“See the Robertson’s got a new foster kid?”

I toss my jersey onto my bed and turn around, staring at Damon who has just welcomed himself into my room, without fuckin’ knocking. Again.

He’s dressed for school, no doubt waiting for me to drive him. Apparently, he’s too good for the bus. Too cool now he’s a senior. Not to mention he has a big brother with a pretty cool rig. God fuckin’ knows Lincoln wouldn’t take him, it’s all on me. And Finn is equally as useless and painful, because he too doesn’t want anything to do with the bus, and instead also opts for me to drive him fuckin’ everywhere.

“Don’t give a fuck, Damon. What are you doin’ in my room?”

“Firstly, you’ll give a fuck when you lay eyes on her. Secondly, we need a ride to school.”

“Firstly,” I growl, spinning around, “I have better things to do then to check out a girl, can get plenty of fuckin’ girls, I’m twenty-one – not fifteen. And secondly, get the fuckin’ bus. That’s what it’s there for.”

Damon raises his brows and then purses his lips. “No fucking way, bro. No girl is going to look at me if I get off a bus. If I get out of your truck, on the other hand...”

I exhale. “I’ll look at the damned girl if you get the hell out of my room.”

He grins, and walks in further, strolling over to my window in our two storey home. I mutter a curse, and follow him, stopping and staring down. He’s right, the Robertson’s have got another foster kid. They’ve been our neighbors for as long as I can remember, and they’ve always been into helping people, especially fostering children. They’ve had a lot over the years, mostly younger kids, which was cool when we were younger, because we always had people to play with.

They’re old now, and it has been some time since they’ve had anyone in their home. But, Damon is right, there is a girl there, and she’s definitely not family. We’ve been to all their family gatherings, and I’ve never seen her before. And trust me, hers is not a face you’d forget. Fuck me, I could close my eyes for the rest of my life from this moment, and never forget that face.

And I’ve only been staring at it for a second.

Sitting on the lush grass of their front lawn, is a young girl. From a glance, I’m guessing around the same age as Finn or possibly Damon. She’s in high school, that’s for sure, which makes me feel like a fuckin’ pervert for lookin’ at her, but it’s hard to turn away. Her hair is the first thing I notice, it’s a golden blond, flowing down around her shoulders and down her back, over that extremely petite yet curvy little body.

She’s picking blades of grass, but as if she knows we’re looking at her, she turns and tips her head back, and my breath is near on knocked out of my chest.

Fuckin’ heaven.

Eyes as blue as the sky, glowing in the most flawless porcelain skin I’ve ever seen. A dainty little nose, full swollen lips, and a delicate chin. She looks like she’s made of fine china, but she’s so fuckin’ beautiful it’s almost a crime. I’ve never seen anything like her. I’ve seen hot, I’ve seen pretty, but I’ve never experienced such raw beauty in a woman. She tips her head slightly to the side, meeting my eyes.

And then she smiles.

And fuck me, I have to step back.

I have to move away.

Because if I don’t, I’m going to stare way too long and want something far too much, that is way, way out of my league.

“Holy shit,” Damon breathes, lifting his hand and waving back at her. “I hope she goes to my school, fuck. I’m going to-”

“Enough,” I growl, and he turns, staring at me.

“Whoa, bro, have you seen her? Why the hell wouldn’t I try and lay claim to that.”

Something inside me darkens with anger. “Because you don’t even fuckin’ know her, we live next door to, and respect, Bob and Marlene Robertson, and because you’re not the kind to lay claim to any-fuckin’-thing.”

“Dude, I’m seventeen, you were rolling chicks when you were seventeen.”

“Fuck me,” I groan, rubbing a hand down my face. “Do not ever fuckin’ say rolling chicks again.”

Damon grins. “It’s my time, Slater. I too have to make the Knight name proud. You and Lincoln did, it’s only fair I keep it going. Finn can have all our leftovers after we’ve slayed the town.”

Good god.

“Get out of my room, Damon. Before I knock you the fuck out.”

Damon flashes me a grin, and disappears out of the room.

He’s the light out of all three of us, there’s no doubt about that. He’s always happy, always laughing, always joking. He keeps us balanced, and god knows we need it.

Lincoln has just turned twenty-five, and has always been the leader of the pack. He’s hard, and he’s determined. He also gets himself into a fuck load of trouble, trouble which I always seem to follow him into, because he’s my brother, and he’s held us all up when we needed it. He’s the top dog, and he knows it.

Damon and Finn are only a year apart, with Damon being seventeen and Finn being sixteen. They’re thick as thieves, but Finn is far quieter, constantly trying to keep Damon from running his mouth and ruining perfectly good situations.

We’ve always been close. All four of us.

Hope to fuck it always stays that way.

Because our father is a drunk, and our mother is gone. We lost her years ago, and everything went south. We grew up hard. Lincoln raised us all when dad was passed out drunk, or had forgotten to pick us up from school. Lincoln grew up way too fast, and too early, and it shows. It shows in every way it counts. But he’s still holding us up, still working so we can stay in this house, still dragging dad up the stairs when he can’t walk, still putting food on our table.

Still holding us together.

I walk back over to the window, and stare down.

I wonder what her name is?