"how do you know that they even want me here?" i asked, reaching the doorstep after my social worker spent ten minutes convincing me to get out of the car.

"my colleague contacted your father and his partner and they said that they would be happy for you to live here" she explained, pushing her glasses further up the bridge of her nose.

"i'm not stupid" i retorted. "i know that's not what they said".

she sighed and knocked on the door, "not in those exact words, but this is the most suitable option you have, sofia. if not, then it's foster care".

"it's less than a year until i'm eighteen, i don't get why i can't just live alone".

"it's the government's rules, not mine".

i folded my arms and rolled my eyes, leaving her side to stand on the doorsteps. i stared at the new neighbourhood in front me, seeing how each house was pretty much rundown and sitting behind a metal-gated fence.

young people played basketball on the streets, dribbling across the road and getting annoyed at every driver that disrupted them.

cars now and then went by blasting inaudible music over the sounds of two neighbours arguing across the street from their windows.

to be honest, the southside of chicago was no different to the neighbourhood where i grew up in new york. the only difference is that i'd have to be here with the deadbeat man who abandoned me at the age of two.

no one answered the various knocks that my social worker made on the door, but i could see the door was clearly unlocked. i huffed and stepped ahead of her nervous stance to walk straight in.

"sofia, you can't just—" she tried to say, then followed my lead.

loud music vibrated against the walls, giving no one the ability to possibly hear my social worker calling out "hello" every second.

we reached a living room and a cloud of smoke instantly filled my nose from four young men in their early 20s, blowing out puffs from cigarettes.

"um, hi, excuse me" she tried to grab their attention, clearing her air space of the smoke.

the music volume decreased as one brunette boy frowned at us both standing in his doorway.

"who are you?" he questioned, rising from his seat.

"i'm deborah willis from child protection services. you must be jordan. i'm your sister, sofia's social worker".

jordan looked at me up and down with furrowed brows then carelessly sat back down.

"i don't have a sister called sofia" he relaxed. "i've never seen that girl before in my life".

"oh well, we tried" i attempted to leave the room but deborah promptly stood in my way.

i sighed, pushing my curls back.

"i'm jemima's kid, also the daughter to your excuse of a dad" i scoffed, folding my arms together.

"damn, jemima's still alive?" jordan laughed, finding my mother's unhealthy habits amusing with his friends. "after all that vodka and meth?".

"she's in rehab, you dick" i sternly corrected, making him raise his eyebrows in disbelief.

"i, uh, spoke to your mother on the phone" deborah messily searched through the papers in her hands.

jordan's laughter died down as he lit up a new cigarette in between his lips, "my mother is dead".

"well i spoke to your father's partner, simone jacobs. is she here?".

jordan rolled his eyes, "dad!...yo, dad!".

there was no response after jordan's loud yells, making him try one last time.

"dad! cops are here!".

"shit!" i heard a grown man swear.

the culprit of the voice charged in with a stained white vest tee and old jeans. i didn't recognise him but he was clearly and unfortunately the man who owns half of my dna.

"what the fuck do they want now?" the man paused before taking in mine and my social worker's presence. "who are they?".

"social worker. apparently your ex agreed to take care of jemima's kid".

"jemima's kid?!" my father repeated as if we'd hit a nerve. "and which fucking ex?".

"cokehead simone" jordan replied.

how is my social worker not even the slightest bit concerned for this becoming my new home?

"hello, mr dave sanchez. uh, here is the paper work for your agreement" deborah gave the files to him.

he placed an unlit cigarette behind his ear then read through the papers for a few seconds.

"simone don't live here no more" he shoved the papers towards deborah's chest, causing her to hastily catch them.

"well, this is sofia's agreed residence until further notice and as you are listed as one of her guardians and her father, you were our first choice".

my dad stared at me with an emotion i couldn't comprehend then let out a small sigh, "look, how do i even know she's mine?".

"we have a birth certificate that records your name".

"i don't have to stay here" i settled onto the arm rest of the couch, then observed the living room. "i'll happily live on the streets, i mean it won't be any different to this place".

"that is not necessary" deborah interrupted. "sofia's stay is entitled to a 4 week trial period and if it is successful by the end then she can continue to stay here".

jordan stood and whispered to our dad, "they pay you to look after these kids sometimes too".

in response, he scratched the back of his head and gave in with a loud huff, "yeah sure, whatever. where do i sign?".

as the paper work was being sorted for several minutes, i left the house for some fresh air from the stench this house was carrying.

jordan was sat on the steps that lead up to the porch, smoking another cigarette. i sat down one step above him until he glanced back and grimaced.

"what do you want kid?".

"from you? nothing" i scoffed. "and i'm seventeen years old, i'm not a fucking kid".

"look, i don't need anymore family. mom's dead, i've lost three best friends, four cousins and three uncles" he explained.

i wasn't up for starting a whole new conversation and would rather not talk to him at all, but i was curious.

"how did that all happen?" i wondered.

he chuckled and gestured his beer bottle at me, "you're gonna love it here".

his sarcastic words only made me wonder how bad this place can really be compared to where i used to live.

"so sofia, everything is sorted" my social worker came out of the house to leave. "you can call me at anytime if you have any questions or just need to talk".

"i'm sure i'll be fine" i smiled much more than i could stomach.

"there's always option two if this doesn't work out, so don't be afraid to tell me anything you're not happy with" she quietly told me and slipped me her work call card.

i nodded and she soon took off in her car, leaving me with a hostile half brother beside me and an unreliable father inside.

-

my first chapters/intros always suck ass so apologies for how cliche it is ew

btw i deleted my noah fanfic that i never started and stole the intro chapter for this bc i can lmao

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