Find Yourself

Carter

     I walked into my new home door, and I was just in awe of the amount of love I received today.  Georgina has been amazing, and so has my new sister.  I never thought that I would have been adopted.  No one adopts teenagers, and especially trans teens.  Words could not express how loved I felt right now.

     As I set down my last bag of clothes, which was piled at the bottom of the stairs.  Lake looked at the pile of three backpacks of stuff that was my life, and she said, "Carter, I cannot wait to take you shopping!"  I laughed at the thought of going shopping with my sister, maybe sneaking a few moments in a dressing room with Felix.  Lake grabbed my arm and pulled me towards the kitchen area, where Georgina was, checking her TV make up.

     She smiled as she saw me walk into the room and said, "Carter!  I am so happy that you are here!"  She walked over to me and hugged me.  I hugged her back and said, "Thank you so much, Georgina, for letting me come live with you."  I made sure to say it that way because I still believed that she wants to adopt me.  She smiled at me and asked, "Live with us?  No honey, you are here to stay.  You are a part of the family now, sweetheart."

     I felt a tear fall down my face, knowing that I have a family now.  The Vanderbilts never wanted me.  They just wanted someone to help make the family look better.  That is all I was to them.  To Georgina and Lake, I am family.  I was speechless, which I guess Lake could tell because she blurts out, "We should celebrate when you are off work tonight, mom!"

     Georgina's face lit up at the idea.  She excitedly blurted out, "Let's get sushi!  I know the perfect spot!"  She looked at me, remembering that this is to celebrate me being a part of the family, and she asked, "Is that ok, honey?"  I nod my head, just happy that I have a family and that people want me, and I say, "I love sushi!  Can I bring my boyfriend?"  Lake perks up and blurts out, "Can I bring Owen?"

     Georgina looks at her daughter and asks, "Who is Owen?"  Lake blushes, but I know exactly who she is talking about.  She shyly says, "Owen Campbell, Lisa's son."  Georgina beams from ear to ear and says, "Oh, I have seen pictures of her boys from her office.  Both of her boys are so handsome.  You know her younger son is more your age, and he is handsome-"  Lake bursts, "Mom, he is gay and dating a friend of mine!"  Georgina laughs it off and says, "Oh, darn!  Well, at least you got one of the Campbell boys!"

     Georgina grabs the signature jacket that she wears every night she is on the air.  As she headed to the door, she said, "I will text you the time and the address, see you two tonight!"  Once the door shut behind her, Lake looked at me and said, "Ok, so I am going to invite Owen over and watch a movie.  Should we make it a double, bro?"  She grabbed her phone before I could answer and sent out a group text, which made my phone ding.  "Hey, dinner tonight, all of us with mine and Carter's mom.  Movie time before?  I am thinking Footloose, not the remake, but the music."  I giggled and said out loud, "I love musicals!"

     I ran to the stairs and said, "Let me unpack and be down in five!"  I grabbed all three of my bags and darted upstairs to make sure my room is ready for when Felix gets here.  This will be the first time he sees my room and probably our first time messing around in a room that is my own, not someone else's.  Dont get me wrong, I love Benji and the fact that his family let me stay there for a bit, but I need my own space.

     Felix and Owen showed up in no time at all, and Lake was all dressed up and on the couch in the living room, with drinks, popcorn, and the movie ready to go.  I ran to Felix and almost jumped on top of him from the stairs, and he giggled, smiled, and then kissed me softly, which made me melt inside.  He always does that to me, and I love that he does it too.