A/N: Hello! If you are reading this then you are either new to this story or you have originally seen my first draft. Sadly it is now deleted, but this version will be much better. It was my first published fanfic that I started writing back in 9th or 10th grade, when I was new to fan fiction and didn't know the great ones or not-so-great ones I would come by. And as the few years past I found my own story either not as believable or too dramatic for what I originally thought (not to mention writing in POV was excruciatingly more difficult as the chapters progressed). So after a long hiatus I grew up and decided to fix it! Most of the plot is the same, I have and will tweak a few things I did, but it will definitely be better than my first draft. *shudder*
Anyway, this is the whole gang in high school except Brennan has a sister to go through school and foster care with!
Disclaimer: I dont own Bones, only FOX and Hart Hanson do. I just own my laptop and go to college.
P.S. Please review, I would like feedback on this new version or thoughts if this is your first time reading. Plus they make me very happy and encourage me to write more. I dunno how college will go yet but when I do, I will know how long my update sill be.
Another day, another day when you get moved into a new foster home… Brennan thought as she followed her social worker with her younger sister, Ariel, dragging her feet by her side. Ariel kept a gloomy look on her face while Brennan just looked tired. This is the fourth time her and her sister have been moved to a new home. Their lives living on repeat since that fateful morning in December just after Ariel turned fifteen when they found out their parents were gone. Their older brother Russ, just barely an adult himself, left as well before New Years. They have grown closer though, being each other's shields when the going got tough, except on one occasion when they were actually split up for four months. However, they were back together again. Now they dragged their backpacks and bags to an old truck to move to their next home.
"Well here we are again. We did an extra background check on this couple for you two. We know the last house was hard but this will be better." Karen said, trying to sound reassuring. Brennan and Ariel shared a knowing look.
Yeah, maybe with no locks or belts this time, Ariel ground her teeth a little.
"Their names are the Fords and they only live a few blocks from your new school. I know you guys are starting a week late but think of it as a new adventure. You will have new friends and new classes. Not to mention you are both Tigers now at Woodrow Wilson High School!" Karen said, now trying too hard. The sisters remained in their own protected stony silence as they pulled up to a modest two-story house. The yard was alive and well kept, a huge tree stand ups as tall as the roof, the house painted a light brown. Brennan got out of the car first, looking up and down at the house, no emotion on her face.
"Come on." Brennan sighed and dragged Ariel out by the sleeve of her shirt.
"Okay so you guys start school next Monday so you have the weekend to get acquainted." Karen said, walking to the front door ahead of them. They gripped their bags and followed her up the steps. After two knocks the door swung open to a tall man, mid-forties, looked like he worked construction for a living with the tan skin and muscles visible under his shirt and jeans.
"You must be Karen, and the Brennan girls. Please," He gave a small smile and waved his hand in. The house was clean, a living room with some chairs and a couch, reasonable kitchen.
Maybe this will be better, Brennan smiled internally.
A woman around the same age with blonde hair came down the stairs, "Hello, I'm Lisa Ford and this is my husband Randy." The girls politely smiled back. Karen, sensing their unease spoke up for them.
"Hi, I'm their social worker Karen. This one is Temperance," Karen said, moving her hand towards Brennan, "and the slightly younger one is Ariel." She finished with another hand movement. "Well I must be going but I will be back in two weeks to check up on the girls." Karen spoke before moving to the door. Lisa led the girls to the couch before her and Randy sat opposite.
"I know you girls have been through hell but we really do care and we want you to go to school and make friends," Randy explained, "In return we just ask a few things, for one just follow a curfew, be back here by ten. Don't let boys into your room, go to school, and just do small chores to help out like we all do. Can you abide by that?" Randy said, a serious look on his face. Brennan and Ariel both nodded their heads in unison.
"Good. Now I will show you the house," Lisa spoke up, getting up off the couch, "The kitchen is over there next to the front door, the office and garage are down the hall. Up the stairs all the way down is our bedroom, and this is your room." Lisa led them to a door and opened it. Inside were two beds opposite from each other, a simple desk sat against the wall in between two windows, a dresser in one corner, a beanbag chair in the other. The walls were painted a light lavender,the beds only covered in quilts because the girls brought their own sheets and pillows.
"I will leave you two alone to get settled. Dinner is in an hour." She smiled before shutting the door.
"Does it have a lock?" Ariel asked, throwing her bag on the bed to the left.
"Yes it does. At least that's a good sign." Brennan sighed, putting her own bag on the bed to the right.
"I dunno though, something still feels a little funny about this place." Ariel furrowed her brow, pulling out an alarm clock to place on the desk.
"There you go using your 'gut' again." Brennan rolled her eyes, teasing her sister as she pulled books out of her backpack.
"Hey my so called 'gut' has saved our asses before Tempe. Sometimes you need something more than just brains." Ariel threw her clothes in a drawer before slamming it shut.
"Calm down. I was kidding. I know that and I appreciate it. You saved my life probably." Brennan mumbled putting her own clothing in the dresser.
"Eh, just looking out for you too big sis." Ariel smiled, moving to hang more clothes in the closet.
"Oh please. I'm only older by a year. You just barely got into the same grade as me." Brennan put her hands on her hips.
"Call it a Christmas miracle." Ariel chuckled holding her arms up.
"Real Christmas is in March."
"Santa killer."
"So are your ready for school?" Brennan mumbled.
"Yeah," Ariel snorted, "More nerd and foster kid pokes. At least your Addams family nickname is better than mine is. I'm supposed to be a Disney princess." She muttered.
"Well you did have real red hair once." Brennan tapped her chin in thought.
"I don't care. I hate them all." She flopped down onto the bed.
"Maybe it will better this time. At least we won't get chased with belts. And it is our senior year." Brennan suggested.
"You're oddly optimistic. Usually you're the down one." Ariel turned her head to look at Brennan.
"Well I guess it works better this way, you're the down one this time." Brennan sat next to her.
"Yeah well the ribs still hurt every now or then," she snapped a little, "Sorry. Just proves that you are definitely the older mature one."
"Just because someone is eighteen doesn't mean they are more mature than a seventeen year old. Besides your birthday is in a few months." Brennan patted her arm.
"At least they have to keep us until we graduate. If we were still in Chicago we would be screwed."
"Come on. We have to finish unpacking." Brennan got up and pulled her sheets out of her trash bag.
The rest of the weekend passed by uneventful. The sister had settled in comfortably, the Fords were actually decent people, and school was about to start.
The alarm blared loudly at seven in the morning sharp. Brennan groggily rolled over and turned it off. She got up before wiping her eyes and shuffling over to the dresser. She noticed that her sister however was still asleep.
"Hey. Ariel. Wake up. Ariel… Hey what do you know, the Flyers are losing to the Rangers for the Stanley Cup." Brennan taunted.
"Hey!" Ariel rose up pointing an accusatory finger at Brennan, "that's so not cool."
"Get up. We got to get ready for school." Brennan yawned, pulling on her maroon v-neck sweater and a pair of jeans. With a groan, Ariel got up and threw on her white shirt with a grey sweatshirt and jeans. They grabbed their backpacks and headed downstairs.
"Are you girls ready for school?" Lisa smiled over her coffee.
"It will be interesting," Ariel shrugged her shoulders, "Most kids don't like foster kids." She grumbled over her bowl of cereal.
"Nonsense. They just don't know you." Lisa waved a hand.
"Well of course they don't know us, they haven't met us yet." Brennan stated, biting into her toast. Lisa and Randy have gotten used to her rational thought over the weekend.
"I'm off to work. See you girls later." Randy gave a wave and left.
"We actually have to leave too." Brennan said getting up and placing her plate in the sink. Ariel followed suit and waited near the door.
"Have a good day." Lisa called out as they shut the door. The walk was slow, neither really sure of what to expect when they get there.
"Do you think we will run into anyone we know?" Ariel asks, fiddling with her sweatshirt pocket.
"Probably unlikely. Everyone we knew was in Chicago. Now we're in D.C.. I don't think anyone is here." Brennan shook her head. The school came into view and they stopped at a bench in front.
"So what classes did you get. I got Biology, Calculus, and Government with you and that's it. What other classes do you have?" Ariel said, scanning her paper.
"Art, French, and English." Brennan replied.
"Ew French. They have German here so I'm finishing that, then I have Auto Shop and English too but mines at sixth period." Ariel sighed.
"We will just meet here after school. Let's go get our book before the bell rings." Brennan grabbed Ariel's arm, dragging to the library. After a few hallways and two map checks, they found themselves staring at the textbook shelf, looking for the books.
"Hey can you find Government and Politics for me, Ariel? I can't find it." Brennan asked, leaning down to scan a shelf.
"Well if you ever pulled your nose out of your anatomy book you would've found it already." A voice said behind her. Brennan whirled around and came face to face with her best friend.
"Angela! When did you get here?" Brennan hugged her tightly.
"After sophomore year in the summer but you were gone by then. When did you get here?" Angela smiled brightly.
"Last weekend. We got moved to a new home again." Brennan waved her hand.
"Awesome! We can graduate together now!" Angela threw her arms up in excitement.
"Here's the book Tempe." Ariel awkwardly hands the book over.
"Sorry, Ange. This is my little sister, Ariel. We're in the same grade though." Brennan explained.
"Nice to meet you. She talked about you all the time you know. Why weren't you guys together?" Angela crossed her arms and looked at them.
"We were separated." Ariel responded in monotone.
"I'm sorry about that," her eyes clearly showing sincerity, "What classes do you guys have?" Angela asked knowingly changing the subject, grabbing both their schedules.
With a squeal, Angela jumped up and down a little, "We have our classes together! Come on, grab your books and we'll go to homeroom."
After they checked out all their books and a quick trip to their lockers, Brennan, Angela, and Ariel all strode into Government. Angela spotted her two friends and quickly joined them.
"Hey guys, we have new students. Hodgins this is Brennan, my best friend, and her sister Ariel. Hodgins is my boyfriend, and this is our friend Zack." Angela quickly sat down next to Hodgins, Ariel next to Angela, and Brennan next to Ariel.
"Hey." Zack said replied before burying his head back into a book.
"Don't worry, you get used to him." Hodgins chuckled.
The bell rang as a few people quickly ducked in.
Angela looked up from her conversation with Hodgins as a boy quickly ducked in, "Hey Studly, you just made it." Angela teased, he quickly gave her a smile and took the available desk in front of Brennan. The teacher arrived briefly after everyone sat down and asked for notebooks and pencils out. Brennan unzipped her bag and her pencil rolled out onto the floor. The boy reached down and picked it up.
"This is yours I believe." He said, handing it back to Brennan, but immediately froze at how beautiful she was, taking in the flow of brown hair that reached her shoulders to her amazing blue eyes.
"Um, thank you." She blushed, glancing up at his face. He had short, styled brown hair, and warm chocolate brown eyes.
"I'm Seeley, Seeley Booth." He flashed a smile after his lungs began to function again.
"I-I'm Temperance… Brennan." She shakily replied back, staring at his smile.
"That's a beautiful name." He tilted his head to the side a fraction.
"Thank you. Your name is nice too." She said, surprised by his politeness.
"Booth! Brennan! You two can enjoy your staring contest after class." Mr. Wilson barked. Booth and Brennan turned in their seats before looking back up at the board.
"Haha I think your sister is in love," Angela whispered to Ariel, "She just caught the eye of one of the hottest guys in school."
"Who is he?' Ariel whispered back.
"That's Booth. It's what he goes by, his full name is Seeley Booth, hot, basketball star, and actually smart. We've been friends for a few years." Angela said. Ariel looked at her sister and could tell that he did have an effect on her but the same goes with him, he was blushing too.
The bell quickly rang for second period and everyone had to separate. Brennan left with Angela and Hodgins for Art and Zack left mumbled something about dodgeball. Ariel quickly ran to Auto Shop, surprised that Booth was there too. By the time lunch rolled around the small group met up in the cafeteria.
"I'm telling you Hodgins, it's never gunna happen." Ariel slapped her hands on the table. Hodgins had mentioned some government policy they had discussed earlier and were now having a friendly debate.
"It will so happen. You can't deny that they so have too tapped phones and computers with the Patriot Act, I even got a call from the FBI once." Hodgins crossed his arms, chin in the air.
"That's because you looked up organic bomb materials that are virtually untraceable stupid." Angela chimed in, smacking his arm lightly.
"What did he do now, Angela?" Booth groaned, walking up to the table and sat next to her.
"Oh I was chastising him for looking up bomb materials and being called by the FBI." Angela smiled smugly.
"He would." Booth chuckled, digging into his sandwich.
"Where's the rest of the pack?" Angela sipped her water.
"Over there, eating like they've never seen food before," He threw a thumb over his shoulder, "So are you going to introduce us Angela?" Booth looked across the table.
"Oh sorry. Booth this is Ariel, Brennan's little sister." Angela said.
"Hi. We have Auto Shop together right?" He asked.
"Yeah."
"And hello again, Temperance." He smiled at her.
"Call me Brennan." She felt blush creep up her neck again.
"Ok." A half-smile flashing across his face. The bell soon rang for fifth period. Booth and Brennan walked off to English together, bickering about sports and IQs. The final bell rang just after three as Ariel and Angela dragged themselves out of their classes and sat on the bench in front of the school waiting for everyone else.
"Why does Shakespeare have to be the first book of the year. Everyone knows how Romeo and Juliet ends. He dies, she dies." Angela whines.
"Eh its good though. At least the language will keep you on your toes." Ariel shrugged.
"Bren, you didn't tell me your sister was a book worm too." Angela lifted her head up from the bench as she heard her and Booth walking over.
"I don't get how book and worms are related Angela." Brennan said confused.
"It means someone that always read. Buried in the book." Booth explained.
"Oh well. I'm more of a book worm than her." Brennan said.
"So what are your guys' plans?" Angela asked, slouching back down.
"We're going home to do homework." Brennan said.
"I gotta go work at my Grandpa's shop, then go to the basketball meeting. Games start in November." Booth sighed.
"You guys are no fun," Angela whined as Brennan and Ariel got up to leave, "Call me tonight Bren!" The girls chuckled as they walked off. After getting home and doing their homework, they lounged on the floor between their beds.
"So how many classes do you have with him?" Ariel asked, sinking into the beanbag chair.
"Three." Brennan sighed, playing with her sweatshirt cord.
"You like him don't you." Ariel chuckled.
"I don't know. I've never been interested in anyone before. And it's only been one day." Brennan looked up, dropping her hands to her lap.
"Its okay if you do. He is pretty hot, you should see him work on the cars in shop." Ariel baited.
"You're starting to sound like Angela." Brennan chuckled.
"No way. She is totally crazy, in a good way." She laughed before yawning with a stretch, "Lets go to bed, I'm exhausted."
A/N: Yay! First chapter! Like I said please review, lurkers are not hated but they get that suspicious-Angela-look she gives when something isn't right. Besides if you do send me a little message, I will be more inclined to write. Until next time, AB.