The Unwanted

Chapter Nine

Word Count: 1834

Everett's POV

I follow Lizzie around the room and away from the large group to an air hockey table. "Are you up for a little one-on-one?" She motions as she slides a puck across the table.

"Sure," I nod setting my backpack by my feet as I pick up a paddle. (a/n: I don't know what to call these)

"Miss Everett versus Little Olsen," Scarlett narrates for us with frantic hand motions.

Lizzie looks at something behind me with furrowed eyebrows almost like she's confused. I go to turn and look but she interrupts, "I'm so sorry about this Everett, but Chris needs me for something. Why don't you and Scarlett play a round or two while I'm gone?"

"Oh, it's okay. I know you're busy and everyone here probably wants to spend some time with you both," I try to offer. I don't want them to feel complied to hang out with me, just because I was here alone.

"Hey, don't count yourself out, of course, we wanna hang out with you," Scarlett answers before Lizzie can get a word out.

"She may not be as fun, or nice as me, but she's a great replacement," Lizzie smirks.

"I'll be okay," I decide, trying to convince both myself and her for different reasons of course. I don't wanna burden her and I need to calm myself down because there is a lot unfamiliar people in this small area.

"I've got her," Scarlett says placing a hand on my shoulder. I tense at the sudden contact, I'm not used to having people touch me. It's just never been my thing. I know some people love physical connection but I'm not that way. Maybe it's the lack of positive social interactions that I've had or the untrustworthy feeling of getting emotionally attached to someone? I just don't do well with physical touch.

Lizzie made her exit before Scarlett took Lizzie's place and the games began. She was crazy good at air hockey like she had practiced beforehand. I looked around every so often but mainly just focused on my time with Scarlett, which helped to calm my nerves. She was just like a normal, kind person. We played air hockey, foosball, and even shot mini basketballs. It was like a little arcade. She challenged me to Just Dance but I couldn't agree. I'm not a dancer, delicate is not in my vocabulary.

Before I knew it the event was half over and it was time for a late lunch. They had famous people serve us which felt a little strange because who would ever want to serve a bunch of unwanted kids some hamburgers, especially when they're considered royalty here. I had to make sure there were no tree nuts in everything, trying my best to not die in a room full of strangers.

When Scarlett loaded my plate with burger toppings, she told me there were no nuts in anything here as they wanted to be allergy friendly. I felt like that was super kind of her, she even went on to explain that the food was made in a nut-free kitchen. She also asked if I could save her a seat and that surprised me. I think I even blushed a little bit one has really even asked for me to include them. Of course, I said yes because I didn't really know anyone else here besides her and Lizzie. I met Chris Evans, Jeremy Renner, and Robert Downey Jr. but they all seemed pretty worn out by the other kids, so I tried to not be too much of a bother and stuck with Scarlett.

I enjoyed hanging out with Scarlett. I hope that my sticking by her wasn't off-putting, I would hate for someone to call me clingy or something. She didn't ask any personal questions and was super supportive as she kicked my butt at nearly every game. Lizzie joined us during the basketball game but got pulled away by Jeremy for something else. I think it was a ping pong game, apparently, she's the champion of that.

It felt nerve-wracking as we sat down with the other families to eat. I knew the other kids must've had good foster parents, especially because they came with them to an event this special and also because I heard some parents talk about how they adopted the kids or are planning to adopt the kids out of foster care. I almost let myself dwell on the idea before remembering that I'm only a few years away from emancipation or aging out, plus it didn't feel like the right place to break down.