Side Story 2 - Simon
A/N: Please do not read the side stories before reading The Ties that Bind.
The last thing Simon ever expected was to be adopted at this point in his life, he knew the odds just like every kid at St. Jerome's knew the odds. Whenever couples came to the orphanage looking to adopt, they always chose the youngest children, which was good for the younger children, but it was hard for any kid beyond a certain age as others were adopted and they were left behind - again. Each year that passed, a kid's chances of being chosen by someone fell. Kids everywhere looked forward to birthdays, and to a certain extent, that was true for the children at St. Jerome's too, but there was always an air of dread on birthdays. A year older meant that a loving home was less and less likely. Birthdays were days of mixed emotions for all the children there.
Couples had always passed by Simon; he'd heard their quite whispers about his mismatched eyes when they passed him by, so he'd always figured he'd be one of the kids to age out of the system. It was true that he'd almost aged out, if you considered that he'd graduated from high school first, but that didn't change the fact that he'd been adopted; really, truly adopted. It didn't matter that he was almost eighteen now; he now had a family. A real family. The best part was that he was part of a family with both Kasden and Trevor; the two people he loved the most in the world.
He pinched himself again; he couldn't stop himself; he was going to have the biggest bruise on his arm from all the pinches. He couldn't help himself though and pinched himself once more. He had a room of his own for the first time in his life, for a while at least, until it was time to move in with Kasden and Luke. Technically though, he had a room of his own waiting there too since the other two boys shared a room; he would be the only one in his room. He savored the feelings overwhelming him, pinching himself yet one more time just to prove that it was real, and not just a dream. Even though he'd known for a few months that Kasden's parents were trying to adopt him and Trevor, now that the adoption was final, it was surreal.
Simon was awakened in the middle of the night when a small body climbed into his bed and snuggled up next to him. Trevor. The boy probably woke up, and finding himself in a strange place, he'd been afraid; that was understandable, so he'd found his way to Simon's room, and someone he knew. He'd been warned by Mr. Milton that it might happen; sometimes it took a child a little while to adjust to the changes in their life. It wouldn't go on very long, the strangeness would wear off, and Trevor would be able to sleep by himself in short order.
---
Breakfast with their new family the next morning was another first for the boys. Instead of a cafeteria full of children, there were only six people at the table, two adults, one teenager and three children. The meal wasn't quiet though, Kori talked non-stop throughout the meal, asking her new brothers question after question. If she gave them time to answer it was only because her mouth was full, chewing pancakes, before she was off to the next question. Simon thought it was cute, and Trevor was too shy still to engage in much talk, so having Kori do all the talking was nice - he did try to answer her questions when she gave him the chance to talk.
Kelsey's only question was about whether they'd slept well or not. Simon wondered if she might have had more to say if Kori hadn't been so chatty, but he saw the affectionate look in her eyes whenever she looked at her daughter. Simon guessed that this was how a typical morning passed for the James family.
He helped his new parents clean up after the meal, assuring them he was fine helping - one of their chores at St. Jerome's was cleaning up after meals. The twins dragged Trevor away to meet some of their friends, after getting their parent's permission; it seemed they'd told their friends about the new brothers and wanted to introduce him to them.
"Is it all right if I use your computer?" Simon asked once they were done cleaning up after breakfast. "I want to look for a summer job in the area, if that's okay. Once school starts, I'll have to find a part-time job close to the university, but I was hoping to make some money before then."
"Certainly, you can use the computer we have set up in the room Ken calls his 'office'," Kelsey answered. "That's the computer the twins use for their schoolwork."
"What type of work are you looking for, do you have anything specific in mind?" Kenton asked. "We can always use help down at the shop; it would be working on cars, but you don't need any experience because we will train you how to do everything, and the pay is good."
"Really?" Simon perked up. "That would be terrific, are you sure that wouldn't be an imposition?"
"Not at all. We're always shorthanded there, and if we work together, it will give us a chance to get to know one another better; we can call it 'father and son bonding time'." He smiled at Simon. "If you want to, that is."
---
Simon climbed into the car with his new dad, and they drove to the shop for his first day on the job. The shop specialized in body work, fixing the dings and dents that inevitably befell a car in the city. The shop also did work for insurance companies when a car was in an accident and wasn't totaled; when a car left the shop it looked as good as when it drove off the car lot.
"I want you to know, Simon, that we're all over the moon that we were able to adopt you two boys." Kenton began, as they made their way through morning traffic. "I only wish we could have gotten the adoptions taken care of sooner. Kelsey and I wish we had more time to spend with you than just a summer. We never had even that with Kasden, though."
"It's our hope, Kelsey and I's, that you'll view us as your parents now, not just a couple that you barely met a few months ago. You won't have to call us 'mom and dad' though, unless you want to, that is. It'll be different with Trevor, since he'll be living with us for several years before he moves out on his own, but we only have a summer with you. I can assure you that we already love you two boys, and we always will. I want you to know that, Simon."
"Thanks, Ken," Simon said with tears in his eyes again. "You don't know how much that means to me; until a few months ago when you started the adoption paperwork, I never thought I was going to have a family. It still seems like a dream to me, and even though I'm almost eighteen, this means the world to me. It really does."
A/N: I've been thinking about writing a short story about Simon. It would be a lot shorter than TTtB, but there are a few places where I'd like to expand on his story a bit more. What do you think about that?
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The Ties That Bind
Teen FictionKasden Williams is trying to make the best of his life after being abandoned at St. Jerome's orphanage as a five-year-old. He has a group of friends who have his back and will support him in whatever way they can. Little does he know it, but his...
