He entered his new home for the like 34th time in his life. He gave up hoping for a permanent home.
“Welcome home Ethan and May!” His new foster mother said excitedly as they got inside. Ethan grabbed his sister's hand, not trusting how much enthusiasm this woman had.
She was a taller woman with golden brown skin, and black fading to bright orange hair that grazed her elbows.
“Feel free to look around! Make yourself at home, and don’t hesitate to ask if you need anything,” The lady said, then disappeared into a room. Ethan still had a firm grip on his little sister’s hand and started walking towards the stairs, when he felt a small tug at his arm.
“Can we go that way first?” May asked, pointing towards the dining room.
“Of course,” Ethan said in almost a whisper. They headed through the living room, to the dining room. But it led them to nothing, so they turned back around and headed back towards the living room.
“What way do you wanna go now?” Ethan asked. May pointed towards the halfway right by the stairs. They headed in that direction and got to a bathroom a third of the way down the hall. Then to a bedroom that he guessed was the lady’s room. They got to the end of the hallway and found themselves in what looked to be an entertainment room. There was a small bar area and a pool table in the center of the room. Then a lonely worn-out couch on the opposite side of the bar, that faced the wall where a flat-screen tv hung.
“I don’t like this room,” May whispered, moving closer to Ethan.
“It does look a lot like their entertainment room, we can leave if you’re uncomfortable.” Ethan replied, turning around. They went back down the hallway to the living room.
“Have you gone upstairs? Your room is all set up,” the lady said as they came into the room.
“I’m kinda thirsty,” May whispered just loud enough that Ethan heard.
“Umm... I was wondering if I may have a cup of water?” Ethan asked, as politely as he could.
“Of course!” The lady said, running off into the kitchen. She appeared back in the doorway a few minutes later.
“Here take a seat on the couch,” She said, setting down two glasses of water and a small tray of mini-sandwiches on the coffee table. May’s Ocean blue eyes darted to meet Ethan’s emerald eyes. She always made eye contact with him, as if asking if it was ok to do what the woman had just asked them to. He gave a slight nod, and May broke away from Ethan and sat down on the couch. Ethan took a seat next to her.
“The remotes right there by the sandwiches, so feel free to turn on anything you want, I have to get on a quick video conference, so I’ll be back. Ethan grabbed the remote and started looking through the shows on Netflix. May reached out but was unsuccessful at getting her water off the table. Ethan realized she was struggling and grabbed her glass for her. “
What would you like to watch?” He asked her, as she took a refreshing sip of her water.
“Can we watch home?” May asked. She had always been obsessed with the movie. Ethan turned it on and handed May one of the sandwiches.
“Ethan?” May said as the movie started.
“Yes, princess?”Ethan responded, half listening.
“Please eat, there’s plenty of food, and you’ve already passed out three times this month,” May said, holding out the sandwiches.
“Wait I got something for you.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out a candle and small matchbox.
YOU ARE READING
How Did I Get Here?
De Todoits the middle of 8th grade, Ethan and his little sister May just moved in with a foster mother. Ethan navigates life as a mentally ill person, and finds his friendgroup that helps him learn his identity as a bisexual man. But then shit goes down. (...
