Chosen Family (Adopted By Scarlett Johansson)

Chapter 4

"Nothing's going on, Scarlett."

"We're not going to believe that, no matter how many times you say it, Y/N," Lizzie chimes in from beside us.

"I have to get back to work, I'm sorry," you mumble as you walk away.

It's been ten minutes, and I'm still purposefully ignoring Scarlett and Lizzie. They haven't left; they're standing by a shelf looking at books (although I can't tell if they're actually looking at the books or if they're just waiting for me to say something). I'm organizing books a couple of aisles away from them when I hear a younger person join their conversation.

"Scarlett, is that you? Hi, Scarlett!" Aw, come on, man.

"Hi, Adley! What are you doing here?"
"Y/N says I have to come to work with her because I can't stay alone with Mr. Blake." My eyes widen and I rush out of the aisle.

"Adelaide!" Yeah, I'm bringing out the government name for this one. "Did you forget our rules? What happened to not talking to people you don't know?"

"But I know Scarlett," she protests with a pout.

"You met her once! You shouldn't approach people unless you know them extremely well, Adley. Besides, you're not supposed to be out here," I scold her. Scarlett's eyebrow is arched and Lizzie looks dumbfounded by the interaction, but I do my best to ignore them.

"But I'm bored! We've been here for hours, Y/N," she wines.

I sigh, trying to swallow the guilt of making her sit in a bookstore all day. "Fine, you can stay out here with Scarlett and Lizzie for a bit, but please stay away from other people. I really don't wanna deal with you getting kidnapped or something. And stay away from the bottom shelves, you know the dust makes you really sick."

I hear the three of them talking animatedly as I walk away. I don't know how much longer I can balance all of this. Taking care of a six-year-old girl is a lot of work when you're a stressed-out, unstable teenager. I continue working, hoping that Adley won't say anything about the conditions of the foster home.

SCARLETT'S POV:

I try to conceal my shock as Lizzie and I speak to Adley. What did she mean by she can't stay alone with Mr. Blake? Don't get me wrong, I never believed Y/N's lie that Mr. Blake is their doorman, but now I'm just confused.

Aside from that, I also can't believe what I just witnessed. Y/N was literally parenting Adley. I mean, older siblings usually help take care of the younger kids, but not like that. From what I've seen between the park and here, Y/N is constantly taking care of Adley.

I'm starting to get really worried about Y/N and Adley's situation. I've never really heard Y/N talk about her parents or her home, and I don't know who Mr. Blake is, but from what I've heard, he doesn't seem to be a great guy.

I shake away those thoughts and focus on Adley. I'll talk to Y/N about it later. I can't push her to tell me what's going on; I've tried that and it's obviously not working. So instead, I'll just make sure she knows that she can trust me and rely on me. I want her to be able to come to me for anything, because I'm starting to doubt that she has anyone else to rely on.

YOUR POV:

Half an hour later, Adley is back behind the counter and Scarlett and Lizzie are about to leave. I say goodbye to them, but Scarlett doesn't go.

"Wait in the car, Lizzie. I'll be there in a minute," she says. Uh oh.

"What's up, Scarlett? Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, of course. I just want to give you my number, in case you ever need anything. And I want you to come to my house for dinner tonight. It's nothing fancy, just a simple meal."