Chapter 2.

A Chapter by lilfeather

chapter 2...

Judy heard the doorbell despite the racket inside the house. No matter how many times she yelled from the kitchen for them to stop the indoor hockey, they were persistent. There would be a moment of silence, as though they were listening, and then it would start up again. She was starting to think that those hockey sticks would be hidden very soon�

"Ian!Michal!" she began.

As predicted, they fell silent. As they always did moments after they heard her scolding. She knew in minutes their mischievousness would continue, and she sighed.Conner should see how this house actually was, after all. There was no point in pretending teenage boys would behave long enough for a new arrival.

Just as she was opening the front door she heard Ian begin yelling Michal again, several colorful words escaping his mouth. With a sigh, she just smiled and shook her head. What timing they had. Boys would be boys.

She took in the sight on her front door and was filled with optimism. "Hello, again, Anthony!" she greeted. "Please come in."

"How are you, Judy?" the social worker replied, smoothing down his tie. He turned around and gestured at the boy hidden behind him in the doorway. "Conner, don't be shy, come on in, and let's introduce ourselves."

Judy smiled as the two entered, a knowing glint in her eyes. Conner was quiet, stepping into the house without a sound, eyes quickly searching the room to take in as much as he could. He was sullen and looked moody, with unruly light brown hair and a dirty sweatshirt. His jeans looked like obvious hand-me-downs, ripped at the bottom where they dragged too long.Judy loved him immediately, and she knew her boys would too
"Conner, this is Miss O'Riley," Anthony began, putting down Conners bag. He shut the door behind them and didn't miss Conners nervous look at the click of the lock. "She'll be taking care of you now, and I hope you can make yourself comfortable here." He eyed the boy, whose gaze still traveled anywhere but to the adults in front of him, absorbing details of the new house. He didn't blame the curiosity, but Jack could at least show some interest in his new foster mother.

Anthony gave Judy an apologetic look. "He's a quiet kid,Judy, you know. But he'll warm up to you."

Judy nodded comfortably. Conner's demeanor didn't bother her at all. "Oh, don't apologize, we'll all get along fine."

"Conner," Anthony said firmly. Conner didn't look up. "Can you please give me your attention for five minutes? That's all I ask, and it's the least you can give me after I drove you here." He began to grow a bit frustrated. "Conner, come on. Do you hear me?"

Conner finally turned and gave him a skeptical look. The persistent nagging made him irritated. So did the talking about him like he wasn't even in the room. This was so routine, and he had no idea why Anthony was being so persistent. "F**k, Anthony. It's not like you didn't get paid to drive me here. Just like you'll get paid to pick me up whenever it is Judy asks."

Anthony worked his jaw for a moment and then gave Judy an awkward chuckle. Focusing back on the eleven year old, who unfortunately was already seeming defensive, he said stiffly, "Now you watch your language,Judy. And you'll call this fine woman Miss. O'Riley. Where are your manners?"

"It's quite all right,"Judy objected. "It's a new house, a new experience. I don't blame you if you're feeling nervous, Conner." She could hear the TV on inside now, and she could see Conner's eyes drift in that direction. She looked forward to the boys meeting.

"He knows better," Anthony said stiffly, giving Conner a look.Conner felt his heart speed up a little bit and felt a little worried at Anthony's tone. He stood his ground though. Both Anthony and Judy were trying to impress each other at this juncture. They wouldn't take anything out on him just yet. And Anthony was out of range now; this wasn't his territory to judge anymore.

Conner hadn't quite made eye contact with his new guardian yet, so he allowed himself to quickly give her the once over. She was sweet and sugary now, looking like any well groomed graying grandmother. He wondered whether a transformation would take place once Anthony left. It was hard to tell. The house smelled nice and was warm and well-lived in, but often that was a facade. He wondered what the rest of it looked like and who it was he heard laughing in the other room.
"Is that alright with you, Conner?" Anthony was saying.
Conner blinked. He had completely missed the conversation. He felt a little guilty about that; maybe he should make a little more effort this time around. Like a new resolution. But that involved more concentration than his nervousness was willing to allot him. "What?"

"His attention span is miserable," Anthony told Judy. "But I'm sure you can handle him. Really, he's harmless. And I know we've already gone over a lot of the details, but if you have any questions or concerns,Judy, please feel free to check with me." Anthony handed her a card. "I know you have my number, but please, don't hesitate. Conner's a great kid."

There was a loud crash from inside and the three turned their heads, alarmed. The house was now silent. Judy just shook her head. "If you don't mind excusing me for just a moment," she began, "let me get your two numskull brothers to introduce you all. I'll have them show you to your new room,Conner."

Conner didn't say anything, wondering about the crash. Were people fighting now? What happened? He heard laughter again so it couldn't have been too bad. The idea of brothers was interesting. Sometimes there were other kids at his other foster homes, but none of them had really given him a chance to be a part of their ranks. He'd always considered himself an outsider from their perspective. Whether it was dirty looks, scapegoating, or slaps behind the scenes, no one had ever quite welcomed him as a sibling.
As Judy disappeared, Anthony began to lecture again. "Behave, please. All I ask is that you try to be on best behavior here and give it a good, new shot,Conner," he persisted. "This is the best home anyone can offer you, and you better realize that.Judy O'Riley is a saint. So you respect her. No more smoking. I don't know where you picked up that new habit anyway. No more running away. Answer when you're asked a question, and watch your mouth. If we hear you've been disappearing for days again, you'll have some unwanted visitors, do you hear me? Leave your old neighborhoods be."

Anthony was really keen on this Judy lady. Conner hadn't heard him praise any foster parent like this before. He always told him to behave, but not this sincerely. Of course he always told him to be polite and what a great chance this new place would be, but this was different.

He wondered if he was trying to overemphasize or exaggerate her for any particular reason. That could also be a bad sign. Usually they convinced a foster parent to take a foster kid, not the other way around.

"Understand?" Anthony insisted.

"Okay," Conner agreed, appeasing Anthony. He began to feel nervous again. Anthony was going to leave soon. And as much as he thought he disliked Anthony, the man did offer a sense of protection from whatever existed in this house. Even his criticism and nagging was better than a lot of the other houses he was stuck at. So Conner hesitated having him leave. For the time being at least. As soon as he would leave, Conner would see for himself what was in store for him, and that was nerve-wracking.

Voices from the next room ended the two's conversation, and in a moment Judy returned with two black teenage boys in tow. One was laughing, and the other looked slightly more apologetic, probably over whatever had just broken. Judy just had a proud look on her face, and Conner almost got the feeling she was proud to introduce these two to him.

"Ian,Michal,"Judy began, "I would like you two to meet our new addition, Conner.Conner, this is Michal," she pointed to the currently serious one, "and Ian. You'll meet Jason when-Ian, dear, do I dare ask what is so funny?"

"Nothing, ma," he replied, calming himself but still smirking. "It's nothing.Conner, it's nice to meet you. Mitchal and I were excited you were coming today. It's been too dull here lately. You just missed an awesome game of hockey though."

"Indoors no less." Judy rolled her eyes.

"Nice to meet you,"Conner said quietly when Anthony prodded him out of simply staring at them. Both were older than he was. He was really bad at judging ages though so he wasn't sure exactly how much older. All he knew was that they were bigger than he was. He reminded himself to try not to judge them; they looked friendly enough. And hockey? Inside? That was kind of bizarre. Sounded fun though.

"You'll get used to these two,"Judy promised. "Boys, do you want to show Conner to his room? Michal, take his bag for him, will you?"

"Yeah, no problem," Michal answered, moving forward to grab the bag off the floor. "This all?" He asked Conner.Conner didn't answer right away, he looked kind of distracted, and so he assumed it was. "Come on, I'll show you upstairs.Ian, come on."

Judy watched the three boys leave and turned to Anthony. "This will be great," she assured. "Really."

"He takes a lot of patience," Anthony warned. "No one's had enough yet. If he doesn't respond right away, it doesn't mean he's not listening. He's a lot smarter than he tries to act as well. And his attitude needs a bit of an adjustment, but it's more a front than anything else. He's a great kid, really,Judy."

"You don't have to tell me, Anthony. I know he is. I can tell. You know, sometimes all it takes is having a big brother to show you the ropes. Makes a big difference."

Anthony nodded. "I hope so."

"I guarantee it," Judy said with a smile. "My other boys will make a big impact on him."

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