If I Were Your Boyfriend (17 page)

  "Why do you think that?" he asked.

  "Because everyone has always left me hanging," I answered.

  "Keysha, who came and got you when the police pulled you out of school and took you to the station?"

  "You did," I answered. Jordan was making me remember and think rationally.

  "If I didn't leave you then, what have I done to make you think I'm going to turn my back on you now?"

  "Nothing," I uttered. Jordan stood up, approached me and placed his hands on my shoulders.

  "Look at me," he requested once again. I looked into eyes and listened to the words coming from his heart.

  "I will always be there for you. I know it's hard to accept given the fact that we haven't really known each other very long, but I need you to place more trust in me."

  "It's hard for me to trust adults," I answered honestly.

  "I know it is, but you've got to place a little faith in me."

  I studied his eyes for a long moment before breaking the connection. Not wanting to have another weird Grandmother Katie moment.

  "I don't want you making things worse for yourself. Fighting Liz at this stage would send the wrong message to the judge and the prosecution. Not to mention it may draw more negative publicity to us."

  "I just want to hit her one good time, though." Once again I was expressing how I felt.

  "I know you do, but that's not the solution to our situation."

  "I'll try not to beat her down but I can't make any promises," I said.

  "Then I'll help you stay out of trouble. I want you and Mike to be together as much as possible."

  "What?" I was confused.

  "You heard me. I want him to be around you as much as possible during the time you're not with the family. I want you to walk to school together."

  "But Mike has football practice twice a day sometimes."

  "Then I want you to be at those practices with him."

  I rolled my eyes.

  "You can't be serious," I said.

  "Yes, I am serious." Jordan stood his ground.

  "I don't even like football," I whined.

  "It's not about what you like or don't like. It's about keeping you out of trouble."

  I huffed at the idea of being with Mike so much, but I agreed with him for the moment.

  "So, what's going on with the case?" I asked.

  "Things are still in the preliminary stages. The case has been assigned to Judge Nancy Hill, who has requested a transcript of your school records."

  My heart sank.

  "What's wrong?" Jordan asked. "Why do you have that look on your face?"

  "It's nothing," I said as I began to think about what my guidance counselor told me.

  "No, it's something. Now, what is it?" Jordan pressed the issue.

  "Why does Judge Hill need my school records anyway?" I had gotten anxious again.

  "It's not uncommon. It will help the judge make a determination about your character."

  "Huh, she'll end up throwing the book at me," I said sarcastically. "Right now my grades aren't in the greatest of shape."

  "Yes, I've heard," Jordan said. "Today I received a number of e-mails from your teachers explaining your poor performance to me. We have to address that as well."

  "I can do better," I quickly let him know. "I'm smarter than what my grades say."

  "Then prove it to me. Turn your grades around and show me who the real Keysha is."

  "Okay, I'll do what I need to do in order to pull my grades up," I said.

  "Just saying okay is not enough. To make sure that you do what you're supposed to I'm going to be on your back. And don't worry about this court case. I'll deal with that, understood? You focus on your education."

  "I understand," I said, and sat back down next to him. Jordan sat with me and draped his arm around my shoulder. I locked my arms around his waist and we hugged each other. At that moment, hugging him was one of the best feelings I'd ever known.

hree weeks had gone by since I was released from juvie and moved in with my dad. He and I followed up with the Mayville Rehab Facility as instructed by the court and I now had to go to meetings in the evenings on Monday and Wednesday and all day on Saturday. Parents were allowed and encouraged to come on Saturday so that they got a good sense of how they could help keep their loved ones on the road to recovery. I must admit that I thought going to rehab would be a real drag, especially on a Saturday, but it wasn't so bad. A lot of the kids in my group had the same addiction as I did and some had worse addictions. The thing that we all had in common is that we came from troubled homes. During one group discussion on Saturday I really opened up because I wanted my dad to hear how I truly felt.