He sighed and lowered his voice. "I got a call from Alyssa's court advocate and the loony-ass judge has granted her father temporary custody again, effective immediately," he said grimly.
"What does that mean?" I demanded, not liking the sound of it.
"It means they're coming to get her tomorrow," he said, defeated.
"What?" I screeched, pissed beyond further words.
"Shhhhhh," he said, trying to quiet me down as everyone in the dining hall turned to look at me. "She doesn't know. Louise and I plan on telling her after dinner and we want you and Amy to join us."
Uncharacteristic tears filled my eyes. The judge was a moron. What the hell was he thinking putting her back with her father?
"That sucks ass," I said, not bothering to watch my language in front of him.
"I know," he sighed. "But it's our job to make it as easy on her as we can."
I nodded my head, knowing he was right. "We'll be there," I said.
"Good, I knew I could count on you," he said, squeezing my hand one last time.
I turned my gaze from his and found Mason studying us with interest. For the first time in days, I didn't glare at him. Right now, our apparent animosity toward each other seemed silly. We were insignificant in the whole grand scheme of things.
I pulled my gaze from his when Amy said my name on the other side of me.
"What was Rick saying about Alyssa?" she asked quietly.
"They're sending her back to her dad tomorrow," I whispered back.
"Mother of focking hell, are you kidding me?" she hissed.
"I wish," I said miserably. "Rick wants us to join him and Louise when they tell her."
"Of course, but dang it to hell," she said.
"I know. Hard-Knock Girl strikes again," I added.
The rest of the meal passed quickly as the three of us contemplated the impending unpleasant task ahead of us. When the meal was over, Amy and I headed over to Lyssa.
"Hey girlie, we need to talk with you for a few, okay?" Amy said.
She looked at us apprehensively and I tried to smile at her reassuringly, but it came out more as a grimace. Together we headed to Rick's cluttered office.
Amy and I perched on the small loveseat on the far side of the room with Alyssa sandwiched between us. Rick sat on the corner of his desk while Louise leaned against the wall looking like she wanted to strangle someone.
"Whatever it is, spit it out," Lyssa said in her usual abrasive way that I had come to realize was nothing more than a shield.
Without asking permission, I reached over and grabbed her hand. I expected her to pull it away in her normal sassy way, but she surprised me by gripping it hard in her own hand.
"Judge Lewis has awarded custody back to your father," Rick said, not beating around the bush.
"When?" she asked in a distant voice.
"Effective immediately. They're sending your court liaison tomorrow to pick you up."
"Oh, I guess I better go pack," she said in a dead voice, dropping my hand as she stood up.
"Alyssa, sweetie, do you want to talk about it?" Louise asked, leaving her place against the wall.
"Talk about what? The fact that my dad got custody once again? It's no big surprise, right? I'm the Hard-Knock Girl after all," she added, looking at Amy before heading out the door.