson was at risk of being sent to Texas, unless a foster family was found within the next week."
"Yes, that's right," Travis agreed.
"Are you aware that my wife and I were foster parents for almost eight years, only ending four years ago?"
"No, I was not, Mr. Wu. I am not in charge of finding foster families, so they don't always tell me things of that matter," Travis explained.
"Well, that is the case, and we wanted to talk to you about the possibility of…us taking Jackson in."
"Ooh, Daddy, thank you!" Melissa squealed as she wrapped her arms around her dad's neck.
Patrick patted Melissa as a sweet smile came across his lips, but he tried to hide it. "Calm down, Melissa," he said. Jackson took notice of all of this.
"Well, I'd have to take a look at your file, and you may have to renew your license," Travis reminded them.
Sharon finally jumped in with, "That's no problem. You'll find that we never had any problems with any of the children we took in, and we'd be quite happy to renew our license."
"Very well, then. I'll see what I can do. It's rather short notice, though. Jackson is supposed to leave for San Antonio next Saturday."
"Don't you think me leaving was on short notice, too?" Jackson snapped. He couldn't help it. The idea of it still pissed him off.
Travis completely ignored him. "Anyway, Monday, Jackson and I have a meeting in the afternoon, but I'll send in notice to check out your file that morning. I'll let you know Tuesday what the outcome of that is. Just to make sure you know what you're getting yourselves into, you do know what Jackson has done, right?"
Sharon nodded and answered, "Melissa told us his story, and she also told us that the fight was not his fault. There's no reason to hold it over his head if he wasn't responsible."
He sighed. Jackson watched Travis, noting the fact that he seemed disappointed to find out Jackson might be staying in California. It didn't surprise him, though; he had always known that Travis didn't like having to deal with him. Why the man had ever become a social worker if he hated kids with rough stories was completely beyond Jackson, but he tried not to let it faze him.
"Okay, if you get cleared, then…we'll have a meeting with a Family Court judge next week. It will be that quick because things are already set in Texas, so if you really want to stop him from leaving, we'll have to get things started with you before then. Is that a problem?"
Patrick shrugged a bit and said, "It may be a conflict with my work, but if I know when to get off, I'm sure I can butter up my boss enough to get a few hours. Sharon's a teacher, so she's out for the summer."
"Okay, then, like I said, I'll get started on this Monday, and get back to you on Tuesday. Here's my card," he pulled a business card seemingly out of nowhere and handed it to Patrick, "if you have any questions, just give me a call. We've got to get going."
"Wait," Melissa told him. "If everything is cleared by the judge, will he be able to stay with us while my parents are renewing their license?"
"I don't know, miss. That matter is up to the judge and would be dealt with next week," Travis explained. She nodded in understanding. "I'm going to go get the valet to bring my car around, Jackson. I'll give you a minute to say goodbye to your…friend."
As soon as Travis was gone, Jackson turned back to Melissa and her parents. "Mr. and Mrs. Wu, I really can't thank you enough for this opportunity," he started off.
"Well, Jackson, we had actually been pondering over the idea of becoming foster parents again for a while now, and when Melissa came to us with this story, it all seemed to just fit. I could see how much this meant to her, too," Sharon told him.
Melissa turned a soft shade of red. "Mom," she said nervously, afraid of letting Jackson become fully aware of how important he was to her.
"Oh, come on, Mel, it was practically radiating from you when you were talking to us last night." Her eyes bulged out in embarrassment at this comment. "Oh, all right, sour puss, I'll stop."
Jackson couldn't help smiling at this, but he knew he didn't have time to stand there and talk to them much longer. "Well, I should probably get going, before Travis comes back and pitches a fit." He brought Melissa into a tight hug, and his inner happiness grew as he felt their bodies melt against one another. It just felt right. "Bye, Mel," he said softly.
When they finally let go of each other, a thought came to Melissa's mind. "Hey, do you know the address or phone number of this group home? That way, I can at least have contact with you while you're stuck there this week."
"Uh, I know the address, but I'm not sure of the phone number. Do you have some paper for me to write it down on?" he asked.
"Oh, here," Sharon said as she began digging through her purse. She soon pulled out a small notebook and pen and held the items out to Jackson. "I always carry this around."
Jackson took it from her and leaned on the table to scribble down the address. He tore out the sheet of paper and handed it to Melissa, saying, "I'm not sure if they'll let me get to a phone tonight or tomorrow, but if I can, I'll call you."
"Okay, I'll try to come by tomorrow or Monday evening and visit," she replied with a gentle smile.
"Kay." He brought her into another hug, and she leaned up to look at him. Knowing what she wanted, he gave her a quick kiss, a little nervous about displaying their affection in front of her parents. Jackson really didn't want her dad to get the impression that, if he moved in with them, he and Melissa would be reckless. "Bye."
"Bye, Jackson," Melissa called after him as he headed for the exit. He waved to her, and she turned around to face her parents again. "So, what do you think?"
"Well, I didn't get to hear much from him today, but he seems like a very respectable boy," Sharon said. "He doesn't seem at all frightening like you'd think he would be."
Melissa nodded. "He's quiet to a lot of people, but I think at the end of our little 'trip,' he really began to see that he can trust us. He's caring, and sweet, and so smart, Mom. Eric and Nathan used to think that because he was quiet, he was really slow or something, but he's really not. He's read a lot!"
"Sounds nice," she agreed.
"Well, I don't care how amazing he is to you, honey; I'm still not too keen on the idea of having you and your boyfriend in the same house. I won't have you and this boy getting too close in my own house," Patrick reminded her.
Melissa rolled her eyes. "Daddy, you know I'm not going to do anything with him. I don't even know what Jackson and I are yet."
"I trust you, Mel, but I know what it's like to be a hormonal teenage boy, and I was being one under the eyes of conservative Chinese parents. It's Jackson I don't trust, no matter how nice you say he is." He sweetly wrapped his arm around his daughter's shoulders and sighed. "But that's enough worrying about this for now. We'll wait and see what Mr. Rhodes says on Tuesday. Let's go home. Katrina and Danielle are dying to spend some more time with you."
Melissa perked up. "How about we all go out for dinner?"
-Beauty in the Breakdown-
The following Monday, Travis pulled up at the group home at 12:30, and Jackson sunk into the seat of his Toyota Camry. He was anxious about the court appearance, but he tried not to show that, because it was certain that they would all use it against him. The ride was quiet at first, but a few minutes before they got to the courthouse, Travis started in on another one of his lectures.
"Now Jackson, remember to keep your mouth shut unless the judge talks to you. The meeting is to drop the charges, and we just want to get in and get out. We don't need any delays, and if you want this to be in your favor, the judge doesn't need to listen to any whiny rants from you. Okay?"
"Since when have I ever been prone to giving 'whiny rants,' Travis?"
He shrugged, "I don't know, but the point is, you're lucky enough to be getting the charges dropped. The DA could press charges for breaking your probation, but for some bizarre reason, they decided not to. You better not mess up again, if you stay here."
"I get it, Travis. Just chill out, okay?" Jackson snapped. "Did you send in Melissa's parents' file for review?"
"Yeah, I did," he sighed. "It'll be back in the morning, and I'll call the Wus to let them know. If they're cleared, I'll get the meeting on the family court docket as soon as possible this week. I don't know how you manage it, kid. You get things to work out for you in the nick of time."
Jackson scoffed. "Oh yeah, my life's awesome. My mom's in jail, my dad's an alcoholic who left when I was six. I'm sixteen and have been in fourteen foster homes. Everything's just peachy, Travis."
"Well, you must have some luck to get Melissa's family to take you in just days before you're supposed to leave for Texas."
"That was Melissa's doing, not mine, and we still don't even know if it'll work."
"Yeah, yeah, I still can't believe you even have a chance of staying in California."
Jackson couldn't help thinking, I know, you were so close to getting rid of me.
The two didn't say anything else because it was just then that Travis pulled into the parking lot of the courthouse. He showed the security guard outside the building his pass, and the two headed inside. The floor was marble, and the ceilings were high. The walls had wood paneling, and pictures of the judges who worked there adorned them. They walked to the very end of the hallway and ended up at a wooden door that read "Courtroom D."
Travis knocked on the door, and when a bailiff opened it, all he said was, "Travis Rhodes, one o'clock," and he let both Travis and Jackson in.
They walked up to the defendant's table and stood in front of their chairs. Soon enough, the bailiff walked up in front of the judge's stand and yelled, "All rise! The Honorable Judge Carl T. Hanson presiding. The case, docket number 43679, people versus Cody Jackson, one count of assault in the second degree."
The judge sat down and told the crowd, "You may be seated." When everyone had done so, he continued, "Let me first say that, Cody, it's good to know you and your friends are back safe and sound."
"Thank you, sir," Jackson replied meekly.
"Now, what are we here for today, Counselor Edwards?"
A young woman stood up at the prosecutor's table and straightened her skirt; Jackson could only assume that she was the new Assistant District Attorney. "Your Honor, new evidence has come about in this case. Two of the other defendants, Luke Carlson and Gregory Thomason, corroborated Mr. Jackson's statement and said that Max Jacobs was the attacker. The DNA on the knife was re-tested, and it was found that it was not that of Mr. Jackson. In light of this new evidence, we move to drop the charges against Cody Jackson."
"Very well," said the judge. "Is there anything you would like to say, Cody?"
"I'm very grateful that this has been resolved," Jackson explained.
"All right then, the charge of assault in the second degree against Cody Jackson is hereby dropped, for the sake of justice. Mr. Jackson, you are now released back to the state and into the foster care system. Case is dismissed." Once he hit the gavel down, Counselor Edwards nodded, closed her briefcase, and headed for the exit. As she did so, Judge Hanson turned toward Travis and asked, "How are things working out for him, Mr. Rhodes?"
"Well, Your Honor, when he first arrived back here in California, we did not have a foster home for him, but on Saturday, it came to my attention that there was a family willing to take him in, who used to be a registered foster care family. The file for Patrick and Sharon Wu is currently being reviewed for clearance, and if that is the case, we'll have a meeting with a Family Court judge later this week," Travis explained.
"Yes, Mr. Rhodes, I'm aware of how it works." Travis blushed in embarrassment. "I've met with Mr. and Mrs. Wu before. They're very good parents; they just haven't had the most luck with getting good foster children. You would be very lucky to stay with them."
"Yes, sir. Thank you, sir."
"I just hope you understand, young man, that if you get in trouble again, we will be forced to relocate you."
"Yes, sir."
"All right, then, I'd say we're done here. Son, I hope everything works out for you."
"Thank you, sir." Judge Hanson nodded before getting up and walking out the exit behind his seat. Jackson turned to Travis and asked, "What now?"
"Nothing. I'm going to take you back to the group home, and I'll notify you tomorrow if the Wus are cleared and, if so, when our meeting with the Family Court judge is."
Jackson shrugged, and they headed for the car. The ride back was silent. When Jackson walked back into the children's home where he was staying, one of the middle-aged women who ran the place got his attention. "Jackson!" her cheery voice called out from behind the front desk.
"Yeah?"
"A girl stopped by about fifteen minutes ago looking for you. I told her you were out with your social worker. She asked for you to call her so that she knew when she could come back. Her name is," she paused to pick up the paper, "Melissa Wu. She said you knew the phone number."
"Yep, thanks Miss Susan."
"No problem. The phone right down the hall is free." She pointed to her right.
"All right, thanks." He headed for the phone and quickly dialed Melissa's cell phone number.
"Hello?" her soft voice said.
"Hey Mel, it's me."
"Oh hey, I take it you got the message I left."
"Yep, I just got it. Are you all the way back home yet?"
"Nope, I stopped at Dairy Queen to get a treat. So I'm only about two miles away."
"Okay, uh, can you come back?"
"Sure!" She would never pass up an opportunity to spend time with him.
Jackson smirked. "Can you bring me something?" he asked sweetly.
"Sure," Melissa laughed. "What would you like?"
"Just a medium chocolate dipped in chocolate cone. Thanks."
"No problem, Jackson. I'll be there soon."
He hung up the phone and headed back out to the main lobby. "Hey, do you mind if I wait here for my friend?"
Susan shrugged, "Not at all, you're allowed anywhere in this house, except for the offices, of course."
Jackson nodded and sat down in one of the comfy lounge chairs. Leaning his head back against the wall, he felt like smiling for the first time that day. Something about Melissa just did that to him. Knowing that she was around to comfort him made everything just slightly better.
Now if only he knew whether or not he'd be around to enjoy it.
