Break Away

Chapter 2

I'm tired of just sitting here all the time, that's all there ever is to do around here... just sit. So what, I'm a seventeen year old girl from Maryland. Nothing to do, tons of places to go, no one to go with , and not parents to take me anywhere... They died in a car accident four years ago, now it's just me and Madi, my little sister, she's six now, almost seven. Madi and I are stuck in this foster home until I turn eighteen and Madi and I are GONE. I'm Akeelah by the way, Akeelah Robertson. My sister means the world to me, all we have ever had is each other and all we want is to get out of this stupid system. It's like they are trying to punish us for not having parents. 

I get to graduate this year, if I get to got to college in the fall I will be able to finally leave this place... but I can't leave Madi here, I would never do that to her, I just couldn't. I will do anything and everything, whatever it takes to get us out of here. I promised dad I would take care of her, well the both of us, and I intend on keeping my promise, no matter the extent it takes me to. 

I talked to Abby, before we left for school this morning, about getting me my own car, they let me get my licence last year and now I'm almost to college I can't continue driving Mark's car all the time; Abby and Mark are our foster parents. I had previously had a pep talk with myself, I prepared myself for Abby saying no and I thought of consequences she may think of just for me asking or even thinking about asking for a car, and to my surprise... She said yes, Abby and Mark actually had already spoken about it before hand. So I told Madi on our way to school that I'm getting a car, she practically leaped out of her seat belt on to the roof of the car, did a dance and got back inside, she was ecstatic. 

Our schools are just dreadful around here, it is so hard to get a decent education when you come from where I do. Trash on the streets, homeless people walking around bursting into churches during service just claiming they want water, bomb threats in elementary schools, it's just terrible. I drop Madi off at school. She does the same thing everyday. She unbuckles herself, hugs me, kisses me, tells me she loves me and she'll miss me, and to have a great day and gets out of the car, moments after she shuts the door she reopens it and grabs her lunch and I tell her I love and miss her already and to have an amazing day. 

It is always so hectic trying to get out of that school, so many enraged parents it's just crazy. I sit at a light for what feels like forever but it's only about fifteen minutes just waiting to pull up in my school, it's not a bad school, it's actually the top school in the county, it's just.. crappy. The teachers make remarks they think are funny, they make up activities they think are fun but are a pain for us to do, we sit there day by day and just.. deal with it. I'm glad I'm almost done with it all. High school has gotten the best of me and I'm ready to be gone.