Chapter+8


 * Chapter 8**
 * Runaway**

Whitney hid in the shadows of the portables closest to the sidewalk behind the school. She felt confident no one saw her leave the building, but she knew she had to act quickly. It wouldn’t be long before the police would be looking for her. She got out her cell phone to call Kaitlyn but decided not to because she knew the number could be traced and it would get Kaitlyn in trouble. It was best that no one knew where she was or that she was missing. Inside her backpack, she remembered she had a new pair of running shoes. She was thankful she had forgotten to put them in her locker. Hurriedly, she changed shoes and then started darting across the street at full speed. Running was something she did well. The star runner at her school, no one could outrun her. Not sure where she was going, she just felt compelled to run fast. She couldn’t face the Wrights, her new family. They would be so disappointed and probably place her back in foster care, she thought. It took six months for her adoption to become finalized, so they had time to change their minds. In her heart of hearts, she believed they probably would. Who would want to adopt a girl that was constantly in trouble, she reasoned? She had tried to be good but she thought she wasn’t capable of it. She justified in her mind that she had bad genes. Thinking about her genes reminded her of her mom. It had been five years since Whitney had last seen her mom, Jo Jo. She loved her mom and she knew her mom loved her. As she ran, she thought back to the day she was taken away. She wished she would have been able to run away that day, but she was only eight and there were too many adults to stop her, however there wasn’t anybody now who could stop her and she determined she wouldn’t go back to foster care, no matter what. She began playing the “if-only” game while she ran, which she played many times over the last few years. If only her mom hadn’t been so poor, then they could still be together. If her mom’s plan had only worked, then she wouldn’t have ever been taken away. If her mom hadn’t got caught, then they could still be together. Her mom had done the best she could. She had only wanted what most moms want, a house with a yard. When the opportunity came to make some quick money, she was sure she wouldn’t get caught. She had been promised she would get paid five thousand dollars for carrying a small package from Mexico to Texas. Next, she would leave Texas and fly back to Tennessee. The plan seemed simple enough. The money she was supposed to make would be the deposit for the manufactured home she wanted. She was nervous the day of the drop, but she really thought she could beat the system. However, the only luck JoJo had was bad luck and she got caught smuggling drugs. After she was arrested, Whitney was placed in foster care. Jo Jo kept in touch with Whitney by writing her as often as she could. She called once or twice a week most weeks. An attorney told JoJo if she allowed Whitney to be adopted, then her sentence would be reduced. She struggled with the decision but felt like it was in everyone’s best interest, after all, living on the street and in homeless shelters was no place to raise a daughter. Jo Jo relinquished custody of Whitney and cried herself to sleep on most nights. She truly believed it was in Whitney’s best interest. She got out of jail a year ago and tried to make contact with Whitney but the authorities wouldn’t allow it, so she went to all the middle schools in Haltom City and watched students run outside during P.E. until she finally found Whitney. Whitney had seen her too but they didn’t talk. Their relationship was deeper than words. Just looks spoke volumes. Whitney had heard Dontavious talk about ghosts at the Haltom Mansion that was supposed to be condemned. He might believe there were ghosts there but Whitney knew it was probably just the homeless group she used to lived with before she was placed in foster care. She headed down side streets and hoped the police wouldn’t find her. She squatted low to the ground when she needed to catch her breath. If she could make it to the Haltom Mansion, then she felt she would be safe. Feeling a little hungry, she stopped and counted the money in her purse. She had fifty dollars and some change, but she didn’t want to stop at a convenience store because she thought an Amber Alert might already be issued for her. By this time, she was sure everyone would know she had runaway. Her right side started hurting and she was out of breath, so she crawled behind some bushes in the backyard of a house. The house looked empty. There were no cars in the driveway or inside lights on inside. Nervously, she decided to see if the back door was unlocked. Her heart pounded loudly as she touched the handle. She held her breath as she tried to open it. To her amazement, it was unlocked. This was the first time she had ever broken into a stranger’s house. She knew it seemed wrong, but she only wanted something to eat and she needed to use the bathroom. She walked in and headed for the kitchen. There was a gray long haired tabby cat that meowed loudly. She almost wet her pants, it frightened her so badly but she continued on. //Just get some food, use the bathroom, and leave//, she told herself//. Hurry before you get caught. Hurry//. Just then, she heard a car pull into the driveway.