The next morning I woke up for school, looked for signs that mom had come home, and found none. She seldomly came home after a night with a new guy. I got Beth up and we both left for school. "I wish mom was here," Beth whined. Whenever she was too tired, mom would let her stay home from school. That was another way that she and I were completely different. She hated school, and I loved it.

"Well I'm not mom, so get you butt moving, you are going to school." I told her as we walked out of the apartment. As par our daily routine, I dropped her off and went to my school.

"Hey Mrs. Scott, you're on the cover of my magazine," a blonde girl called out during class. "With your hot husband."

"Her whole family's hot," a boy called out. The whole class was laughing.

"Ha ha, you guys crack me up. Let's get back to our English assignment." Before I knew it the bell was ringing and all of the kids were filing out of class, "Jenny, can you stay for a few minutes?" I finished getting my things together while she closed the door.

"What's going on Mrs. Scott?"

"I'm not sure myself, the principle asked me to keep you. How are things going?" She looked normal, so I didn't suspect any problems.

"Fine, I guess."

"Are you making many friends?"

"I don't really make friends, because my mom moves us so often, it's not worth it."

"That's horrible!" The principle and a police officer walked in, interrupting our conversation.

"Mrs. Scott, Jenny, this is Officer Ryan. He needs to speak to Jenny," the Principal Green said.

"Hi, what's going on?" My face must have looked worried because Mrs. Scoot stood closer to me.

"Jenny, this is going to be hard to hear. Take a seat," I sat and he continued, "Your mother got into some pretty bad things when you lived in Philadelphia."

"What? What kind of things?"

"Well, she was involved with a man who was arrested for embezzling millions from a corporation he worked for."

"What does that have to do with my mother?"

"Well, she was an accomplices."

"We lived in Philly when I was like 9. That can't be possible. It has to be a mistake." Mrs. Scott placed her hand on my shoulder for support, and the principle had a look of pity on his face.

"No mistake, she's confessed to everything. She's flown under the radar for quite a while, but we finally got her."

"Well congratulations," I said sarcastically.

"I'm sorry, that was inappropriate."

"Yes Officer Ryan, very much so. Why don't you get to the point." Mrs. Scott said.

"So what family members do you have?" He asked.

"My sister, Beth, but she's only 8. Other than her it's just my mother." Tears began to form in my eyes; I didn't know what would happen to us.

"Are you positive?"

"YES! WHY WOULD I LIE?" I yelled at him.

"Well then we would have to put you in a child services home, until the trial, and then find you a foster home," He looked as if he was telling himself rather than telling me.

"Well Beth and I would be together right?"

"I can't be definite. She is young enough to be adopted, you're just too old."

"No, I'm the only person she talks to. We are best friends, and sisters," I begged him to reconsider.

"I'm sorry, but tonight the only homes I could get were separate, and I don't know if I will ever get you into the same place."

"Well Officer Ryan, that is unacceptable. You knew that they were sisters, you should have worked harder on their case," Mrs. Scott spoke up.

"With all do respect, Mrs. Scott. Leave the child placement up to me, and I'll leave the English teaching up to you…"

"Don't speak to me like that! I think that you are very bad at your job, you can not separate these two girls."

"That is how it's going to work…"

"No sir, this is how its going to work. These girls will come to my house and stay until you find a family that is willing to permanently adopt both of them." All I could do was look back and forth between them.

"Mrs. Scott, there are rules about this sort of thing, you just can't take them. You seem decent enough, but what about your husband, children?"

"My husband is Nathan Scott, an NBA basketball player, and we do not have children. I do know a little something about law, and I believe that if the mother signs off to this, than you have no choice."

"She's a lawyer, but chooses to be a teacher, don't know why," Principle Green said to the officer.

"Well I guess if she signs off to it." He took me to the place they were holding my mom until the trial.

When we walked through the door, she looked horrible. She was wearing an orange jump suit, her least favorite color, and her hair was a mess.

"Jen Jen, baby." She said as she saw me.

"How could you?"

"Baby, I'm so sorry. I thought it was a quick way to get money. I never thought…"

"Exactly you never thought. You never thought of me, you never thought of Beth, and you sure as hell never thought of the consequences."

She began crying and tried to reach for me. "Momma, what am I going to tell Beth?"

"I'm sorry. I'll do anything to make this easier on you girls."

"Tell me we have family, somewhere, anyone. They want to split us up, momma. They want to send Beth and I to different places."

"They can't do that."

"They are. Please name one person." I was pleading to her; I needed to hear of anyone.

"My parents both died a few years back, and I had no aunts or uncles."

"What about my dad?"

"NO! He is out of the question." There must have been a reason she still kept him secret, so I told her the last option.

"Momma, there is one person willing to take us in. My English teacher offered us a place to stay until they found us a permanent place."

"I don't know anything about this woman, and she just offers. No way, that's not safe."

"Oh so now your worried about us? She is a great person, trust me. You just have to sign this and then I'll bring her to meet you next time I come to see you."

"Why do I have to sign first?"

"Because she isn't here, the officer wouldn't let her come. If I spent one night away from my sister, momma, I will never forgive you and I'll make sure that Beth forgets all about you."

"Jen Jen…"

"No, sign the damn paper."

"You swear she's good?"

"Yes, she is a lawyer, and a teacher. Her husband is a basketball player, please." My mom picked up the pen and signed her rights of my sister and me over to Nathan and Haley Scott. That was one thing about my momma, she never read the fine print.