Fostered

Chapter Five

I wake to the sound of girls laughing and Evan talking loudly. I sit up groggily and look around the room. I'm still in Calla's room, but she is nowhere to be found. I bring my hands to my head and ruffle my hair, swinging my legs over the side of the bed. I stretch for a minute before rising to my feet and sluggishly making my way to the door. I open it up and examine the hallway.

Doors are open, but no one is in sight. I head downstairs and see two girls on the couch. One is blonde and the other has silver dyed hair. I blink hard as they both stare at me and Evan turns around.

"Good morning, Sloan. We thought you were dead." Evan says with a laugh.

I lift an eyebrow at him in confusion. I notice the clock on the wall that reads 6:00. Holy shit, I slept for thirteen hours. I must have been standing there dumbfounded for longer than I thought because Evan snaps his fingers at me.

"Sloan? Hello? Earth-to-Sloan?"

"Yeah, what? Sorry." I reply frantically.

The girls on the couch giggle and I change my attention to the kitchen. "Where's Steven?"

"He's with friends. They should be back any minute now, actually." Evan tells me in a strange tone, so I assume he is up to no good once again.

"What about Calla?" I ask.

"Calla went out a few hours ago. She told me to let you know that she'd be back soon and that she wants to do something tonight."

I smile and Evan rolls his eyes. Still half asleep, I enter the kitchen and prepare myself breakfast in the middle of the day. A bowl of Trix, a glass of chocolate milk, and a granola bar. I eat my breakfast at the counter and watch Evan attempt to entertain his female company. He makes awful jokes that the girls laugh at for some reason beyond me. I practically gag on my cereal from how terrible his humor is.

Thankfully, I finish my mid-day meal quickly so I can escape the stand up routine from Evan. I return to my bedroom and lie down in my bed. I sink into the memory foam beneath me and let out a content sigh. I'm about to fall back asleep when I catch a whiff of my shirt. I smell like salt water and weed. I get out of bed for the second time today and start the shower.

I wash my hair, my face, and my body. I hop out of the shower and scavenge the bathroom like a naked, soaking wet vulture for a razor change. I succeed in my mission and I return to the hot water with a new razor. I hastily shave my legs and arm pits, then hop out of the shower. I shake out my hair and ruffle it with a towel. I wrap myself up and walk into my room to get some clothes. I change into a pair of black joggers and a white t shirt. I put my hair in a little tiny bun and laugh at how silly it looks. My hair grows ridiculously slow.

I brush my teeth and rinse my mouth out with mouthwash before returning into my bedroom. I sigh and whistle for Sissy. She comes bounding into my room and jumps straight on my bed. She lies down on top of me and I laugh, putting my arms around her. She licks the side of my face and I look up at her. Her chocolate brown eyes are so sweet and gentle. Her tail wags and thumps against my leg. I grin and scratch behind her ears.

The sound of the garage opening causes Sissy's ears to swivel and flicker and she leaps off of me and races downstairs. "Good to see you!" I call after her.

I roll over and face the picture of Ethan on my nightstand. I awkwardly sit up and try to look away, getting on my feet and shuffling over to the doorframe. I examine my bruised hand and look up when I hear my name.

"Sloan, you're up!" Calla says excitedly as she rounds the corner of the hallway, "There's someone I want you to meet!"

Following Calla is a tall, fair skinned boy with light brown hair and big blue eyes. "This is TJ." He smiles at me and offers his hand to shake.