The girls snuck out the back door and were soon on the road to Hay Lin's house, which was over her parents' Chinese restaurant. Hay Lin's grandmother was sitting at the table when the girls reached the top of the stairs. She smiled mischievously.
"You should see the other guy," Jess giggled as Yan Lin ushered her into a chair. Jess didn't argue as the elderly woman handed her another paper towel to cover her lip, and bustled over to find the first aid kit. Jess couldn't help but trust her, and had often come over to the restaurant just to talk when she had a bad day, even before she and Hay Lin were friends. Yan Lin washed the cuts on Jess's knuckles and clicked her tongue with worry.
"You need stitches, Jessica," she whispered. "What's Vicky's work number?"
"She won't take me to a doctor. I'll be fine. Don't worry." Yan Lin nodded, though Jess could tell she didn't approve. Yan Lin fitted a strip of gauze over Jess's knuckles and taped it closed.
"That should do it," she said. "Who started it?"
"Uriah," Irma snapped. "He said something about Jess's mother. I didn't quite catch it."
"He said…" She trailed off. This is it. I need to tell them. Today is D-day, and they need to know why I will be leaving soon. "He said that it was too bad that my mother left me. Someone needed to teach me to act like a girl."
"Well, I would have hit him too." Yan Lin said, brushing Jess's dark brown hair out of her face.
"Why is that so bad?" Taranee asked. Jess's eyes locked pleadingly with Yan Lin's.
"You should tell them dear. They should know," she said.
"Tell us what?" Hay Lin asked her grandma.
"She's not my mother," Jess whispered. "Vicky, she's not my mother. They're not my parents." Irma giggled.
"Were you raised by wolves? That would explain a lot." Jess forced a laugh.
"They're my foster parents. I'm a ward of the state." She felt the sting of tears in the back of her eyes. There, I said it, she thought. "My mother, my birth mother, abandoned me at a hospital when I was three." The other guardians were watching her with sympathy and shock in their eyes. Jess stood up and crossed the room. She hated people to feel sorry for her. She felt gentle hands on her shoulders as Irma came up behind her.
"Why didn't you say anything before?"
"It wasn't important."
"Tell them how many foster homes you have been in." Yan Lin prompted.
"Nine."
"Nine!" Cornelia said.
"I thought I should tell you because, well, today I've there exactly thirteen months. I've never stayed in a place longer then thirteen months. It's only a matter of time before they get tired of me too."
"How did Uriah find out?" Taranee asked.
"You know, he sneaks into the office and reads the student files. They're not very well guarded." Cornelia.
"What happened to your back?" Will asked randomly, pulling at Jess's jacket. Jess shrugged it off, and Will gasped at the bruises she had from her shoulders to the top of her jeans.
"Why didn't you…" Hay Lin started to say before Jess cut her off.
"It didn't seem important." Jess stared at the floor. "They're tired of me now. My time is up."