Home is not a house

Chapter 50

Tw for this chapter: Death, suicide, vomit, grief, violence, panic attack, talk of abuse, restraining, breaking things in anger

"I-" Tommy started but his voice failed him. He put Storm down in favor of putting his hands on his chest, curling into himself. He bent down at his knees like he was trying to curl into a ball. "What?" Tommy croaked out as he felt his throat tighten and tears well up in his eyes.

"He died, yesterday. He got out of the hospital and he killed himself." Fundy said through the phone and Tommy could hear that he was crying.

"Aw fuck guess I'm staying alive for you kid"

"No. No. He said." Tommy choked out, feeling himself start to feel light headed. He was having a panic attack and he knew it.

Schlatt couldn't be dead.

~~~

Wilbur was sitting in his class, advanced writing and speaking. The teacher was going on and on and Wilbur felt like this was a day where he just couldn't focus on what he was saying.

"Wilbur. Wilbur Soot." Wilbur shook his head a looked forward. The teacher was staring right at him. "You were supposed to present your essay today?" The teacher offered up and Wilbur nodded.

"Right sorry, lost in thought I guess." Wilbur shrugs as he stood up. The teacher knew of his adhd so he just gave a short nod before sitting at his desk.

Wilbur grabbed his phone, it had his essay on it, an noticed a shit ton of texts and missed calls on it. He ignored it for a moment as he pulled up his essay.

"So introduce yourself and explain what your topic was." The teacher reminded Wilbur and Wilbur nodded.

"Hello, my name is Wilbur Soot and today I'm reading my essay on what the foster care system can do to a child." Wilbur smiled and he took a deep breath, looking down at his phone again. "Growing up I was raised in foster care, placed from house to house. I was raised by too many people, too many adults in my life. And with that came the issue of what foster care did to me."

Wilbur paused for a moment. This was a small class but Wilbur was sharing his heart and soul with the other 10 faces in this room.

"I was abused, there's no sugar coating it. I was hurt by the people who were supposed to love me and I continued to get hurt until I was placed into the care of a man who has chosen to love me and my adopted brothers more than anything. But that doesn't get rid of the hurt and the things I went through. Being abused means that people chose to hurt me and chose to hurt someone who didn't do anything to them."

The class was dead silent, and Wilbur cleared his throat before he continued.

"And that's normal in foster care. Being abused and neglected it normal in foster care. My brothers went through some things that I went through, but they also went through worse. And we were all kids. Foster care is ruining children and we can't stop it." Wilbur frowns.

A classmate cleared their throat.

"Because foster care is a need, we need to have places for kids. But it's ruining kids. It's taking innocent kids and hurting them, abusing them and using them for things. It's either killing them or pushing them to suicide." Wilbur continues and he glances back down at his phone.

Wilbur please pick up Schlatt's dead please fucking pick up

Wilbur read the message and felt his stomach lurch. He turned and ran to the trash can before he puked straight into it.

Fuck.

~~~

Techno was driving home. His brain was tired and he was ready to relax. His classes were mentally draining and he felt like he wasn't fully in his head.