Abby: Dude, some girls are like that.
Alice: Did the teachers load you up with homework? I can help if you need it.
Me: Thanks, I think I can handle it so far. I’ll definitely let you know if I can’t. Speaking of which, if I don’t respond, I’ll text you guys after I get done at the library. I’m walking there now.
Abby: Such a good student already, Sweets!
I smiled at her teasing, coming from her I knew it was just her personality.
Alice: Sweets?
Trent: I don’t know, it kind of fits, don’t you thin
k?
Abby: Find your own nickname for her.
I’m a little disappointed that Cole didn’t pipe in too, but their banter cracks me up. It’s nice to have them flirting and taking me in so easily. But I have to shake myself out of it, it doesn’t matter anyway. I can’t exactly date anyway, not until I deal with my broken pieces first. Which isn’t likely to happen soon since the nightmares have been happening almost every night again. Sweet Sophia has come in every time and held me until I fall back to sleep. She never asks, but one day I’ll need to tell her about them.
The walk to the library is slow as I get lost in my thoughts again. Once I finally get there, I go inside and claim one of the tables upstairs. Just when I spread out my book and start figuring out what to work on first, my phone lets off another chime. Since I’m not actually studying yet, I pull it out. My heart does a flip when I see it isn’t the group text, but a private text from Cole.
Cole: Hey Charlie girl, want some company?
Me: sure :)
The fact he didn’t want them to see had that familiar butterfly sensation coming back.
Not even ten full minutes pass when he joins me. He pulls out the chair right next to me, and I shuffle my books around so he has room. Not wanting any awkward pauses, I put a notebook between us in case I need to answer anything.
“I saw your texts and figured I could join you since I have a test in chemistry tomorrow,” he explains as he pulls out his chem book. I give him a small smile, and his eyes linger on mine for a moment. My mouth goes dry at the attention, and my traitorous cheeks heat again. His smile changes into a softer one before he looks away.
We work in companionable silence for almost an hour before my brain feels like it’s melting. Giving up, I rest my head on my book for a second. Cole taps me on the shoulder, and I look up at him.
“You all right there?” He sounds amused. I reach for my pen and give a whining noise.
‘My brain is melting from information overload’ I write in response. He chuckles at me and flashes me a sympathetic smile.
“Are they forcing you to make up all of the work you’ve missed? Or just the chapters we’re already into?”
I grab my pen and explain that each class wants me up to date from the last test until now.
“That’s not too bad then,” he says with a shrug, and I shake my head no. It’s not but that doesn’t make my brain feel any better right now. Especially after the day I had.
He isn’t wrong though, I’d be in a panic if they expected me to catch up from the start of school. After the brain melting, I decide that I’ve had enough studying and pack up my books. He slides his book back into his bag and turns to me.
“Where do you live?” he asks, and I grab out my notebook to write down my address and he smiles. “We are practically neighbors. I live a few doors down, and Abby and Adam live two blocks away.” I give him a happy smile, because that means I don’t have to walk alone. The idea of walking home at night seemed fine earlier, but now that it was dark I was a bit more nervous.
The walk home is nice. Cole doesn’t talk much, which is good because I can’t really answer him while walking anyway. But he doesn’t make me feel like it’s an inconvenience, more like we’re both just lost in thought. We make it to my house, and he’s still with me. I guess he lives farther down. He stops when I quit walking and I point up at my house so he knows it’s my stop.
“Bye, Charlie girl. See you tomorrow,” he says with his signature half grin and continues down the sidewalk once I make it to the porch. As I walk inside and drop my bag on the stairs, I can’t stop smiling. Between him, Adam, and Abby, I’m feeling like I belong somewhere for once.
The sound of dishes clanking together draws me to the kitchen. Sophia’s cooking, so I walk in to see if I can help.
“I know that kind of smile,” she accuses playfully, grinning. I just shake my head and roll my eyes but my damn cheeks give me away. She giggles but doesn’t pry further as she finishes cooking and I set the table. It’s nice that we already have a system going, each night here it starts to feel more and more like my home.
After she brings the taco stuff to the table, we sit down and she quizzes me about my new friends. The moment feels so normal, and I almost feel guilty for slipping so fully into living here. It has only been days, but Sophia is my favorite foster parent by far. Not that the bar was super high, but this woman is everything I could have hoped for.
Tuesday