Vanilla And Cocoa

Chapter 34 "Give"

I shouldn't have been surprised that when we got there that the building was normal looking. Watching Annie caused me to have some preconceptions about orphanages. The buildings wasn't the best, however, the kids in the yard looked like they were having fun.

A older woman was waiting for us as we stepped off of the bus and her wrinkled cheeks stretched into a smile. I immediately decided that I liked her and the bright life that bubbled in her eyes. "My name is Helda. I'm the headmistress. It's nice to see you all. Today, you all are going to make a lot of kids happy. Thank you for that."

After we said our variations of 'your welcome', we followed her inside where we met more helpers in the orphanage. I could see that Merissa was itching to play with the other kids and I asked Helda if it was alright. She just smiled and told me to let her be young.

Justin and I got separated as we helped the others unload the boxes of clothes and food but I was quickly becoming friends with an orphanage helper called Alexa. I placed another cardboard box onto the floor and she opened it, quickly separating clothes by color. "We cherish these kids. They are so bright and full of life so we try to keep it that way. This place is more like a huge support system than just a regular old orphanage. These kids don't just need a place to stay. They need role models, people to look up to, a safe haven. I feel like this is it."

When she finished separating the clothes, we carried the piles to the laundry room to be washed by other helpers. On our way back to the front, I bumped into Justin and he steadied me as he smiled. "Just the person I was looking for. I was going to tell you two that all the stuff is out of the bus."

I let a relieved smile grace my face. "That was a bit of a workout. I can feel my muscles burning."

"Good thing we're getting a break, too. I'll meet you there in a bit," He looked over my shoulder at Alexa. "Got to use the little boys room."

She laughed and I rolled my eyes at him as he grinned. I watched him go with a smile. "He's in a better mood now."

"Is he?" I nodded and her lips parted in understanding. "How long have you two been together?"

A wheezing noise came out of my throat as my fingers spasmed in shock and her expression immediately turned into concern. "Are you okay?"

"Yep." I squeaked. Why, of all things, am I getting flustered over this?

I opened my mouth to explain that we weren't together when a worried man, Kline, one of the helpers, appeared and addressed me. "The little girl you came with, Merissa, is crying in the yard and we can't get her to calm down."

An instant protectiveness emerged and all signs of being flustered vanished. "What happened?"

"The other children said that they were just talking when she started crying." He explained clearly.

"Take me to her. Please."

He nodded and lead me down the hallway until we stepped outside where I could clearly hear the sound of Merissa crying. I sped past Adam and jogging to where a few other helpers and kids were around her. They opened up the circle as I approached and I knelt by her side.

"Hey, what's the matter?" I asked softly.

She lifted her tear streaked face and her eyes watered as she stared at me. I silently pulled her into my arms and she started sobbing again. I rubbed her back soothingly and waited for her crying to stop. Before she could, I heard rapid footsteps and I didn't even need to look up to know who it was.

"What happened?" He growled out.

I knew that I had grown protective of Merissa like she was my own but that doesn't even hold a candle to Justin. Merissa is his little sister. His blood. So, when I looked up to find Justin's face nothing short of murderous, I wasn't surprised. But I had to do damage control.

"Justin." I said clearly so he could hear me.

I heard him take a deep breath. "What?"

"Calm down. You're scaring the children," I glanced up at the holders and took in their nervous expressions. "and the helpers."

"I-" He started and then he breathed deeply again. "Sorry."

With that, I realized Merissa stopped crying so I lifted her head. "Why were you crying?"

Her lip was jutted out a bit and her face was still wet with tears. "I thought about how I don't play with any of my toys but they don't have a lot of them. Why can't they have the same stuff that I have?"

Justin and I shared a look. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

Justin relaxed completely. "I most probably am but I probably have an even better idea."

I glared at him and he effectively avoided it by kneeling by Merissa's side as well. "How would you feel about giving them all your old toys? They're in good condition, too."

The other kids began to whisper excitedly and Merissa's eyes practically glowed. "I want to!"

"That's good. I've got something I need to take care of then. You guys go get something to eat and relax," He kissed Merissa on her forehead and turned to the confused group. "Sorry again."

The incident was quickly forgiven and we decided to actually go in on that break. Once I got into another comfortable conversation with Alexa as we watched the kids snack and laugh, Justin came back with Helda in tow. The two of them made their way to the front of the room and Helda cleared her throat loudly.

Cameron made his way over to me and whispered in my ear. "What's going on?"

I shrugged. "I'm just as clueless as you are."

The room quieted down with a few hushes and Helda began to speak. "I'm glad that you all are having a great time. I would like to thank our volunteers for helping and providing the children with new fresh clothes. While that was good enough in itself, I have one more announcement to make. One of the volunteers, Justin Delarosa, has not only decided to give away a whole selection of his younger sister's toys but a chance to relocate to his old home."

My eyes were impossibly wide as I registered what she just said. Over the sound of the children and helpers chatting in excitement, I made eye contact with Justin. He smiled sheepishly at me and mouthed something to me.

Two birds, one stone, right?

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I let this chapter sit unpublished for a week until I bothered to remember that I was supposed to publish it lmao