#past forced starvation
Sweet Sixteen
Jaime’s first night at Miss Sherry’s group home. Part of Do No Harm. Pre-WRU.
(To save you the background research, Miss Sherry’s is where Jaime ends up spending the last 2 years of his life in the foster system).
WARNINGS: Implied parental death, foster system, semi-sorta-minor whump, past child abuse, food insecurity
Miss Sherry’s house has an “open kitchen policy.” That’s what she told him when he showed up on her doorstep eleven hours ago, a trash bag full of clothes slung over his shoulder and a nameless caseworker at his side.
It’s bullshit, mostly likely. It always is. The rundown of rules they give in front of CPS is always vastly different from the reality of the days, weeks, or months that follow. Mrs. Maxwell told Jaime he would have his own room, then shoved two more twin mattresses in the second the caseworker left. The Welfords told him they’d treat him like one of their own, then locked him in his bedroom every night. Mr. Anderson promised he would never lay a hand on him in anger, then…
Well, it’s not worth thinking about now. He’s in a new house, which means new obstacles to navigate, new rules to learn, new traps to avoid. Dwelling on the past will only make him lose his focus on the present, which he is quickly brought back to by a loud rumble in his stomach. The third one in as many minutes.
Jaime is so fucking hungry. He knew—he knew—he should have eaten more at dinner, but his stomach was wound into knots like it always is on the first night in a new place, and he was afraid that he would make himself sick if he forced it down. Now, of course, his body has no such reservations as his stomach tries to claw itself inside out.
It’s a birthday cake. For him.
Oh shit! Peach, I swear to God I am actually crying. For real, tears in my eyes, omg.
This might honestly be one of my favorite chapters ever. I just… I have a thing for stories with kids, I especially have a thing for kids who came from a bad history, and a bad place, finding safety for once. I knew Miss Sherry was a nice lady, the mentions to her in the previous drabbles made me sure if it, but I don’t think I expected that much from the beginning. And like, we know Jaime’s life will go to shit eventually and that kills me, but I also know the time he has there was truly good for him. He made friends, he was safe, he got into college… I just love that kid so much and I really wish life had been kinder to him. That’s what this piece gave me, really… Just a moment of kindness.
