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"Aaron, Let's go!" Derrick was shouting from downstairs all the boys were ready in there slacks and dress shirts and should have been on the road and going off to jersey over an hour ago but had been held up by Aaron's tardiness. It was thanksgiving and traffic was going to be awful. It always was but especially worse on or near the holidays.
And Aaron was taking way too long. Derrick instructs the boys to go get in the car while he gets the girl to go just a bit faster. Walking up the steps, he wondered if she was nervous, maybe even hesitant on going. Derrick has been trying to convince her for weeks that it would be fine and she had nothing to worry about. He thought his family was much like him, very inviting, warm, welcoming, he didn't want to make her feel out of place and he was sure his parents and other extended family wouldn't either.
Knocking on the door he wasn't surprised when he didn't get a reply a first but when Aaron opened the door still in her pajamas and hair covered he frowned slightly before taking a deep breath. "What's up?" for a second she didn't speak just, she only sat quietly at the edge of the bed, cheeks rested in her palms elbows to her knees and looked at the ground always with that sullen and defeated look Derrick hated to see.
"Come on Aaron, talk to me," he playfully bumped his shoulders with hers and for that it got him a rush of air through her nose before she fell backwards on the bed and sighed. He did the same, staring up at the bottom of the top bunk he waited. That was the only thing he could do when it came to Aaron.
"I haven't actually celebrated a holiday in a long time," she was quiet, so quiet as she spoke Derrick couldn't even figure out how he heard it, "And it's just weird and makes me uncomfortable that after all these years of being by myself I'm going to celebrate with yours. I'm scared, I don't want to feel out of place or your family to pity me."
her words were sharp at the end in contrast to how sullen she sounded in the beginning. But, Derrick could understand where she was coming from, it was different for her. New. He could only imagine what it must be like to have hardly ever celebrated a holiday for years and suddenly spending with someone's else's family that you've never met. It was a stark contrast from being with him and his boys practically everyday and sometimes Chase to his immediate family and in-laws.
"They won't pity you," Derrick smiles at her but that hesitant look doesn't leave her face.
"What, do you always bring foster kids to your families holiday parties?" It was a poor attempt at a joke and Derrick only shook his head no. And that was true he actually hadn't. A lot of times they didn't go, some kids just weren't as adjusted and other times the were gone before the holidays and by the off chance they weren't they would just stay back at the apartment which ultimately ended with them running away.
"So, I'm the first?"
"Other than, Chase? Yes."
Aaron groaned, and threw her forearm over her eyes, "That's even worse!" He could hear the playfulness in her tone and began to rise from the bed taking it as a good sign. Aaron does the same and treads over to the closet taking out a pair of jeans and one of Derricks old sweatshirts that was practically five sizes too big. He didn't know why she liked wearing them or how she even got them but he didn't question it and patted her on the shoulder wit a smile.
