"I can sign you out?" I ask, obviously delighted. "And here I thought you'd just be getting in trouble every time. I'm happy to do that. Just let me know when."

Still, I don't like the though of them being in trouble at all, especially not for something so innocent as wanting to be in each other's company after a hard night.

"Do you want me to call them? Give them an excuse?" I ask, more than willing to give it a shot. "What kind of punishments do they cook up in a group home, anyway?"

My parents were never really all that good at punishing me. They could ground me but it's not as if they could take away my books, and most of the time I liked those just as much as being outside anyway.