Blondie//Isaac Garcia

1

Thalia Howard's life took a drastic turn when Angelica and Bill Howard adopted her six years ago, rescuing her from a lifetime of foster care. But now, tragedy has struck, as both Angelica and Bill, along with their daughter Lucy, have passed away. Thalia finds herself left with only her fellow orphan, Jackie, and they are forced to live with their mother's best friend in Colorado.

Jackie throws herself into her studies, burying herself in books and refusing to take a break. Meanwhile, Thalia retreats to her room, finding solace in music and rarely venturing out except for school. The flight to Colorado is uneventful, with nothing particularly noteworthy happening. Thalia struggles to hear what Jackie is saying to their uncle, but she catches snippets of conversation about seeing Kathrine and George Walter.

As Thalia and Jackie arrived at their destination, they were met with a warm smile from Kathrine.

"Jackie, Thalia," Kathrine greeted them, but the girls barely made eye contact.

"Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Walter," Thalia forced a smile, pretending to be pleased to be there. She knew that their emotions were not directed towards Kathrine and George, but rather the circumstances they found themselves in.

"Hi," Jackie responded grumpily. Thalia had learned from her experiences with foster parents that it was important to be kind to them, as appearances could be deceiving.

"I'm so happy to see you both. Oh, and call me Kathrine," she said, her eyes filled with sincerity. Thalia decided to give her the benefit of the doubt, knowing that her mother wouldn't have entrusted them to someone unworthy.

"Thanks, Kathrine," Jackie replied, softening slightly.

After exchanging greetings with George, the two girls got into the car. The journey to the house was filled with an uncomfortable silence. Thalia attempted to engage in conversation with Kathrine and George, but Jackie seemed uninterested.

Curiosity finally got the better of Thalia, and she quietly asked, "How many kids do you have?" It hadn't crossed her mind to inquire about their new family until that moment. Kathrine and George exchanged a knowing look, and Kathrine's smile grew wider, as if she were pleased with the question.

"Well, we have 7 boys and 1 little girl. Additionally, George's nephews live with us. So, it's going to be a total of 9 kids, plus the two of you, since Will lives with his fiancé," Kathrine explained, gesturing with her hands. Thalia could sense the pride in her voice, and she couldn't help but feel a glimmer of hope. Perhaps, amidst the pain and loss, they were about to become part of a large and loving family.

Thalia couldn't help but let out a small chuckle at Kathrine's remark. "Wow, you must be a tough woman. Teenagers aren't easy," she replied, with a hint of admiration in her voice.

Kathrine smiled warmly, her eyes twinkling with understanding. "Oh, believe me, I've had my fair share of challenges," she admitted. "But I've always believed that every child deserves love and support, especially during the teenage years when they need it the most."

Thalia glanced at Jackie, who seemed to have no clue about the conversation. It was a relief to know that Kathrine understood the complexities of adolescence and was willing to take on the responsibility of caring for them.

"I can't promise it'll be easy," Kathrine continued, her voice filled with sincerity. "But I can promise that we'll be here for you, every step of the way."

Thalia felt a surge of hope and gratitude. Maybe, just maybe, they had found a new home where they would be understood and supported. She knew that healing would take time, but with Kathrine's strength and compassion, she believed they had a chance at a brighter future.

As the car pulled up to their new home, Thalia took a deep breath, ready to embrace the unknown.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

"Need any help, Sir?" Thalia offered as she stepped out of the car, looking at George.

"Thank you, but I've got it," he replied with a smile. Thalia followed Kathrine and George towards the impressive house in front of them. It was a sight to behold, and Thalia couldn't help but appreciate the beauty of small towns.

"You okay?" Kathrine asked, noticing Thalia's admiration for the house. Thalia nodded, and Jackie chimed in, "We're fine."

As they approached the house, Kathrine received a call. "Jamal, why are you calling me? I'm not on doctor duty," she questioned, slightly puzzled. Thalia took a deep breath and focused her attention on the door.

"Move!" a boy on a skateboard called out, startling Thalia and Jackie. They quickly stepped back to avoid getting hit.

"Hi, I'm Danny," another boy sitting nearby introduced himself. Jackie responded with her name, and Thalia added, "Thalia, or Thea. Either one works."

Entering the house with Kathrine, Thalia noticed two boys in what appeared to be a living room. George called out to them, asking them to pause their video game.

"Hey guys, could you stop for a second?" George requested. Thalia couldn't help but notice that the boys were both quite attractive. One had black hair and blue eyes, but the other, with his black hair and brown eyes, caught her attention even more.

"Jackie and Thalia, meet Alex and Isaac," George introduced them. Alex stood up, while Isaac's gaze lingered on Thalia for a few seconds before she noticed, preoccupied with searching for her phone.

"What's up?" Isaac asked, flashing a smile. He seemed more interested in Thalia than Jackie, but she was too focused on finding her phone to notice.

"I've got a couple more bags in the truck. Can you guys grab them?" George asked his sons, who nodded in response.

The rest of the house tour was uneventful. Kathrine and George excused themselves, leaving Thalia and Jackie to meet Will, who introduced them to the other kids.

They met Nathan, a sweet boy playing the guitar, and Parker, the only girl in the house. Jordan, a young guy with a camera, and Benny, the youngest,. However, Thalia met Cole, who seemed like the classic bad boy, to be rather uninteresting. Really boring.

"Do you all live here?" Jackie asked, her eyes widening as they went upstairs. Thalia rolled her eyes, knowing her sister could be a bit snobbish at times. "No, I live with my fiancé in town," Will reassured her.

"Well, I think it's beautiful," Thalia smiled, looking around the room and causing Jackie and Will to smile as well.

"This will be your room," Will said, leading them inside. "It used to be my mom's art studio."

Suddenly, a box fell to the ground, and Thalia turned to see the blonde guy from earlier. "Need any help? There's a lot of stuff," she offered, but Will reassured them and told them to make themselves at home.

"I need to go look for my phone," Thalia told her sister. As she descended the stairs, she came across Isaac, the Mexican boy from earlier. She intended to ask him about her phone, but he cut her off.

"Bet you'd lose your head if it wasn't attached, blondie." Isaac smirked mischievously. Thalia despised it when people assumed she was unintelligent because of her blonde hair. In reality, she was quite smart. "And you can't seem to help but say stupid things, Jerk," she retorted, snatching her phone from his hand. "Thanks, though."

"You know, Blondie, I don't like the idea of two girls living here," Isaac said, getting dangerously close. Thalia met his gaze, unimpressed. "Well, that makes two of us," she replied, rolling her eyes as she left him standing on the stairs.

A/N: if you got a notification don't mind it, i'm just correcting some things, but nothing has changed.