Chosen Family (Adopted By Scarlett Johansson)

Chapter 16

I heard the front door open and rolled off the couch to help Scarlett with the groceries. I walked into the kitchen at the same time as her, each of us coming from different directions.

I picked up on the scowl on her face and her heavy sigh. "Is something wrong?" I asked hesitantly.

She set the bags down on the counter with a loud thud that caused me to flinch.

"No, nothing's wrong," she replied with raised eyebrows. "Why?"

"Are you mad at me?"

"No, Y/N, I'm not mad. Why would you even say that?"

I flinched at her tone and the way she was throwing things around as she put the food away. I felt my breathing pick up slightly and said "Um, I have a lot of homework to do, so, I-I'm just gonna go to my room."

"I thought you were gonna help with the groceries," she called after me. I ignored her and went into the bathroom attached to my bedroom, sitting on the floor and pulling my knees up to my chest. Hot tears made their way down my cheeks as I dug my hands into my head. Logically, I knew Scarlett would never hurt me. But I guess some things don't change; some pain never leaves, even if the person who caused it did.

...

"Y/N? Are you okay in there?" Scarlett asked as she knocked on the bathroom door.

"Uh, yeah, I'm good. Just give me a minute," I said as I stood up. I rinsed my face to get rid of the tear tracks and dried it off, taking a few deep breaths. Putting on a fake smile, I opened the door.

"Sweetheart, what happened?"

"What do you mean?"

"I'm not blind, Y/N. I obviously did something to freak you out. Did I say something that triggered a bad memory?"

I walked past her and sat down on my bed, trying to figure out how to explain what happened. "It wasn't anything you said, I just...When you came in, you seemed upset. I can see now that you weren't, but in that moment, I just got really scared. And I know you would never do anything to hurt me," I clarified, "but that's not enough to erase old...habits, or whatever."

"I am so sorry, Y/N. I swear I wasn't upset, and I definitely wasn't mad at you."

"It's not your fault, Scarlett. You don't have to apologize."

"What can I do to make you feel safer?"

"Oh, I don't know. You already make me feel safer than anyone ever has. This is gonna sound really dumb, but...maybe don't set things down or sigh aggressively or slam doors or- wow, I sound like a little bitch," I laughed. I hate thinking about how much damage Mr. Blake caused.

"If you're implying that you're scared or a wimp or whatever, then you're not. Y/N, you went through hell. You have trauma, and we need to learn how to cope with it一as a family."

"What? No lecture for swearing?" I joked.

"Keep it up and there will be."

"Yes ma'am," I said with a salute.

...

Today, I finally went back to work. I hadn't worked a single shift since everything blew up, and I was excited to get back. The bookstore was one of the few things that hadn't changed in the last few months.

Except this 'first shift back' was going terribly. I was exhausted. I stayed up late last night doing...well, I honestly don't know what I was doing. Blaring music in my earbuds and staring at the ceiling? Probably. Don't ask me why; sometimes I just can't sleep, or I sleep way too much.