All The Colors In One | FILLIE

three - someone to lean on

song - Don't Hold Me by Dean Lewis

~"Don't hold me, 'cause I am falling back down
And I wouldn't wanna see you
hit the ground
But little darling you found my heart in the lost and found
but the scars they still follow me around"~

Finn was waiting outside of Millie's house with wobbly knees, tapping his foot nervously as he kept glancing down at his watch. It was 8:14 and they only had a short period of time before classes would start, leaving barely enough time for them to focus on their schedules. When he finally looked up again, Millie was struggling to get out of her front door alone, trying to shut it without getting her backpack stuck in the space between the wood. Her eyebrows were furrowed in concentration, huffing out in frustration and running a hand through her sunshine-dipped waves while she kept trying. Finn hesitantly walked forward, her ears instantly twitching at the sound of his sneakers against the gravel of her driveway. 

"Don't even think about it" she mumbled darkly, "I can do it myself."

Finn sighed. "I just want to help."

"I don't need your help!" she snapped tiredly, refusing to turn around in his direction as he kept watching her. He huffed under his breath, letting her struggle for a few more seconds before shooting forward determinedly, ripping her backpack out of the gap between the wood of the door while Millie almost growled at him. 

He held up her backpack like a trophy. "You're welcome."

Millie's nose wrinkled at the undercurrent in his tone, realizing that he was getting fed up of her behavior towards him. It lit up hope inside of her, that perhaps if she became unbearable enough, he would finally convince her mother that it was not going to work out.

"Shut up."

"You shut up" he retorted. 

"No, you-"

Finn closed his eyes in frustration. "Jesus, just hold onto my arm already."

Her nose wrinkled for a moment, her teeth gritting while her blood boiled. She hesitantly held her hand out like she was scared, Finn rolling his eyes instantly at her reluctance as if she was expecting him to hurt her. She looked like an abandoned animal, flinching as soon as he grabbed her hand, guiding it to rest on his arm just above his elbow. She realized how different they were in height, her arm lifting up slightly to reach his, delicate fingers clasping against his sweatshirt as loosely as she could. The warmth mingled between their bodies as they were forced closer together, Finn huffing whenever she tried to move away when they started walking. It was awkward first, more awkward than he had expected, a small frown on her face as she let her head droop. He figured that she was nervous about starting school with everyone staring at her but her sour attitude was getting tiring, he was finding it hard to stay polite like he was supposed to. As they walked side by side down the road to school, she noticed the clean scent that followed him, the crisp scent of freshly-washed cotton sheets and something warm as if he had been burning a candle before picking her up. 

 "You're not a morning person" she pointed out in a matter-of-fact tone. 

He glanced at her warily. "Huh?"

"You're in a sour mood" she shrugged lightly, tightening her grip on his arm. 

Finn's nostrils flared. "I wonder why."

Millie sighed sharply, ignoring the jab in his tone as they continued walking. "Neither of us want to do this, Finn. I am not looking to make a new friend."

He was quiet for a while. "Doesn't mean that you need to be cruel."

The rest of the walk was in silence, only interrupted by the sound of their shoes slapping against the pavement, their movements quick as they rushed to make it on time. There was a kind of awkwardness between them, neither of them wanting to speak up and admit that perhaps they were being a little harsh. The minutes ticked by until they reached the school, Finn slowing down and she immediately tensed in reply. The building was tall and slightly familiar to Finn, the place still seeming like a maze after his first week of studying there. He had found it difficult to find anyone to trust, everyone watching him like he was fresh meat in the school, interested in him like he was a science experiment. He suddenly worried for Millie and glanced at her, noticing how pale she had gotten, her lip wobbling so gently that he almost missed.