Sam
I open the door with the best smile I can muster, hopeful that it comes across as sincere and not like I'm selling something. I want to make the new kid feel comfortable. As the door opens, my smile disappears once I see who is standing there.
In between Alexa and Lucy is the girl I saw yesterday at the shop. Sierra, I think her name was.
She looks at me with the same shocked look I feel. I can almost feel the colour begin to drain from my face. Those cold blue eyes I noticed yesterday stare into mine, and it feels like time has stopped.
"Right there, Sam?" Lucy asks me.
I whip my head towards Lucy, realising I'm standing in the doorway and staring like the creep Sierra probably already thinks I am after yesterday's interaction. I internally cringe thinking about it.
"Yeah. Yeah, sorry. Just tired," I say, trying to salvage my weird behaviour.
I step aside to let everyone in, and I notice Lucy and Alexa share a glance as they step through the door. What are they thinking? Did Sierra tell them about yesterday, and they figured out it was me?
"Um... Mum said dinner's ready any minute, so we may as well sit at the table now," I let them know.
Alexa smiles at me, and the group begins walking towards our dining room, open plan with the kitchen and lounge.
I glance down at my shirt—a white button-up with coloured stripes going in different directions. I wanted something fun, assuming the foster daughter would be a kid. I had no idea it would be her. Now I feel a bit silly wearing it.
When I follow them to the dining room, Helen appears next to me, making me jump. I don't know how she does that, just appears from nowhere. She frowns as she looks over to our neighbours.
"Hey isn't that-" Helen starts, but I grab her wrist, stopping her.
"Ow!" She shouts.
"Sam!" Mum yells from the kitchen, opening the wine for our guests.
"It's okay, mum. He's still mad about me winning Just Dance again yesterday," Helen says, saving me an explanation about yesterday and taking her chance to gloat.
Daniel, who's finishing cutting the vegetables for a salad at the kitchen counter, laughs.
"You guys STILL do that?" He asks.
Before I can defend myself as an unwilling participant, Helen chimes in.
"What's the point in holding the title if you never defend it?" She asks, a smug look on her face.
This makes everyone in the room laugh. Even Sierra, who's looked like a frightened mouse since I opened the door, has a light chuckle.
"I remember you two doing jobs around my house to get money to play that thing," Alexa adds, smiling as she remembers us when we were little.
Sierra is taking sneak glances around the room, taking everyone in. It must be weird to be plopped into a random family dynamic like this. I wonder how many times she's had to do this. Get used to the different ways a family interacts with each other, their household rules and everything, only to have to move on and do it again.
Mum walks over to the table with the drinks. Wine for the adults, coke and juice for us kids. Everyone sits at the table as she sets them out, except for Daniel, who hasn't finished making the salad yet.
I sit next to Helen on one side of the table while Sierra sits in between Alexa and Lucy on the other side. They've been flanking her since they arrived, and I don't know if they're doing it instinctively to make her feel safer or if she's placed herself there subconsciously to protect herself.
Mum sits at the end of the table, and even though there is a spot on Helen's other side, I know Daniel will choose the other end.
Sierra keeps looking over at Daniel with a funny look. Maybe she's never seen a teenage boy making salad before or something. I feel a kick under the table and turn to Helen to see what her problem is, knowing it was her who kicked me.
"You're staring," She whispers.
I feel my cheeks heat up slightly, and I hope it isn't noticeable. I hadn't realised I was staring. I'm just curious. I look away from Helen and over to mum.
"When's dinner ready?" I ask her, trying to get the attention focused elsewhere. I hope no one else noticed me staring. Sierra must have the worst impression of me already.
The corners of mums mouth turn up slightly. She's making chicken kievs, and she knows it's one of my favourites. She takes a look at her watch and then looks back over at me.
"Five minutes," She says.
"Keen, are you Sam?" Lucy asks, laughing. I must look impatient.
Thankfully the attention turns to Daniel as he places the salad in the middle of the table and takes his seat. Opposite end to mum, as I predicted. He never seems to think of himself as one of us. As one of the kids.
Daniel looks at Sierra properly for the first time since she arrived, and she quickly looks away. He doesn't seem to be bothered by it, though. He reaches for a coke.
"So. I'm Helen," Helen says across the table to Sierra.
"Oh my gosh, I can't believe we haven't introduced ourselves!" Mum exclaims, realising Helen was the first to do so.
Sierra smiles kindly at mum. Like she's trying to put mum at ease rather than the other way around.
"My name is Sierra. Um... Sierra Bird," She introduces herself in that soft, husky voice I heard yesterday.
I realise I'm the only one in my family who already knew her first name. I don't know why, but this makes me smile. Until I catch the look, Sierra is shooting me. My smile falls away immediately. She's still not happy with me; I take it.
Mum starts introducing us.
"My name is Anastasia Jones, but most people call me Annie. Helen here already introduced herself. She's sixteen, Sam next to her is sixteen too, and Daniel at the end has just turned eighteen," She says, pointing at each of us as she goes around the table.
Alexa's face lights up as a realisation dawns over her.
"Oh! Sierra is sixteen too! She'll be in your year at school! You guys can show her around," She says.
"Are you twins?" Sierra asks, aiming her question at Helen and me.
"Irish twins," Helen and I both say simultaneously, earning a chuckle from mum.
Sierra looks lost at our answer, so Helen explains.
"I'm ten months older. We were born within twelve months of each other, so we're the same age for a little bit,"
It doesn't escape me that Helen took another opportunity to remind everyone that she's older. Sierra seems to accept the explanation and nods her head.
Mum looks like she's about to ask a question when the alarm on the oven begins to ring. She jumps out of the chair and goes over to it.
"You're new to the town, right?" Mum asks from the kitchen.
"Yeah," Sierra says, "They sent me from Queensland,"
"Why'd they send you so far?" Helen asks.
Sierra's eyes widen a little. Her face begins to pale. She clearly does not want to answer this. I'm about to tell Helen off for asking such a personal question, but Lucy beats me to it.
"Helen," Lucy says sternly, giving Helen a warning look.
Helen sinks back into her chair, a little embarrassed. I think she didn't realise how personal a question it would be to ask and was just curious.
"Sorry," Helen says quietly.
Sierra's shoulders relax a little as she looks at Helen's face. She shakes her head slightly as if to say it's fine.
"It's okay. It's just hard to find good matches between carers and kids sometimes. My caseworker thought Alexa and Lucy were worth moving me states, though," Sierra explains, glancing at Alexa and Lucy, who both seem pleased with her answer.
Helen gives Sierra a grateful smile. That was nice of Sierra to answer the question just to get the heat off of Helen.
Daniel gets up, and I follow him with my eyes. He's taking plates from mum and setting them on the table. I hadn't even realised she'd plated the food yet. I hope Helen and I don't look lazy. Daniel appears to be doing everything.
When I look back at Sierra, she's staring at Daniel with that look again. Is it because he's being helpful? It's like she can't figure him out.
She thanks him as he places her plate in front of her and gives her a smile before handing out the rest of the food.
As he walks away, her face falls as she looks at the food. She glances at Lucy, and Lucy whispers something in Sierra's ear, earning a nod from Sierra.
I am kicked under the table again, and I glance at Helen. She just raises her eyebrows at me, and I get the message. I'm staring again.
Mum sits down with her food and then looks at Sierra again. Ready to assault her with more questions. She is just trying to be friendly, but I imagine it's uncomfortable to be interrogated in a room full of people she doesn't know—even Lucy and Alexa, whom she only met yesterday.
"So, how was your first day?" She asks her.
Sierra licks her lips, readying to answer, but then Alexa speaks, answering for her.
"Some sleazy guy already hit on her at the shop yesterday," Alexa says, her voice stiff. She's upset.
Helen starts coughing, and I turn to her. She's choking on her juice. I elbow her as she struggles to get her breath back. Maybe I should be patting her on the back or something, but I'm annoyed at her for nearly giving me away. I glare at her until she stops.
"Sorry," She says, her voice strained as she tries to regain composure.
"Just surprised at the audacity of men these days, you know?" She adds.
Oh god. I want to sink into a hole in the ground right here, right now. I close my eyes as I will a spontaneous sinkhole to appear in my dining room directly under me.
I open my eyes and involuntarily flash a look at Sierra. She's looking down. She's embarrassed too. But, as far as I know, no one else here knows it was me with the stupid pick-up line beside her and Helen. She's the centre of attention, and I can tell she hates it.
"I'm sorry that was your experience on your first day," Mum says empathetically.
I look around the room full of women who all seem to feel for Sierra and realise what a dick I am. I should never be allowed to speak around girls again. I always thought of myself as a feminist. As an ally. I'm around girls ALL the time. Yet, I still managed to do something to make them uncomfortable. Oh god, am I no better than Trevor?
"It's fine," Sierra shakes it off, taking a quick glance at me before looking down at her food and taking a couple of bites.
"That must have sucked," Daniel chimes in. Great, like I need to hear his input too.
Sierra snaps her head up, staring at him. Shocked that he's speaking, I guess. He has been pretty quiet tonight.
"Like an invasion of privacy or something, right?" He asks her.
Sierra doesn't say anything; she just gives a little nod and then goes back to picking at her food. She looks uncomfortable. From all the attention, I guess.
Is that what it feels like? When girls get hit on by random guys? An invasion of privacy? Girls say stuff to me at school all the time, but not really like what I said. It's more like compliments and giggles. It embarrasses me sometimes, but I guess the context is different. I don't see them as a threat.
It was the first time I'd ever said anything like that, and you better believe I won't say anything that stupid again. I don't know if I have ever regretted anything more.
"So you're going to our school? Will you be there on Monday?" Helen asks, and I am ready to forgive her reaction before. I could kiss her right now for changing the subject.
"Yeah, I start on Monday," Sierra says, looking at Helen with that same grateful look she gave her earlier. Helen is everyone's hero tonight. People think she can be thoughtless because she acts quickly without thinking, but she notices more than people realise.
Mum stands up and picks up her plate. I catch this action, and I get up quickly this time, before Daniel, and help her clear the table. I can be helpful too.
I pause at Sierra's plate. She hasn't eaten much.
"Are you finished?" I ask her.
She looks up at me, her face looks almost ashamed, and I wonder if she's still embarrassed about the conversation before. What a great introduction she's had to the Jones family so far.
"Yeah, I'm not feeling well. I'm sorry," She tells me.
"It's fine," I say with a smile, picking up her plate and taking it into the kitchen for mum. I'm hoping if I can be super friendly, she'll realise that how I acted was just a blip. It's not really who I am.
I start clearing the rest of the plates at the table and take them into the kitchen to rinse.
"Who's ready for dessert?" Mum asks everyone as she starts pulling ice cream out of the freezer.
Helen puts her hand up enthusiastically while others murmur their agreement.
Sierra whispers something to Lucy, who nods as Sierra gets up and leaves the table, walking out of the room.
"She's just getting some air. She's not feeling well," Lucy says to the room.
Alexa looks at Lucy with a worried look on her face. There's something else going on.
"She'll be okay, don't worry," Lucy says softly.
I finish putting the dishes into the dishwasher and turn to mum.
"I'm just going to the toilet," I let mum know.
She gives me a little nod, and I walk out of the room towards the front door, where I think Sierra has gone.
I open the front door, and sure enough, Sierra is there, leaning her head back, eyes closed, against the brick wall near the door.
"You okay?" I ask her softly.
Her eyes open as she lifts her head and looks at me. The blue in her eyes feels colder now.
"What do you care?" She asks.
I frown. I may have said something idiotic, but I wasn't cruel or anything.
"I didn't mean to make you feel like your privacy had been invaded or anything yesterday," I say to her, remembering what Daniel had said.
Sierra sighs, and her shoulders fall. Her blonde hair moves as she moves.
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