joe's foster home // fillie

o n e

chapter one

10:30am, december 20th

it was saturday.

it was winter, early in the morning, so it was cold, even within the heated car, where the doors acted like a shield from the cold. it was cold even with three layers of clothes. david had pushed her to wear gloves and an extra pair of socks, but millie was stubborn, and she found herself fighting him for wearing gloves- a trivial matter.

and now she was regretting it.

she bit her lip, watching each snowflake fall on the car resting in the parking lot of a seven-eleven. she sat in the passenger side next to an empty driver's seat, her fingertips tracing figures in the frosted window.

through her window, she saw david come out the store, with two warm cups of coffee in his hand. millie smiled, as he opened the car door.

david was careful to balance the coffee cups in the cup holders before getting in and shutting the door. he rubbed his hands together, taking off his thick jacket and throwing it in the back seat of his car.

millie smiled, listening to the soft 80's music playing the background, as she reached for her cup and took a sip.

she frowned.

"this is hot chocolate," she said, crinkling her nose at him.

david nodded, as he drank his own cup, "i know,"

"i won't be able to stay awake," she said harshly.

"well, then go to sleep," david snapped back, "you need it anyways,"

millie stared at david before putting the cup of hot chocolate harshly down in the cup holder, as she turned her body away from him, her arms crossed over her shoulders.

he sighed, his eyes gazing upon the girl in his passenger seat. he bit his lip, shaking his head as he stared out at the seven eleven in front of them. he looked down into his lap.

"the doctor doesn't want you drinking caffeine," david said, then glanced up at her, "and you know that"

millie didn't respond.

david didn't push.

he just started the car and drove.

she lied to david. about being able to stay awake—-but it wasn't like he didn't know. she had trouble sleeping. she liked coffee so that she wouldn't feel tired in her waking hours. milie stayed awake the entirety of the ride, as predicted. she just stared out the window at the city and trees. she saw a deer at one point, but it didn't really excite her.

if her sister was here, she'd point a deer from a hundred miles away. she loved them. she used to know every kind of species. if she was here, she'd even point out a rabbit and say what kind it was.

if she was here.

if any of them were here.

millie tossed her head back as if having her eyes face the sky would make the climb too much of an effort for her tears. but she felt her eyes water anyways, and she took in a harsh deep breath, her arms still crossed over her chest.

david saw her. he saw her distraught, teary-eyed look. david wasn't much of a sentimentalist. he didn't do girl talk. or any kind of talk for that matter.

but he felt like he had to say something.

"it's gonna be fine," he said.

millie turned towards him, her lips slightly parted, her eyes full of hurt, "fine? it's gonna be fine?"

david felt a twinge if guilt, as if something he had said was wrong.

"what do you want me to say, kid? that it's gonna be hell? that it's gonna be hard? it might be at first. it's always a difficult transition. and if you have any problems you call me first,"

millie sunk in her chair, looking at the sky yet again, her hand going to her eye to wipe a tear.

"i'm sorry that it has to be a foster home. there are very few people willing to take in teenagers at this point, okay? i can't take care of you anymore. you're a great kid, okay? i'm sorry. just....be grateful that i got you a place to sleep,"

millie bit her lip but didn't respond.

"okay?"

"okay!" she shouted back.

david was kind of taken aback by her suddenly yell. but it wasn't like he hadn't seen her like this before. she had yelled at him like this when he had first told her about the foster home and that she'd be living there permanently until she turned eighteen and could move out on her own. he remembered that her face and her eyes were red and she was crying and yelling at the top of her lungs in hysteria. he thought she was going to choke on her own air that day.

but being a social worker, he was used to that. the screaming and crying.

but not to that extent.

millie has lost three siblings and two parents overnight.

and he couldn't imagine that. the five closest people in his life being gone, in a snap. he couldn't. and the worst part was that she blamed herself. for not being there. and none of it was her fault. she should consider herself lucky for not being there.

so he just tried to support her and guide her, but he never felt like he was doing enough. and even though he took her in for a few weeks, he knew she couldn't stay forever.

so he entrusted her with joe. joe had had one of his clients before. he only had room for six, and recently, there had been an opening to fulfill that sixth position.

well. it was difficult to say where she's fit. because neither david nor millie felt like they knew anything anymore. but still, they stayed m on the snowy road, both supposedly ready for where they should end.

sksksksksk i know it's slow give it some time. i'm rlly excited for this one.