pte

a

mer

raining

across the sky, and rain bullets w

en sent to live with yet another foster family, and my own terrible excuse for a foster family was trying their hardest to convince me to stay in state for colleg

I spent any more time in the hell hole that wa

ght after my graduation ceremony, I wanted to go to a nice restaurant and celebrate. The

nts’ prison letters, taking me clothes shopping at Goodwill while their biological kids were allowed to shop at real stores, and remin

my best pants and shirts into a backpack, five hundred dollars I’d made from secretly do

r?” My foster-mother Lua

ar after the ceremony. I want t

e. “It’s too bad you weren’t born into this family. We could’ve bought you a better suit,

as she ran a lint-brus

your life.” She sighed. “You probably won’t last that long in

ou very

r you.” She stepped back to look at me. “But then I say to myself: Luanne, thank god you saved that boy, even if it is only temporary and he becomes a drugg

and there. But I knew that was futile. We lived in the middle

om and shut the door behind him. He crosse

yself to do it. He and I had actually become great friends despite his parents’ treatment of me, and if

ally liked having a brother—a lot. Are you going to forget all about me an

u talking ab

tell my parents. I’ll act like I don’t know anything. Just promise me that when you prove them w

till going to Notre

going to the Universit

sn’t sure wha

hacked into the university’s list of confirmed students for the fall and your name wasn’t on it. You weren’t on any

k that I don’t trust you,

tive routes even if it forces you to go out of your way. Oh, and don’t open that brown bag I gave you until you’re out of the state.” He sto

he camera. “I need a picture of my sons! Well, a photo of my foster son

––

ut of my thoughts. “Wake up! This is as

any of them were. I’d been hopping from bus to bus and cab to cab for days

him the money and st

s wearing were completely drenched. I had an umbrella i

s—there was greenery and buildings every few feet, b

ess card to get in. A Harv

that their top computer science graduate from the past year was a guy who developed a mini compu

n, so I rushed past them. I walked down the hallway, peering int

, I slipped inside a dark classro

please.” The lights came on and a blond haired man in a t

alked up the steps, takin

gainst my skin and looked up at the boar

e art data configuration boards on their des

is a senior l

etical company ‘Beta Link’ and so far we have three people in the running for the best computer: George Hamilton II

dane voices I’d ever heard. It was bad enough that their computers sucked, bu

hnology in the world and this is

s room, you have quite the competition if you’re going to get an A

aised th

ing to let them walk away with the top grades? I can only give out a certain number of A

sed m

nted to me. “What

ou’re just using those three as an example to mak

Everyone looked back and fort

eeing as though you didn’t bring yours to critique today makes me feel like they

hat, is using all the wrong materials. Unless everyone else in this class is using sticks and stones, a computer with recycled coils and used wiring should never be considered a good computer. Technology isn’t up to date eno

m fell

Class dismissed.” He shook his head and the students rushed o

e intense glares that were coming from the three

t to talk to you for a second.” He waited for

l Ga

real n

ce,” I m

ot a student in th

ok my

en go to t

o.

front row. “You look like you’re still in high school. Are you still i

w someone randomly shows up to Harvard and knows m

that I really was a student and just wanted to drop in on a

leave electronics around the house and I would look at how all their parts worked...And I w

went to a

N

hin. “So, your goal is

was probably going to call the cops on me for trespassing, so I put on my best apologetic

you.” He laughed. Then he suddenly

t say a

you’re here? I’m sure they’

re in

Well, your legal guardia

’t belong to anyone, and if his classroom wasn’t so warm I w

n high school to get accepted here, Jaso

like I can t

ed speech, tossing it to him. I was hoping he would actually read it for some reason—unlike

stack of my parents’ unopened prison letters, and a one thousand dollar check addressed to me. There was an orange post-it clipped to the back of it: “Cash it some place sketchy—like a liquor store or a bail bo

r potential to help me out on a new computer that I’m developing?” The p

hen I would say I hope it’s not one

ed. “Well, what if I sai

st me a lifetime.” I took my speech from h

ur background checks out...It’ll cover one year of tuition and a small part of your room and board. You would still have to find a job or two to cover the rest, but I honestly think you would ma

h

ou are and you agree to work with me on this project, you’ve got free classes at Harvard and a

I have a

till soaking wet and carrying a dingy and holey backpack. “I jus

ce my next bus wasn’t scheduled until tomorrow that I’d hide out in the bui

se. “If you don’t have any prior obligations, Mrs. Lowell is making pasta tonight

k to anyone. I wasn’t supposed to trust anyone. I was supposed to keep to myself until I arrived in New York—until I stormed into IBM headquarters and forced them to

ng through my classes and working three jobs to cover the expensive dorm and food costs, I managed t

elope that contained a twenty thousand dollar check, saying that it

bank and cash it immediate

e shook his head. “Tell you what, instead of this

gger

ther investors this weekend. I don’t think you need to waste any more time taking classes with people who aren’t as smart a

about? I don’t have a

nt my ch

eck into his briefcase and picked it up. “Trust me, in five years, you’ll have the amount of this check tim