Algid (#TronnorAU)

Chapter 6: Cool kids

The hot steam seemed to engulf the room in white, as Connor stood alone below the running hot water that washed him on that Friday afternoon. No thoughts were on his mind for the first time in weeks, and that was a feeling he enjoyed savoring for as long as he was able.

Connor was amazed with himself, having managed not to lose his grip on reality yet. Especially with all of what had gone down lately; the moving, the new house, Grace and Mikey, Alexis and her troubles at school, the fight, detention, that jerk platoon Lilly had talked about... and now, an invitation to a gig on that very evening by no other than mystery gas station kid.

Funny.

Of course Connor wasn't even planning on going; he hadn't considered it for a single second. But he did find it funny, how someone he clearly dislikes and, not only that, but got in a fight with would be inviting him to anything, or asking to be his friend. Being asked to be someone's friend alone was new for Connor, so this seemed extremely hilarious to him.

But right now, under the running water and with it tingling his skin, he couldn't care any less, and his mind couldn't be freer. Grace had been the first foster parent in a long time that had told him and Alexis they were free to take long showers, just not more than one person normally would. In previous homes the parents usually restricted him to five or seven minutes at most. Sometimes they even counted. Those were the pretty shitty ones.

Three sharp knocks on the bathroom's door caught his attention.

-"Connor?"—Grace's muffled voice called from the other side of the door—"Connor dinner's almost ready! Be down as soon as you're done!"

Well, so long for the freedom of mind.

Connor turned off the shower and got out, covering his waist in the blue body towel Grace had given him, and dried off while the steam still filled the room. Usually in previous foster homes he didn't have that luxury, as both bath towels and shower time were all meant to be shared with fellow foster kids. It was strange to him, feeling so comfortable in this place, in this house. He remembered this one place in which he had to share rooms with other foster kid, Ricky. At first they didn't get along too well, but it took like a month for Connor to get used to Ricky's messes around the room and for the latter to get used to the smell of Connor's dirty laundry, which he always complained about. He had been one of the few other foster kids Connor had learned to tolerate, which he could count with all the fingers of his right hand. That however was short lived, as he and Alexis had to leave that house after two months of living there.

And such had been their lives for years, going from one place to another, never knowing if there'd ever be a settling down for the two of them. Connor had already lost hopes a long time ago, but Alexis always seemed to be expecting that one day in which they no longer had to move around, and that they could finally grow up together in a house without the fear of being taken away.

When Connor got downstairs and headed towards the dining table, he saw Alexis having a conversation with Grace and Mikey, like no other she had had with any other foster family in a very long time. She seemed genuinely happy, and it broke Connor's heart to think that this, like everything else, was only going to be temporary.

-"Oh, Connor! Good, sit down so we can start dinner!"—Grace said with a grin, as Connor obliged and took a seat across from her—"So I have heard from Mamrie that you had your first session with Lisa on Wednesday... how did it go?"

Connor shrugged as a response, while he took a spoonful of red pasta.

-"Well, at least it's a start."—Grace said, a bit under her breath, and then directed her attention to Mikey—"So Mikey how was school today? Any news?"