"They're not coming," I muttered.
"Why not?" Adam asked with disappointment in his eyes.
"Because… Because… Because it's me, it's my graduation! They're in Australia at the moment so they can't come back. Said they were surprised I was graduating and not in a juvenile detention centre" I explained trying to hold back my disappointment and anger.
"Oh Jay I'm so sorry"
"Its ok. Your folks will be there. Least they are proud of me. Come on lets go have lunch," I said walking ahead and leaving Adam to catch up.
The next day I held this slight hope in my heart that when I walked onto the stage my mother and father would be there and they were. But they didn't take the form of the people who had bought me in the world they took the form of my best friend's parents, the people who had taken me in when no one else cared. They were my real parents and Adam was my real brother.
When I was getting brought home by the cops, mainly for shoplifting, they were there for me. When my folks went rank and I needed a place to hang out until it all died down, they offered me a bed. I quit smoking because my heart broke when I saw the disappointment in Mrs Copeland's eyes. I stopped shoplifting because Mr Copeland sat me down and spoke to me, he didn't yell like my parents did. He sat me down and made a deal with me; he said that if I wanted something I could have it, as long as I worked for it. So I started doing jobs for Mrs and Mr Copeland working extra hard if there was something I wanted.
On graduation day when I walked up on stage and I looked out into the audience there they were. On their feet applauding and taking photos as though I was really their son. It felt weird, but a good weird. I couldn't understand why these people were acting like this, why they wanted to accept me into their family especially when I was leaving the next day. Sure over the last couple of years I had seen some amazing displays of love and kindness from the Copeland family but this overwhelmed me.
But I never showed emotion, emotion was the route of all evil, if people know how you feel they can manipulate and hurt you. So I never let my guard down, except once. Mr Copeland and I had a deal, if I worked hard and behaved I got paid if I stuffed up I had to pay a fine. This one particular time I had saved up close to $200 and I was $5 short of being able to buy this new watch, this watch was amazing and I had been wanting it for months. The day I was to get the last $5 and then get taken down to the shops to buy this watch, there was a theft in the house. I didn't do it but Adam blamed me, he said he saw me take the items and when the Copeland's searched my room, sure enough they found Mrs Copeland's expensive earrings, Mr Copeland's personal organiser and about $50 cash. Because the evidence was there I was the one who had to pay. The fine was $150, which meant I couldn't go and buy the watch. I was close to tears when I had to hand over the money but they wouldn't believe I didn't do it. Later that night Adam and I had a major fight, fists were out it was on for one and all. Because I started the fight I had to pay my last $50 so I went from having $200 to having nothing. That night I slept in my own room and I cried, this watch was so important to me; it was going to be the first major thing I had bought with my own money.
It was the only time I ever let my guard down, until graduation. After we had all received our certificates Adam and I went over to talk with Adam's parents.
"Dad have you got it?" Adam asked his father nervously, without saying a word Mr Copeland pulled out a small package and handed it to Adam,
"Jay I got this for you" He replied smiling. Confused I took the package and slowly unwrapped it. Inside was a small box, opening it my jaw dropped as I lay eyes on the watch that I had wanted to buy.
"And heres your other money back. Adam had already bought the watch for you so we had to find away of stopping you from buying it yourself." Mr Copeland said handing me some cash. I looked at it for a moment before saying,
"Where's my other 50?"
"You know the rules Jason, you started that fight so you had to pay the consequences"
"But Adam framed me"
"Still you started the fight!"
"I guess so, thanks" I replied looking down at the watch once more.
That night Adam and I went to a party out one of our best mates houses, instead of getting pissed drunk and chatting up all the girls, I had two beers and went home around midnight. Pretending that I had a hot chick waiting for me outside. The truth was I had to pack, I was leaving for Stu Hart's Dungeon at about 10 the next morning, it would have been earlier but Adam and his folks made me promise to say goodbye.
The next morning as I drove off in my old beat up bomb that I chipped into buy I was tempted to turn around and break down in tears in front of the family who had taken me in. But I couldn't, I gave one glance back and waved. Adam met me at the first traffic light in his own beat up bomb, he hadn't been there when I left but now he leaned out the window yelling,
"One last race"
"Your on!" I replied revving the engine. Adam and I used to drag race from one set of traffic lights to the next, just for fun. But he was right this race would be the last, he was going to uni and I was off to the dungeon. As we screeched to a halt at the next set of traffic lights Adam lent out the window and called,
"I got footy practice now. I'll miss you man!"
"See ya"
"Don't forget to give Stu hell"
"Damn straight" I replied as the lights turned green allowing me to pull away from my best friend,
"I'll miss you too" I called softly behind me.
"Why not?" Adam asked with disappointment in his eyes.
"Because… Because… Because it's me, it's my graduation! They're in Australia at the moment so they can't come back. Said they were surprised I was graduating and not in a juvenile detention centre" I explained trying to hold back my disappointment and anger.
"Oh Jay I'm so sorry"
"Its ok. Your folks will be there. Least they are proud of me. Come on lets go have lunch," I said walking ahead and leaving Adam to catch up.
The next day I held this slight hope in my heart that when I walked onto the stage my mother and father would be there and they were. But they didn't take the form of the people who had bought me in the world they took the form of my best friend's parents, the people who had taken me in when no one else cared. They were my real parents and Adam was my real brother.
When I was getting brought home by the cops, mainly for shoplifting, they were there for me. When my folks went rank and I needed a place to hang out until it all died down, they offered me a bed. I quit smoking because my heart broke when I saw the disappointment in Mrs Copeland's eyes. I stopped shoplifting because Mr Copeland sat me down and spoke to me, he didn't yell like my parents did. He sat me down and made a deal with me; he said that if I wanted something I could have it, as long as I worked for it. So I started doing jobs for Mrs and Mr Copeland working extra hard if there was something I wanted.
On graduation day when I walked up on stage and I looked out into the audience there they were. On their feet applauding and taking photos as though I was really their son. It felt weird, but a good weird. I couldn't understand why these people were acting like this, why they wanted to accept me into their family especially when I was leaving the next day. Sure over the last couple of years I had seen some amazing displays of love and kindness from the Copeland family but this overwhelmed me.
But I never showed emotion, emotion was the route of all evil, if people know how you feel they can manipulate and hurt you. So I never let my guard down, except once. Mr Copeland and I had a deal, if I worked hard and behaved I got paid if I stuffed up I had to pay a fine. This one particular time I had saved up close to $200 and I was $5 short of being able to buy this new watch, this watch was amazing and I had been wanting it for months. The day I was to get the last $5 and then get taken down to the shops to buy this watch, there was a theft in the house. I didn't do it but Adam blamed me, he said he saw me take the items and when the Copeland's searched my room, sure enough they found Mrs Copeland's expensive earrings, Mr Copeland's personal organiser and about $50 cash. Because the evidence was there I was the one who had to pay. The fine was $150, which meant I couldn't go and buy the watch. I was close to tears when I had to hand over the money but they wouldn't believe I didn't do it. Later that night Adam and I had a major fight, fists were out it was on for one and all. Because I started the fight I had to pay my last $50 so I went from having $200 to having nothing. That night I slept in my own room and I cried, this watch was so important to me; it was going to be the first major thing I had bought with my own money.
It was the only time I ever let my guard down, until graduation. After we had all received our certificates Adam and I went over to talk with Adam's parents.
"Dad have you got it?" Adam asked his father nervously, without saying a word Mr Copeland pulled out a small package and handed it to Adam,
"Jay I got this for you" He replied smiling. Confused I took the package and slowly unwrapped it. Inside was a small box, opening it my jaw dropped as I lay eyes on the watch that I had wanted to buy.
"And heres your other money back. Adam had already bought the watch for you so we had to find away of stopping you from buying it yourself." Mr Copeland said handing me some cash. I looked at it for a moment before saying,
"Where's my other 50?"
"You know the rules Jason, you started that fight so you had to pay the consequences"
"But Adam framed me"
"Still you started the fight!"
"I guess so, thanks" I replied looking down at the watch once more.
That night Adam and I went to a party out one of our best mates houses, instead of getting pissed drunk and chatting up all the girls, I had two beers and went home around midnight. Pretending that I had a hot chick waiting for me outside. The truth was I had to pack, I was leaving for Stu Hart's Dungeon at about 10 the next morning, it would have been earlier but Adam and his folks made me promise to say goodbye.
The next morning as I drove off in my old beat up bomb that I chipped into buy I was tempted to turn around and break down in tears in front of the family who had taken me in. But I couldn't, I gave one glance back and waved. Adam met me at the first traffic light in his own beat up bomb, he hadn't been there when I left but now he leaned out the window yelling,
"One last race"
"Your on!" I replied revving the engine. Adam and I used to drag race from one set of traffic lights to the next, just for fun. But he was right this race would be the last, he was going to uni and I was off to the dungeon. As we screeched to a halt at the next set of traffic lights Adam lent out the window and called,
"I got footy practice now. I'll miss you man!"
"See ya"
"Don't forget to give Stu hell"
"Damn straight" I replied as the lights turned green allowing me to pull away from my best friend,
"I'll miss you too" I called softly behind me.