“Don’t worry about it,” I said. “It’s just a guarantee that I’ll see you again if you keep them.”

            “You don’t have to worry about that,” she smiled. “You’re going to have a hard time getting rid of me.”

            She sat down on the bed next to me and we talked a few minutes before we were called for lunch. The two of us went downstairs and sat at the table with her parents. We started eating and then the moment I had been dreading finally came.

            “So Ashley,” Paula said, “tell us about yourself.”

            “What would you like to know?” I asked.

            “About your family, school, anything you want to tell us,” Paula said.

            “Well,” I said, “I live with my sister and one of my friends who is practically my brother. My dad passed away a few years ago. He left my sister and I a lot of money. My mom got tired of being a mom so she left. I ran track and played basketball in school until my dad died. So now I just take care of my sister and try to keep up in school.”

            “I’m very sorry about your dad,” Paula said.

            “It’s ok,” I said. “It was really hard for a long time but it’s getting better.”

            “Do you have any contact with your mother at all?” Arthur asked.

            “No,” I said. “When she left, she made sure we couldn’t find her. But she was never really a mother anyway. Not much has changed since she left.”

            “It sounds like you’ve had it rough,” Arthur said. “But I can tell you have a good head on your shoulders.”

            I looked at Spencer. I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t want to lie to her parents. She looked back at me.

            “She has a great head on her shoulders,” Spencer said. She smiled sweetly at me.

            We kept talking about random stuff. We finished eating. I was getting ready to leave so Spencer walked me out to my car.

            I leaned up against my car and Spencer stood in front of me.

            “Now was that really all that bad?” she asked.