All I Want for Christmas Is You
Chapter Five: By Law
I walked into the dining room with Justin, and Emily was the first to see me. “Amanda!” she shouted from where she was seated, to the right of Veronica, at the long dining table.
Mrs. Cynthia smiled at me, and I smiled back. “Amanda, I’m glad you decided to join us.”
Emily pointed across the table at the empty chair next to JC. “Amanda, you can seat next to JC.”
My eyes went straight to Veronica, who was fighting the urge to laugh out loud. “I guess I’ll seat next to Veronica,” said Justin, seeing an empty chair next to her. He nudged me from behind and I shot him a look as I walked over to my chair and sat down.
“So you’re the famous Amanda,” said JC.
I turned to JC. “Famous?” I questioned.
He smiled at me. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“From who?” I asked curiously. He turned and gestured with his head to Emily who was carrying on an adult conversation with Justin, or at least trying to. I chuckled softly. “I should have known.”
“She’s a cute kid.”
“Too cute for her own good.”
JC chuckled softly. “How old is she?”
“She just turned 5 years old last month.” He nodded.
“How old are you?”
I looked down at my plate and picked at my food. “18-I mean 16. I’m
16,” I said with a little hesitates in my voice. I turned to JC. “I’m
16.”
He smiled at me with a little smirk on his face. “Are you really 16?”
I nodded my head nervously. “Yes.”
“You don’t look it.”
“W-w-what do you mean?” I stuttered nervously. “H-h-how old do you I look?”
JC smirk turned into a humungous grin and he began to laugh. “I’m just messing with you. You look 16.” I faked a laugh.
“So who here is the oldest?” Justin asked no one in particular as he looked around the table.
“Amanda and Veronica,” said 12 year old Melissa. “They’re 16.” Both Veronica and I glanced at each other and smiled. Our secret was safe. That is until Emily spoke up.
“They’re not 16, silly!” She giggled. “They’re 18!” Veronica and I buried our faces in our hands.
“EMILY!” the girls all shouted. She looked around at everyone scared and lowered in her chair.
“I’m sorry,” she said in a soft voice, and on the verge of tears. She stood up and ran out of the dining room.
“Emily, wait!” I stood up and went after her.
Veronica looked at Mrs. Cynthia. “I guess I better go pack my bags.” She stood up and left the dining room.
“Veronica, wait!” Mrs. Cynthia sighed and looked at Justin and JC. “I have a confession. I lied to you both. I told you that Amanda and Veronica were 16, but really they’re 18. By law you are considered an adult at 18 and at 18 you can no longer live at an orphanage. You are forced to move out and make a life of your own. I couldn’t do that to Amanda and Veronica. They had no place to go and no means to get there. Right now the girls are working as waitresses at Monica’s. They are saving all their money to get an apartment together.”
“Why didn’t you just tell us the truth from the beginning?” asked Justin. “We would have understood.”
She nodded. “I was afraid. The orphanage really needed the money and I didn’t want to risk it.”
“Do you buy Amanda and Veronica things with the money we give you?”
“Yes, but I put back every cent. Sometimes the girls need stuff and they don’t get paid very much and-”
JC gave Mrs. Cynthia a kind smile. “Cynthia, it’s okay.”
She looked at JC and Justin. “I’ll understand if your want your check back.”
“No that won’t be necessary,” said Justin. “The real question is do you need more money?”