Inferno Part 3

~103~ I've Got A Family

New POV introduction: Thanks MidnightQueen20 for the idea! I have some more people to give credit to at the end 😘

Ethan's POV

I may not ever be truly strong with big muscles and ripped abs, but it's good. If that's the least of my worries, then I'll take it.

Growing up in the foster care system was hard. Thankfully, Zoe and I always got placed together...Not every sibling pair was so lucky.

We never knew our parents. Our birth mother overdosed when Zoe was first born and died; We never knew who our father was. Our birth mom didn't have any living relatives, so it left us with nobody.

So, long story short, we floated in and out of foster care until mom and dad came along.

It's kinda funny, seeing mom and dad as our parents. Dad is an insane muscular dude that looks intimidating. He scared the pee outta me when we first got placed with him. Mom is even muscular for a girl. That's how she and dad met...The gym.

Then there's me and Zoe. Basically, we're nerds. I'm technically popular, but that's only because of Nolan. If Nolan wasn't my best friend/cousin, I'd be sitting at the loser table like I used to.

Poor Zoe is still classified as a nerd, but she doesn't seem to care. She has a few friends who are into the same boring science stuff, and she's happy.

So, when you look at our family, our appearance is a little funny. You see two muscular, strong adults, and two lanky, nerdy kids. We don't fit visually, but emotionally we do. They're the parents I've dreamt about having my entire life. We clicked, and I couldn't imagine what our lives would be like if they hadn't taken us in.

I'll take being a nerd, disguised as a popular kid. I'll take having no muscles, and only a sorta-athletic ability. I'll take it, because I'm happy. I have the family I've always wanted, and I'm happy.

"Ethan, get your butt down here now, and quit making yourself beautiful," dad bellows at the bottom of the stairs.

I grin to myself as I grab my duffel bag. I'm pumped about this weekend.

I hurry down the stairs, and I'm met with a grinning face. "I'm already beautiful," I smirk as I throw the duffel bag at him.

He catches it easily and messes up my hair. "You're taking forever...What were you doing up there?"

"Trying to find my swimsuit."

"Did you find it?"

"No"

"Well, that's gonna be a problem. How do you think you're gonna swim without a swimsuit?"

"Figured you all would just close your eyes while I swim and enjoy myself."

The corners of dad's mouth twitch, and he starts laughing.

"Mom packed your trunks, kid. Would you hurry and get in the car? Everyone's waiting on you."

"Why didn't you tell me that? I've been looking for it for twenty minutes."

Dad rolls his eyes and locks the door.

"Wait, where's Happy?"

"Wes is keeping her for the weekend," he says as we get in Aunt Ellie's car. We're going away for a small road trip, and I'm SUPER excited.

I get in and climb in the back, sitting next to Nolan.

"So glad you could join us, kid," Taylor smirks as dad climbs in the passenger seat.