I wake up early and got in the shower. Today is the day of my emancipation hearing. Which means, if the court says yes, I can move back to Maine within the next couple of months. Probably a week or so after Thanksgiving, maybe sooner than that.
I put on my cutest, most seemingly appropriate outfit for the hearing. My short, floral skater skirt, a cream colored button up shirt, with a pink sweater over it so just the collar shows. I put on black tights under it and pair my black heels with it. I curl my hair, and I'm ready for the day.
I walk down stairs where Noah sits at the kitchen table with a bowl of cereal in front of him, and the sports section of the newspaper in his hands. "Mornin' Princess", he says, not even looking up from the paper. I think my heels gave me away.
"Morning Noah. How are you?" I'm very cheerful this morning. It keeps me from thinking about how nervous I actually am.
"Good. You seem very chipper this morning. Does that have anything to do with the fact that you're going to live with me?" He asks sarcastically.
"I just want this to be over so I can move back out to Maine", I say as I take out the mix for pancakes. I hold up the box to show Noah. "I'm guessing you want these too?" He nods.
I make a stack of pancakes for the four of us, adding fresh blueberries to them. I wash the dishes while the pancakes cook on the griddle and stack them on a paper plate, setting them in the middle of the table, then a bowl of fruit. I hear one of my parents get into the shower, and the other is pacing back and forth through their room. They're more nervous than I am about my hearing. Should I be worried about what's about to happen?
A few minutes later, both Mom and Dad come traipsing down the stairs and into the kitchen. "Good morning", they both say at the same time. With my plate at the table, I sit and Dad kisses the top of my head.
"Are you ready for today, Sweetheart?" Mom asks as she takes the butter out of the fridge for her pancakes.
"I'm super nervous, But I'm still so thankful that you guys are letting me do this. I know you don't want me to move before I go off to college, but still", I smile up at each of my parents. "I'm as ready as I'll ever be".
"Oh, Princess. You will be fine. We get you emancipicated", he doesn't know how to say emancipated. "And you come live with me for a little bit, then Cole moves in at the end of June. Simple as that. Your drive to school from your old house is almost as far as your drive to school from the condo", Noah reassures me.
We all finish breakfast and Noah goes to take a shower. Mom and Dad go over the questions that I could be asked and how I should respond. As in, not questioning myself on what I'm saying and not going on and on with the answers. Clear and concise.
Noah comes down soon after in dark pants, a baby blue button down shirt and a pastel pink tie. He looks very nice. He stuffs his hands in his pockets and leans against the door frame in the living room. "We have to be there at ten-thirty. We should go". My parents agree and we head out to the car.
The courthouse is in the center of town. We park in a parking garage on the opposite side of the street and rush in before the rain starts again. It's been on and off all morning. One second it rains, the next it isn't.
My parents and I have to fill out papers, and soon, the four of us head into a conference room. My parents sit in two chairs on the back wall, and Noah and I sit on one side of the table. A moment later, three people in business suits come in through a back door. They carry notepads and each have at least 5 pens in their hands.
"Let's make this quick. We mostly know our decision, we just need the final details to make it for sure", the first, male judge speaks. "So let's get started".
The second, female judge jots something on the notebook, then asks, "Where are you going to live exactly?"
I look at Noah, then I look the judge straight in the eye. "I will be living with my best friend, Noah. He lives in an off campus townhouse in Orono, Maine. His parents got it for me, him, and my boyfriend of two years, Cole, when we all go off to college this summer. Noah is already there, Cole would move in when we were finished high school".
"Will you finish high school? If so, where will you finish your senior year?"
"Bangor Township school in Bangor. I was at that school for most of sophomore and all of junior year. That's where I intend to graduate. It is a twenty minute drive from the townhouse to school each morning".
"Why do you want to be emancipated?"
"Well, in sophomore year, I moved from Detroit to Bangor. I met Noah and Cole on my first day and we haven't been far apart since. I know it seems illegitimate to some people, maybe you even, but it means the world to me to live back in Maine with them. I may not have my parents with me, but they support this. I am very thankful for that", I smile at the three judges.
"Well, I know my answer. Give us a few minutes to deliberate. We will be right back", the final judge says to us. The other judges nod and get up from their chairs, going back through the door they came from.
They come back about ten minutes later. They sit in their leather chairs and set their notebooks down on the table. The female judge speaks, "With our careful consideration, your reasoning, and the fact that your parents fully support you, you will be emancipated from your parents, Kerry and Randy Adams. You and your parents will need to sign this document saying that is legal".
Noah and I look at each other and smile. Our smiles are bigger than ever. My parents get up from their chairs and walk over next to me. The judges hand over the documents for each of us to sign. They hand us pens and I sign my initials in four different places, and my full name in two. My parents do the same.
"Congratulations. You are officially emancipated".
YOU ARE READING
One More Day (Counting on Hockey #2)
Romance*book two of the Counting On Hockey series. Read Just Another Goal prior to this book* Meredith and Cole are going into their Senior year of high school. They are inseparable together. Now both playing hockey, and being together for now more than a...
