Fire At Home

24🔥She hates me!

Gwyn was arriving in like 5 hours and Thalia was so nervous. It was terrifying to think that she was going to be living with someone for 2 weeks who probably hated her.  However Thalia was going to be going to the firehouse tonight for dinner. She really hoped that TK wasn't cooking. He couldn't cook for his life,

What was surprising though was that this morning Owen had messaged Thalia saying that they had multiple boxes for her delivered to the firehouse. Thalia had no idea who could of sent them or what they could actually be. She had gotten all of her room décor delivered to home. She didn't even know the firehouse address. She had replied that she would open them when she got to the firehouse later. Owen was skipping the last bit of work to go pick up Gwyn so Carlos was taking her to the firehouse. Carlos wasn't staying for dinner at the firehouse. He felt it would make dinner even more awkward if TK's more than friend was there and dinner didn't need to be any more awkward. TK was completely fine with his decision and said that he would invite him other to meet his mom once the dust had settled a bit.

While Thalia was waiting for Carlos to pick her up (which was in like 4 and a half hours now) she decided to attempt to do some schoolwork. All the teachers at her college had set some tasks to do while they found a way to do online meetings. There was an added difficulty with some of the teachers who taught her as they had to somehow had to record them. She realised how difficult she was making it by being in a completely different country but it wasn't as if she could help it.

---------

"Thalia! Are you ready?"

Thalia jolted her head from her schoolwork and saw that Carlos was here.

"Oh shoot. I lost track of time, sorry. Uh just give me a second, I need to grab a few things."

Carlos just nods as Thalia runs off. He starts to look at the work she was doing. As she runs back into the room with a bag he speaks.

"So do you actually understand this stuff or do you pretend" Carlos gestures to the stuff she had just written.

"I actually understand it. It isn't that difficult once you get it. But it's at the point that Dad doesn't get it either."

Carlos was surprised that Thalia had called Owen, Dad. TK had told him that she had called him Dad once but he wasn't there when she had said it to Owen yet. He didn't want to mention it to her just in case it made her feel embarrassed to call him that again.

"Yeah, don't start explaining it to me. I definitely won't understand any of it."

Thalia just laughed in response and slid some shoes on.

"I'm ready to go!"

"Let's go then."

They sat in silence for a bit of the ride. Thalia was sitting there thinking about meeting Gwen while Carlos was there just driving.

"Carlos, what age do you have to be to learn to start driving in America?"

"It's different for different states. For Texas it is 15/16."

"Woah that's crazy. In UK you have to wait till you're seventeen. So I did start lessons but I guess that is completely different driving here in Texas than it is to drive in UK."

"It is the other side of the road. Would be kind of tricky to change. Are you going to start lessons then?"

"I'm not sure. I need to sort out other things first, like changing my phone provider and getting my visa extended. Owen's sorting that out, I'm kind of confused by it."

"Well if you need any help from a police officer, TK has my number."

They sat in silence for the rest of the journey. When they pulled up to the 126, Thalia grabbed her bags but then sat still for a few seconds.

"God Carlos, I'm so nervous. She's probably going to hate me and I wouldn't exactly blame her if she did but still."

"It's fine Thalia. She won't hate you, you haven't done anything wrong at all. Even if she does, Owen and TK will still be your family. No one is going to kick you out just because Gwen doesn't like you."

"Right then, here I go."

And Thalia got out the car and headed into the building. She was quite relieved when she noticed that Owen's car wasn't out front. He must have still been on his way. As she walked in she saw Marjan and the cowboy firefighter. She thinks that his name was something like Jug but she wasn't sure.

"Hi! Owen said I had some boxes here?"

"Yea, he was complaining about how much you had bought"

"Does he know that I didn't get anything ordered to the firehouse? I don't even know the address for this place."

"Yeah well you try tell him that when he's ranting about his teenage daughter buying all these clothes. Here I'll show you where they are."

Thalia chuckles and follows the Jug man to Owen's office. She heads over to 3 quite large boxes in the corner of his office. Grabbing the one on the top she manages to open it after basically ripping the box in half.

Looking inside the box she sees all of her schoolwork and some of her old clothes. There's a few bits of jewellery and a tiny bit of makeup.

"Omg, I didn't think she had even opened my message."

Jug stays by the door.

"What is it?"

"My mum sent most of my stuff over..."

She grabs another box and opens it. This one includes more of her clothes and some hygiene products. It also contains quite a few electronics. The final box contains odds and ends. On the top is a note that says

Important Documents are being sent by tracked post

Thalia's smile fades as she reads the note. There isn't any other words like 'miss you' or 'hope you're safe and well'. It kind of breaks her heart but she knows that her relationship with her mother is destroyed.

She's so upset that she doesn't notice Judd leave and Owen enter the room.

She turns around after a few minutes, surprised when she sees Owen standing there.

"It was from my mum. The only note that came with it was about important documents. She didn't ask how I am or tell me that she misses me. She hates me!"

With that Owen pulls her into a hug as she sobs. Neither one of them notices Gwyn standing in the hallway smiling slightly at the sight of Owen comforting his daughter.