𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐲 𝐠𝐢𝐫𝐥 | 𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐳

𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐧

They walked until nightfall, finally making it to their grandparents' house. Cherry lingers behind the two boys, admiring the home but also wondering if they'll even let her stay.

"We made it, Daniel. It's been a long time since I was here."

"When was that?"

"Before you were born." The three walk up to the front door. Sean pauses, looking at his brother and Cherry. "Come here," he waves the two closer. "Let me check you out. Claire likes everything superclean," he says as he wipes some dirt off Daniel's face. He turns to Cher, examining her face and hair as well. "Dad said she got pissed because he let me bring a snowball in the house." He wipes some dirt off her cheek and forehead, but otherwise, she seems okay. She smiles at him softly.

"Got to give a good first impression," she agrees. She moves her hand towards him, pulling out a pine needle from his hair before wiping some dirt from his chin. He turns to the door, taking a moment to grab his bearings before ringing the doorbell.

 "What if they went on vacation or something?" Daniel asks.

 "We'll figure something out."

 "I could melt the door handle," Cherry shrugs.

 A few seconds pass before the house lights are turned on, and then the door swings open. "I'm sorry, we don't want any-" she cuts herself off as her eyes widen, spotting the three on her doorstep. "Sean?"

 "Hello, Claire." A soft smile forms on her lips before she looks to the side and spots Daniel, who tries not to stand awkwardly.

 "Is that Daniel?" Sean nods his head, making Claire's smile even bigger.

 "What's going on?" someone yells, gaining their attention. "Look who's here after all this time." An older man walks up behind Claire. His face scrunches up in confusion. 

 "What the hell are you doing here?" He points a finger at Cherry, causing her to freeze. "And who's she?"

 "Stephen, watch your mouth!" Claire exclaims.

 "Well, it's kind of a long story. And that's Cherry." As if on cue, Daniel starts dry coughing once more, gaining everyone's attention.

 "Oh, you poor thing. You know he's sick, right?" Cherry tries not to roll her eyes. "Okay, inside, all of you." Claire helps Daniel inside while the two teens follow Sean, shutting the door behind them. "I'll get him upstairs, can you make them some tea, Stephen?" She doesn't bother waiting for an answer, leaving him with the two.

 "Um-" he clears his throat, "I'll bring out some tea if you can sit at the table." The two do so, Stephen moving to the kitchen. A few bouts of silence pass before Sean elbows Cherry, making her look over.

 "How are you feeling?" She taps her finger gently against the table, trying to stir up a response.

 "Awkward," she smiles, discomfort obvious in her expression.

 "Me too," he sighs. 

 "At least they know you. I feel like a homeless kid asking for scraps." She holds out her hands before saying in a terrible British accent, "Oi, governor, may I borrow a biscuit for me wee tum tum?" Sean has to look away, biting his lip so as not to let out a loud laugh. He lets out a deep breath before looking back at her, a big grin on his face.

 "You're going to get me in trouble, chiqui." She shrugs before smiling.

 "Never stopped me before, mi cariño." He lets a few moments pass before speaking, his smile a bit softer now.

 "I'm serious, though. How are you feeling?" He watches as she takes in a deep breath, fatigue notable on her face.

 "Anxious," she exhales. She leans her head back against the chair, staring at the ceiling. "Not sure what I expected, but... I don't know." She brings her head forward, looking back at Sean. "At least Daniel will be okay," she shrugs. She takes a moment before continuing. "I'm also sort of worried they don't want me here," she mumbles out quickly. He scrunches his face at that.