Adopted by Bruke

Chapter Two

Jaylan's point of view

"Maybe if I wasn't so fucking weird, I'd actually have a shot at being adopted." I grumbled as I threw my beanie on the floor. I pulled my hair into a mes at ponytail and then pinched the bridge of my nose. "Pinché pendeja."

My roommate scoffed, looking at me from the her bed on the top bunk. "Stop wallowing in self pity, I can smell the depression amd self loathing from up here."

"It's not my fault you were born with a big nose." I muttered and she watched as I violently tightened my ponytail.

"Shit, don't rip your hair out, Mrs. Hulk." She commented as she got down from the bed. "How bad was it? How bad could it have honestly been, Jay?"

"I said 'no hard feelings' if they didn't want to adopt me and made them wait about fifteen minutes before truly getting to talk to me. I fucked up, big time." I sniffled and she sat down behind me as I plopped on to the carpeted floor. "I'm a mess."

"Aren't we all?" She asked as she took my hair out of its ponytail, running her fingers through my curly hair. "Calm down. You know it takes awhile when they talk to the caregiver."

"I know but I can't help but think they didn't even talk to her about me. Maybe they just left without a second thought." I sighed and rubbed my eyes with the back of my fist. "I'm sorry, I'm being a little baby."

"You're not being a baby. You just care... excessively... about things that don't need so much thought. It's alright." She promised as she began playing with my hair. "Calm down. Just take some deep breaths."

"You have a smaller hairtie?" She asked and I nodded my head. "Where?"

"Under the bed, behind my shattered dreams and the boogie man." I joked in an attempt to get my mind off of the intetview and she snorted as she reached for the box.

She began to fix my hair and I sighed. "Do you think I'm weird?" I asked and she didn't even take a moment to think.

"Yes," she answered and I picked the loose strings off of my ripped blue jeans. "But, I don't think we mean the same kind of weird."

"There's only one kind of weird." I scoffed and she hummed in disagreement.

"That's like saying there's only one kind of hurt. There's a million kinds of hurt, and an million kinds of weird." She scoffed and I shook my head. "Stay still." She snapped and I did as she said.

"I'm just a little fucking weirdo who can't do shit right. I need to learn how to be normal like other girls my age." I mumbled and hissed when she tugged too roughly on my hair.

"If I had a dollar for every time you insulted yourself, I would be able to pay for the surgery and therapy you need to finally be able to fucking love yourself." She huffed as I heard a knock on the door. "Give us a second!"

"Alright." I heard Luke's Australian voice and I nearly bounced out of my seat in excitement and surprise.

I covered my mouth in shock and I knew my roommate was smirking behind me, mentally telling me, 'I told you so'. "Ain't so weird after all, are you now?" She asked and let go of my hair. "Alright. I'm finished then. Come in!" She called and I saw the door open.

Luke looked inside and I smiled softly. "So we haven't left yet, and we aren't leaving without you. So, do you want any help packing? I really didn't believe you when you said your room was... messy." He trailed off as he looked around the small bedroom.

"I... it was clean, but I didn't know what to wear and went through my entire wardrobe... it got messy quick." I trailed off and he chuckled as he looked around.

"So, need any help?"

"Yeah, that'd be nice, considering that I'm out now. Peace losers." My roommate answered for me before leaving the room, closing the door behind her.

"She's..."

"Pretty bipolar yeah." I told him and he nodded as I grabbed a black bag from my closet, shoving all of my clothes inside of it. He decided to help me, stuffing it full of my clothes from the floor since I told him that they were clean.

"So uh... Brian's older than me, so you have his last name, Dales. Jaylan Anne-Marie Dales." He brought up and I nodded my head.

"It doesn't sound that bad. I kinda like it actually." I admitted and he agreed with me. "It has a nice ring to it."

"Hemmings doesn't go too well. Besides, it's better if your last name doesn't match someone from my band, people will flip." He told me and I put my box of hair accessories into the bag. "Is that all?"

"I don't own a lot, just enough clothes to get me through about a week before having to do laundry." I told him and he nodded as I took a deep breath. "What about my school?"

"We don't live too far away, so don't worry, you don't have to switch schools... unless you want to?" Luke asked and I shook my head.

"I cried on the first day of school here. I can't go to a whole new school again, not in the middle of the year especially." I tried to convince him and he nodded.

"We'll work with the school for papers and addresses then. Between us, I was hoping you'd stay. Brian wanted an entire fresh start, only since your life is 'about to do a one-eighty', but I told him that staying here would be best so it isn't too much of a difference." He recalled and I nodded.

"I like the way you think, Luke." I smiled and he nodded as he closed the bag. I threw it over my shoulder and he shook his head, holding a hand out. "What?"

"No no no. I'm carrying it. It's pretty heavy, let me have it." He told me as if I was supposed to know that already. "Give it."

"No, it's fine. It's my stuff, let me carry it. You don't have to Luke." I laughed nervously since I allways felt awkward when people did things like this for me. It was sweet, but I had functioning limbs so I could do things by myself.

"Come on, just let me carry it. I know you don't want to. I won't drop it, I swear." He was persistent and I sighed. I handed it to him, hoping that he aould stop asking me for it and making me feel bad for refusing.

He opened the door for me and I thanked him as I walked through the frame and then downstairs. Others stared in envy and my roommate gave me a nod, and then a wink.

"Remember our talk sunshine, there's a million forms of pain." She smiled and then went back to talking to her friend.

Luke looked at me with a risen eyebrow and I shook my head. "It's nothing, swear. Just her being crazy." I mumbled and he didn't question as we left the building.

He set my things inside of the trunk and Brian stepped out of the center after a few minutes. "Sorry babes, I had papers to sign, things to agree too. Are you all set?" He asked as he pulled the keys out of his pocket.

"Yeah, I'm ready." I nodded, but a voice in the back of my head was telling me that I wasn't. It was saying that maybe I left something in the room, or that I shouldn't leave, but I ignored it. I took a deep breath and then looked at them. "I'm fine."

"Come on, let's go to our apartment. It's really nice, I promise. Just be careful about where you take selfies so no one can tell you're living at our apartment. Luke's open about it, and it'll save us all drama for awhile." Brian advised and I nodded, promising that I wouldn't.

I got into the car and then closed the door, buckling my seatbelt as they turned the radio up, Sign Of The Times by Harry Styles playing loudly. I smiled since the song calmed me down a bit, as hummed quietly as Brian drove away from the center.

Here's to a new life.

-

Question of the chapter:
- Who thinks that this is some kind of PR stunt?

Author's Answer
- For a good half of my fandom days, I thought PR meant 'pretty real'... and I still don't know what it stands for exactly oops.