"So you're really leaving." Roxanne said as she sat at the kitchen table puffing on her morning cigarette. The years of smoking had done some major damage to her appearance making her look years older than she was. Her brown skin was riddled with wrinkles and her teeth had taken on a yellowy tent from the nicotine. Her voice, by far my least favorite thing about her, was rough and scratchy.

"Yeah, I'm leaving, Roxanne," I said to her. I held a trash bag of stuff in each hand. I was so excited about moving today I didn't sleep at all last night. I've been waiting for this day since I was six years old.

Roxanne croaked, "I'm surprised you made it this long without getting pregnant. I thought that you would end up like one of those other fast little girls that come through here." She uses the term fast to describe every young girl that's hit puberty around here, it's sad really, because most of their sexual experience is from unwanted advances.

"Thankfully I'm on the pill," I said sarcastically.

She narrowed her eyes, putting out her cigarette. "You wouldn't be half bad if you didn't have such a smart ass mouth."

I smiled in spite of her comment. Today is the start of a new beginning and I wasn't going to let Roxanne ruin it.

Tasha honked from outside. She'd borrowed her older brothers truck to help me move today. They'd loaded all the things that I kept in Nia's grandmothers garage in the truck bed, I could see it through Roxanne's screen door.

"Looks like it's time for me to go, Roxanne."

"Bye," she said grouchily.

I took in a deep breath of fresh air as I stepped out of that house for the last time. The air smelled of sweet, sweet freedom, and I loved every minute of it.

"Hurry up, Lavender and the boys are already at your apartment!" Tasha yelled through the open passenger window.

Before I could go downstairs two of my now former foster sisters stopped me. Rushing out of the house, causing Roxanne to yell something about slamming doors. Trina and Sasha stood before me, they'd become close since arriving at Roxanne's and I just hoped that they wouldn't be seperated. They'd begun telling people that they were sisters, I've seen this happen time and time again, I just hoped it wouldn't end badly for them.

"Do you have to go," Trina asked frowning.

"I aged out," I explained. Despite the seven and eight year age gap we were practically the same height. "I don't have any choice but to leave." Even if I did I wouldn't want to stay here.

"But who's going to do our hair?" Sasha asked running her hands down her braids. They both had braids that I had done. Before I began doing hair for extra cash, I originally learned because I was sick of going to school with my hair a mess. An older girl that was staying at Roxanne's at the time taught me, Kara, she wasn't here long, but she taught me before she aged out. Then I just started doing the younger girls hair. God knows Roxanne wasn't going to do it.

"And who's going to buy us Poptarts?" Trina cried.

Reaching into my front pocket, I fished for some bills that I had placed there. "Here," I said handing them each a five. "You can each buy yourself a box, but hide them under your bed. And don't let her catch you with them or she'll throw them away. You'll be fine without me. Trina remember the more simple braids I taught you and help Sasha with them."

They both took the money, but they still looked sad. "We're going to miss you," said Sasha.

"You'll see me again," I assured them. Maybe not here, but I had confidence that we'd see each other in the future. Hopefully under better circumstances. "And you know where I work you can visit me anytime." I was there even when I wasn't working.

Tasha honked her horn one more time.

I was going to kick her ass one of these days, I swear.

I stepped off the porch and down the steps. "I have to go, but remember what I said about the poptarts. And hide the change too. People tend to have sticky fingers around here."

"Bye Maya," they yelled from the porch waving as I threw my trash bags in the trunk of my car before going to talk to Tasha.

"I almost broke my nail trying to get all your shit in the trunk," Tasha complained as I stood on tiptoe to poke my head through the window. God could give me thighs that rub together too much when I walk and a shitty childhood, but she couldn't make me a few inches taller. I'm convinced she hates me.

"And she hasn't stopped whining about it since," Nia said from next to her. "It's just a nail, Tasha."

"To you," Tasha scoffed.

I rolled my eyes at her, slipping on my sunglasses. "I'm sorry about your nail, Tasha." I'm not but I just wanted her to shut up about it.

She held her hands out inspecting the neon orange acrylic for any damage. "I've already contacted Celia, she says she might be able to fit me in tomorrow. Just in case."

"Good to know. You guys follow behind me, alright. And try not to speed, Tasha, I want all my stuff to get there in one piece." The DMV really messed up when they gave her a drivers license she drives like she's on a high speed chase.

"I'll do my best."

Nia looked worried. "Maya, can I ride with you."

Tasha laughed, "Oh no, you don't. You're sticking with me, sister."

Nia mouthed, "Pray for me."

I sent a small prayer up for Nia as I slipped into my own car. It took me three tries to start it up, but once I finally got it to turn over, it was semi-smooth sailing. I don't have a working radio and the thought of this beat up old thing having an aux port is laughable, so I have to improvise. Going to the Spotify app on my phone, I chose a playlist and stuck it in the front pocket of my overalls. Not the best but it would have to do.

I pulled out of Roxanne's cracked driveway with the sound of Queen blaring from my chest. In the words of the great Freddie Mercury, "It's a beautiful day."

I pulled into my apartment complex parking lot where Lavender, Nick, Sam, and Marcus were already waiting. They stood around a large black SUV talking to one another. Tasha parked that monster of a truck in a parking spot next to me. I had to say I was proud of her, she went the speed limit the entire way and all my furniture seemed to be in one piece.

I turned my music off and stepped out of the car.

"I'm alive," Nia said amazed. "I'm alive."

"Oh my God, stop being so dramatic," Tasha said slamming the car door. "You were never going to die."

"Hey, girlies!" Lavender came over to us. Her hair was pulled into a high ponytail, despite the sweaty work ahead of us she still had on more eyeliner than I could ever dream of wearing. Her outfit consisted of her standard two colors, black and white, I respected her consistency.

"Hey, I hope you weren't waiting too long," I said to her.

"We've only been here for about fifteen minutes," she told me. "But you know I had to stop and get an iced coffee first."

"Understandable," I laughed.

I unlocked the trunk of my car, it was crammed full of boxes and bags of stuff. I'd given some stuff to the other girls at Roxanne's, there was going to be several little girls wearing oversized leather jackets this fall. I began pulling bags out of the trunk, some were heavier than others.

"Hey, let me help you with that," said Nick coming up next to me. I was instantly overpowered by the warm smell of his cologne. He stood tall next to me, not that it took much, I'm the shortest person I know besides Maggie. He wore a old t-shirt, shorts, and a worn baseball cap to shield his eyes from the sun.

"Thanks," I said as I watched him grab a box of records that I'd been collecting. Maggie had gifted me a record player and I had been dying to move so I could use it. That was the first thing on my agenda when I was done unpacking.

"No problem," He said. "That's what I'm here for right."

"You're right," I agreed. "Did you bring tools?" Because I don't have any.

"I sure did," he smiled. "And you know what else I brought?"

"What?"

"Water," he said.

I laughed. "Good to know you left the energy drinks at home."

"I would hate to have a heart attack," he sighed. He looked between my car and the truck. "You don't have as much stuff as I thought."

Years of sharing a shockingly small space will do that. "Are you good at building things?" I asked.

"I guess so," he answered. He furrowed his blonde brows, asking "Why?"

"You'll see." He looked confused but he didn't even know the projects that I had in store for him.

"Maya, where's your apartment," Marcus called over to me. Nia stood next to him with her arm around his waist, the two of them were attached at the hip.

"Go up the stairs, it's the first apartment to the left."

"Um, can we rock,paper, scissors on who's carrying the couch," Sam said looking into the trunk.

"Come on, Sam you can get it just fine," Nick said to him. I wasn't so sure about that. I looked at Sam's skinny build, I think he'd be more suited for carrying boxes or building ikea furniture.

"I'll help you Sam," Marcus volunteered.

"We should start with the couch first," I directed everyone. "Everything else isn't that heavy. Tasha since you're so concerned about breaking a nail you can help me carry these bags."

"Thank you," she smiled, gratefully.

Like I had thought, once the couch was in everything else was light work. Tasha's nails survived and my couch didn't kill Sam. I would say it was a success.

"I'll never understand why you picked this," Tasha said gesturing towards the couch that Marcus and Sam had positioned against the wall.

"What, you don't like it?" I know it's not everyone's cup of tea, but personally, I love it.

"Not really," she frowned looking at it. "But I can work with it, I guess. Where are the posters you bought?"

"Uh, they're in a box somewhere."

"We got it!" Lavender exclaimed. "We finally got it!"

Her and Nia stood proudly next to my new clothing rack. "It looks good." I can't wait to adorn it with all of my leather jackets.

"Well, I'm glad you guys got that done, because we can't get this damn thing built to save our lives," said Sam. He sat on the floor with the pieces of what would be a dresser surrounding him.

Marcus stood over him. "I don't know what you want me to do Sam the directions are in Swedish, we have to go by the pictures."

"Is your phone broken, Marcus!" he said frustrated. "Has Google suddenly disappeared?"

Marcus glared at him.

Lavender put a hand over her mouth to keep from laughing out loud.

"Anyways, can you go find the box of posters for me?" Tasha asked me. "I want to cover up some of these patches."

Despite the mess of unfinished furniture and boxes, I thought my little apartment was coming along nicely. It wasn't a big space to fill, with only one bedroom it wouldn't be long before it started to feel like home. I never considered Roxanne's a home, just a stopping place, before I got somewhere more permanent. I had no plans to stay here forever, but at least I didn't have to worry about getting kicked out if I breathed the wrong way.

I went into my room to search for the box of prints and posters, and found Nick putting my bed frame together. He was too busy to notice me come in.

I snuck behind him, tapping on his shoulder. He jumped startled.

"Oh, Maya, I didn't hear you come in," he exhaled.

"Sorry." He had taken off his baseball cap, now his hair fell wild around his head. "The bed looks nice."

"I'm almost finished with it," he said looking at his work. "It shouldn't take me much longer."

"I think Marcus and Sam could use your help," I told him."They're about to kill each other."

He nodded, "I'm not surprised in the slightest."

I looked through a stack of boxes in the corner. "What are you looking for?" he asked.

"A box of posters. Tasha's going to start decorating the living room."

"I think I saw it over here." He stood up and went to the other side of the room. Pulling a box from underneath a pile of bags. "Is it this one?"

I looked in the box and saw my Queen poster resting at the top. "Yes, it is. Thanks." I took the box from him.

"Are your parents okay with you having your own place?" he asked.

"I was in foster care, so they don't exactly know what I'm doing." Or care. I haven't spoken to my mother in years and I never knew who my dad was. Never cared really. I'm sure he was a john or a drug dealer or something worse.

"Oh, I'm sorry," he started to apologize.

"Don't apologize," I told him. "It's not a big deal. What about your parents?"

Furrowing his brows, he asked, "What about them?"

"Do they always let you throw big parties like that?"

"Oh," he said. "They don't know about them, but I don't think they would care of they did. My dad owns a bunch of nightclubs, so he's never home. And my mom lives in Greece with her boyfriend. We don't talk much."

"So they just let you live in that mansion alone?" I can't believe it--actually, yes I can. Rich people are notorious for not taking care of their kids.

"I'm not always alone," he said. With the way he looks I'm sure he has plenty of visitors.

I cleared my throat. Here I go again, asking him about his personal life. "I'm ordering pizza soon, do you want anything special?"

"Anything you get will be fine," he replied. I felt myself getting flustered under his gaze, I hated it.

"Okay, I'll let you know when it gets here," I said.

"Okay, I'll be here," he smirked. I got out of there with my box of posters before I could ask him anymore overly personal questions. I don't know what has gotten into me lately. Who am I to ask him about his home life? And why am I so angry about his parents leaving him all alone?

"You found them," Tasha said taking the box of posters from me. Setting it on the couch, she began going through them looking at their various sizes. "Can you hand me those push pins?" she asked distracting me from my flustered thoughts.

"Yeah," I grabbed the box of gold push pins from my makeshift coffee table. "I'm going to order pizza are there any requests?"

"Pepperoni!" Lavender and Sam answered in unison.

"Just cheese for me," replied Tasha. "I always get a zit when I eat pepperoni."

"Noted," I nodded.

"I don't care what you get," Marcus said, it looked like he and Sam were finally making some progress on my dresser.

"I'll just take cheese," Nia said from the kitchen where she was unpacking boxes. I'd picked some cute cherry printed dish sets from Maggie's antique shop. I had found a few things there, actually.

"Okay, one cheese pizza, one pepperoni, and one with anything coming up."

Hey, lovelies! I feel like I'm not talking to you guys as much, but I've been working a lot lately. Tell me what you thought of this chapter, I would love to read your comments.