Armored

12

Ashton:
Once all the paperwork and legal documents were taken care of, we were all set and ready to bring our girls home. Luckily, while we were filling out the paperwork and shit, Izzy and Rosie were all packed and ready to go.

"You girls ready?" Mrs. Johnson asked mainly looking to Rosie being well aware of Izzy's stance in the whole situation.

"Whatever," Izzy rolled her eyes in annoyance, throwing her bag over her shoulder before brushing past us.

She hugged mrs. Johnson goodbye and the two shared a whisper conversation, likely about how everything would change going forward.

She quickly gathered her bags along with Rosie's stuff, trying to pry the kid off mrs. Johnson as she began crying not wanting to leave. Eventually, she left Rosie with mrs. Johnson and let her handle Rosie as she grabbed their stuff before rolling her eyes at us.

"So... y'all got a ride or are we walkin...?

"Right, here let me help you with those," Michael offered before promptly being cut off.

"Don't touch my stuff," she spoke holding no emotion in her voice telling us she was dead serious about this.

We decided to talk things out farther at home, so none of us said anything about the cold shoulder we were receiving for seemingly no reason. With that, Michael went ahead and lead her to the car to put her stuff while the rest of us stayed to determine how to handle Rosie, as she was taking this a little harder than anticipated.

Izzy:

I packed Rosie and my stuff and got us ready to go when Kevin stopped by the door frame.

"Sup?"

"So... this is it I guess."

"I guess so"

"I'm gonna miss you Iz."

"Aww come here you doofus"

The two of us hugged, looking deep into each others eyes before finally locking lips. When we pulled away, I finally said the thing I'd only dream of saying one day.

"So... we're not foster siblings anymore..."

"True."

"So I guess there's nothing stoping us from doing this," we intertwined our hands together, finally realizing what this meant.

"I guess not. So, wanna go out some time?"

"Kevin?!"

"What? Isn't that what you were implying? Omg please tell me that's what you meant," he started rambling before I cut him off by locking our lips together one more time.

"Shut up. You know that's exactly what I meant, I just hate formalities and dorky cliches."

"So, guess I'll see you around then."

"Guess so."

With that, we hugged each other goodbye one final time.

"Just promise me you'll at least give this a chance Iz. Please don't shut them out before you've even gotten to know them. I know trust is hard for you, but I think if you let yourself, this could be good for you."

"I know. I know. I'll give them a chance. But that doesn't mean I have to make it easy for them."

"Of course you're not."

With that I headed down with Rosie and my stuff, knowing Rosie wouldn't like leaving Martha, so she could say goodbye to Kevin in the meantime. She was the only caretaker she wouldn't completely meltdown without me around. I was grateful for everything that woman has done for us, but I couldn't help but feel a little betrayed that she was letting us go. I always knew we couldn't stay here forever, but part of me secretly held on to hope that maybe through some miracle, we would.

With that, I went down to say goodbye to Martha.

"Oh, I'm gonna miss you sweetie," she said, pulling me into an embrace.

"Thank you Martha. For everything. the love you've given Rosie and I in the short time we've been here means more to me than I can ever say."

"Oh hush child, don't mention it," she spoke ruffling my hair as the two of us said goodbye.

By this time, Rosie had come down with some of her bag of 'special things,' as she called it. It was just a bag of stuffed animals and other random child nonsense, but I didn't question it. Since I had taken care of the rest of both our things, I let Rosie go say goodbye, knowing she would start crying soon.

I went back out to the dudes who were adopting us. I looked to them as they just looked around like lost puppies. I rolled my eyes, looking over to them as I started,

"So... y'all got a ride or are we walking...?

"Right, here let me help you with those," Michael started, but I beat him to the finish line

"Don't touch my stuff," I immediately cut him off.

If there was one thing I didn't do it was let people get their grimy hands all over my stuff. I don't touch your crap so you best not be touching my ish. That was my philosophy in life. Truly worked wonders during cold and flu season.

With that I guess what's his face (Michael) lead me out to their ride. It wasn't particularly large, but it sure as hell wasn't a smallass convertible that's for sure. Seemed pretty average for a car, but it was definitely well maintained.

"Damn, y'all really ain't no basement band huh."

"Well not anymore, we did start off in a basement though."

"Whatever, " I shook my head in annoyance. Hey, don't be tryna make no small talk with a girl holding a heavy bag, "so, ya gonna open the door or are we just gonna stand here like morons?"

"Right, here" he opened the car to reveal a relatively spacious trunk which I placed our couple bags into before heading back to the house.

"Woah woah woah. where do you think you're goin flight risk?"

"Flight risk? What the hell dude?! Just because Martha tells you shit doesn't make it all true! and incase you're forgetting you still got your roommates in there and I gotta go pry my sister off a middle aged woman!"

"Well do you have a history of running away from your previous homes?"

"Yes, but I wouldn't go as far as to say I'm a goddamn flight risk-"

"See, therefore you are a flight risk missy."

"Dude shut the fuck up. You don't know me and I don't know you. Let's keep it at that and get this shit show over with."

"Okay okay... jeez lighten up a little I didn't mean anything by it"

"Ha ha very funny asshole," I rolled my eyes in annoyance before continuing, "and for the record, I didn't 'runaway' for funsies. My sister and I were put in separate homes, neither of which ended up being safe, so I did what I had to to get us out of there."

"Sorry, I didn't realize it was a sore subject-"

"Just shut up. I don't really like talking and my social battery is running real thin real quick so unless you want the next thing I say to be a poetry reading of every curse word known to humanity, I suggest you shut the hell up and leave me alone."

He put his hands up in surrender before quietly walking alongside me.

"Look, I'm sorry if I seem like I don't wanna do this. to be frank, I don't. But i want to make sure my sister is safe so I'm giving you morons a chance. Just try not to screw it up and I'll try not to bite, okay?"

"Okay."