Forced Family 3

T H R E E

*I am so sorry, I got my chapters confused and though I've tried to "re-write" this a million times, this chapter is important and needed. They do get them in the next one though, PROMISE! All the Love, ~Emma :)*

Hazel eyes scan the room longingly until they fall upon gray ones that capture their attention, locking onto the familiar orbs that lift the corners of her lips in a half-smile.

They're sitting across the room in the final period of that day, it's Chemistry and thankfully the teacher had called in sick that day leaving a substitute with no lesson plans and no wish to subdue the students to any learning a day before Fall Break began. 

Lifting her hand she sends a subtle wave his way letting the smile fade on her cheeks she brings her nails up to view the chipped-black nail polish.

It had the heavy Matte coat over top of the eight-day-old manicure she gave herself, that was supposed to help it last longer yet with persistence it lifted quite easily.

Her mind drifts waiting for the bell to ring ending the day at the school. She had saved enough money from babysitting to get an hour a day on the computer at the library. Thomas loved to go and play his racing games online, she could get ahead in her English class and read the next two assigned books.

"Are you coming to the game tonight?"

Regan questions towering over her as he stands, Annika flinches at the question not noticing he had moved close to her, "U-uh yeah. For-for the first part, Thomas is playing." Though her voice didn't sound the best, it had improved greatly from this morning. She clears her throat lowering her gaze from the gray eyes Regan wore so delicately. 

The boy nods taking the empty desk next to her, "How is Thomas?"

Annika smiles at the question crossing her ankles turning to face Regan completely, "He's good,"

"Maybe we could meet up at the game later, our team won't play until the younger ones are done with theirs." Regan suggests a date, Annika blushing furiously as she sucks her bottom lip between her teeth debating how exactly to answer without sounding like a loser, "Y-yeah, t-that'd be okay."

"Okay, cool."

"So cool," Annika adds frowning once she hears the awkward phrase in her own ears, Regan snickers shaking his head as he leaves her side returning to his guy friends that hadn't noticed he'd left the circle. She wants to punch herself, "So cool?" who the fuck even says that?

Groaning at her own bullying, Annika watches the clock for the next minute smiling when she hears the shrill bell alert everyone that it was time to go home.

Gathering her bag she waits as others pass her out the door, Regan raises his eyebrow strolling to her once more, "Walk with me?"

Holding onto the straps on his backpack Thomas huffs kicking his legs waiting for the bus to stop so he could stand from his seat. The older kids wouldn't wait, but Thomas wasn't quite strong enough to hold himself still if the driver braked a bit too hard.

Annika always told him that he was safer to remain sitting. Hearing the POP that follows the brake, he stands from his seat hurrying off to see his sister where she normally waits only to see her missing.

The other kids that live close to the Hailey apartments knock into Thomas that kicks his toe into the sidewalk with a pout wondering where Annika was. The apartment was only two blocks away, close enough Thomas wouldn't mind walking himself yet he was terrified of who was in the apartments.