AVA
"Ava, Natalie, dinner." Our foster mom, Harriet calls from the bottom of the staircase.
"Coming!" We both shout in unison, laughing as we jump off our bunk beds.
We come downstairs, arms linked together. I swear we're twins separated at birth but reunited when we were eight. We both moved into this foster home and been together since. No one wants a moody teenager. Natalie's mom died when she was four and her dad is in jail. She lost hope of ever reuniting with her father ages ago.
With me, things are a little different. My mom has visitation rights once a month, she can take me out for a day once a month while she's in recovery for her drug addiction but her therapist said she truly is on the road to recovery meanwhile my dad doesn't even know I'm in this home. Him and my mom are divorced, they divorced because my dad couldn't handle my mom's addiction anymore. He left us when I was six. I pretty much grew up without a father my whole life. My mom's addiction started back when she was my age, sixteen. My dad married her knowing she had an issue.
"Ooo lasagna, my favorite!" Natalie takes a seat next to me and we wait for the rest of the children to come to the table before we can begin eating.
"I heard you talking about it the other day." Mama Harriet winks as she sits at the head of the table and Papa Hudson at the other end.
The rest of my foster siblings include Lily (6), Emelyne (13), Garrett (16), Hailey (17) and Adam (14). You could say our foster parents like to take on teens. But we love Lily even though she's only in first grade. Most of us come into the home pretty young anyway and they told us they would never give us away unless somebody wanted to adopt us. The twins; Emily and Mariah got adopted last week and it hasn't been the same without them. They're ten years old though, so they're often the age people want to adopt. They're not too young, independent but still need caring for.
"Hailey, you know the rules. No phones at dinner." Harriet gives her the stink eye and she removes both earbuds and sets her phone on the floor.
Harriet and Hudson have been great to us for the eight years we've been here. We've truly grown up to love them like a mom and dad. We don't know what will happen when we turn eighteen though. They adopted Mark who turned eighteen last year but now he's away at college. That's their only adopted son though. They have no biological children though because Harriet could never carry children so when they were in their late twenties, they decided to start fostering.
"She's probably texting her new boyfriend, Maxwell." Garrett teases and Adam snickers.
"Boys, that's enough." Hudson warns.
"Mommy, can I have a boyfriend too?" Lily asks in her cute little voice. We all chuckle.
"Sure dear." Harriet smiles. Lily calls Harriet Mom since she really doesn't know any better. She came into this house at just two years old. Both her parents passed away in an accident and has no living relatives, it's really sad. I love Lily like she's my blood sister.
If I had to guess, they're most likely going to adopt Lily eventually but because she's so young, they want to wait until she's a little more older and she understands what's going on and for her to make the decision. For right now, all she knows is Harriet and Hudson as her parents.
"Ava, can you help me with my homework after dinner?"
"Of course baby girl." I smile, plopping a mouthful of lasagna into my mouth.
"What is it on?" I ask.
"Math, blah." She plays with her fork in her food and finally sighs, "Can I be done mommy?"
"A few more bites please."
"But I don't want to!" She pushes her chair back and stomps out of the dining room.
"That was weird, she never does that." I mumble, placing my fork down and following after her.
"Ava, you didn't ask to be excused!" Natalie whisper-yells. I wave her off. Harriet won't mind, I know her too well.
"Lily?" I call as I climb the stairs and towards her room.
"You don't have to check up on me A-VAH!" She slams her door shut just as I appear in the doorway.
"What the he-?"
"You don't always have to go after her Ava, she's six. Let her be a grouchy kid." Natalie appears by my side then.
"Yeah but I want to, she's young and her feelings should be valid just like ours."
"But she has no idea she's in foster care. She thinks this is her home and where she grew up. Just let it go Ava." Hailey buts in. I wish Hailey would just shut up and keep her opinions to herself sometimes.
"Fuck off Hailey." I flip her the bird and walk into mine and Natalie's room then.
"Geez, what's with you Ava? What Hailey said is honestly the truth." Natalie climbs up to the top bunk and plops down.
"Can you not plop down like a Neanderthal?" I smack the ceiling of my bunk.
"Ava, seriously. What is with you?"
"I don't want to talk about it." I mutter and a tear falls, I quickly wipe it away.
"I'm just trying to bond with her is all..." I trail off even though I said I didn't want to talk about it.
"What are you on about? I have no idea what you're talking about."
"I shouldn't have said anything at all, forget it Nat." I grab my pajamas from my dresser and head to the bathroom for a nice hot shower.
But of course, someone has already beat me to it. I rap my knuckles against the door, "Who's in there?!"
The door yanks open then, Garrett.
"It would be nice if you had some manners and let me shower in peace, dear Ava." He mocks sarcastically.
"I'm really not in the mood Garrett." I swipe underneath my eye, my eyeliner now smearing.
"Oh, uh sorry. Time of the month?" Garrett's face immediately turns red, he never knows what to do when all us girls are on our periods.
"No, I just want to take a shower." I sigh.
"No need to cry over a shower Ava." He huffs and steps aside and lets me in finally.
"You have no idea why I'm upset." I mumble under my breath and slam the door shut.
YOU ARE READING
Foster Sisters
Teen FictionAva and Natalie grew up in the same foster home in Cincinnati, Ohio. They came into the home both at eight years old and now sixteen. They became very close and consider themselves sisters even if it isn't by blood, they're best friends. What happe...
