The walk back to my house took twenty minutes. Not enough time for me to
work out a genius story to tell Keith about why I didn't come home. I
couldn't even remember if I had left a note saying that I went out.
I hadn't.
"Where the hell have you been?!" Keith yelled the second I walked in the door.
I didn't need to answer. He wasn't done yelling. "I asked you to leave a note and you just take off, without calling or coming home. Dammit, Lucas, I just lost someone I care about, you can't leave me, too!"
"You lost someone?! She was my goddamn mother!"
"You are grounded!" He shouted.
"You're not my mother. You have no right to punish me anymore. I don't belong to you in any way." I shouted. Mom would have been pissed if she heard me talking to my uncle like that.
The doorbell rang, but we ignored it, hoping the person would just leave the casserole and get the hell out of our way.
"You have no parents! I'm all you have left, so you'll deal with it. You are grounded!"
I turned around. I didn't want him to see how much that last statement stung.
He sighed, "I didn't mean that."
I didn't turn around. He walked around me so he was facing me, "Luke, I'm sorry-"
He must have smelled the alcohol on my clothes. "You were drinking again! I can't believe it. You promised me no more drinking and then the first night you go out again, you drink!"
The doorbell rang again.
"I can do whatever the hell I want to! You said it yourself, I'm an orphan, a fucking orphan."
"Stop talking like that!"
"You taught me, Keith. You taught me to talk like this. Your fucking side of the family gave me this need for alcohol." I spotted a bottle of vodka on the counter. "Right." I scoffed, "You lecture me about drinking? Sober for 16 years, Keith?! Bullshit."
That got him. Keith whacked the back of my head. Hard. I wobbled with the force of the blow. Jesus, that hurt. My eyes watered from the pain.
"You're not the only one who lost her, Lucas." He said softly.
The doorbell started ringing incessantly.
Keith went to open it, "What the hell do you want?"
"I'm Martha Lansing, from Child Services. I'm here to take Lucas into custody of the state."
"What?!" Keith and I said together. I turned to wipe my eyes and then looked back at her in disbelief.
"I was here to interview the two of you to see what you wanted to do about Lucas's living situation, but what I just witnessed through the door was enough for me to know that this is not a safe environment for Lucas to finish his teenage years. I'm going to have to take him with me."
"No, you're not taking him anywhere," Keith said, "Lucas is staying with me."
"You just hit the boy!" She exclaimed. Keith looked down. "There's open alcohol bottles in the kitchen, this place is a mess and he looks like he hasn't eaten in days. This looks like an abusive situation. I will not allow him to continue living here."
"No, it's not like that." I objected, ignoring the ringing that was starting in my ears.
She raised an eyebrow at me.
"You have a lot of explaining to do if you want to keep this boy," she told Keith. "I'll send someone over later to interview you, but for now, Lucas is coming with me."
"No I'm not. I'm staying with Keith."
"Lucas." She began.
"You're not taking him," Keith said assertively.
"Why? So you can hit him some more?"
"Look, I'm sorry. We're both going through a hard time right now. I need him. He needs me."
"No, Mr. Scott, I'm sorry. I can't let him stay with you. Go get a change of clothes, Lucas. I can send someone over later to get the rest of your things."
"I'm not leaving."
"I'm sorry, sweetie, but you have no choice."
"I do have a choice. I'm 16."
"That doesn't give you a choice. That means you have to come with me. Please go get some clothes and a toothbrush."
I shook my head.
"Listen, if you don't come, I'm going to have to have your uncle arrested for obstruction of child services and possibly kidnapping. With an arrest on his record, there's no way you will get to live with him. Go get your things."
I looked sadly at Keith.
"You'd better go with her, Lucas."
I shook my head.
"Lucas! Go." Keith demanded. "I'll get you back, I promise."
I ran to him before the Martha Lansing, child services could stop me. I hugged him tightly and sobbed into his shirt again. I think that brings the total of Lucas tear soiled shirts to eight. Keith smoothed my hair, despite the fact that it was a lost cause to try to do anything with my hair.
"Mr. Scott. If you stop me from taking him, I will have you arrested."
"Don't let her, Keith." I cried.
He gave me one last squeeze and let me go. I didn't let go of him. My arms were still gripped tightly around his middle. Martha Lansing, Child Services called for backup. I stayed clinged to Keith until a large man came and pried my hands off Keith's back.
"Keith!" I called.
Keith looked away. How could he do this to me? He was supposed to keep me safe. He was the only one left who cared anything about me and he just let them take me.
"Please go get some clothes," Martha Lansing, Child Services tried again.
I kept staring at the back of Keith head.
"He can't help you right now, Lucas."
I didn't move.
"Lucas. Get some clothes." She repeated, more stern this time.
The man who pried me off of Keith gave me a mean look, like that was going to make me cooperate.
"I highly suggest you listen to Miss Lansing, Lucas." Big man said.
"I'll get him clothes." Keith suggested.
I followed him to my room. He took my gym bag that was next to the door and took some clothes from my closet.
I took the clothes back out of the bag.
"How can you let them take me?" I demanded of his, struggling to keep my voice steady.
"What choice do I have, Luke?"
"Stop them!"
He looked about 10 years older than I had ever seen him. He held my face in his hands and kissed my forehead. "I'm sorry. There's nothing I can do right now."
"There has to be something! Don't let them!"
He took the bag from me and packed some clothes. "Would you get a toothbrush, please, Lucas?"
Keith had given up. He wasn't going to try to stop them.
"How could you?! You're just going to let these strangers take me away?"
He looked down.
I gave him back the bag.
"Fine! If you aren't going to try to stop them, I don't wanna live here anyway!" Keith opened his mouth to say something but I turned to Martha, "Where do you want me?"
"Where the hell have you been?!" Keith yelled the second I walked in the door.
I didn't need to answer. He wasn't done yelling. "I asked you to leave a note and you just take off, without calling or coming home. Dammit, Lucas, I just lost someone I care about, you can't leave me, too!"
"You lost someone?! She was my goddamn mother!"
"You are grounded!" He shouted.
"You're not my mother. You have no right to punish me anymore. I don't belong to you in any way." I shouted. Mom would have been pissed if she heard me talking to my uncle like that.
The doorbell rang, but we ignored it, hoping the person would just leave the casserole and get the hell out of our way.
"You have no parents! I'm all you have left, so you'll deal with it. You are grounded!"
I turned around. I didn't want him to see how much that last statement stung.
He sighed, "I didn't mean that."
I didn't turn around. He walked around me so he was facing me, "Luke, I'm sorry-"
He must have smelled the alcohol on my clothes. "You were drinking again! I can't believe it. You promised me no more drinking and then the first night you go out again, you drink!"
The doorbell rang again.
"I can do whatever the hell I want to! You said it yourself, I'm an orphan, a fucking orphan."
"Stop talking like that!"
"You taught me, Keith. You taught me to talk like this. Your fucking side of the family gave me this need for alcohol." I spotted a bottle of vodka on the counter. "Right." I scoffed, "You lecture me about drinking? Sober for 16 years, Keith?! Bullshit."
That got him. Keith whacked the back of my head. Hard. I wobbled with the force of the blow. Jesus, that hurt. My eyes watered from the pain.
"You're not the only one who lost her, Lucas." He said softly.
The doorbell started ringing incessantly.
Keith went to open it, "What the hell do you want?"
"I'm Martha Lansing, from Child Services. I'm here to take Lucas into custody of the state."
"What?!" Keith and I said together. I turned to wipe my eyes and then looked back at her in disbelief.
"I was here to interview the two of you to see what you wanted to do about Lucas's living situation, but what I just witnessed through the door was enough for me to know that this is not a safe environment for Lucas to finish his teenage years. I'm going to have to take him with me."
"No, you're not taking him anywhere," Keith said, "Lucas is staying with me."
"You just hit the boy!" She exclaimed. Keith looked down. "There's open alcohol bottles in the kitchen, this place is a mess and he looks like he hasn't eaten in days. This looks like an abusive situation. I will not allow him to continue living here."
"No, it's not like that." I objected, ignoring the ringing that was starting in my ears.
She raised an eyebrow at me.
"You have a lot of explaining to do if you want to keep this boy," she told Keith. "I'll send someone over later to interview you, but for now, Lucas is coming with me."
"No I'm not. I'm staying with Keith."
"Lucas." She began.
"You're not taking him," Keith said assertively.
"Why? So you can hit him some more?"
"Look, I'm sorry. We're both going through a hard time right now. I need him. He needs me."
"No, Mr. Scott, I'm sorry. I can't let him stay with you. Go get a change of clothes, Lucas. I can send someone over later to get the rest of your things."
"I'm not leaving."
"I'm sorry, sweetie, but you have no choice."
"I do have a choice. I'm 16."
"That doesn't give you a choice. That means you have to come with me. Please go get some clothes and a toothbrush."
I shook my head.
"Listen, if you don't come, I'm going to have to have your uncle arrested for obstruction of child services and possibly kidnapping. With an arrest on his record, there's no way you will get to live with him. Go get your things."
I looked sadly at Keith.
"You'd better go with her, Lucas."
I shook my head.
"Lucas! Go." Keith demanded. "I'll get you back, I promise."
I ran to him before the Martha Lansing, child services could stop me. I hugged him tightly and sobbed into his shirt again. I think that brings the total of Lucas tear soiled shirts to eight. Keith smoothed my hair, despite the fact that it was a lost cause to try to do anything with my hair.
"Mr. Scott. If you stop me from taking him, I will have you arrested."
"Don't let her, Keith." I cried.
He gave me one last squeeze and let me go. I didn't let go of him. My arms were still gripped tightly around his middle. Martha Lansing, Child Services called for backup. I stayed clinged to Keith until a large man came and pried my hands off Keith's back.
"Keith!" I called.
Keith looked away. How could he do this to me? He was supposed to keep me safe. He was the only one left who cared anything about me and he just let them take me.
"Please go get some clothes," Martha Lansing, Child Services tried again.
I kept staring at the back of Keith head.
"He can't help you right now, Lucas."
I didn't move.
"Lucas. Get some clothes." She repeated, more stern this time.
The man who pried me off of Keith gave me a mean look, like that was going to make me cooperate.
"I highly suggest you listen to Miss Lansing, Lucas." Big man said.
"I'll get him clothes." Keith suggested.
I followed him to my room. He took my gym bag that was next to the door and took some clothes from my closet.
I took the clothes back out of the bag.
"How can you let them take me?" I demanded of his, struggling to keep my voice steady.
"What choice do I have, Luke?"
"Stop them!"
He looked about 10 years older than I had ever seen him. He held my face in his hands and kissed my forehead. "I'm sorry. There's nothing I can do right now."
"There has to be something! Don't let them!"
He took the bag from me and packed some clothes. "Would you get a toothbrush, please, Lucas?"
Keith had given up. He wasn't going to try to stop them.
"How could you?! You're just going to let these strangers take me away?"
He looked down.
I gave him back the bag.
"Fine! If you aren't going to try to stop them, I don't wanna live here anyway!" Keith opened his mouth to say something but I turned to Martha, "Where do you want me?"