Fostered

I couldn't have written this without 1Moeannie. Thank you for being so much more than just an editor. You're a sounding board, a human, and just someone to kick me in the butt once in a while. For those who've noticed, I knew I needed an editor. I just got very lucky! Hope you all enjoy this.

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Jennifer DeBoer sat on the park bench in disbelief. How could her life have fallen apart so fast? One minute she was getting ready to go to university, the next she was homeless. She remembered the look on her foster father's face when he kicked her out, hatred and rage. She had been on the streets for ten days now, and things were beginning to get desperate.

She'd paid attention when some of the older homeless people talked. She knew that most fast-food restaurants would throw food out after a set time and that was why she was waiting behind the dumpster now. She was behind some undergrowth watching the back door of the place. When it opened, a young man came out with a large trash bag. He threw it in the dumpster then turned to go back inside when he saw her. He stopped for a moment, then held up a single finger, wanting her to wait. He disappeared inside. Jennifer was torn. She decided to take what was there and went to the dumpster. Suddenly the door opened, and he walked back out with a large to-go box. She stared at him like a deer in the headlights. He made one step closer then put the box down. He walked backwards to the door. She sprinted to the box, grabbed it, then ran back to "her" place, a small clearing inside some bushes in the park. She opened the box and found fresh chicken, several different sides, even some biscuits. She ate like the starving person she was. She saved some for breakfast and wandered about for the rest of the day until it got dark, then she went back to her clearing to sleep.

The following day she couldn't get the incident out of her mind. She decided to go back about the same time just to see what would happen. At about the same time, the same man came out with a trash bag. This time he stopped and looked around. He saw her not really hiding in the weeds. He held up his finger again and went back in. He brought out a box again, this time coming several steps closer. He waved hello, then put the box down. He went to the door, but didn't go in. Jennifer sprinted to the food then ran away with it, mostly pleased that he didn't try to chase her.

When she got back to her clearing, she opened the box to find the fresh food, but saw the writing on the top. "Hi, I'm Jeff. I understand. If you ever need anything, any help, a place to stay, food, whatever call me or come by." Underneath was an address and phone number. She read it repeatedly while eating. When she was done, she went to throw the box away but decided to tear off the top piece putting it in her pocket. She trusted no one, but it seemed like a good idea.

That night, after she went to sleep, it began to rain hard. Then she found out why no one else was using this clearing. It was a low spot, and the water was rising. She woke up in an inch of water, and it was accumulating rapidly. She was soaked. Jennifer could take no more. She began screaming "WHY??" (Mixed with the occasional "FUUUCK!") into the wind and rain.

She pulled her backpack out and ran with no destination, no plan, just anger. When she was exhausted, she stopped to look where she was. There was a street sign, it rang a bell with her. It took her shaken brain a moment, then she pulled the box top from her pocket. It was the same street. She found a house number and she knew she was close.

"What the hell?" she decided as she went down the street wiping the water out of her eyes so she could see.

She found the address, he had a third-floor apartment. She walked in, leaving a trail of water up the stairs. When she got to the door she stood there for a long time. Cold, wet, and out of options, she finally knocked on the door. At first, she heard nothing, so she knocked again, harder. This time she heard some stumbling feet and a few curses.

He opened the door to see a very soaked, bedraggled girl. It took him a second before he recognized her. He rubbed his eyes, stepped away from the door, saying "Come in, you're making a puddle." She came in just far enough to close the door. "Stay there for a second, I'll get you set up." he said, walking down the hall.

He came out with towels and some clothes, putting all of it in his bathroom. He then stopped and pulled a door wedge from a drawer. "Use this, the door locks but this will keep everyone out. Take a shower, my utilities are paid so use all the hot water you want. I found some clothes my old girlfriend left here, they're probably too big but should work for now. I'll sit over here and wait."

She moved very slowly and deliberately, taking the wedge and heading into the bathroom. She had a knife she had found and put it in the shower with her. She stayed in the shower, using his shampoo and soap, luxuriating in feeling clean as she warmed up. When she started to turn into a prune, she reluctantly shut the water off, dried herself off, and changed into the clothes he had provided. They were big, but the pants had a drawstring. The sweatshirt hung to her knees. She picked up the wedge and knife and opened the door. He was sitting in the same spot she had left him.

He stood up but made no other move. He spoke hesitantly, "Hi, I'm Jeff. This is my dump of an apartment. I want you to know that I understand how you feel. Two years ago, I was homeless. Somebody took me in and helped me, and the only repayment they asked was for me to do the same if I had the chance. I'll help you, and I only ask that you're totally honest with me. Can you do that?"

She nodded and looked at him. "Jennifer...Jenn."

"Ok, Jenniferjenn, for tonight you are sleeping in the bedroom. Lock the door. Use the wedge. I put clean sheets on while you were in the shower. I'm taking the couch. It's late. We'll talk in the morning, but for now we need to sleep. Is that ok?"

She nodded again. "Just Jenn. Most people call me Jenn."

She went to the bedroom and locked the door, shoving the wedge underneath tightly. She put her knife on the table and laid down. Exhaustion took over quickly and before she knew it, she was asleep.

There was a loud noise that roused her from her sleep. It was Jeff knocking on her door. "Wake up Just Jenn, I made some breakfast. We can eat and talk."

She slid the knife up her sleeve and went out. He'd made French toast and bacon. He sat on the far side of the table, waiting for her. "Sit down, take what you want. I'm eating the same thing, so it's safe." She filled her plate and sat down, noticing the glass of orange juice as well.

"Thank you, Jeff."

"Jenn, I do have some plans for the day, and you will hopefully come along. First, today is my laundry day. I'll wash your clothes as well, if you'll join me. Second, I need to make a shopping trip. I would like you there as well. I know you're scared. I get it. I will help you, but there are some rules."

"Like what?" As she ate, her knife fell from her sleeve. "Sorry, I don't trust anyone."

"I don't plan to give you a reason to use it," he assured her. She left it on the table.

"Ok, what are the rules?"

"Ok... First, no stabbing." He smiled when she smiled at him. "No drugs. No prostitution. No illegal activities, if you will. I need to know if you're clean."

She blushed. "Ok, look. I'm 18, and I can prove it. I don't do drugs, I'm certainly not a prostitute, and I don't steal. I haven't been on the streets long, but long enough to know not to trust anyone. For the moment, that includes you."

"I wasn't trying to say anything bad about you. But you have to understand that I don't know you. Today is our 'get acquainted' day. So, to get the worst out of the way, how did you end up on the streets?"

She sighed. "Long story short, I'm a foster kid. I've never met either of my real parents. I've been with a family the last five years, and everything was fine until I graduated. Their daughter, who is a 16-year-old bitch, hated me from day one. Her dad knew she was a problem child, but she stashed her bag of weed in my room and told him it was mine. They told me that they would help me pay for college, I had a scholarship. Suddenly, they told me they couldn't and wouldn't tolerate drug use in their house and I had to leave. Within an hour I went from getting ready for college to being homeless." Tears were running down her cheeks by this time, and she put her head down and cried.

Jeff let her go for a few minutes. "Hey Jenn, I understand more than you know. I was a foster, and the day after I turned eighteen, they kicked me out because I no longer brought in any money. That was how I hit the streets. So, how about we clean up and go do some laundry?"

She collected herself, put her clothes in a laundry basket, and carried them down behind Jeff. He pulled out a bag of change and started loading washers rather haphazardly. "You're doing it wrong." she said.

"This is the only way I've ever done it," he said.

"Let me show you." She separated the colors and various fabrics. "Towels and such you can wash warm. You probably have a lot of shrunken shirts. You have to use cold for them." She took over the loading of the machines, then put detergent in.

He put in the coins and started them, leaned back and looked at her. "Please don't take this creepy, but you clean up very nicely."

"Right. I am built like an eight-year-old boy. Not much to see here."

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and one more rule. No dragging yourself down. It goes for me too, so stop me when I do it."

She blushed a little, saying "I promise."

When the laundry was done and folded, they carried it back to his apartment. "Put on some of your own clothes, we have to do some shopping." Jeff said.

When she came out of the bathroom, she had jeans and a t-shirt on.

He drove them to the dollar store. "OK, get what you need, deodorant, shampoo, toothbrush, 'feminine items', whatever. I have some things to pick up too."

She went through the store, picking up what she needed. She was happy he mentioned feminine items, as that time was coming, and she had nothing. She also picked up some food items to make dinners with.

He saw her looking at a package of underwear and told her to put them in the cart. "If you need it, get it. I try not to go shopping too often, I just spend too much when I do."

After shopping, they got back in the car. "Jenn, one more question. Would you like a job? I can get you one, but it won't pay much. Better than nothing though. It pays my bills, barely."

"What? You mean at the chicken place? I've never had a job. You don't know me. Why?" She was surprised by his offer.

"Because you need a hand up to survive. This is all I can do. If you want this, we have to make one more stop first."

"Ok, I'll do my best not to screw up."

They went to Goodwill. He told her, "Get two or three pairs of black pants, then we can look for work shoes. We might get lucky. I'm going to see if they have anything my size."

She found some black pants and a pair of shoes (one size too big, but she could wear two pairs of socks), he added a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt to the pile and paid.

As they walked out, he reached out and put a strand of her hair behind her ear. "You're gonna be fine. All you have to do is apply, I already texted the boss. They need people. Don't be worried, the interview is already done."

They went into the restaurant and he gave her an application and a pen. "I put my address in already, but everything else is for you." He winked. "You start tomorrow at 10 am."

She filled it out honestly and gave it back to him. He went into the kitchen and came out with an older man.

"I'm Max. I'm the manager. If you have any problem with anything or anybody, you call me, OK? I don't let people mess with my employees. I also don't let my employees mess with my customers, but Jeff will show you the ropes. See you in the morning. Glad to have you aboard." He walked back in the kitchen, never giving her a chance to speak.

When Jeff came out, she looked up at him bewildered, and said, "So I guess I got the job..."

"Yep. Toldja, you start tomorrow at 10. I have to be here too, so I can give you a ride."

She made a spaghetti dinner that night, and she insisted on cleaning up afterwards. "It's the least I can do," she explained.

Jeff was both full and happy, he really didn't cook much. Sleeping arrangements were the same as the night before, and this time when she went to bed she wasn't scared. Worried that it wouldn't last, but not scared.

The next morning, she woke early, made some biscuits and was cooking sausage when he woke up. "Good morning sleepyhead!" she teased.

"NNggh... g'mornin'. Breakfast looks good."

"Just making enough for today and tomorrow. I don't know how long we will be working today, just want to make sure there's food."

"You're spoiling me already. I could get used to this, ya know."

"I'm not your maid or your cook, but I plan to pull my weight around here. Once I get paid I'm giving you half to pay my expenses."

"You don't need to do that. I'm not doing this for money. I told you!" he objected.

"Not your choice, it's mine. I don't know how soon we get paid, but you will get half until I can get on my feet," she stated firmly.

Jeff sighed. "I can't stop you, but I don't need it. We get paid weekly, and it would be faster if you had a bank account," he said changing the subject.

"I'll have to get one soon then, as soon as I have some cash."

They went to work, and she started learning the ropes. It wasn't hard, but she had to learn the techniques to make things go faster. By 8pm, she was exhausted but pleased when they left. "You did good for your first day. I can tell you're smart, and you figure out how to do things quickly. You're gonna be fine."

"Thanks. I just know that this is a big chance for me. Thank you. I have to do well, there are no options."

They went home, cleaned up, and went to bed having eaten dinner at the restaurant. She woke in the middle of the night and went to go to the bathroom. He was stretched out on the couch, asleep, but he looked uncomfortable. She also thought he looked kinda cute. She banished that thought, went to the bathroom and back to bed, with a thought brewing in her head.

The next day, they woke up and ate the leftovers for breakfast. Today they were working 10am to 7pm, so it wasn't as bad. She began making friends with the other workers, one named Shelly in particular. Shelly taught her a few tricks to help her speed up, and by the end of the day it seemed like she had worked there for years.

They went home, showered, and got ready for bed. There was no work tomorrow, so they could stay up a bit longer. He shared a couple of beers with her, talking easily about nothing and everything. He had a tv, but no cable, so they watched a DVD until it was time for bed.

"Jeff, tonight you sleep in the bedroom. I'll take the couch. I saw you last night, you looked cramped. Go stretch out, I fit on the couch much better."

"You don't have to do that, I can sleep on the couch."

"Nope. The bed is yours, now and forever. I can sleep on the couch, it fits me much better anyway."

He looked at her and had a crazy urge to kiss her. He held back, but he still wanted to. "Ok, you win, I'm going to bed. You can go to couch!" he said with a laugh. She smiled back at him as he walked away.

The next morning he woke up first, stumbling out to the bathroom. He came out and saw her on the couch, t-shirt up around her waist and her pink underwear showing. He stared for a moment before starting coffee and getting out some pans to make breakfast. He heard a noise and turned to see her sitting on the couch stretching. Her small breasts showed clearly through her thin t-shirt, and he felt himself getting hard. When she was done stretching, she looked and saw him. "Good morning! Hope you slept better on the bed."

"Y-yes. I did. Did you sleep well?"

"Not bad at all. What's for breakfast?"

"French toast. One of the few things I can make. I'll let you take the bathroom first so you can be ready for breakfast."

"Thanks!" She sashayed out of the room and he watched as her butt swayed side-to-side. How had he not noticed how cute she was? He shook his head, adjusted himself, and went back to cooking.

She came into the kitchen dressed and ready to eat. He was cooking, and as he stood at the stove she noticed the large bulge in his pajama pants. "Wow!" she thought, "He's excited this morning!"

She began to blush as she sat down. He gave her some coffee and a plate of food, then sat down.

"Any plans today?" she asked.

"Not really. Need a couple things at the store, but other than that we are free."

"K.... Ummm.... I.... I have a couple of questions."

"Like what?"

"Well, you said you took me in to repay your karmic debt, if you will. Why me? Why not any of the other hundreds of homeless?"

"Well, I asked Max about it after he took me in. He said I would know when I knew, but that was all the guidance I had. When I saw you, I just knew. It wasn't because you're a girl, or because you're cute, although you are both. It was, just... I can't put it into words, but I knew you were who I was meant to help."

"Well, I'm glad it was me, even if I'm not cute and all. I'm just... honestly, I wondered about why? I thought you might be recruiting me for a pimp, or whatever, but when I showed up here I just didn't care anymore. I'm just glad you're not a weirdo or serial killer, I guess."

"I told you, no more running yourself down. You are cute. More than I realized when I first saw you."

"I'm not running myself down. I'm just being honest," she protested.

"No, you just don't see what everyone else does. This is weird but go look in the mirror. Just do it. I'll show you."

"Okaaaaay?" She walked to the mirror on the hallway wall. "What?"

He took a deep, ragged breath. "Let's start at the top. You have that white-blonde hair that bleach blonde girls dream of, but yours is natural, rare, different. You have big blue eyes that show exactly what you're feeling, and I know that already. Cute little nose, lips that make guys think of kissing you." He was blushing now, but he couldn't stop. "You aren't built like Kim Kardashian, but you have a bust and it fits you. Nice waist, really nice butt, and nice legs. You aren't too tall, not too short. Face it, kid, you're cute."

She blushed a shade of red he'd never seen before. She was looking in the mirror still, trying to see herself through another's eyes. For a brief second, she saw it too. Then her self-doubt kicked back in.

"I'm not anything special, and I know it. Boys rarely ask me out, and if they do, they never stay. I know the truth."

"You probably intimidate them. You just haven't met the right guy yet. Trust me, he will make you feel special. I just can't explain it to you," he trailed off as his feelings and thoughts jumbled.

"Enough of this! Look, Jeff, you're a nice guy. I know you'd never say I was ugly even if you thought so. So let's stop this, get dressed, and do our shopping. We need to have a little fun today!"

"Whatever you say, My Queen!" He bowed and went to get dressed while she laughed.

They went to a grocery store then stopped at Goodwill to see what they could find. She found a sundress and was putting it back on the hanger when he found her.

He encouraged her, "Hey, it's half-price day. Get the dress, it suits you well."

"Where am I going to wear a dress? I don't need it."

"Well, I'm buying it. One of us will wear it." He gave her an ornery grin.

She laughed as he put the dress and some jeans on the counter. "I don't think it's going to fit you!"