Who Can Really Blame You?

Some hours later, my aunt still at work, we’re all lying on her roof watching the stars. She wouldn’t like us on the roof, but I’m not really concerned about getting in trouble. This is just nice.

“So you’re getting emancipated?” Talia asks, hands behind her head, watching the sky. I affirm that, and Hadley squeezes my hand she’s been holding all day.

“When?” Tayler asks.

“In three days. My aunt will be my lawyer against my dad, and she says they’ll definitely let me become a legal adult right now,” I tell him. He whistles, and if I wasn’t blocked by Hadley in between us, I’d give him a look for making that noise. He thinks my life is very Jerry Springer.

“Where will you live?” Hadley asks quietly.

“I have like twenty-thousand dollars put away from my grandma for when I’m a legal adult, so I can get it in three days. I’ll get an apartment near Consequence so I can work there and I’ll get a car so I can drive to school, and not have to switch to a different high school,” I say.

“Wow,” Talia sighs, “I’m so happy for you.”

“You know what I’m happy for?” Tayler asks.

“What?” We all ask him.

“The fact that your aunt has food?” he says, questioning.

“Yes, she does,” I reply. He gets off of his back quickly, and jumps in through the open window, followed by Talia, who was laying in between me and Carter. “It’s all vegetarian though,” I say after they’re too far away to hear. They both groan a minute later. Hadley laughs, and Carter’s smiling when I glance at him.

“Ainsley, would you like to say anything before the board and I go to debate your emancipation case?” the head judge asks. I swallow and glance at my dad, who looks heart broken. I nod.

“Yes, sir,” I tell him. He motions for me to go ahead.

My aunt pats my hand reassuringly.

“I love my dad,” I start off, “I really, truly do, and I tried to live with him, for his sake. But lately he’s been drinking too much, and getting violent and even though I’d rather live with him, I can’t anymore. I want him to take care of himself, and I was trying to do it for him, but I can’t anymore. I can’t fix him. He has to fix himself. I have to take care of myself now, so I’m hoping that if you grant me emancipation from him that he’ll start realizing that this is real and that he’ll get himself help, and I really hope he does. I’m sorry it has to be this way.”

I fall silent, and the judge asks if that’s all. I nod, and the three judges stand to leave. I don’t look at my dad as my Aunt starts to talk to me.

“That was very good,” she says, “I’m very proud of you.”

I nod, and we fall silent for fifteen minutes, until the three judges return.

“We, Judge Reynolds, Judge Dupree, and Judge Farmer, hereby grant Ainsley Jacobs emancipation from his former legal guardian, Mr. James Jacobs,” the judge says. I feel my stomach drop, and I look to my dad, who’s staring at his folded hands on the table. I ignore the judges until they stand to leave.

“Uh, sir, I have a question,” I say. The three judges look to me.

“Go ahead,” the one on the right says.

“I’ve yet to get my license, and I’m supposed to go with my legal guardian to the courts to get my permanent driver’s license. How will I go about that now?” I ask.

“We have the papers in a file in the back. I’ll bring you a form to sign, and we’ll get your license printed up.” He says. I nod, and watch them leave. My dad stands in the corner of my vision and I turn to him.

“Dad,” I say. He stops and I go to him. “I’m really sorry,” I say, hugging him. He puts his arms around me too.

“It’s fine,” he tells me, letting go. I stare at him, and bite my lip at how yellow his eyes and skin are. I watch him leave the court room and then turn to a secretary who’s just brought me a form.

“Well, Ainsley,” my aunt says as I admire my driver’s license, “You want to go look for an apartment?”

“Yeah,” I say, stuffing it in my pocket as she pulls out of the court house parking lot. “I think I can afford a place for $900 a month, since I have a job and that fund,” I tell her when she asks our price range.

“You know, I’m going to call my friend. He owns that big apartment building near the Art Cove. I might be able to get you somewhere cheap.” She tells me. I smile, and she starts dialing on her phone.

“Jack! Hey, my nephew needs an apartment. Wanna cut him a deal?” she asks the person, “He can afford about 900 a month… Yeah… He’s sixteen, but he has money… He’s emancipated, idiot.”

My aunt smiles at me and gives me a thumbs up. I clap quietly.

“We’ll be there in fifteen minutes,” she says, and hangs up. “He has a nice one for $1000 a month, but he’ll cut it to $800 for you,” she tells me, hitting her turn signal.

“Thank you,” I tell her. She shrugs.

“No problem,” she says, “I’m the one who got him his building permits fixed when he almost got sued. He really owes me a year free for you, but I’ll throw that one out when we meet with him.”

“Will I need to buy a bed and stuff?” I ask. She pauses to think about it.

“Maybe,” she says, “We’ll decide what to do when we get there.”

I nod, and feel excitement in my stomach flare up.

“I don’t understand how you can get people to give me 12 months without rent,” I say, flabbergasted.

“My feminine charms played a large role.” She says. I almost gag.

“He’s gross though!” I exclaim. She ignores me.

“He owed me nearly $12,000. He knows he’s getting off easy,” she shrugs.

“Okay, so you need a bed and a TV and a couch and… what else do you need?” she asks me.

“For now, all I need is a bed and sheets for it,” I say.

“Nonsense,” she says, “He gave us his credit card for furniture. He’s a millionaire. We’re getting everything.”

I look at her, before turning back to look out the windshield.

“You really are a lawyer,” I say, making her bust out laughing.