Industry (Part 1) - Completed

Isabella's hands shook uncontrollably as she reached for her public transport card to board the bus. The driver was patient, but she needed to calm down before the ride was over. She could feel her heart racing, the familiar anxiety tightening in her chest.

Twelve minutes later, she exited the bus a few blocks from PJ's house. She walked to the back entrance and knocked lightly. When no one answered, she twisted the doorknob, but it was locked.

Her heart rate began to skyrocket as she pulled her phone from her pocket. She saw a text from PJ she hadn’t noticed come in.

Knock on the front door when you get here. Sorry.

Isabella took a deep breath and then snuck to the front of the house. She knocked.

Footsteps approached, and then the door opened.

"Hey!" PJ lifted his hand in a half salute.

"Where's Alice?"

"She's good," PJ rubbed the back of his head. "But we kinda got discovered. She's currently playing with my mom and brother. All your stuff is still down in my room."

Isabella stepped past him, her breath catching as she followed the sound of Alice's high-pitched laughter.

In the cozy, well-lit living room, Alice was up on her hands and knees, rocking back and forth. In front of her, in a similar position, was a young boy with the same dark hair as PJ. Suddenly, the boy said, "Down, Set, Hut Hut!"

Alice screamed in laughter and lunged forward. The boy caught her and brought her to his chest, slowly rolling back until the baby was lying on top of him. "Ohhh!" he exclaimed. "You tackled me!"

Just then, an older woman walked into the living area from the kitchen. "Oh!" She took a half step back, but then continued walking until she stood right in front of Isabella. "Hi! You must be Isabella."

The woman extended her hand for Isabella to shake.

"My name is Julia Summers," she smiled warmly. "Sounds like this English class you two have is pretty hard, but I'm glad you can help each other out. PJ was saying this is your sister?" Julia indicated the baby, who was now poking the little boy in the nose.

"Yes," Isabella shifted uncomfortably, "This is my half-sister, Alice." She struggled to hold onto her composure as she lied, crafting a partial truth. "I'm her legal guardian, but we live with my uncle. He just got a new girlfriend, so every once in a while, I try to get out of the house to give them some privacy. PJ was kind enough to watch her while I got some schoolwork done."

"Of course!" Julia smiled, her eyes warm and welcoming. "I did have the thought that it would be more efficient if you did your schoolwork together. What if every Thursday, you came by for dinner and stayed to get some work done? Jaxon doesn't have any activities after 5:00 on Thursdays, so I could watch the baby!"

"Mom!" PJ wasn’t sure if he loved the idea enough to agree or hated that his mom loved the idea enough to protest.

"Really, Mrs. Summers, that’s okay," Isabella’s eyes widened as she edged closer to Alice. The warmth in the house felt almost too much. Alice—wrapped up in laughter—seemed to bask in it. But Isabella felt out of place, like an unwelcome observer. It was never a good idea to owe people favors and she didn't need someone else to watch Alice.

Julia, however, was not accustomed to being told, ‘No’.