Dear Diary,

     Life has been pretty rough lately. I thought I could make it on my own after my mom died and her boyfriend left, but that was not the case. The bills had already been paid for the next two months, and I was getting pretty good at stealing things. It was just basic stuff such as a loaf of bread from Mr. Karlini’s grocery store, but when Coach Rankin said that I needed new basketball shoes, I had to do something. I told him I had my eye on some new blue and white shoes. I took six buses and two hours to get to the Foot Locker all the way in Percy. The people were so nice there, especially De’Ron, one of the employees, who was helping me get the right colors and sizes. When I found the pair I liked, I lied and told him I needed a half size up. He went into the back of the store to find them, and I calmly walked out of the store, noticing that there was no security scanners. I was a few steps out of the store, and then I decided to run as fast as I could away from the store. “Where do you think you’re going, son?” a man’s voice said as I felt a large hand clamp down on my shoulder. After reading his shirt, I realized he was the manager of the Foot Locker. “I was just looking for my mom,” I said very quietly. “She was supposed to meet me here.” He didn’t buy it, and he walked me back to the store.

     After they found out that I was a twelve year-old boy living on my own, they took me to the Child Protection Services. The social worker, Ms. Moretti, was very relaxed when she was talking to me, even when I was yelling. She could hear my stomach growling, so she got me a large pizza. Once the pizza was gone, she told me to wait outside the office so she could find some foster parents that are willing to take me in. I’ve never liked the idea of foster parents. Living with people I’ve never met before actually kind of scares me. “It only took one phone call to find foster parents for you.” Ms. Moretti said.

     And that’s how I ended up here. I have to live at Tom and Carol Lawton’s giant house on the other side of Moreland. Since I didn’t live on the east side of Moreland anymore, I had to go to a different school. That meant new clothes, new teachers, new friends, and worst of all, a new team. That made me furious. The Lawtons stayed calm when ever I would make rude comments towards them. She showed me around the house, and it looked very nice, but I just stayed quiet. When she showed me my new room, I was shocked. It was bigger than my whole living room back at the junky apartment! “Please get out of here and leave me alone!” I shouted, trying to sound angry. The bed was so comfortable, and it was the best sleep I had ever had. I’m trying to adjust to a new environment, but it’s difficult. Maybe change won’t be as bad as think it will be, or maybe it will be worse.

 

     Until Next Time,
     Jayson Barnes