“I HAVE to have that notebook, Mom!” Nick was adamant that he get the Cleveland Cavaliers notebook, not the plain green one his mom wanted him to get. He couldn’t help but think back to his first day of school last year. The day when every other boy had notebooks covered in their favorite sports teams and he just had his boring one. This year he would have one just like everyone else

“This is SO not a good idea,” Marla whispered to Ashley as they snuck down the hall. “If my brother finds out, we are going to get into so much trouble.” The floor boards creaked underneath of them and the two girls froze, too nervous to move.

Rob could remember the way his mother looked and smelled. The sound of her voice was sometimes hard to recall, but if he thought hard enough, he could bring back those memories. She always came in before bed to talk to him, and they enjoyed these quiet moments together. He missed those days more than he could ever describe.

Growing up in a foster home had never been easy for Lorelei. She had lived in more places then she could remember, and never truly felt at home. Could today be different? She heard voices down the hall, her foster mother seemed to be talking to someone and Lorelei swore she heard the word “adopt”!

The sky was a brilliant shade of bright blue. The sun couldn’t hide its cheeriness, shining and smiling down on the world. Reese walked down the street with a little extra pep in her step, ready to take on the day.

Luca stood, rooted to the spot. He had a rustling noise, like something slithering on leaves. Out of the corner of his eye he saw his mom headed for the leaf pile. He had always been afraid of snakes, and so had his mom. He wanted to warn her, but he couldn’t make himself move!