southside trash [shameless]

• Chapter 32 • Changes •

I wear only the tank top I'd been wearing most of the day and a pair of underwear to bed, the sweltering heat of the Chicago summer leaving a constant layer of sweat sticking the thin fabric to my skin. I wasn't quite on top of the covers, rather tangled in them with one leg above the covers, the another beneath them. The bed sheets were just that; sheets, no duvet. So the cotton against my skin actually cooled me down slightly. Though I am unfortunately not in my own bed, or one of my brother's beds to be exact, it's a relief to be in a proper bed that doesn't just feel like sleeping on cardboard placed onto of concrete, like the ones in juvie.

Just as I finally start to drift off, I'm awoken by the sound of the front door opening and closing. I assume it's Lewis, Jen's son that she mentioned earlier, getting home from work or wherever else he'd been and think nothing of it, allowing my self to curl back up in the bed. That is, until I hear the door to my room open and I freeze.

I feel too awkward to say anything and am worried I'll scare him, so stupidly decide to stay silent. If he turned the light on, this would be fine, except he doesn't. I see his silhouette removing his shirt and his pants, leaving him in just boxers and my eyes widen. Before I know it, he's climbing into the bed, but the second he starts to lie down his hand lands on me and I yelp.

"What the fuck?" His voice breaks slightly and he scrambles to turn on the bedside lamp.

"Hi," I awkwardly say.

"Who the hell are you?" He furrows his eyebrows, eyes briefly flickering down to my scantily clad body then are forced back up to my face.

"Emma," I give him a small smile to try and ease some of the tension, "your mom is fostering me."

Realisation covers his face, "oh."

"Yeah," I shrug.

"I didn't realise that was today," he scratches the back of his neck.

"Clearly," I chuckle.

"I'm Lewis, by the way," he tells me softly.

"Nice to meet you," I grin, "oh, um, your mom said I could sleep here, that's uh... why I'm in your bed. But I can go crash on the couch instead." I start to get up from the bed but he puts his hand on my shoulder to stop me, quickly removing it the second he touches me.

"No, it's fine," he assures me, "I can take the couch."

"No, honestly, it's fine-" I shake my head.

"Take the bed," he insists, cutting me off.

I chuckle softly and smile gratefully, and he begins walking towards the door. "Hey, wait," I call out, making him halt and turn back around.

"Since we're both so insistent on each other getting the bed, we could just... share it?" I propose.

Lewis gulps nervously, "uh, are you sure you'd be okay with that?"

"I am if you are," I shrug carelessly.