Senior With No License, Work Release, and Family Responsibilities — What Should I Do?

Hi Reddit community! I need some advice on something, and honestly, I feel like I’m stuck between a rock and a hard place 😭.

I’m a senior in high school with no car, no license, and not even a permit yet. Luckily, I have enough money to get my permit now, but I’ll have to wait six months before I can get my license. It also doesn’t help that I barely know how to drive and have a lot of anxiety about making the wrong decisions behind the wheel.

Anyway, I have work release for three blocks (5th, 7th, and 8th). Technically, I could walk home or get a ride if I wanted to. However, my dad doesn’t want me doing that because of my younger sister.

My little sister is in 7th grade, and she barely knows her way around the school and the surrounding area. Her middle school is directly across from mine, so whenever I have work release, I’m expected to walk over there, pick her up, and wait for my dad to come get both of us.

I do have a brother who is in a similar situation to me, but he usually stays after school for sports. He and my little sister also aren’t the best at communicating, which makes things even more complicated.

Usually, when I have work release, I’ll go hang out in one of my teachers’ classrooms. However, my teacher recently told me that she can’t have me sitting in her classroom all the time, which I completely understand. I’ve also thought about staying in the school’s lounging area, but I’m not really sure what the situation is like there or whether I’m allowed to stay there for all three blocks.

So right now, I feel like I have two options:

Get a ride home from a friend or use Uber.

Stay at school in the lounging area until it’s time to get my sister.

The problem is that money is already a HUGE issue for me. I’m currently in about $369+ of debt to my school because of Chromebook damage 🥀, and more charges may be coming. I just got a job and received my first paycheck, so I was thinking about saving up to pay off my school debt. At the same time, though, I need to save for my prom dress, cap and gown, and all the other expenses that come with senior year.

And currently, I only have $46.07 to my name 😭.

I’ve also been thinking about leaving school early during my work release, but I’m not sure if that’s the best idea given my situation.

I did the math, and if everything goes according to plan, I should be able to get my permit and license by around February. I’m also not taking driver's ed because I simply can’t afford it.

Another thing making this harder is the whole school phone ban. It has made communicating with my siblings and family way more difficult, especially when we need to give each other updates about transportation, weather, schedule changes, etc.

So, Reddit, what would you do in my situation? Should I just stay at school during work release, spend the money to get a ride home when I can, or try to figure out another arrangement with my dad/siblings?

Any advice is appreciated because I genuinely feel stuck right now 😭.