Liz and Gregory reminded me of alpha males trying to assert their authority.

I finished unpacking, and headed downstairs as Liz had requested. I didn't want to cause any trouble, I just wanted to make a phone call.

"How do you like your new digs?" Gregory asked as I walked through the living room. One of the other boys was hanging off of his arm. He couldn't be more than six years old. Poor kid.

"It's wonderful, thank you," I said as politely as I could muster. I didn't want to be here.

"Come sit, sweetie," Liz patted a chair next to her in the kitchen. "This won't take long, and then we can see about getting you a phone call."

As I sat down, I noticed that she had a large binder in front of her. I wondered how much in there was about me. I also wondered how much in there was about that other little boy in the living room.

"So, this is the boring part, I know, but it's important," Liz assured, opening the binder. I couldn't tell what she was reading from where I was sitting, but it looked like it was some sort of outline. Probably a first night routine or something.

"First off, we have rules in this house. Three umbrella expectations, which cover smaller rules. Everyone in this house follows them, even Gregory and I. The first is be safe. There will be no unsafe behaviors inside or outside of this house. That includes behaviors that hurt you and hurt others, so no fighting, drinking, drug use, smoking, etc. Does that make sense?"

"Yes ma'am," I fought the urge to roll my eyes. I was almost 100% sure these guys read my file. I wasn't going anywhere near drugs.

"The second is be responsible. Pick up after yourself, and be where you're supposed to be. That means school, work, and curfew."

"I have a curfew?" I scoffed. Liz looked at me like I had ten heads.

"Of course," she nodded. "10:00 PM on the weekdays and 11:00 PM on the weekends. Nothing good happens after midnight."

"I don't even get out of work until 10:00!" I complained. Liz sighed.

"When you get your work schedule, let me know, and we can talk about what time to expect you home then."

"Thank you," I told her.

"The third," she continued, "is be respectful. We do yes ma'am and no sir, which you seem to be familiar with. You will treat not only Gregory and I, but our boys with respect, but we also expect you to treat yourself with respect. Do you understand?"

"Yes ma'am," I said, not trying to be fresh. She smiled and nodded.

"Good. Now for routines. It's the summer, so there's no school, but we are going to enroll you in Medina Valley High School when the time comes, should you still be with us. I am going to need your work schedule, so that Gregory and I can arrange transportation. You work in the city, right?"

"Yeah, at a dance studio," I repeated from earlier. I was grateful they were letting me keep my job.

"Great," Liz smiled. "During the summer, breakfast is at 8:00 and promptly at 8:00. You will make your bed every morning and keep your room tidy. During the day, you will have a list of chores to complete. Once those chores are done, you can start cashing in on your privileges."

"What are my privileges?" I asked for clarification.

"Screen time, basically," Liz shrugged, "But also time with friends, field trips into the city, etc. We can talk about that on a case by case basis."

"Okay, thank you," I told her.

"Nina also gave us some information about designated hospital times," Liz started hesitantly. "You can visit your sister twice a week for an hour," she stated. "Extra time would be considered another privilege."

"Are you kidding me?" I blurted again. "Only an hour? She's my sister," I argued.

"It takes a lot to drive into the city, and I have two young boys. We can't chaperone you and take care of them," Liz explained. I rolled my eyes. I could already see how this was going.

"Be respectful, please," Liz reminded. "I know this is a difficult time for you, but you need to be patient. The transition into foster care is a marathon, not a sprint. We can't let you have all the freedoms you're used to having, and there are rules we all need to follow, whether we like them or not. Now, do you want that phone call?"

"Yes, please," I mumbled. I definitely wanted that phone call now.

"Here is the landline. No more than fifteen minutes, and no calls behind closed doors," Liz instructed. I nodded. I put the phone down momentarily and raced back up to my room to search for that tiny piece of paper I was given last night. I raced back downstairs and grabbed the landline, moving to find a place that wasn't behind a closed door, but was also private.

I dialed the number, and waited impatiently while it rang. I was incredibly disappointed when the phone went to voicemail.

Hi, this is Drew. Please leave your name, number, and brief message, and I'll get back to you as soon as possible. Thank you! Beep.

"Hi Drew, this is Livvy. The girl you promised you would answer," I was holding back tears. "Please call me back."

I hung up. I knew I was being overdramatic, but he promised that he would pick up. I needed to talk to him. I needed to get out of this house. I needed an adult that didn't care about the God damn rules.

The phone rang quickly after that.

"Hello?" I answered, not bothering to screen the call. Hope filled my voice.

"Liv, I'm so sorry," Drew was panting. "I left my phone for two seconds. I heard my voicemail, what happened? Are you okay?" I nodded, tears running down my face. He did care.

"I'm in some random town outside of San Antonio," I told him, trying to calm myself down and wiping my face. "I need you to come get me."

"Why? What's wrong?" I could hear shuffling. He was actually going to come get me, no questions asked.

"I want to see Brianna," I explained. The shuffling stopped.

"Liv," Drew sighed. "I can't just come get you every time you want to see Bri."

"They will only let me see her twice a week, Drew!" I complained. "She's sick, I want to be with her, not here twiddling my thumbs."

"How's your foster family?" Drew redirected. He sounded tired.

"They're nice, don't change the subject," I warned him.

"Listen, Liv," Drew began. "I would love to come get you and take you to Brianna, but I can't. I promise that as soon as I get to my shift I will have her call you. Is this the right number?"

"Yeah, this is my new landline," I grumbled.

"Is there a computer, or a way to video chat? That could help, too," Drew offered.

"I don't know, I'll have to ask. They keep everything locked up pretty tight," I explained.

"Okay, well, we can talk about that when we call later. Hang tight, and try to get to know them. Also, Liv?" Drew asked.

"Yeah?" I responded.

"I'm really glad you called," I could hear the smile in his voice. "I know I can't do what you want me to do, but you can trust me. I'm here for you, just like I told you last night."

"I know, Dr. Drew," I teased. "You answered. Well, you called back," I corrected. "That got you a lot of brownie points."

"I'm glad. I'll talk to you tonight," he promised. I nodded.

"Thanks, Drew."

"You're welcome," he answered. We definitely had him wrapped around our fingers. Now if I could just get Liz and Gregory to be the same way.