Mute

Chapter 26 : Leaving

Chapter 26

The next day...   

Rocky POV

I was in bed with Riker when dad came walking in. He didn't look happy.

"They're sending him home, aren't they?" I asked.

"Yes," dad said.

It was immediate tears from Riker. Dad asked me to pack Riker's clothes while he tried to calm Riker down, but it wasn't working.

"When are they picking him up?" I asked.

"In about 30 minutes," dad said.

Dad carried Riker all the way downstairs. I brought his suitcase down for him and then joined dad and Riker on the couch.

"Riker, I promise it'll be ok. We already came up with a plan," I said.

I could tell he was having a panic attack. I didn't know what else to do, so I just put my arms around him too. Me and dad both just hugged him tight until we heard the doorbell, which made him start panicking even more.

Dad got up to get the door, so he put Riker on my lap instead. His whole body was trembling. I don't know what his parents did to him, but it must be bad for him to be reacting like this.

"Riker, you have your phone in your suitcase. I put it on silent so it won't make noise," I said.

Dad came back in with a woman from the foster center.

"Riker, it's time to go," she said.

His grip on me got even tighter.

"Riker, you'll be ok. I promise," I said.

Dad pulled Riker off of me and took him outside to the car.

I felt so bad. And I don't even know what to wish for. If I wish nothing bad happens, he'll be stuck with his parents and we'll never see him again. But if I wish that we see him again, that means his parents are going to hurt him.

I went upstairs to my room. I'd packed Riker's blue blanket in his suitcase for him.

I sat down on his bed and felt something under his pillow, so I pulled whatever it was out. And it was his journal. He forgot his journal.

Do I open it?

I opened it to a random page. I'm just so curious what they did to Riker to make him so anxious.

But I wish I'd never opened it.

Riker had written about his dad making him stay outside in the cold all night. And then he let him inside in the morning, hit him, and locked him in the basement. And he did all of that just because Riker failed his math test. I get why he was so paranoid now.

I felt myself starting to cry at the thought of all of this happening to Riker.

I heard footsteps and then dad came in.

"Rocky, what's wrong?"

"We shouldn't have let him go!"

Dad came over and sat down beside me. I handed him Riker's journal so he could read it.

After dad had read it, he put his arm around me. I leaned my head against his shoulder and covered my face with my hand.

"Rocky, I know it's bad. But if something happens again, we can call the police. He'll be ok."

"No, he won't! We don't even know what's in the rest of his journal!"

"Rocky. The court ruled in favor of his parents. He had to go back home. There's nothing we could've done."

Dad pulled me into a hug.

"They're going to hurt him again," I cried.

"Rocky, it's going to be ok. He has his phone."

"It's not going to be ok. Because if he texts us, it means he's hurt."

"Rocky, it's getting late. Please just try to get some sleep."

Dad left. I got under the covers in Riker's bed, holding Riker's journal to my chest. I can't even imagine what he's going through right now. He's probably scared to death.

I don't know if I'm going to be able to sleep tonight.