My New Foster Family

Chapter nineteen

Few hours later

As Annika walked down the stairs for dinner the events of the day flashed in her mind. How she had made her first ever friend since the death of her parents. she had survived her first day. Lastly, how irritating but annoyingly handsome Zayn stupid face was. She thought to herself that she would just avoid him as he made her feel things like she had never felt before.

"Thank you for the offer but if you really should be getting home" a voice said from down stairs.

"Okay sweetie do you have a way home" Ms Carter said to someone as Annika walked further down the stair she saw that Ms Carter was talking to Zayn.

"Yes I am fine, my brother is picking me up and my mother is expecting me home" Zayn said.

"What a shame" Annika said quietly under her breath but to her luck Zayn heard her which caused the left side of his lips to rise.

"Okay well it was lovely to see you" Ms Carter said.

"Bye dude see you tomorrow" James said, slapping their hands together.

"Bye dude" he said to James. "Bye Firecracker" he said to Annika with a sly smirk on his face as he walked out the door.

They all walked to the dining table where the rest of the family was sitting. The clatter of cutlery and the hum of conversation filled the room, but Annika felt disconnected, like she was watching it all from a distance. She poked at the food on her plate, her appetite dulled by the anxiety that had followed her home from school.

"Annika," her foster mother, Ms Carter, asked gently, "how was your first day at the new high school?"

Annika forced a smile, trying to keep her voice steady. "It was alright," she said quietly, though inside, she felt like crying. The day had been overwhelming with the new faces, new classes, and the ever-present fear of not fitting in.

Mr Carter gave her a warm smile. "That's good to hear. Starting at a new school can be tough, but it sounds like you handled it well" he said.

Before Annika could respond. "She even made a friend today," James said in a light teasing tone grinning as he looked over at Annika.

Annika nodded, but the mention of her new friend, Charlotte, only added to the pressure she was feeling. It was nice to have someone to talk to, but it didn't erase the anxiety that had plagued her all day.

As conversations continued around her, Annika found herself picking at her food, pushing it around her plate more than actually eating it. Her nerves were getting the best of her, and the thought of swallowing anything made her stomach churn. She could feel her foster parents and brothers glancing at her, their concern growing as they noticed her lack of appetite.

"Nika," Ethan, said softly, leaning closer to her, "you need to eat something. Since you didn't eat lunch."

Annika nodded slightly, but she couldn't bring herself to take a proper bite. The anxiety gnawed at her, making it hard to focus on anything other than the tightness in her chest and the lump in her throat.

Ms Carter exchanged a worried look with Mr Carter, but she didn't push Annika further. "It's okay, sweetheart," she said gently. "Just do your best. We're here for you, no matter what."

Annika appreciated the kindness in her foster mother's voice, but it did little to ease the turmoil inside her. She knew they all cared, but that only made her feel more pressure to be okay to show them that she was adjusting. But the truth was, she wasn't. She continued to pick at her food, the conversation around her becoming a blur. All she wanted was to escape to the quiet of her room, where she could finally let the tears fall. But for now, she stayed where she was, trying to keep up the appearance of normalcy, even as everything inside her felt far from it.