After the eventful encounter with Karson, I tried to regain control of my ragged breaths as I walked to my next period. Of course, with my luck, my next period had Braxton, Colton, and Karson in my class. I suppressed my nerves as I walked into the full classroom.

My eyes roamed around, searching for a certain groups of boys until I found them hidden in the back. I slowly made my way over to them, my heart hammering inside of my chest as I watched Braxton's eyes shoot up in curiosity.

"Where have you been, pretty girl?" He asked, his wandering eyes looking me up and down.

I cleared my throat. "Well, I just went to the bathroom after the fight broke up."

Braxton hummed in response, letting my answer slide as I easily sat in the chair next to him. I never once looked in Karson's direction, as I was too scared to see those emerald eyes burn with emotions I didn't understand. I didn't want to see the flecks of gold that were hidden behind the dark green color.

I figured the teachers didn't know that the fight happened, because everything seemed to be normal. Since Karson was in class, I assumed he didn't get in trouble, even though his bruised face looked quite suspicious.

I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts as I just stared at the board ahead. I could hear my pulse pound in my ears as I tried to ignore the small chatter between Karson and Colton. God, even hearing his voice made me nervous.

The teacher stood at the front of the classroom, his mouth opening and closing, but I couldn't hear any words fall out. My ears strained, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't understand anything he said. I was too focused on remembering his lips against mine. Why couldn't I stop thinking about it?

I suddenly flinched, my body jumping out of its skin as the door shot open and slammed against the wall with a startling thud. My eyes shot up to the door to see my little brother looking disoriented. His body visibly tensed when his gaze met mine.

Sheer panic seeped through my veins as I stared at my little brother. His face was very pale and his hands violently shook by his sides. My eyebrows immediately shot up in alarm.

"What the fuck?" I heard Braxton mumble under his breath from next to me.

"Can I help you?" Mr. Johnson asked as he turned to look at Jace. He had his arms crossed over the other as he narrowed his shallow eyes at my little brother.

"I need to talk to Dakota," Jace mumbled, his tongue anxiously grazing over his bottom lip as his gaze faltered, looking at our teacher. It looked like he wasn't able to focus on our teacher in front of him. Something was wrong.

I quickly shot out of my seat, grabbing my backpack as my eyes quickly met Karson's. It felt like time had stopped for just a split second. His emerald eyes stared at me with a glint of concern dancing through the gold specs that were splattered throughout his eyes.

I quickly snapped out of whatever daze I was in, turning on my heel as my breath came out short and ragged. I didn't have time to deal with what was happening between Karson and I, because something was wrong with Jace. At this moment, all I cared about was my little brother.

I walked to the front of the classroom, completely ignoring my classmates' snickers and comments, wondering what was going on. If only they understood that I didn't know either.

"Jace, are you okay?" I whispered only loud enough for him to hear as I gently rested my hand on top of his shoulder.

"It's mom," he gulped, his frightened eyes never once leaving mine.

It's mom. I felt every ounce of color drain from my face as my breath got lodged inside of my throat. I stammered, not knowing what to say as I ignored my teacher's comments, and quickly grabbed Jace's hand.

I couldn't process my teacher's voice calling out my name, because I was too focused on dragging Jace and myself out of the room. When the door closed behind us, I scanned my little brother's pale face. "What's wrong with her?"

"She got arrested, Dak," he whispered, his eyes darting throughout the hallway to make sure no one was able to hear us. He looked on edge, fidgeting with his fingers as his eyes held a look of pity. If our mother got arrested, that meant it wasn't going to end well for us. Where would we go?

My body stiffened as my gaze faltered. I looked to the lockers next to me, the numbers blurry as I tried to focus on something, anything. This wasn't happening. Fuck.

"Do you know why she was arrested?" I quietly asked, the palm of my hands sweating as I gently wiped them against my pants.

He sighed, smoothly running his fingers through his hair as he looked hesitant. "She was drinking and driving."

"Goddamnit!" I quietly cursed, trying to control myself from punching the locker next to me. I didn't know what to do. My head began to spin as I gently rested my palm against my forehead, trying to ease the stress.

"The police department called the school letting us know because they couldn't get in contact with us at home," he explained as his forehead creased in distress.

"When did they tell you?" I asked, my voice merely above a whisper as students walked by us without a second glance.

"I was just walking in the hall when the principal stopped me and asked if I was Jace. It was obvious he was looking for me," he shivered as he anxiously fiddled with his fingers. "After he told me about mom, I ignored everything else he said and immediately ran to find you."

I gripped my hair in frustration, stiffly nodding my head as I tried to figure out what we were going to do. "We need to go to the police department."

"What? Why?" He asked, shaking his head in disagreement as he grit his teeth.

"She's our mom, Jace," I sighed as I rubbed my temple, trying to ease the throbbing headache that just showed up. "We need to go now to figure out what's going to happen to us."

"Don't say that, Dak," Jace denied, his voice small as his eyes held a glint of fear. We were both scared. Since I wasn't eighteen, it was very possible that we could get put in foster care. "Please."

His voice broke at the end of his sentence, knowing exactly what I meant. He knew the possibilities, because we've gone over it many times just in case it actually happened. I never thought it would become reality.

"I know it's hard to hear, but it's the truth, Jace," I mumbled as more weight fell on top of my shoulders. This was too much for a seventeen year old girl to handle. "Let's just go and we can talk to the police officers, okay? We don't know for sure what will happen until we talk to them."

He sighed, hesitantly nodding his head as his crystal blue eyes stared at the floor. I gently grabbed his arm, pulling him along with me as my heart pounded in my chest. I was freaking out, but I needed to stay calm for Jace.

I pushed against the metal doors, stepping outside as the gust of wind nipped at my face. I shivered, letting go of Jace's hand as we quickly walked to my car. I didn't care if the teachers saw us leave, because they probably already knew what happened. Oh joy.

I sucked in a sharp breath, trying to control my breathing as we trudged towards my car. I fumbled with my car keys, my heads shaking as Jace numbly looked at the brick building in front of us.

When we finally got in the car, I sped out of the parking lot and headed towards the nearest police station. I knew she would be at this one since she was there quite often. She was either there for being on drugs, or because she was passed out drunk on the sidewalk.

The policemen there knew of us because of my mother's frequent visits. I knew this was the last straw, because they always let her go without a pass, but not this time. She drove with alcohol in her system, and that could've easily resulted with other people getting injured, or even death.

Jace sat in the passenger seat, staring outside the window as neither of us said a word to each other. With everything going on recently, I could feel everything start to pile up to where it was getting to be too much. I was only seventeen for fucks sake. I don't know what I'm doing. I should be worrying about what I'm wearing to a party, not stressing about whether we'll be put into foster care because of our alcoholic mother or not.

I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts as I turned into the police station. My hands were wrapped tightly around the steering wheel to keep my hands from violently shaking. I didn't want to face my mother.

My thoughts were racing as I thought of Olivia. She was still at school, but how was I going to tell a five year old that her mother got arrested? Fuck.

We parked near the front entrance, shakily grabbing my key before I turned the ignition off. We slowly got out of the car, both dreading what welcomed us inside. I knew the policemen weren't very fond of my mother, so I knew this probably wouldn't end well for her.

When we stepped into the police station, the atmosphere felt tense and it smelled way too clean. I scrunched my nose as the strong smell worsened my headache. I slightly glanced over my shoulder, making sure Jace was behind me.

I looked around and noticed a male police officer sitting behind the front desk, his brows furrowed together as he focused on the computer screen in front of him. When I walked up to him, his head shot up as his eyes traveled between Jace and I.

His lips were pressed together in a thin line, quickly rearranging something on his desk before looking at us once again. "Hi. How can I help you two?"

I cleared my throat, taking a deep breath. "I'm here for Lillian Anderson. I'm Dakota Anderson and this is Jace Anderson," I pointed to my brother next to me as he stood completely still. "We are her children."

"Ah, yes," he mumbled, a reassuring smile grazing his lips as he typed a few things into his computer. His fingers moved fast against the keyboard, leaving both of us to awkwardly stand around waiting for him.

"Lillian Anderson, arrested for the possession of drugs and driving under the influence," he told us, his eyes scanning the bright screen as he never glanced up to look at us.

My breath hitched, possession of drugs? She was absolutely fucked. I gently grabbed Jace's arm, feeling his body shaking as his face was a bit pale. I looked at him, my eyes traveling to meet his watery ones. His blue eyes were brighter, the tears pooling in his eyes, enhancing the color.

"Can we see her?" I asked, my eyes traveling to meet the officers. He gave me a polite smile, nodding his head as he smoothly got out of his chair. The chair spun in circles when we got out of it, my eyes focused on the object in front of me.

I blinked, snapping out of my trance as he walked around the desk, motioning for us to follow him. I lightly tugged Jace's arm before letting go as we followed the young officer. We slowly walked through each hallway until we reached a room at the end.

He typed a code into the keypad that was attached to the door. When we heard a click, the door shot open, revealing my mother sitting across from two older officers. My body stiffened, taking in her appearance as everyone in the room looked towards us.

My mother's hands were resting against the table, handcuffs circling around his wrists as her hair was a tangled mess on top of her head. The two officers glanced between Jace and I, putting the pieces together when they quickly glanced down to my mother. Unlike my mother, the two officers were standing against the wall with their arms crossed.

The young officer held the door open for us, leading us in before he walked back down the hall. Jace and I walked into the room, staying near the wall so we didn't have to be close to our mother. When the door closed behind us with a thud, I saw Jace's body flinch next of me.

"Hello, I'm officer Dawson and this is officer Henson," one of them introduced as he held out his hand for me to shake. I gently took his firm hand in mine, shaking it before he moved on to my little brother. Dawson had brown hair, looking oddly familiar even though I didn't recall any memory of him. He was probably in his late forties while Henson was in his early fifties. Henson had gray hair with slight stubble covering his jawline.

"Oh please," I heard my mother mumble from the table, the handcuffs clattering together as she tried to pry them off. She rolled her eyes, grunting when she couldn't slip out of them.

"I'm Dakota and this is my little brother Jace," I pointed to Jace as a fake smile tugged at my lips. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest as it felt like the walls were closing in on us.

"Nice to meet you two," Henson smiled, his wrinkles evident in his forehead as his eyebrows creased together. "I take it you two are her children?"

I hesitantly nodded my head, never once looking at my mother. "Yes, we are. We have a little sister, Olivia, but she's in school right now."

"Ah yes," Dawson nodded his head. "And how old are you, Dakota?"

My body slightly stiffened as I bit the inside of my cheek. I knew where this was going. "I'm seventeen, sir."

"Why don't we talk outside, yeah?" Dawson asked, leaving Henson in here to make sure my mother didn't do anything stupid.

I nodded my head as Dawson pushed the door open, Jace and I following behind him. We stood in the hallway outside of the door as Jace and I stood on the other side of Dawson.

"As you know, your mother was arrested for possession of drugs and driving under the influence. She was speeding down the highway, and when one of my officers pulled her over, they saw a bottle of alcohol in her hand," he explained, his voice more firm as his gaze traveled between Jace and I.

I gulped, a bead of sweat forming beneath my forehead as I slightly cursed under my breath. "What does this mean for her?"

"Well a DUI can last her up to a few years in jail, but since we also found a duffel bag of drugs in her backseat, that leads up to a few more added years in jail," he sighed, sorrow filling his hazel eyes. "She'll have a sentence hearing in court, and the judge will confirm how much time she will spend in jail. It's not an easy process, but hopefully it won't take long."

"Oh my god," I stammered, my breath coming out in short breaths. "If she's in jail, what does that mean for us? Where will we go?"

Dawson cleared his throat. "Well, there is foster care but-"

"Please, no," I shook my head as my lip started trembling. No. This wasn't happening.

"Hey, Dakota, just listen to me," he told me, his voice soft as he gently held my shoulders. "I looked in her records and saw that she has been here a few times, correct?"

I nodded my head as he continued. "All those times, you had to step in and take care of your siblings when she would spend a few nights in jail, correct?"

I nodded my head once again, biting my lips to keep myself from letting the tears fall. I will never understand how they let me, a fifteen year old girl at the time, take care of her younger siblings. The justice system is so fucked.

Jace was quiet the entire time, the only sound coming from his foot tapping against the floor. There was a short pause, Dawson catching his breath as he took a step back. Jace and I were standing directly across from him.

"I've already talked to a few social workers and we've decided that since your birthday is next month, and you'll be eighteen, you can take your siblings into your care. Although we are bending the rules a bit, the only thing we will have to do until you're eighteen is do checkups on you three. An officer will come to your house once a week, to make sure everything is okay," he explained as the weight slightly lifted off my shoulders. Dawson already thought this through. He knew who we were and wanted to help us. "You are lucky you will be eighteen next month, or else we wouldn't even consider this an option. Although, when you do turn eighteen, and since your mother will still be in jail, you will need to petition the court to become their legal guardian."

"Fuck," Jace cursed under his breath, only loud enough for me to hear.

"I know you three are good kids. I know you probably don't remember me, but I've been dealing with your mother ever since the first time she stepped foot into this police station. I remember she dragged all three of you here, leaving you," he pointed to me. "No choice but to take care of them while she was getting questioned."

I gulped, feeling overwhelmed as he continued to throw words at us. I wasn't expecting any of this. My brain tried to grasp every word that fell from his lips, but the information was too much. When I turned eighteen, I had to go to court to become their legal guardian.

He hesitated, his eyes a shade darker as he briefly glanced at the room our mother was in. "Every time you guys would come in, I would always remember you three, and I immediately noticed something was off. I picked up on a few things, keeping an eye out every time your mother walked in here, drunk. I remember seeing you two show up with bruises, or a new injury. It was every single time."

I felt my heart drop to the pit of my stomach as the breath got knocked out of me. He knew what our mother did to us. That's why he looked oddly familiar. "What are you trying to say?"

He lowered his voice, slightly leaning his head forward so Jace and I could hear. "Although you two were young, it was obvious you both were afraid of your mother. I could see it in your eyes, and every time she went near you, both of y'all would flinch."

I heard Jace grunt next to me as my knees felt weak. "You think our mom abuses us?"

"I'm not making any assumptions. I have my own thoughts, but until you two open up about your mother, legally, I can't do or say much. If I make assumptions about your mother hurting you two, and there is no evidence, it's basically a waste of time and we could all get in trouble," he explained, even though it didn't make much sense to me. An odd silence was shared between us as we were able to hear Henson and our mother arguing in the room.

"Either way she goes to jail?" Jace bluntly asked, his dull eyes staring into Dawson's. I played with the hem of my shirt, letting Jace talk as we awaited Dawson's answer.

"Yes, she will probably be in jail for at least 3 years, but it mainly depends on how much time the court wants to sentence her. Her sentence is also influenced based on her criminal history, and because she's been arrested a few times, she'll be in jail for a longer period of time. DUI and possession of drugs won't go down lightly. Although she will most likely go to jail, it's also possible that she could go to rehab to help with her addiction," Dawson explained, his eyes staying on Jace the entire time.

He glanced in my direction before averting his gaze to politely nod to another police officer that walked in between us to get through. I slightly stepped back, my back sinking into the wall so I wasn't in his way. "How do you know about her addiction?"