The next morning, I don't go to school because I have to have a meeting with Stef, Lena, Rita and my social worker Bill. He just has to approve them which doesn't take long because he knows they're good parents. Rita seems really happy for me. Stef invites me to talk out on the porch while the others finish off some paperwork.

"Sorry for turning up at your house the other night, and thank you so much for letting me come to stay with you, I know you have a lot of kids,"

"It's okay, I know what it's like to have a connection with a child, and that's how Lena felt about you, I think we can get there too," She smiles.

"Thank you, it's not permanent though, I know you've already got a really full house, I just really needed a more stable environment so I can get on my feet, I want to conquer the world, I'm sick of it always beating me," She stares at me with a facsinated smile, "What?"

"You're a really wonderful young lady," I smile, no one's ever said anything like that to me before, "I think you'll fit in really well," She hugs me.

"Okay, all set," Lena and the others come outside and join us, "You are now officially fostered!" Lena hugs me too.

"Congratulations Cressida," Rita hugs me too, "See I told you good things do happen," I shake bills hand too. I grab my garbage bags with my clothes in from upstairs and I get into Lena's car.

I'm going to live in a home, an actual home, not just a house where messed up foster kids live with abusive adults who only take them in for the money. I'm going to live with a loving family, a house full of my friends. I'll be able to see my brother after school everyday, I'll still probably have to share a room, but that's okay, I don't like sleeping alone anyway.

"Okay, follow me, I'll show you your room," Lena carries my garbage bags upstairs, "Callie's moved into Brandons old room and you can take her bed,"

"That's so nice of her," I sit down on the soft sheets, "The sheets aren't scratchy, and they don't smell bad, they smell like," I take a big whiff, "Roses, this house is awesome!"

"I'm glad you like it," Lena begins to empty my bags into a draw, I don't have a lot of stuff, so I only take up one drawer.

"I don't know how I can thank you and Stef for all of this Lena, it's incredible, it's more than I ever imagined," I get up and hug her again,

"You can thank us by making yourself at home, and behaving of course, but you will be trusted in this house, as long as you trust us too, if there's anything you need to talk about, just come and get either of us, or one of the kids," I smile, I can't help but give her another tight, I truly believe she and Stef have saved my life.

I start to feel guilty, I can't lie to them, I have to end it with Jesus, I respect Stef and Lena and they're whole family to betray them like this. I need to have as little secrets as possible. It'll hurt Jesus, but it's not forever, just until I move out, but I can't expect him to wait for me. I get lost in my thoughts.

"Cressida?" Lena snaps me out of it, "I said Stef and I are going to work, Callie will be home soon, can I trust you here alone until then?"

"Yep, you don't have to worry about me," I follow her downstairs and I say goodbye to them. I watch them drive away and I decide to look around the house. There's pictures everywhere, they all look so happy, I feel so lucky to get to stay here. I see a lot of pictures of a boy playing piano, that must be Brandon. I see a piano in the living room. It looks a little dusty, I guess he's the only one who plays. Apart from me, I blow away the dust and I begin to play. I don't play the classic stuff, I like ballads and stuff like that. My guilty pleasure is She Will Be Loved by Maroon 5, I used to play it on my keyboard. My mom got it for like $10 at a garage sale, some of the keys didn't work but I thought it was just magical, but playing on a real piano was something else completley, they keys work so perfectly and even though I'm not very good, it makes me sound amazing. I was so focused until I heard the door open and close, I turn and see Callie walking in.

"Hey," She smiles, "Moms told us all last night you were coming to stay, I guess it's kind of lucky you and Jesus decided to just be friends," I nod, "Was that you singing?" I didn't even realise I had started singing.

"You heard that?" I blush.

"Don't be embarrassed it was great, you're the perfect replacement for Brandon," She laughs, "Hey, you wanna help me put these groceries away?"

"Sure," I follow her into the kitchen and put things where she tells me too, "So your last two classes were cancelled?"

"Yeah, I had a double and my teacher was out sick, I love it when that happens,"

"In one of my old schools, my teacher came in to school even though she had food poisoning and she through up on a bunch of third graders, the video went viral,"

"No way, I saw that, Mrs. Vomas?"

"Yeah," We both crack, she pulls the video up on her phone and our sides split, Callie and I get on really well, "Hey thanks for giving up your bed for me, your room is so nice,"

"It's cool, I get a room to myself, I will miss Mariana though, she's a great roommate, she can be messy sometimes but if you just throw her stuff on her bed she puts away,"

"Thanks for the tip, anything else I need to know?"

"It's difficult to get in the bathroom, so either get up early or have night showers, and if you wake up to the sound of Mariana huffing and puffing, it's cuz she's practising her dance routines, she does that a lot," She laughs, I'm just kind of confused, "And we take turns making dinner, some nights moms cook, other nights it's me and Jude, then sometimes Mariana and Jesus, but Jesus can't cook and Mariana says it's not fair that she has to cook on her own so we all pitch in on those nights,"

"Well, I can cook, what are we having tonight?"

"Moms are making spaghetti, it's Mariana's night tomorrow, you can help out,"

"Cool, I make a mean lasagna,"

Callie and I sit in the living room and watch TV while we wait for everyone else to get home. It's been literally years since I watched TV, Mom couldn't afford it anymore, we still watched movies sometimes but all the DVDs were scratched and the VCR was on its last legs. There was a TV in Juvie but they only ever watched the news and that was just depressing. We sit and watch awful reality TV, but it's fun to judge all the crazy people.

Jesus and Mariana get home, he takes one look at me and mumbles a greeting and goes off upstairs, when no one is looking he smiles at me, I know he wants me to go up after him but it'll be too obvious if I went straight away, so I finish watching the show with Callie and then I go upstairs.

"Hey," I go in his room shutting the door behind him, he gets up from his desk and comes over to kiss me, "Jesus," I gently push him away, "I don't think this is a good idea, it doesn't feel right lying to your moms, they've taken me in,"

"So? It won't matter once you're out of here," He kisses me again, I try to resist but it just feels so right, "See, you can't help it, there's no point fighting it, what we have is real,"

"Jesus, are you sure you can do this? Callie said you tell Mariana everything, you can't tell her this,"

"I told you, I can do it for you," I grab his face and kiss him hard, then I walk out of his room as casually as I can, always leave them wanting more. I go into my new room and try as hard as I can not to feel guilty, I've been telling myself to stay away from secrets and lying, but I can't help it, it's like it's in my blood. I go back downstairs, Jude is home now and he offers to help me with my math homework. That's one thing in my life I can try to get right, so he and I sit in the yard and get started. Even the garden is incredible.

I try to focus on math but I can't stop thinking about Jesus, and AJ, he was so proud of me for making the right choice, and now I'm lying to him even more.