The Liability (2023 - COMPLETE)

XVII - Starting Over

The night had been long and the flights across the country had been miserable. But it had all been worth it.

 Juno knew that it was better for her to make this commitment to move across the country than to stay somewhere that wasn't good for her. They arrived at the airport in New York early in the morning, and it was clear to her that Margot was struggling to stay awake any longer. Even if she had gotten sleep on the plane, it wasn't the truly restful type.

The airport that they arrived at was nothing special, just more crowds of people for Margot and Juno to struggle not to get lost in. But at least Margot had an actual understanding of where they were going, Juno simply had no choice but to follow blindly.

Once outside, it was immediately more apparent that it was colder here than it was back in Washington. Juno shivered, not having enough layers to keep her warm. Not that she had to stay in the cold long, seeing that in the line of cars was an older model Jeep. It was clear that Margot recognized the vehicle and the driver immediately.

"Em!" Margot called out to the driver of the Jeep as the two of them approached. 

The driver got out, a woman about Margot's age with bright red hair cut to a bob with prominent bangs. It was immediately obvious that she was a very pretty woman. She wore an oversized, multi-colored sweater that looked straight from the 1980s, but on her, it seemed so effortless and stylish.

"Mars, Juno, hey!" Imogen called back, and it was then that everything was set in place for Juno. Imogen looked and sounded nothing like she had imagined because the woman in front of her was more than she could have ever hoped for.

It was quick work to get their small amount of luggage placed into the disorganized trunk of Imogen's car and for all three of them to get buckled in. While the car was a little messier than Luna Elizabeth's, it was clear that she had at least kept it from becoming a complete pigsty. It wasn't long before they were off, pulling away from the large airport and onto the highway.

"Okay, you have a meeting with Melissa at 11:30, so there is time to get breakfast if you're interested," Imogen says, glancing at Juno in the rearview mirror.

"Who's Melissa?"

"Oh, she's going to be your case worker, someone to help handle, like, the logistics of your transition to Kingston," Imogen's words are easy, and her voice is soft. It was clear that Margot had fallen asleep in the front seat. Juno couldn't even imagine how long she had been awake and it was obvious the process of flying across the country, twice, in such a short time span, took a lot out of her. "There's, like, a whole lot of paperwork and appointments and she's been, like, trained to handle that sort of stuff."

"Oh...okay."

The little breakfast place that Imogen pulled into almost 45 minutes later seemed cute, farmhouse chic with a peachy color scheme. During the drive, Juno had also fallen asleep. She isn't someone who could sleep well, but all of the traveling she had done had been exhausting.

It was much easier to be around these two than she had initially expected. She was so used to being unable to interact with anyone, so used to being considered a nuisance. Sure their conversation was a little stilted, Imogen and Margot were clearly very close friends and Juno was just an outsider to them. The conversation, while bumpy, still flowed, and the brunch was delicious. Juno had never been good at remembering to eat, especially in the mornings. Being forced to at the restaurant was a sort of a nice change of pace for her. The fruit seemed perfectly ripe and the waffles were light and fluffy. 

Juno almost felt as if she had friends. Perhaps in time, she would.

Brunch was shorter than Juno would have wanted, afraid of what comes next. She is still scared that these people aren't as kind as they seem and will just send her packing. That in a moments notice they will decide that she's not worth putting time and effort into.