climbing in the front seat. Logan puts the key in the ignition and we all cross our fingers while we wait for the engine to purr to life. When it does, we all sigh in relief that we don’t have to spend the afternoon walking the five miles home.
Carter turns the radio on to some hip-hop station. Neither Logan nor I like hip hop but it helps Carter relax, which is what he’s going to need if he’s going to survive an entire night at home. We all sit in relative silence, the music the only thing keeping us company until Logan pulls up in front of Carter’s trailer and turns the car off. Carter stares at the front door, but doesn’t move to jump out.
Our home life isn’t great, but Carter’s is far, far worse. He became a foster child when he was six. His foster parents have basically treated him as free labor and a welfare check ever since. He rarely stays at home, usually sleeping on our couch or in Logan’s bedroom. Today is one of the rare occasions when he’s required to be home. He’s supposed to babysit his foster siblings.
Carter exchanges a glance with Logan and then opens the door and climbs out of the car. He doesn’t say anything and we don’t either. We don’t say good luck dodging his foster father’s beatings. We don’t say keep your cool while the people that are supposed to be your parents throw all their money away on the slots instead of providing food and clothes for you. We don’t say anything because despite not having to worry about getting beat, our life isn’t much better. So we just watch Carter walk up to the door and disappear inside.
Logan doesn’t start the car up again. Instead, we just sit outside and hope that Carter comes back. Even I, who hates Carter’s guts and wishes I had some time to myself without having to worry about what stupid pranks he and my brother are going to pull on me, would rather have him here than getting beat.
“Why did you and Carter try to get between me and Mark?” I ask as I climb into the front seat.
“You’re too young to date,” Logan says ignoring me and staring at the door. He seems more worried than usual about his friend.
“I’m fifteen! That’s plenty old enough. You started dating way before that.”
“Yea and I shouldn’t have. You don’t want to end up like Amber, do you?”
I frown. “I’m not stupid enough to get pregnant in high school like my sister did.”
He finally looks at me. “You’re not having sex or dating until you’re in college.”
“You can’t tell me what to do. You’re not my father. You’re only two years older than me.”
He sighs and runs his hand through his hair. We both realize that it’s time to go. That Carter is stuck inside for the night and there is nothing we can do to protect him. Not tonight anyway.
“I can’t tell you what to do. Date Mark if that’s what you want. Just be careful, you’re the only one of us that has a chance at breaking free of this shitty town.”
I smile a little as I twist my frizzy hair around my finger and put my feet up on the dashboard.
Logan starts the car and begins speeding off toward our house. He glances in the rearview mirror and suddenly steps on the breaks.
“What the hell?” I say as my body is thrust forward and then back abruptly.
Logan continues to stare in the rearview mirror as his face goes white. I turn around scared to glance behind me when I see Carter running toward our car. He throws the backdoor open and jumps in. Logan immediately steps on the gas as soon as Carter is safely inside. I see Carter’s face out of the corner of my eye. His eye and cheek is black and blue.
We don’t ask questions. We don’t have to. And Carter offers up no explanation of what happened. We just drive to our house and pretend that this isn’t our life. That we are normal kids that don’t have to worry about problems like this.
Logan parks the car in the driveway to our house. It isn’t much, just a little over a thousand square feet in total. We don’t have a garage and the lawn has never been taken care of so it is mostly weeds at this point. We walk up the sidewalk that has