Come Wander With Me (13 Reasons Why)

Chapter 12

Hi! Just to get a little something out of the way; Someone accused me of stealing this story from a writer on AO3 called Samunderthelights. If you look at both our usernames, you can probably already tell, but surprise! Samunderthelights on AO3 is also me! I post on different websites, because I know that some people prefer one site over the other, so to make sure people can read it on the site they are most comfortable with, I post it on different sites (using the same username to make sure people know it's all me, and I'm not stealing anyone's stories. 😉). So yeah, that was a misunderstanding, but I did just want to clear that up.

And now that we've got that out of the way,

Enjoy!

Xx

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"We were just wondering how long you were planning on staying here," Lainie admits, an uncomfortable look on her face, when the family is just finishing their breakfast. "It's not that we want you to leave, but I can imagine that your parents must be missing you."

"Mom..."

"It's fine. I was thinking about going home anyway," Justin lies. "I really appreciate that you allowed me to stay here, Mr. and Mrs. Jensen," he says, flashing a grateful smile, before getting up from the table, and going up to the bedroom, his heart almost beating out of his chest. Because he had gotten so comfortable, staying at the Jensens, that he pushed down the thought of having to go home one day. But knowing that he will have to go home, that it will most likely end with a fight and he will end up on the street, it makes him feel sick to his stomach.

"You can't send him away," Clay says, as soon as Justin has left the kitchen. "He can't go home."

"Why not? Is his mother still away for work?"

"I lied," Clay quickly admits. "She's not away for work. She's a drug addict, and her boyfriend is a drug dealer. They had a fight, so Justin was staying with this guy from school, but..."

"I'm sorry, but...," Matt begins, but then he shakes his head. "You lied to us?"

"He had nowhere to go, dad. What was I meant to do?"

"Tell us the truth," Lainie says. "You could have told us this when you asked us if he could stay here."

"But then you would have wanted to talk to his mom, or you would have reported it, or..."

"We still would have offered to let him stay here, Clay. But does his mother even know he is here?"

"Yes. But she doesn't care, okay? She's an addict. You can't send him back there," Clay tries again, still remembering what Justin had told him about his mother's boyfriend trying to choke him. "It's not safe, okay?"

"Did someone hurt him?"

"No, but... you can't send him back to live with an addict," Clay says. "He needs somewhere where it's stable, and..."

"We will have to talk to his mother, Clay. He is underage, and if they want him to come home...," Lainie sighs. "It's not up to us."

"But you will let him stay here if she's okay with it?"

His parents share a look, but then Lainie nods, and she flashes a small, hesitant smile.

"Justin can stay, but only if his mother agrees."

-

"Do you think she is in?" Lainie asks, when she and Matt are about to get out of the car. "Is she usually in at this time?"

"She should be. I sent her a text to let her know we were coming," Justin says, still staring down at his hands. He knows the Jensens aren't judging him, but he can't help but feel embarrassed, because so far Bryce and his family had been the only one to know about his situation, and to have Clay and his family knowing, to have them trying to help him, it makes him feel young and vulnerable. It makes him feel like he should be capable of taking care of himself by now, and the fact that he can't, it makes him feel like there is something wrong with him.