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TRAUMA
ADRIANNA ARLETTE CARVALHO
monday, june 9th
adriannas new crib ━━ 11:25 am
" so this is your room," kaleb said, following adrianna into the comfortable grandparents' bedroom. the walls were painted a pale light brown, almost beige color.
there was a queen-sized bed in the middle of the room, a lovely vanity, walk-in closet, and a bathroom.
" this is nice," adrianna smiled, looking up at her gracious older brother.
this was so heartwarming to her because she hadn't seen kaleb in person for three years. he had moved to new york as soon as he turned eighteen because he and their parents didn't exactly see eye to eye.
he wanted to bring adrianna with him, but he couldn't exactly do that because he wasn't her legal guardian.
despite their distant past, being reunited with her caring brother filled adrianna with unexpected joy. the room felt familiar and welcoming, a sanctuary amidst the chaos of their complicated family dynamics.
adrianna couldn't help but notice the gentle sunlight streaming in through the window, casting a warm glow on the serene space. the bed looked inviting, adorned with soft blankets and plump pillows.
as she explored the room further, adrianna admired the elegant details and peaceful atmosphere. it was a place where she could finally relax and feel safe.
" thank you so much, kaleb, it really means a lot," she smiled turning to the boy. her english carried a distinct brazilian accent, subtly poking through her words.
" you know i gotcha, you my sister," he assured her sincerely. " aight, so unpack and get settled in, me and journey wanna take you out to dinner," he informed her, referring to his girlfriend
" okay," she smiled up at him, nodding her head eagerly.
kaleb soon left the room, that now belonged to her, leaving adrianna alone with her suitcases.
adrianna huffed, dragging the bags further into the room. she looked around seeing led lights placed carefully around the perimeter of the room, an alexa sitting on one of her bedside tables and a closet with a few new dresses & other new articles of clothing.
the girl carefully laid all three of her suitcasses down, unzipping them each one by one.
she exhaled sharply as she shuffled around the mess on her floor. she sat down on her bed, plugging in the alexa to the nearest outlet.
" alexa, play d.t.b by a boogie wit da hoodie," she spoke softly, into the alexa mic.
" now play d.t.b by a boogie wit da hoodie"
she smiled to herself hearing the familiar piano intro of the song.
taking a deep breath, adrianna turned her attention to the suitcases that laid scattered around her. she had travelled a long way from brazil to this new york, and now it was time to unpack and make this place her own.
she opened the first suitcase and carefully lifted out her clothes, neatly folded and packed away. each item held a memory - a flowy dress she had worn on warm summer days, a cozy hoodie that had kept her warm during chilly evenings back home.
as she arranged them in the closet, she couldn't help but feel a pang of homesickness. but she pushed the feeling aside, determined to embrace this new chapter of her life.
next came her books - her most cherished possessions. adrianna had always been an avid reader, finding solace and inspiration within the pages of her favourite stories. she placed them on the freshly white-painted bookshelf, that sat in the corner of her room, arranging them by genre and author.
as she unpacked her belongings, adrianna began to feel a sense of belonging settling over her. this room, once empty and unfamiliar, was slowly transforming into her sanctuary. she adorned the walls with photographs and polaroids of her family and friends, their smiling faces bringing her comfort and reassurance.
finally, she turned her attention to the ombre-coloured desk tucked into the corner of the room. here, she meticulously arranged her notebooks, pens, and laptop, each item a resourceful tool.
as the sun began to set, casting long shadows across the room, adrianna took a step back to admire her handiwork.
with a contented sigh, she settled into her new bed, ready to embrace whatever adventures lay ahead.
- 8 HOURS LATER, 7:23 PM
adrianna fiddled with the corner of her napkin, her gaze wandering out the window. kaleb, her older brother, noticed her distraction and reached across the table to gain her attention.
" oh, yeah?" she asked turning, finally snapping back into reality.
kaleb furrowed his eyebrows analyzing her. " you okay, adri?" he asked, hints of concern laced in his voice.
" mhm, yeah, just thinkin'," she told him.
beside kaleb, journey leaned forward, her eyes bright with curiosity. " how you likin' harlem so far, adrianna?"
" i like it, it's very beautiful at night," she sighed, thinking back to when she had first arrived this morning at the jfk airport.
their conversation was momentarily interrupted as the waiter approached to take their orders. " hello, i'm paisley, i'm going to be your waitress this evening," the blonde-haired girl, introduced herself.
" can i start you off with drinks?" she asked, opening her ipad.
looking at her menu, adrianna smiled seeing a familiar drink. " umm, can i please get the caipirinha?" she asked.
" two fanta's please," kaleb said, speaking for both him and journey.
" okay, and for your appetizers?" she questioned as she wrote down the drink orders.
" can i please get a shrimp cocktail please?" adrianna asked, smiling sweetly.
journey looked down at her menu. " same for us, please and thank you," she replied, ordering for her and her boyfriend.
" okay, i'll be back soon with your food and once you are done eating, you can order dessert," paisley exclaimed, before walking off.
" this place is very fancy, thank you for bringing me here, kaleb and journey," she thanked the couple. one thing about adrianna carvalho was that she was always going to say thank you and sorry for the littlest things.
" you straight, adri," kaleb chuckled, realizing nothing had changed about her now and the little fifteen-year-old girl he last saw in brazil.
" yeah, you're welcome, it's really nothing," journey added.
- 2 HOURS LATER, 9:41 PM
journey stood behind adrianna, gently separating her soft curls with her fingers before carefully running the bristles of the brush through them.
" so you're starting school tomorrow, how do you feel?" journey question, seeing that adrianna had finally relaxed.
" hm, i don't know, it's gonna be a tad bit different learning primarily in english, but, other than that i'm excited," adrianna said, her dark voluminous 3a curls bouncy as she spoke.
journey sighed, setting the hairbrush down. " it's gonna be nice for you to make new friends," she said, gazing at the younger girl through the mirror.
" yeah," she nodded agreeing with her.
" anyways, before you came, me and kaleb went shopping and i bought you a welcome home present," journey smiled, holding up a white paper shopping bag that read 'dior'.
" thank youuu," adrianna dragged, smiling brightly. journey handed her the bag and adrianna happily accepted. " dior?" she questioned, reading the bag. " isn't dior expensive?" she asked, furrowing her eyebrows.
" yeah, but you're worth the expenses," journey smiled.
" thank you so much, journey," she thanked her, for like the hundredth time today.
" you're welcome, now go ahead and open it," she urged adrianna who was still in awe.
adrinna opened the bag, taking a small box out of it. she opened the box seeing a dior rose des vents necklace. " what the frick?! oh my goodness, it's so prettyyyy, thank you so much journey," adrianna hopped out of her seat before throwing herself on journey, enveloping her in a big hug.
" wait, adri, there's more in there," journey pointed getting two other small boxes from the bag.
" really?" she asked, excitedly, taking both boxes from journey. she opened the biggest one, pulling out a matching dior rose des vents bracelet. " thank youuu," she dragged, even more, excited to open the last box.
she took the other one from a chuckling journey. journey was happy that adrianna liked all her gifts so far. adrianna opened the last box and saw matching rose des vents earrings. " oh my, journey, i love you so much, thank you for all the gifts," she cheesed, placing everything down on her vanity.
" you're so welcome, adrianna, i'm so happy you like it," journey told her. she couldn't help but let a small smile creep up on her face. adrianna's joy was just too contagious.
" anyway, you should get some sleep, you got a long day ahead of you tomorrow," she sighed.