My New Foster Family

Chapter twenty

The next day - thursday

Annika woke up to the soft glow of early morning light filtering through the curtains, her heart already racing with nerves. It was only her second day at her new high school, and the anxiety from the day before still lingered in the pit of her stomach. She slowly sat up in bed, glancing at the clock, hoping to find some comfort in the familiar routine. The memories of last night came back to her of how James helped her with her cuts. She felt loved and ashamed at the same time. She pushed those thousand assists and started to get ready for the day.

The house was quiet, and she took a deep breath, trying to steady herself. Today would be better, she told herself. Today, she would feel less like an outsider. She swung her legs over the side of the bed, feeling the cool floor beneath her feet, and stood up, ready to face another day in unfamiliar hallways.

As Annika slowly made her way down the stairs, her hand trailing along the banister as if she needed the extra support. The hardwood floors creaked under her feet, and the faint smell of breakfast wafted up from the kitchen. Her stomach churned at the thought of eating, but she knew she had to at least make an appearance.

She paused at the bottom of the stairs, taking a deep breath before stepping into the kitchen. The familiar buzz of her brothers' chatter filled the room, but today it felt overwhelming. Annika tried to muster a smile as she entered, but it came out weak and forced. Her brothers noticed immediately, their conversation quieting as they exchanged worried glances.

"Morning, Nika," her eldest brother, Ethan, said, his voice gentle. "You okay?"

Annika nodded quickly, avoiding eye contact as she slid into a chair at the table. "Yeah, I'm fine," she mumbled, reaching for a piece of toast. She wasn't fine, but she didn't want to talk about it. Not now.

As she picked at her food, she could feel their eyes on her, concern etched into their faces. The weight of their worry pressed down on her, making it even harder to swallow. She hated being the center of attention like this, hated that they had to worry about her.

"You sure?" James asked, his brow furrowed in that way it always did when he was trying to read her. "You don't have to go to school today if you're not up for it". He said still concerned about what happened yesterday.

Annika shook her head. "I'll be okay," she insisted, forcing herself to take a bite of toast. The dry bread sat heavy in her mouth, but she managed to choke it down. She needed to go to school. She couldn't hide forever.

As they walked out of the house, the morning sun casting long shadows across the driveway as they made their way to the car. The cool morning air was filled with the sound of their banter, as usual. Annika could feel the familiar mixture of dread and warmth bubbling up inside her their teasing was relentless, but she knew it came from a place of love.

As they piled into the car, Ethan and Braden sat at the front with James and Charlie behind them. Then Annika squeezed into the back seat between Theo and Carlos.

Ethan, who was driving, glanced at Carlos in the rearview mirror with a smirk. "So, Carlos, are you excited to see Luna today?" he asked, his voice dripping with mock innocence.

Carlos rolled his eyes but couldn't hide the small smile tugging at his lips. "Shut up, Ethan."

"Oh, come on, you guys are practically joined at the hip," Braden chimed in from the front passenger seat, turning around to face them. "I bet you've already planned your wedding."

Carlos chuckled, shaking his head. "You guys are ridiculous."

The teasing continued, and soon the focus shifted to Theo, who sat quietly beside Annika, staring out the window. Braden's voice took on a mischievous tone as he asked, "What about you, Theo? When are you gonna get a girlfriend?"

Theo's face flushed, and he stiffened slightly, his fingers gripping the strap of his backpack a little tighter. Annika noticed immediately, her heart sinking. She knew Theo wasn't ready to tell their brothers about his boyfriend yet, and the teasing was hitting too close to home.

"Hey, lay off, guys," Annika said, her voice firm as she threw an arm around Theo's shoulders. "Not everyone's obsessed with girls like you lot. Besides, Theo's probably got better things to do than worry about that stuff right now."

Theo shot her a grateful look, a small, almost imperceptible smile playing on his lips. Annika gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze.

Ethan glanced in the rearview mirror again, his teasing smile faltering slightly as he noticed the tension. "Fine, fine. But seriously, Nika," he said, shifting gears to focus on her, "no boyfriends for you. Not until you're at least sixty."

Braden snorted, nodding in agreement. "Yeah, no way we're letting any guy near you. You're off-limits."

Annika raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms defiantly. "And why not?"

"Because," James started, but then the car erupted in a chorus of voices as Braden, Ethan, and the others all started talking over each other.

"Too young," Braden said.

"Too innocent," Hunter added.

"Because we said so," Ethan concluded, his voice firm as if that settled the matter.

Carlos and Theo exchanged amused looks, with Carlos rolling his eyes and Theo chuckling quietly under his breath.

Annika couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity of it all. "You guys are impossible," she said, shaking her head.

"Just looking out for you, Shortie," James replied, a teasing grin back on his face.

Annika rolled her eyes but smiled nonetheless, feeling a bit lighter. Even though their overprotectiveness was annoying, it was nice to know they cared.

As they drove away from the middle school after dropping off Charlie it was only a 10 minute drive to the high school but it felt like hours to Annika as she was worrying so much.

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Word count:1036

Hey guys thanks for reading my twentieth chapter. If you have any ideas what you want to happen with the story feel free to leave a comment and let me know and please vote.

*EMMA HETHRON*