Blondie//Isaac Garcia

2

The day passed uneventfully, marked by a tranquility undisturbed by any extraordinary occurrences. Jackie delved into her studies, while Thalia lay on the bed, enveloped in the soothing melodies of her music. From their window, the blonde observed the Walter family playing together, their close bond palpable. Thalia couldn't resist stealing a few extra glances at Isaac, experiencing a peculiar sensation.

After their conversation with Kathrine, Thalia and Jackie descended into a heavy silence. Finally, Thalia shattered the stillness with a question that weighed heavily on her mind. "Do you believe I'm cursed?" she asked, her voice laden with uncertainty. Jackie frowned, caught off guard by the unexpected query. "I'm not trying to make this about me, I swear. It's just... never mind," Thalia dismissed her own concerns hastily, nervously fiddling with her rings—Jackie recognizing this as a sign of her sister's anxiety.

Moved by her sister's distress, Jackie rose from her chair and settled beside Thalia on the bed. She gently took Thalia's hand, compelling her to meet her gaze. "I wasn't going to say that. I know you believe it, but it's not true, Thalia Anne Howard. What happened to our parents is neither your fault nor mine."

"But what if, you know, this family... What if—" Thalia began to stutter, but Jackie interrupted her. "Let's not go there. I think they're all really sweet. Except for Cole, but that's beside the point," Jackie responded with a sigh, eliciting a smile from Thalia.

"Tomorrow marks the beginning. You can stay home if you want to," Jackie suggested to her sister. Thalia shook her head, recognizing that staying at home would only foster laziness and tempt her to skip more days. "I'll be fine," she replied.

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦

Thalia had expended all her efforts, yet sleep remained elusive. While music brought some relief, her doctor's advice against relying on it all night due to her pre-existing hearing troubles lingered in her mind.

After several semi-sleepless hours, Thalia awoke from a nightmare that was more a haunting memory. Seeking solace, she decided to go to the bathroom. Her mind, as it often did, became consumed with overthinking, contemplating both the future and events from her past. Life in this new place would undoubtedly be challenging, but she hoped it would be easier than her childhood struggles.

Stepping out of her room, Thalia hoped to encounter no one, only to unexpectedly run into Danny.
"Hey," he greeted with a genuine smile, a trait seemingly running in their family.

"Hi..." Thalia responded with a modest smile. She genuinely liked him; he appeared to be the nicest Walter, evident by his attempts to engage with both her and Jackie.

"Can't sleep," Danny sighed, expressing his inability to sleep with a sense of resignation, hinting that this was a common occurrence.

"Yeah, me too," Thalia replied, shaking her head and forcing a smile at the boy in front of her. "But I think it's best if we go back to bed," she added quickly before he could say anything. Not intending to be rude, she considered the late hour and her reluctance to engage in a conversation with a stranger she had just met.

"Sure, yeah," Danny agreed, heading towards his room while Thalia stood there for a moment.

Suddenly, a door opened behind her, startling her. "Hey, you woke me up, blondie," a sleepy voice said. "I bet my good looks are the reason you're still awake," Isaac continued before closing the door. Rude.

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The following day, Thalia was awakened by Jackie, who appeared quite anxious for the first day. However, Thalia would have preferred to stay in bed all day. As always, Thalia finished her morning routine before Jackie.

Upon descending the stairs, Thalia encountered the entire Walter family gathered downstairs. "Lee, I hear that skateboard. It's going to stay here," Kathrine yelled at the boy, who was about to complain before she interrupted him again. "If you ride it to school again, you will be suspended," she warned, widening her eyes to prevent him from responding.

"Good morning," Thalia whispered, but it seemed that no one except Jordan, who smiled at her, heard her. Kathrine was instructing Alex to rewrite his history paper while he and Isaac laughed, and Jordan attempted to get her attention.

"Oh Thalia, it's nice to see you're up," Kathrine smiled before returning to her conversation with Alex. That's when everyone in the room noticed Thalia. Some of the boys smiled at her, while others didn't even glance her way.

"Blondie, I bet you dreamt about me last night," Isaac smirked. "You wish," she retorted, rolling her eyes before taking a seat at the table and eating the food in front of her.

"The bus is leaving in five minutes!" Cole announced, prompting everyone to stand up and gather their belongings.

"Don't touch that; it's for Jackie," Kathrine pointed at a plate on the table. "The boys will take you two to school. Ask them if you need anything and call me if anything happens."

Thalia and Jackie nodded before joining the group of teenagers outside. "Come on, New York, get in," Cole said to Jackie, who appeared frightened.

Thalia waited as everyone in the car settled into their seats. There were three seats in the middle and last row, and two in the first row. Seeing the two girls standing there, Alex opened the door and allowed them to sit. He then took a seat in the row behind. Isaac sat next to Thalia and once again, flashed a grin at her. "I want to see if you'll still want to laugh when I hit you in the face," Thalia groaned in annoyance.

Everyone except Jackie and Isaac in the car laughed.

"Yeah, cause it'll hurt so much," he responded with a touch of irony, a smirk still playing on his lips. She couldn't understand why she had the urge to punch him, but that's what she felt every time he smiled at her.

Thalia rolled her eyes and retorted, "You're such an idiot. Suck my dick." She then turned her attention to her phone, checking her Instagram notifications. She received numerous messages about her parents' death, some agencies inquiring about a potential photoshoot, and various other notifications.

"Guys, the car is full today, so that means Isaac no offering rides to cheerleaders," Cole announced as everyone in the car walked out.

Thalia asked her sister, who seemed reluctant to leave the car, "Are you okay?"

"How do you manage to act like everything is fine?" Jackie inquired.

Thalia offered, "If you want to go home, I can stay with you." However, before she could finish her sentence, her sister interrupted, "No, it's fine; I'll come." Reluctantly, Thalia left when she realized her sister didn't want to talk.