Austin Carlile Is My Father? (#Wattys2015)

My Understandings (Friskyhands)

Sorry I haven't uploaded in a while, I've just started back at school and its so overwhelming. Updates will be a bit less frequent from now on.
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Sienna's PoV
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All Sienna did was place her bag gently on the bed, then sit on it herself. The room was empty, no personality. She let her mind wander to the blue walls of her old room, fairy lights hanging as edging, no bed just a mattress, desk, bookshelf and huge chest of drawers. All of it was second hand, or as they called it, pre-loved. The drawers had shadows of stickers on it from the child who owned it before her. Compared to this room it was heaven.
She wanted to go home, she wanted to walk through the door to find her Mom cooking pasta by the stove, smiling at her and asking if she got the sauce they needed. It struck her then. Her Mom would never cook, never smile, never dance to her favourite song, she wouldn't hug her, she wouldn't eat cereal. All the small things that they took for granted. They would never cuddle together under a warm blanket watching their favourite movie, they would never paint the walls again, because there was no house.
Austin knocked on her door, and gently opened it, "Hey. It's 4:30 and the mall closes around 6, so do you wanna go now?" He asked. Sienna nodded and stood up. Austin lead the way down the stairs and out to his car.
"We can paint your room in a few months, make it look a bit nicer." Her offered.
"Okay."
They rode in silence for the rest of the trip, Austin concentrating on the road and Sienna lost in her thoughts. Neither of them attempted to start a conversation, it was way too awkward already, would it always be like this? Sienna found herself wishing she was sitting in her Mom's old truck with her.
The black car rolled into the parking lot, the underside scrapping against the pavement on the way in "Fuck!" Austin exclaimed, "Sorry." He directed at Sienna.
"I do know how to swear." She sassed him slightly, Austin only rolled his eyes. Sienna did swear a lot, she found it funny when adults censored things that teenagers obviously knew. They managed to find a park close to the doors, and strolled into the mall. "Where do you wanna go first?" Austin asked. Sienna shrugged. She knew she wasn't being very cooperative, but she couldn't help it, money was always an issue for her. They wandered over to Urban Outfitters, both looking uncomfortable. Sienna browsed through the sales bins and racks, pulling out the cheapest things. Austin hung back a bit, and when Sienna had around 10 items he asked her if she wanted to try them on. She nodded and they went to the back of the shop.
The first item she tried on was a pair of bleached skinny jeans that reached around her ankles, the perfect size. They were a bit tight around the waist, but that was fine, they would stretch. She didn't bother trying on the blue jeans, they were the same size so it shouldn't be a problem. A pale pink button up blouse was pulled over her shoulders next, she liked the style. The sleeves were already rolled up, just the way Sienna would normally wear something that style. She admired her reflection, but a sharp knock on the door snapped her attention. "Do I get to see?" Austin asked. He sound slightly bored. Sienna was nervous, she wasn't very comfortable in her body, and unfamiliar clothing was always hard for her. "Just a sec." She told him, giving herself a once over.
Sienna stepped out of the changing room, it looked like they were the only ones in there, it was nearing the end of the day. "You look nice." Austin complimented her, making her blush slightly, she was never very good at dealing with compliments, no matter who they were from. "Thanks." She muttered and almost sprinted into the stall. Wow, I must seem to ungrateful, Sienna thought to herself. The rest of the clothing was tried on quickly, before being taken off again after it was decided it fit well. $114 was a reasonable price to pay for 2 pairs of jeans, 1 pair of shorts, 1 hoodie, 5 shirts as well as a belt and a beanie, wasn't it?
Austin paid for the items and offered to carry her bags. Sienna thanked him but declined. "So where to next?" Austin questioned. "Well, I need to get underwear and stuff..." Sienna trailed off.
"Oh, well, you can go get that stuff," He handed her $65, "And I'll meet you in about 15 minutes? What's your cellphone number?"
"I don't have a cellphone, sorry."
"Are you serious? We'll have to get you one then, okay? I'll meet you back here in 20?"
"Okay." They both went in opposite directions, Sienna into a department store attached to the mall and Austin to god knows where. All Sienna grabbed was a few packs of plain underwear, 2 bras, both very conservative and some socks. She was really going for the budget stuff. The cashier told her she was $2 off, but when he saw how panicked she looked let her off. Sienna thanked the lady who only brushed her off.
The gumball machine where she was meant to meet Austin was devoid of people, so she awkwardly leaned against a pillar, reflecting on the day so far. Austin must think she's so rude, she hardly spoke, didn't want him to pay for anything and ran into the changing room when he complimented her. She missed her Mom...
A smiling Austin waved her over, obviously they were going in a different direction, they way he had come. He had a box in one hand, and when Sienna looked closer she was shocked. He couldn't have, oh my god, he was holding an iPhone box. What the hell? If he thought he was gonna give it to her then he was mistaken.
"I picked you up something." He offered her the box, Sienna tried to decline.
"No way." It wasn't the 'no way' of a teenage girl hearing some juicy gossip, it was the 'no way' of a homeless man inside a house of his own for the first time in years, one of disbelief.
Austin only shrugged as if it was no big deal, "It seemed stupid to get you an iPod and a phone, so I just got this. Has both."
"I can't take it, I'm sorry. Can you please take it back to the shop?" Sienna begged. Austin seemed taken back by her behaviour, maybe even slightly offended that she wasn't accepting the his gift.
"I bought it because I wanted to Sienna, it's a present. Just take it." He told her, getting slightly bossy, parent like even.
"It's too expensive." Sienna complained, but took it all the same.
About 30 minutes later they were back in Austin's car, the backseat loaded with clothing. They had been into a few other shops, including a shoe shop and eventually Sienna stopped protesting when he bought her things. She got a new pair of vans and a new pair of converse, that was way over the top in her books.
"Why didn't you want the phone?" Austin asked her. Sienna would have to explain...
"Mom and I didn't have much money, we kinda made do with what we had, we'd shop at second hand shops and sale bins. It's kinda a hard habit to break. Money was always very scare, so I don't like spending it, ya know? Incase I need it later." Austin looked slightly guilty. Did he think he should have been around to help? He didn't even know she existed until yesterday.
"I get it, but seriously, you don't need to worry about money anymore. I have it all covered." He told her.
"Thanks." It was probably the fifth time Sienna had thanked him for the stuff he had brought her.
"No problem. By the way my bands coming over for pizza tonight. I thought you'd wanna meet them before we go on tour."
Crap.