A frantic Kat answered the door along with a tearful Carly and a pair of police officers. Much fuss was made and many tears were shed before Carly was calm enough to go home after accepting a lift from the officers, after handing her the small purse she’d so carelessly left behind at the dance. Hot chocolate was made and fresh warm pyjamas were on before she climbed into bed, her Mom still fussing over her.
“I’m fine Mom. Really. I feel bad for all the fuss I caused.” She took a sip of her hot chocolate and sighed. “Stupid Josh. Stupid me, for believing he was a nice guy.”
“He was a nice guy. But college changes nice guys into complete assholes.” She smoothed a hair from Savannah’s face and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. “Finish your hot chocolate and try get some sleep. Tomorrow is another day.”
“Thanks Mom. I’m sorry again for making you worry. I shouldn’t have reacted the way I did.”
“You’re eighteen. If you didn’t react with as much drama, you wouldn’t be a normal teenager. Just next time, take your bag and cellphone with when you storm out!”
“And don’t walk into the dodgy creepy area of town at night.” She added with a grin.
A loud and persistent ring interrupted them, causing Kat to sigh as she pulled her phone from her back pocket. A glance at the clock told them both that yet again, Katherine Striker of Child Protection Services, was being called to emergency duty.
“They can call someone else tonight.” She silenced the phone, but the screen still flashed impatiently.
“Answer it. I’m OK. Really. Go save the day.” She gave her mom her best reassuring smile.
Kat looked at her with uncertainty, but answered the phone, and within minutes was out of the house with her a few files from out of her office and a cup of coffee in a travelling cup. Savannah, feeling the exhaustion slowly catching up with her, fell into a deep sleep, dreaming of superheroes wearing warm jackets.
Savannah woke several hours later when the front door slammed shut and raised voices echoed to her room upstairs. It was unlike her mom to raise her voice at anyone or anything (except bad drivers – those got the full assault of her entire vocabulary at record breaking levels), but when she did, even the devil did a back-step. She crept cautiously down the stairs, keeping out of view of whoever was on the receiving end of the Kat Striker verbal tongue-lashing.
“Bill you’re being ridiculous!” Came the exasperated voice of her mom. “He’s constantly in the wrong place at the wrong time, but what you’ve got is circumstantial evidence at best.”
Poor Inspector Bill Richardson was the recipient then, she thought with a grin. She enjoyed witnessing these episodes between them. Kat fought with facts in such a way that a lawyer would be proud of her, but Bill often got personal - and usually on purpose - just to get a rise out of her. He genuinely enjoyed rubbing her feathers up the wrong way.
“Kat stop being naïve. He is being detained for being in possession of a crap load of pharmaceuticals.”
“Detained without due cause and for no valid reason!”
“A Pharmacy gets hit and the kid’s walking around with sufficient drugs to raise more than a few eyebrows. I’d hardly call that ‘no valid reason’ for detainment.” Savannah could see Bill leaning against the kitchen counter, arms folded across his chest: his go-to ‘defensive stance.’
“He’s a good kid with a bad start to life. Give him some credit. He’s trying so hard.” Kat pleaded.
“I’m trying to, but he’s making it harder on himself with his attitude.” Bill pulled his cigarette box out of his pocket, moving towards the front door again. “If his brother doesn’t come to claim him within the next couple of hours, he’s got to be put into protective custody. You know the drill.” He lit the cigarette, careful to blow the smoke outside. “Talk to him Kat. He responds better to you than anyone else.”
Savannah watched the door pull closed behind Bill, and her mom slump herself against it, silently cursing. She looked positively exhausted. Not surprising, seeing as it was nearly 05h00 and she hadn’t yet slept.
“Mom? You OK?” She called down, slowly coming down the stairs and into the kitchen. Kat turned around and forced a smile across her face, nodding. “Rough case?”
“With this kid, always.” Savannah put on the kettle and set out two mugs, generously spooning coffee and sugar into the one labelled ‘World’s Best Mom’ before adding a conservative amount to her own mug. She brought the sweet smelling and steaming liquids over to the little dining table where Kat was now seated, rubbing her temples. “A Pharmacy got robbed, and he was found with a whole load of medicine and pills just a few hours later during a ‘random search’. Which really means the cops know him and harass him.” She took a sip of the steaming coffee and smiled her appreciation. “Luckily all the medication he had on him is over-the-counter type stuff, so they can’t book him on anything, seeing as he could have simply bought it.”
Savannah sighed. “But he did rob the Pharmacy, right?”
“Most likely.”
“So why not let him take the punishment?”
“Because Juvie didn’t work on him before. Or his brother. Sending him back is a waste of time and taxpayer’s money.” She cradled the coffee. “He needs more than another stint in Juvie. He needs a chance to prove he’s better than the hand he was dealt.”
“So what’s the answer?” Savannah queried, admiring her mom’s compassion for a lost cause, but at the same time, wishing she would learn when to stop flogging a dead horse.
“I wish I knew. They’ll keep him in detention until this afternoon so that they can try to raise enough circumstantial evidence to convince a judge to have him formally arrested and thereafter convicted. So I have until this afternoon to come up with a solution.”
Savannah didn’t trust herself to respond without causing conflict. Her mom spent so much time fighting for these youths who in her own opinion, very often wasted every chance thrown at them on a silver platter. She arranged piece jobs for them, welfare payments, housing and families and so forth. But many of them just threw it straight back at Kat. Whoever this kid was, was causing her mom sleepless nights and unnecessary stress. She silently wished she could beat some sense into the inconsiderate creep. Kat didn’t talk much about her own upbringing, saying it was better that Savannah was shielded from the cold reality of the Welfare system, but it just made her love and respect her mom even more. She had strength.
“Sav? Savannah?” Her mom called out as she entered the door, rattling her keys free as they stuck in the keyhole and shuffling her multitudes of papers. “Honey? Where are you?”
Savannah put down her book, stretching on the couch as she did. the lazy sunset shone golden through the windows, giving the lounge a warm orange glow. “On my way.” She called out, making her way slowly to the hallway. She’d spent the day lazing in her pyjamas, reading and generally being what her mother referred to as a ‘glorious teenage couch potato.’ Filling her head with dragons, wizards and magic kept her from thinking about Josh and the dull ache in her heart. However, it did lead to thinking about good-looking knights in shining armour. Or at least, Saviour-gangsters in warm jackets. She rounded the corner and froze in her steps, coming eye to eye with her Saviour-gangster from the night before. Chad’s eyes sparkled with recognition but his facial expression remained neutral.
“Savannah, I’d like you to meet Chad Denver. He’s going to be staying with us for a while.” Kat bustled past her and placed her burdens on the kitchen counter, before turning back to the two youths, who still stood staring at each other in the hallway. “Please show Chad up to the spare room? And get him a towel from the linen cupboard please, while I prepare for Bill to come over and roast me alive.”
Savannah nodded and motioned for Chad to follow her upstairs, which he did in silence. Why of all days did she choose today to be lazy and unkempt? She cursed herself as she lead him to the spare room, opening the door and standing aside for him.
“This will be your room.” She said quietly, careful to keep her eyes firmly on the floor. Or her pink fluffy slippers. Oh shoot me now, I’m wearing fluffy slippers, she cringed to herself. Why was it that whenever she saw this boy, she was a royal mess? Gowns and tears or pyjamas and zero make-up. She didn’t know which was worse.
“So Savannah, right?” He mumbled, as he placed a tatty over sized bag on the bed.
“Yeah. And you’re Chad.” She replied. “I didn’t catch your name last night.”
“I didn’t throw it. No biggy.” He sat on the bed, wincing, and rubbing his temple as he did. She realized he was still wearing the same clothes she’d last seen him in, nearly a full day before. The police must have picked him up shortly after they’d parted ways, and he’d not been home to change.
“Are you hurt or something?” She took a step forward, but stopped herself, remembering that she was now in his space and that she didn’t really know him at all.
“Headache.” He grunted, and proceeded to pay his attention to his bag, slowly unpacking the few possessions he had thought to bring with. It didn’t look like much.
“So then I’ll just let you unpack and stuff.” She said, backing up through the door. When he didn’t answer, or even look up, she took it that she was bothering him more than assisting him in settling in. She turned and went down the stairs, searching for her mom with the intention of roasting her before Bill got to it. The look on her mom’s face however, that of utter helplessness, made her words slip away.
“I know what you’re going to say, and believe me, I’m not overly happy with it either, but I just couldn’t let him go back into the welfare system just to be lost all over again.” Kat’s eyes pleaded with her for some understanding, and after a few seconds, she released a breath she hadn’t been aware she was holding.
“I get it, Mom.” She said simply. And she did. Savannah knew that so long as Kat Striker had air in her lungs, no child would suffer on her watch. But, she also knew Bill. “When is Bill coming over to drag you over the coals?"
Kat gave a chuckle and pulled her daughter into a tight embrace before releasing her with a kiss on her forehead. “I’m sure he’s on his way right now with both barrels loaded.” She rolled her eyes and put the kettle on. “I don’t know why he worries so much.”
Savannah hid the chuckle that escaped her lips. How someone as intelligent as her mom could be so completely blind and oblivious to Bill’s infatuation with her, she had no idea. She was already carrying two steaming cups of coffee up the stairs when a loud and forceful knock on the door announced the arrival of a furious Inspector Richardson. Savannah simply smiled and continued upstairs, leaving her mom to deal with the hell that was about to break out downstairs once Kat had opened the door.
Chad’s door was ajar, and she gently pushed it open with her foot calling out ‘knock knock’ as she did. Chad however was oblivious to her entry. He was passed out, deeply asleep, his bag partially unpacked beside him on the bed. “Chad?” She called, still standing by the doorway. No answer. She shrugged, and placed the mug of coffee on the small bedside stand. She took a fresh towel out of the cupboard and placed it next to him on the bed, knowing that after his nap, he’d probably want to clean up. She closed the door gently behind her as she left, careful not to disturb him.