C H A P T E R  1.2
M E E T I N G  T H E  B O Y S

Delaney

My skin pressed against the banister, the pressure giving mild comfort to my shaking hands. The stairs creaked softly as my feet moved down them with precision. To say I was nervous was an understatement. My pulse continued to feed into my quicken breaths, an endless cycle of internal panic.

This was the cycle, a constant with every house I've been placed in. I'd tried to master the self assurance act, the cold mask covering my aching heart. Sometimes, though, all that was left to show new foster parents was the weeping heart of a small girl craving family.

I mentally prepped myself to make a good impression. This one needed to work out, I can't afford to move again. I needed to do whatever possible to make them not cringe at my presence, or maybe not notice it. I would just keep my head down and keep my chores done.

As my feet hit the bottom of the staircase, I headed towards the sound of chatter, assuming that's the direction of the kitchen. I stopped just before the doorway, hearing the conversation more clearly now.

My heart thuds rhythmically, the blood pumping through my veins rapidly.

When Maya finally noticed me standing in the doorway, she spoke.

"Delaney, sweetie, come meet everyone."

Soon, all eyes were on my uncomfortable frame standing at the entrance. Unsure of what to do, I stepped forward slowly and met them at the end of their table.

Everyone seemed to have a place, sitting closely around the table with a plate of eggs and bacon in front of them.

Scott noticed my obvious discomfort, gesturing towards the boys as he instructed the boys to introduce themselves.

First, he pointed to a guy who looked older than the rest who sat next to Scott. He had dark hair like his mother, which was neatly arranged. He had on a casual shirt and kakis. His arms were lined with a few tattoos, each looking significant yet not overdone. The friendly grin he sent my way broke some of the tension lining my shoulders.

"Hey, I'm Nathan." He started, waving his hand. "I'm twenty-three years old and I work as a firefighter paramedic at the station nearby." He seemed nice, but I wouldn't leave my trust in the hands of somebody he based off of a friendly first impression.

Nevertheless, I sent him a kind smile in return, nodding my head in silent acknowledgement of his introduction. I didn't need a rude impression left in the minds of these people within the first few minutes of meeting.

Then the boy sitting to the right of him continued the conversation after him.

"Nice to meet you. My name is Luke. I'm twenty and going to college close to here to be a lawyer." He gave me a polite smile, sitting stiffly as if he's uncomfortable. Unlike his older brother, his appearance was clean and precise.

I took notice of their similarities. The two oldest looked very similar to Scott, while the rest of them were small replicated versions of their mom. The dark hair from Scott seemed to be a consistent trait, running through each boy, though.

The boy beside Luke looked like he couldn't care less about what was happening around him. He was slouched against his chair, rolling his eyes so subtly that I was the only one to catch it as we held eye contact. "I'm Carter. I just turned eighteen years old and a senior in high school." He stated, looking at his dad with an exasperated expression painted across his toned face. He looked lean, yet not lanky. His body showed the physical effort he put in.

"My name's Colton. I'm 16, like Grayson. We're twins if you couldn't tell. We're sophomores."

"Hi. He kinda already introduced me." The one I knew to be Grayson stayed awkwardly.

"I'm Dakota. I'm 13 and in middle school." The boy looked slightly scrawny yet still held an undeniable resemblance to his brothers.

"Hello. I'm Benjamin, but my friends call me Benji." A cute voice chirped.

"Hi, Benji. How old are you?" I asked kindly.

"I'm this many." He stated proudly, holding up 6 fingers.

I giggled quietly at his cuteness. I looked around and saw the similarities between all of them. They were all insanely gorgeous, with their dark hair and green eyes.

Man, I wish I was that pretty.

I was brought out of my daydream by Maya.

"Okay, let's eat." She suggested.

...

Dinner wasn't awful. Everyone talked amongst themselves, with the exception of myself. I listened to the parents question the kids about their days. The way they took in every detail and always looked intrigued spoke volumes.

I admired the strong bond and great parenting. I still didn't trust them yet, though.

...

When dinner was over, I picked up my plate and started cleaning the table. I was used to cleaning up after everyone from all of the years I had been in the system.

When Scott noticed me putting the dishes in the washer, he put a hand on my arm, immediately halting my actions.

If he read my file or knew about my past, he should've known it to touch me suddenly.

"Honey, you don't need to clean up after everyone. We'll get it. You should go rest, you've had a long day with everything." He spoke gently.

"Oh, I don't mind sir. It's really no problem for me." I attempted to assure him.

He chuckled. "Honey, it's okay. It's your first night here. Go rest. Tomorrow Nathan going to take you to get school supplies." He informed me.

I sighed, knowing I wasn't going to win. I gave one last smile before heading up to my room.

When I got there, I stripped out of my clothes and got in the shower, scrubbing away the memories until my skin was raw.

I got out and dried myself with a fluffy towel, and got dressed into a giant t-shirt and panties.

Laying under the covers on my new bed, I closed my eyes. My tranquility was disturbed by a familiar ringtone. I grabbed my old iPhone 5 from my nightstand and answered it.

"Hello, love," I whispered happily, a smile grazing my sleepy face.

"Laney! How are you, sweetheart?" The voice quizzed in a concerned tone.

"I just got moved into the new house. I've got a surprise for you."

"What is it??" They asked eagerly.

"Guess where I moved." I prompted.

"Oh please don't be farther away. I can't stand being so far from you." They wined slightly.

"Greenville." I chirped happily.

The other end of the line was silent. Then I heard talking again.

"You're serious?" It was a whisper, almost impossible to hear.

"Serious. I'll be at Greenville High School Monday." I informed.

"Woah. Baby, I'm so happy."

"I love you, Xavier," I whispered, getting sleepier. My eyelids grew heavy.

"Goodnight baby girl. I love you." Was the last thing I heard before darkness consumed me.

...

I woke up with a startle, gasping for breath. My body was coated in sweat and I was struggling to get air in. My eyes were wide, frantically searching the room for danger.

Suddenly, the door busted open and Nathan barreled in. He scanned the room for the source of the noise, thinking there was a danger. His eyes landed on my figure and widened significantly. I was sitting on my bed, holding my chest, gasping for breath as tears coated my cheeks.

He rushed to my side and assessed me.

"Hey, darling I'm going to need you to calm down for me. Take a deep breath."

I tried to follow what he instructed, listening to his voice as he spoke calmly.

His hand ran softly over my back in small motions. I was too panicked to care.

"That's it. Relax Delaney. You're safe. Everything's okay. Shhh. Don't cry."

Fresh tears stung my eyes when I calmed down enough to realize the situation. I just had a panic attack in front of my new foster brother. I probably woke him up.

You're such a bother, Delaney. Good luck getting him to like you now. He's probably annoyed.

"I'm so sorry Nathan. I didn't mean to wake you up or bother you. I'm really sorry." I apologized profusely, looking him in the eyes.

"Hey. Shhh. It's not a problem. Okay? Just relax. I'm not upset honey." He assured me calmly.

After a while, my tears subsided and I succumbed to sleep once again. The panic attack and crying had tired me out. I didn't even notice Nathan lay me back down or tuck me in properly before he left.