Harper & Lee Plus Three

A Place To Live

Lee held my hand as we walked through the third house with Emily, the realtor. This was the house I picked out.

"And this is the kitchen," Emily said, walking us in.

"Blue cabinets and green countertops? Really?" Lee said.

"We can paint those cabinets, right?" Etsy asked.

"That's something you'll have to ask your landlord," Emily said.

I took a look around the room. This house was old and needed some work, but it was the only one with two bathrooms that was in our price range. And it had a driveway instead of street parking, which was going to be crucial once we all got cars.

"I think it'll work," I said.

"So, what do you think of this one compared to the other houses you looked at this week?" Emily asked.

"I think this is the one," I said, looking at Lee and Etsy. "Do you guys agree?"

"Not having to share one shower for the three, soon to be four, of us is what seals the deal for me," Etsy said.

"I like this place too," Lee said. "Even with the ugly kitchen."

"We'll take it!" I said to Emily. "When can we move in?"

"The landlord says it's ready for immediate occupancy, so as soon as you'd like!" she said. "But due to you all being minors and not meeting the financial criteria for the rent, you'll need to have someone who makes enough of an income cosign on your lease."

"Huh?" I said.

"She's saying we don't make enough money to have our names on the lease, but don't worry, babe. I already talked to my parents and they said they can sign for us," Lee said.

"Awesome!" Etsy and I said at the same time.

"Say hello to your new home! Lee, just let me know a time and date this week when your parents can come by to sign the lease," Emily said.

She let us out of the house, then got in her car to leave. Lee, Etsy, and I stood in the driveway, taking it all in. I thought about taking out the old, ugly bushes and putting flowers in the front of the house.

"So, what day are we moving in?" Etsy asked.

"Definitely ASAP, and on a school day so Sophia and John won't be home. I can just pack and sneak right out," I said.

"Wednesday works for me," Etsy said.

"My parents just replied and said they can go sign the lease tomorrow!" Lee said, looking at his phone.

"So it's Wednesday for sure! That should be enough time to pack," I said.

"Wait, you're really gonna try to sneak out while your guardians aren't home? You're actually doing this?" Etsy asked.

"Hell to the yes!" I said.

We all got into Etsy's "new-used" car. You couldn't really tell that it was over ten years old. She dropped off Lee, then me. When I walked in, Hazel was on the floor of the living room playing Barbies with Zoe. Blake was on the other side of the room, smashing toy trucks into each other with Levi.

"Hey honey! How was the movie?" Sophia asked from the kitchen.

"Good! I had a great time!" I said.

"Well, someone's in a cheery mood," she said back.

I got upstairs and ran to the bathroom. I'd been peeing like crazy. I got up and washed my hands, then looked in the mirror. Did I...have a bump already? I lifted up my Billie Ellish t-shirt. I did have a tiny bulge, and my stomach felt hard.

I needed to go to the doctor's. But there was one problem: I'd never been to the OBGYN before. After what happened to me, I was too scared. Some days it was even hard to have sex with Lee. But for my baby...I had to go.

I went into my room and locked the door, just in case Hazel decided to come upstairs. Then, I took out my laptop and looked up the closest OBGYN. There was one close by, but it wasn't along the bus route. A chose to call a different office instead. Since they were closed on Saturdays, I left a message.

Then it was time to get started on something else. I still hadn't told anyone I lived with that I was pregnant, and I didn't know how. I thought the best option would be a note that they'd find after I already moved out. I couldn't tell them face to face. I just couldn't. I took out a notebook and started working on it.

I spent the next few days slowly organizing my things, but not packing them up so Hazel wouldn't get suspicious. I tossed some old clothes that didn't fit me anymore and cleaned some papers out of our desk.

I drove to school with Hazel and Etsy. Hazel went off to get books from her locker. That's when Etsy and I bailed.

Etsy and I sat in Starbucks having iced coffee (mine was decaf, of course) and talking about the house until it was nine, when we knew my guardians would be out of my house. I went back home and started packing all the things I'd organized, with a lot of extra help from Etsy, of course.

I pulled out the first suitcase from the closet, and my heart sank. This was one of the black and white suitcases Sophia brought me after I moved in. And now I was going to use this same suitcase to run away. We worked together to pack everything we could fit in those suitcases.

I looked around the half-empty room. I'd been living in this house for the longest I'd been with a foster family. I wiped away a tear and brought everything to Etsy's car. Then, I went back upstairs one last time and left the letter I wrote on my bed mattress. My chest felt tight as we pulled away, saying goodbye to my old life.

Everything seemed smooth-sailing until we pulled into the driveway of our new place.I was legit about to throw up all over Etsy's car. Sophia and John were standing on the porch, and they did not look happy.