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*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ
When Kelvin Grey came down to breakfast, only half focusing on the tie he was currently fixing around his neck, he wasn't surprised to see his only niece eating breakfast with her earphones in. His wife, Louisa Grey, was seated across from the young girl and sent him a small smile that said 'I tried' before she took a sip from her tea. Kelvin sent her an understanding nod as he moved to the kitchen counter and began preparing some toast. TJ had always struggled to socialize with others, even from a young age, but after her recent incident it was as though she had chosen to forsake communicating entirely. Kelvin and Louisa were lucky to get a sentence out of her.
"She'll talk eventually," Louisa commented, twisting in her chair to face her husband. She reached out and placed a soft hand on his arm, sending him a small smile. TJ's actions of spooning cereal into her mouth faltered slightly as her eyes landed on the interaction, only for a second, but neither adult noticed. "The counselor said she just needs to process everything first. She went through a lot."
TJ stood up abruptly which caused the Grey adults to jump slightly as her chair scraped roughly over the floor. Keeping her eyes lowered, she brushed past her uncle and dumped the plate in the sink. TJ was walking back past Kelvin when he reached out and clasped her arm softly, and the girl halted her step and pulled out an earbud with a "hmm?".
"We need to be at the school soon; the Principal wants to meet you, remember?" Kelvin said gently, pulling his lips up into what he hoped was an encouraging smile.
Ah, yes. TJ thought bitterly. Already watching the troubled kid, I see.
At least the school was attentive. She grit her teeth together momentarily, feathering a muscle in her jaw, but nevertheless nodded and left the kitchen wordlessly as she shoved the loose earbud back into her ear. The heavy music others may have found too overwhelming calmed her; helped her keep her emotions in check.
Climbing the stairs to her new bedroom, TJ shoved the door open and came to stand at the foot of her bed where her backpack was. Without a second glance, she snatched the bag up in a tight fist and was returning to the kitchen, having pulled her bedroom door shut behind her. Her uncle was standing in the foyer, fiddling with his brief case as he waited for her. He was chewing a final bite of toast. Upon seeing TJ, he pressed a chaste kiss to his wife's cheek and headed out the front door, striding down the steps of their porch and towards the car. Louisa watched as her niece climbed into the car with a small frown on her face.
The drive to the high school wasn't silent, unlike TJ hoped it to be; the earbuds in her ears didn't prove deterrent enough for Kelvin and as they were pulling out of their street, he reached out a hand and yanked the closest earbud out of TJ's ear. The girl jumped, pulling her eyes from the view outside to send her uncle a dirty look. When she saw his expectant expression, TJ sighed and paused her music, pulling out the second earbud and watching him closely.
