Chapter 1: A Few of 'Em
Chapter Text
Hey world, I'm Jay.
A few hours ago, I fell down the stairs and sprained my shoulder.
I tripped over one of the numerous toys left on one of the steps, aaand yeah.
I tried to play it off. I really, really did. But when you have 8 younger siblings crowding around you while you try your best not to scream or let tears escape your eyes, at least one of them is bound to catch your bullshit.
And so, there was me, being lifted into the backseat of my little brother’s car, being held upright by my other little brother and my little sister, while the former-former little brother floored it down the highway to the hospital where I was born, in Blue Island. Casually, I might add. I guess that works.
So there we are. One brother is flooring it, the other is panicking because my shoulder is swelling, and then there’s the sister getting annoyed at the awful driving and the understandable yet unnecessary panicking. Tires were screeching in the parking lot once my brother hit the breaks; the other two helped me out of the car and rushed me inside within 15 minutes.
I honestly couldn’t think of a more surreal moment right now. I was half distracted by the pain of my shoulder growing exponentially, half praying my brother wouldn’t destroy the parking lot looking for a space, third-half begging my brother and sister to calm down so the receptionist and nurse could understand what the hell was going on. The two working ladies shared looks of concern and confusion as they were helping us out. I felt bad that they had to deal with this chaos... but then again, it's Blue Island. This happens every other night.
But while I get looked at, it would help the pain to distract myself by explaining what on earth is happening and who is who in this situation.
So I’ll start with the powerhouse in the Honda - my brother Anthony.
16-years-old, addicted to the gym with a deadlift record of 220lbs and a leg press personal best of 545lbs. Demon on the football field, being the first high school junior in a long time to become a starter quarterback, and being damn good at that. He already anticipated that come September, his games would be filled with scouters. The perfect start to his senior year.
With the beginning of this summer overway, he plans to spend every weekend at the gym and every weekday morning on the football field with his coach. He also enrolled in a summer league for extra measure to avoid getting rusty. Every morning at 6AM, I’d come downstairs to the sound of his Nutribullet blender in full swing, with a skillet of eggs, a plate of protein pancakes, and OJ waiting like they were his calling. The perfect breakfast.
And when he wasn’t prioritizing football like a power-hungry general, he was just an ordinary kid. He played guitar for our little siblings, helped them with their homework, did chores, ran errands, helped me with groceries, and took great care of his Honda Civic. Which he paid for all by himself, by mowing lawns, successfully holding down a part-time job during his junior year, doing after-school programs, and helping some of our family with their goings-on.
Needless to say, Anthony was doing everything right for himself. I’m honestly proud of how hardworking and dedicated he’s become. Even though the Honda isn’t under his name, our dad was more than happy to sign it over once he turned 18 so he could take it off to college. Sounded fair to me. He already had his whole life figured out, and I couldn’t be happier for him.
Aaand it looks like they’re about to inspect my shoul-DEEEER-
OH! OW! OWW! Yeah, wow, that is pain. That is pain. That is pain. THAT IS PAIN-
jay's mind has temporarily shut down due to the overwhelming pain she's in. please stay tuned until she resumes her life-story broadcast.
Okay… looks like the worst of it passed. I’d never seen a more somber look on a doctor’s face once my visits were done… so I must be looking preeeetty pitiful right now. Anthony was sitting between our two siblings, and their looks weren't great, either...
“So… it looks like you suffered a bit of a nasty sprain upon impacting the bottom of the stairs.” He went on, flipping through my papers, showing me the X-rays I couldn't focus on earlier. “Looks like we’ve got a grade 2 sprain, which is moderate. We noted some partial tearing in your ligaments, but it’s looking like it’ll heal up pretty well.”
Forgot to mention, Anthony doesn’t play when it comes to injuries.
Neither does our nervous wreck of a brother, Finnley, who looked like he was five seconds away from fainting.
Nor our dear sister Dolly, who looked like she was five seconds away from slapping Finnley.
Ironically, they were paying more attention to the doctor's explanations than me.
You wanna know what’s more awkward than spending 4 hours at the hospital with three of your younger siblings?
Coming home, laying in bed, and being surrounded by said siblings while another currently unspoken one is attempting to keep the rest of them from seeing me. We got discharged not too long after the doctor came in. Within 30 minutes, we were back in the Honda and going for some ice cream. Even though I was in pain, I still tore up that banana split like it was my last meal. What an ordinary night, am I right?
Anthony told me what I knew was coming: “Get some rest, and don’t move a muscle on your own!”
Then Finnley spoke up, “If you need anything at all, please ring this bell!” He held up the bell in question. “But just in case, if you feel like you’re getting sick or your pain is getting worse or- or-”
“She’s gonna be fine, Finn! Quick panicking!” Dolly urged in annoyance, lightly smacking his shoulder. “Let’s just give her some space for now.”
“I think that’s best for now,” I spoke softly. “I’ll be fine, promise,” I assured as Dolly dragged Finnley out of the room, with Anthony right behind them. He lingered in the door and gave me a soft, yet stern smile. “Remember, we’re here for you sis. If you need anything, give us a ring.”
“What if I gotta pee?” I asked jokingly. “You gonna help me then?”
He rolled his eyes and shook his head. “I’ll get over it.” He pulled the door closed as I chuckled at him.
I sometimes don’t know where I’d be without my siblings. Or how they’d be without me. I just know that Finnley will be practically camping my door all night just in case he happens to hear me ring the bell. I also know that Dolly and Anthony were going to be annoyed with his constant worry. Which wasn’t exactly unusual.
When it came to Finnley, anything that he came across was enough to spark a panic within him. I could go on, but hey, since I finally have a moment to myself to speak, I will go on.
Being 13-years-old with that much anxiety and paranoia is worrisome to me, but it’s just how he’s always been. He’s our resident scaredy cat. He’s also the second-born son, a twin, a neat freak, a perpetual honor roll student, chronically on WebMD, chronically in a crisis, owns an ant collection, and has a secret passion for crocheting. For some reason, he’s under the impression that no one knows about that last one. If Anthony were the no-nonsense sibling when it came to having injuries, Finnley would be the reason that you never got hurt. In that, those two are practically equals. It’s with anything else that Anthony always wants to chuck a football at Finnley’s spine - Finnley is the one who constantly ends up in the hospital. I forgot to mention that he. Is. Accident. PRONE.
Finn has harmed or broken at least one part in every portion of his body. Broke his left middle finger playing Frisbee, cut his right index finger chopping vegetables, broke his left ankle tripping over the curb, had his right shin bitten by our littlest sister Evie, hurt his pelvis when I pulled his chair from under him as a joke (got grounded for that one), stung by a bee on his arms, elbows, right cheek, his left pectoral, his armpit (yes, his ARMPIT), his stomach, and his knees, and how can I forget the time that he got this disgusting splinter from playing tag near the treehouse?
Is it surprising that he’s a paranoid trainwreck? I would be too if I were that kid.
But there are plenty of good sides to the kid! He’s very beloved at school; constantly volunteering to help the teachers with their projects while tutoring a ton of his classmates. He spends his breaks helping the lunch ladies come up with healthy and less disgusting meals, and by extension, is a great cook. Sure, his paranoia can get a bit annoying…
“JAY! JAAAY! I HEARD SOMETHING FALL! ARE YOU ALRIGHT?! DO I NEED TO CALL MOM AND DAD?! SHOULD I CALL THE POLICE ??” [I dropped my hair dryer.]
“OH MY GOSH, I KILLED A BLACK WIDOW! WHAT IF ITS VENOM IS ON MY SHOE?? AM I GONNA BE INFECTED WITH A SUPER VIRUS ???” [It took 45 minutes to calm him down from this. And also:] “WHAT ARE SPIDERS THAT BIG DOING HERE IN THE FIRST PLACE ?!”
And who can forget: “MOM! DAD! I GOT BIT BY A MOSQUITO! I’VE CONTRACTED THE ZIKA VIRUS! OH GOSH, I CAN FEEL THOSE SYMPTOMS ALREADY! ” [He now hoses his body down in bug repellent whenever we’re spending time outside.]
Digressing… he can be a bit annoying, but I would rather deal with this lovable paranoid nervefest than anyone else by his name.
Though, I can’t speak for Dolly - he truly annoys Dolly.
To be fair, everyone annoys Dolly, like easily. She’s very hard to please and I would be lying if I said she didn’t act like an entitled princess.
“UM, EXCUSE ME. I was about to watch that!” In response to Anthony changing the channel from a movie she was waiting on to a football game. “You’d better change it back or I’m telling Mom and Dad!”
“You shouldn’t have left it out, then.” In response to Finn being rightfully angry that she ate half of the salad, he brought home 10 minutes earlier.
“Either go upstairs and change, or you can kiss your ticket to my party goodbye!” Scolding our younger sister Ava for choosing to wear a sweater to her 13th birthday dinner party instead of the dress that she specifically picked out.
You get the idea.
But above her admittedly annoying entitlement, there are some sweet qualities to her that I’d like to highlight, too. Like that one time she helped our elderly neighbor carry her groceries across the street during a particularly suffocating heatwave.
Or the time she helped our youngest sister study her spelling so she could enter the school’s spelling bee! Thanks to her, Evie did extraordinary, placing 2nd out of over 70 competitors!
Oh, oh how could I forget- she fixed my prom dress when Finn accidentally tore part of it? She was practically my savior that night. I was under so much stress that day, especially with makeup and hair- Oh yeah, when both of those appointments got canceled, you bet your caboose that she was the one who came in handy!
I always saw Dolly as a coin - one side where she annoys you so much that you want to dump a bowl of rancid, steaming milk on her… and the other side where she’s one of the sweetest people to ever exist. For a 14-year-old girl, sometimes she acted like she was 3 times older. And I say that more so in the sense that we’re the reason that she’s so mentally aged.
But truly, I wouldn’t trade any of those memories or experiences for the world. I love these 3 idiots, as well as all of my siblings, as crazy as they can be. And besides, if you thought any of that shit was a lot… wait until you meet the rest of them.
Chapter 2: Some More of 'Em
Summary:
Jay is still on bed rest while Anthony runs errands. A couple more siblings appear to keep her (in)sane, whether they mean to or not.
Chapter Text
Every morning, I wake up wondering if life should be the way it is.
Was I born in the wrong home? Was I born in the wrong year? Was I born the wrong person? Was I wrong to be born?
Sometimes, I feel like the weight of life is too much. I’m the oldest daughter of two successful educators, currently focusing on making sure that we all would be set for life. They promised themselves and me that we'd all be worry-free. I suppose they didn’t account for the worries that would continue whenever they weren’t home.
Which tended to be a long time. As in… 3/4ths of a year …
In their absence, Anthony and I are practically in charge of everything and everyone. I’m the oldest and freshest out of school, so I have special permission to take care of guardian-related things. Plus, I’ll be 18 soon, so that grants even more free will in what I can do for the kiddos. Anthony is the second oldest and, since he’s still in school, has an easier time handling things - and people - our younger siblings may need taken care of. And even though we do have our Nana to help us out with the “important stuff”, she lives super far and sometimes, it’s an inconvenience when we have to wait on her to help. I’m not saying that like I blame her, it’s just kinda how it is.
But Anthony and I are used to having to handle everything. It’s usually him and I against the world.
But for this school year… I sadly won’t be as much help as I would like. Having a sprained shoulder would erase any use you’d have in any situation. And yeah, it might be too early to be calling that since we’re just hitting summertime, but that doesn’t mean I’ll be hunky-dory by September.
Hell, it’s been a full week and he still insists I rest while he struggles to care for the house. He’s been cooking breakfast, cleaning everything, helping with projects and homework (like he doesn’t have his own), and driving everyone wherever. It’s like this guy never sleeps or rests.
Speaking of which...
“Anthony,” I called, walking into the living room as he vacuumed the sofa cushions. “ANTHONY!” I shouted louder. Somehow, I managed to be heard; he immediately shut off the vacuum and turned to face me.
“Sis, what are you doing out of bed?” He questioned sternly, as if it were Dad asking. He tended to tone-shift like that.
“I came to check on you,” I responded. “That’s the second time you’ve vacuumed the couch this week. It can’t be that dirty, can it?” I moved closer to inspect the couch, but Anthony gently sat me down - on the part he didn't vacuum, of course.
“It’s just an extra check off the chore list, that's all. But I’ll worry about finishing later.” He unplugged the vacuum rather haphazardly and retracted the cord into its body. “I gotta get ahead on school supplies.”
“Wait, what? Why are you getting them already? They won’t be out for another week!” I asked out of confusion and concern.
“Because if I wait, I’m gonna forget and if I forget, the litter won’t have their things.” He began explaining, setting the vacuum aside and walking over to the shoe rack. (So, if you’re confused, Anthony and I always buy school supplies at the end of the school year so we don’t have to rush and get them when the next one starts.)
I snorted. “‘Litter’ is crazy-”
“ So, I’m gonna at least get a head start and find everything I can.” He slid on his Nike slides and grabbed his car keys from the hook. “Do you want anything while I’m out?”
I watched as he did his mental checklist. Anytime he was about to leave, I’d hear him mutter, “Phone, keys, wallet, headphones”, while feeling around for each corresponding item; they tended to be in his front two pockets.
As for if I wanted anything… “Is ‘you getting rest’ an option?” I half-joked.
“Haha, no.” He responded, rolling his eyes before opening the front door. “I will rest once everything is handled. ‘Til then, let me know if you want anything, and don’t clean a damn thing .” He sternly said, finishing by ( gently ) slamming the door. Does this motherfucker even have their school supplies lists?
On a serious note, he's not playing about my injury, at all. The following morning after the accident, he sat our youngest sisters down and explained why they couldn’t leave their toys on the stairs. They were both highly apologetic about it, but I knew how much it was consuming Ava.
I cannot stress enough how paranoid Ava is about everything. She often overplans, overthinks, overcorrects, and worst of all, overworks herself to the point of stressing her body out. She always tries to be two steps ahead, planning for every possible outcome of the future. She’s like a foil to Finnley, only she somehow outdoes him in the freaking-the-hell-out department. If Finn isn’t worrying about something, she would be. Even if his nerves had been calmed successfully, hers were on overdrive. She developed insomnia because she constantly stayed up writing entries in her emergency journal on the numerous scenarios she saw in her dreams. It’s to the point where we’ve had to take her to the hospital because she couldn’t sleep for three days. That happened when she was 8; she’s 10 now, by the way.
It’s weird to say, but that journal has literally been her dreamcatcher. She considers the entries to be premonitions, no matter how many times we all tell her that she doesn’t have future vision. Mom and Dad worried themselves over Ava not getting enough rest. They never could understand why she was the way she was. But their only reassurance was the fact that Anthony and I could take care of her properly.
Man, the deepest groan just left my body. It’s so hard dividing proper time and care to 8 siblings, especially when at least 3 of them most likely have anxiety disorders. All my family really needs is a peace of mind, and that’s coming from the one with a messed up shoulder.
But the only thing that tends to make it better…
…
…oh, wow, I genuinely can’t think of anyth-
“Hey sis.”
Wait, there it is, the thing that does make it better; Sarah. Another unforeseen sibling.
“Are you just gonna spend the day being a couch potato?” She asked jokingly, opening up her laptop and placing her headphones around her neck. “I’m not sure how Anthony would feel to see you slouching on your bad shoulder.”
I chuckled. “Well, funny story - saw Anthony vacuuming down here and got the whole ‘you better rest’ spiel before he left.”
“Where’d he go?” asked Sarah, plugging her headphones into her laptop.
“Out stress-buying everybody’s school supplies,” I answered nonchalantly.
“What else is new?” Sarah asked dryly. “Anyways, I’m gonna chill and watch a movie here. Lemme know if you need something.” With that, she slid her headphones on and went off into her movie’s imagination land.
Seeing as nothing new was coming from that, I returned to my late-afternoon activity - “staring at the ceiling until something happens”. It’s fun, try it.
The funny thing about Sarah is that she makes good company even if she’s spending half the time ignoring you. She’s like a ghost, you know she’s there but she’s so quiet that nothing comes from it. I noticed that ever since she was a toddler, she never really interacted with people unless they initiated it themselves. She just kind of exists.
When she does talk, at least to me, she’s got humor drier than a saltine cracker. Actually no, that’s not dry enough - a Popeyes biscuit. She has sarcasm mixed so well into her everyday vocabulary that it’s often hard to tell if she’s serious or not. She has the straightest facial expressions, the cleanest dialogue delivery, just overall how you’d expect a robot to be if it mastered being a human. Or something like that.
But if she didn’t have her headphones or glasses tucking her ocean blue hair behind her ears, she’d often let it fall in front of her face so you couldn’t see her eyeing you down. You know how anime characters with glasses often have them opaque to hide their eyes? Somehow, she could master that same effect in real life. One minute you could stare straight into her sapphire blue eyes, and in the next, it’s like they weren’t there. It sometimes scares me, and I have blue eyes myself!
But if there’s one major credit I could give her, it’s her emotional maturity. Out of everyone in my entire life, Sarah is the one I’ve felt most held by. I’ve cried to Anthony, Dolly, Finnley, Mom, Dad… but none of them can comfort me as well as Sarah. She just knew exactly what to do and what to say. I hate to admit this but… I kinda envy her. I would think as the oldest sibling, I’d know how to show that level of empathy to them. But Sarah makes it look so easy…
…and yet has no interest in going into therapeutic fields.
Really makes me wonder about where her future lies. Not that I worry, or anything… but speaking of someone who does -
“Sisses, have you guys seen my vocabulary book?” Ava asked, frantically looking around the living room. Before she received an answer, she was lifting up available couch cushions and tossing pillows carelessly in her search.
And there goes my fun afternoon activity. Unsurprisingly, Sarah completely ignored it. Further unsurprisingly, Ava started tugging at my good arm for me to move over so she could trash my comfort spot.
“Ava, I highly doubt it’s even here,” I responded, somewhat annoyed. “Also, be-”
“CAREFUL, AVERY!” Sarah exclaimed, having an ear free and bearing a look of anger-riddled incredulity on her face. “Her shoulder! What are you doing?!” She reprimanded and reminded - repriminded? - repriminded her. Ava immediately stopped what she was doing and started apologizing to me. She knew she screwed up when someone used her full name.
“AVERY LANCASTER!” - Finnley, after coming across the mess she made of the kitchen by spilling Kool-Aid powder everywhere.
“Goddamn- AVERY!” - Anthony, after she accidentally scratched his car during one of her episodes.
“AVERY! What did I tell you about that SWEATER!” - Dolly, regarding the 13th birthday incident with the dress. You get the idea.
Sarah's sudden warning spooked her, but she knew that she was dangerously close to compromising my recovery.
“I-I’m sorry, I-I didn’t mean-” Ava stuttered, becoming panicked at the mistake she almost made, but Sarah silenced her.
“It’s fine, just be more careful next time!” Sarah reminded her, giving her an authoritative, yet concerned tone before resuming watching her movie. My earlier annoyance was quickly doused with guilt as Ava left the room, completely forgetting why she had gone there. She didn’t mean any harm, but she wasn’t thinking straight. Which tends to happen a lot.
I readjusted, got comfortable. I’m chilling. Wait, no I’m not, why is something poking my ba-
Oh my god.
Well, you’ll never believe where her vocab book was.
Under the couch cushion I was sitting on. Huh …
“Hey Ava, I found your book!” I shouted as I placed it on the empty spot next to me. She hurried back into the room, both relieved and flabbergasted. “Really? Where was it? I looked everywhere for it! Where did you find it?” She questioned, grabbing the book from the couch. What threw her off was that the book was slightly warm. “And why does it feel warm?”
“Yeah, funny story, it was under my ass.”
Notes:
Hope you enjoyed, here's a cookie. Bye bye!🍪
Chapter 3: The Rest of 'Em
Summary:
First day of summer. Time to meet the rest of the hoard... y'know, before sh!t hits the fan.
Notes:
Happy New Year, everyone! Thank you for your continued support, and I hope you enjoy this chapter!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Ahh.
It’s official.
The kiddos are out of school for the summer.
Fuck.
Remember how I mentioned that Anthony was gonna spend his summer training for football?
Every weekend at the gym, every weekday morning with his coach on the field, plus the summer league he enrolled in?
Yeah, you aren’t gonna believe this - he dropped out of the league.
Mind you, it’s 8 in the morning, I just woke up and had barely processed where I was in the world, and he just comes in and says that.
“Ant… what…” I muttered, stretching my body and snuggling under the covers. “The hell are you talking about…”
“I’m dropping the league,” He restated without hesitation. “I wanna have some time to be home and help you out.”
“Anthony, I’m fine, you don’t have to drop your league…” I responded sluggishly. I mainly wanted to go back to sleep and worry about this conversation later, but he didn’t pick up on that.
“Look, I know your shoulder’s been getting better, but I can’t imagine dealing with the 7 while nursing a sprain like that. So, I wanna dedicate some time to help you.”
Not gonna lie, I yawned somewhere in the middle of that sentence. I sat upright as he finished speaking, rubbing my eyes and fully taking in reality. My weary blue eyes are trying to hold contact with his ruby eyes, but it’s just not happening.
“Anthony… I appreciate it but you don’t have to-”
“Mind’s made up,” He cut me off instantly. “Doing it because I love your clumsy ass, deal with it.”
“Not my fault there were toys all over the stairs,” I reminded him. “But, if you’re sure, then… thanks. I appreciate it.”
Anthony nodded. “Of course. Now, whenever you’re fully up, your breakfast is downstairs.” He exited the room as he finished his sentence.
I yawned, stretched some more, and plopped backward onto my pillows, hoping to fall back into whatever dream I was in.
…
Eh, fuck it, it’s not happening. Let’s get some food in me.
I dragged my sleepy ass down the stairs, holding onto the railing with the strongest grip I could muster. I yawned out a “good morning” without really looking to see who was in the living room first. When I finally opened my eyes, I saw Sarah, Evie, and Dolly. Sarah was listening to music while reading, Evie was coloring while lying on the floor, and Dolly was watching what looked to be a makeup tutorial. None of them greeted me back.
I went to the dining room, where I saw my breakfast on the table, still pretty hot. Ava, Endira, and Emory were still at the table, while Anthony and Finnley were in the kitchen.
Ava was the first to greet me. “Morning sis!” She said cheerfully. I gave a quiet “morning” as I sat down and began to eat.
Endira was texting somebody, and Emory was just staring into the void. Like, just locked in and staring deeply into space. Ava was working on her vocabulary book, and I just noticed I was the only one actually eating at the table. Damn, I must have been hella late to breakfast.
But also, why was everyone up and already full and it was barely 9 AM? I guess their sleep-wake clocks haven’t reset yet.
I couldn’t help but stare at Emory. I don’t know why, but sometimes, he just falls silent and stares off into space. If you were a stranger seeing it for the first time, you’d think he just up and mentally fell into the backrooms. His eyes would just… stay completely still. Just focusing on absolutely nothing. I wonder if that’s just common in people with pink eyes… probably not, who knows… I’ve been seeing this forever now. Plus, it’s probably more common for 11-year-old boys to stare off, so.
Or at least more common than a 13-year-old using Siri to communicate basic sentences to you.
Side eye at Endira.
Remember when I mentioned that Finn was a twin? It’s okay if you don’t, but regardless, Endira is his twin. The younger twin, specifically. Ever since Mom and Dad gave her access to the internet, she’s impossible to talk to. She’s always in her own world, texting whoever, watching whatever videos. They can monitor her phone usage from abroad - which is something I just found out. Parental control is a helluva power to withhold over a 13-year-old, but that’s never stopped Endi.
She always hid under those dark violet bangs, she’d block part of her phone with her waist-long hair, this kid even bought a PRIVACY SCREEN! You know, the ones that block people from seeing your phone because it turns your screen black, or some shit? She does not play around with her privacy. She’s like if the FBI personified themselves into one person, who also has the attitude of Wednesday Addams and every stereotypical bored teenage girl combined. She always complains about never having anything to do. MEANWHILE -
Me: “Endira, can you take out the trash for me please?”
Her: “uuuugh. I can’t be bothered.” [scrolling on twitter]
Anthony: “Hey Dira, I need you to come with me to the store.”
Her: “Can’t you ask Finnley to go?” [hanging upside down on the couch while texting]
Dolly and Me: “ENDI! LET’S HAVE A GIRLS NIGHT!”
Her: [flips us off while texting]
- So yeah, she can be a piece of work when it comes to getting her to do… really, anything. But at the same time, I have heard her mention to Finn how she wants to get out and explore the city. Living on the south side, it feels like she’s just out of reach from downtown and all of the potential excitement that comes with it. She secretly looks forward to school field trips, riding with us to different areas, just any chance she gets to step outside of familiarity. Maybe when she’s texting, she’s probably on Google searching the areas she’s never been to. Instagram could be how she’s seeing all of these new places. She probably has a list of places she wants to visit. That’s the side of her I wish she’d be more open about.
Endira is introverted, and while that may be by choice, there’s an adventurer under that gloomy exterior that I first saw as soon as she learned how to walk. She grew to have a knack for Geography, she’s fairly talented when it comes to technology, she excels in some of her classes, and she’s such a sweetheart. I hope I make it known enough just how proud I am of her, and how badly I want her to be able to explore and see new places.
All of that aside, I still find it hilarious just how completely different she is from Finnley. If it weren’t for their looks, you’d likely never guess that they were twins. Or maybe you would. Who knows?
We interrupt Jay’s thoughts to bring you Emory’s POV.
I’ve been staring at this table for 20 minutes, hoping that it will swallow me.
I can’t believe it.
I’m going into the 7th grade…
7th grade… is… so scary… everyone’s going through puberty, we’re gonna have to play in the winter concert, we have standardized testing again …
I just want to go back to the void…
Back to Jay’s POV, as she’s been staring at Emory with concern for 5 minutes.
“Em, you okay buddy?” I asked him softly, a question he didn’t acknowledge for a couple of seconds. “Em-”
“Huh? Yeah, yeah, I’m fine sis…” He responded, the question finally loading in his mind. Heh, loading. You know how you get deep in thought, and someone asks you something, and right as they’re about to repeat it, that’s when you process it? Like, it loads and then you respond.
Yeah, by the time I got that thought out, Emory left the dining room. Fuck me.
I felt the need to check on Emory; boy was acting weird downstairs.
Might be big sister instinct, but I’ve managed to accurately pinpoint whenever my siblings were going through it - it being anything. It’s come in handy so many times. I never ignore the feeling, no matter how small it might be. It would eat me up inside for my kiddos to be suffering in silence while I would remain oblivious. I’d never forgive myself.
As I got upstairs, I heard shuffling coming from our parents’ room. I usually don’t go in there while they’re gone, and I tend to enforce that on the kiddos. Their bedroom is connected to their office desktops, along with a lot of other important shit. I do not want to deal with anything breaking in there. I approached the door to the room and peeked in, and there Emory was, lying under our parents’ covers.
I knew that sometimes, the younger sibs would lay in mom and dad’s room to feel like they’re physically here with us. It does get hard for them - they’re gone for most of the year and the kiddos just want to be with them. Hell, Anthony and I miss them just as much. I’d give anything for my mom’s “family fun” outings or my dad’s bear hugs and “kiss bombs”. Seeing Emory under their covers with his hoodie covering his head broke my heart a bit.
I came in and walked to the side where he was facing. Poor baby’s crying… he’s holding onto their throw pillow like it’s frightened to let it go. Man… I’m about to start crying…
“Emory?” I called softly, bending down to be face-to-face with him. As I did, he squeezed his eyes shut, causing more tears to fall. I put my hand on his forearm and rubbed it gently. “What’s wrong, kid?”
He shook his head, sniffing and hiding his face in the throw pillow. I tried to get him to look at me, but he just buried his face into the pillow.
“Em… c’mon, talk to me… what’s wrong, hon?” My motherly side was fronting. I’m worried out my mind, wondering what the hell’s got him like this. “Please, talk to me…” I begged.
Emory didn’t budge. I sighed and walked around the bed to the opposite side. I climbed onto the bed, laid beside him, and held him closely. I kept my grip somewhat firm. He didn’t reject the gesture, he just remained in that position.
“Emory, you can talk to me, kid…” I reassured him, rubbing and patting him for added comfort. “Please don’t shut me out…”
switching to emory’s pov
My mind’s running at 200 miles per hour. I feel like I’m sinking into my mind… I feel like I can’t think or breathe or exist …
I hate feeling this way… I hate it so much… I can’t do this… I feel like I can’t function… Why do I feel this way…?
lub dub… lub dub… lub dub…. lub dub… my heart is betraying me…
I can’t deal with middle school anymore… this year was so painful to get through… I can’t go back to that hellhole next semester… I can’t take the teasing anymore… They won’t leave me alone… I’m a freak… I can’t stand my body, I hate how tall and fat I am, I hate who I am, everyone’s right, I’m nothing, I’m hideous, I’m just a freak who will never-
….
….
…..“emory?” … “what’s wrong, kid?”
jay…? oh no… please no… please don’t see me like this… god, i just want to disappear…
“em… c’mon, talk to me… what’s wrong, hon?” please go away, please go away, please go away…
“please, talk to me…” jay please… please…
“emory, you can talk to me, kid….” no… no… please jay… please… please… “please don’t shut me out…”
please jay… I can't talk… you’ll only be mad at me… I can’t… I can’t….
“emory… is it about school?”
my heart sank deeply into my stomach… she knew, I forgot she knew… she’s come to the school a lot this year… i felt guilty every time…
“em… it’s okay to be scared… i get it… i was bullied too… but please, don’t feel like you have to deal with this alone…”
through my sobbing, i could only manage to reply with “ok..”
“it’s gonna be okay… you’ll be okay at school, we’ll make sure of that, okay?
“ok…” i’m wiping my tears as i become aware of her holding me…
back to jay’s pov
My poor baby… I swear, if those kids don’t lay off of him, there’s gonna be hell to pay.
No one fucking hurts my kiddos.
And they sure as shit don’t get away with it.
Emory fell asleep in mom and dad’s bed. I made sure he was covered up, and then closed the door behind me when I left.
Usually, I don’t allow anyone in there… but he needs to be with his mom and dad… and I won’t deprive him of that much-needed comfort.
…
“Hey, sis!”
“Evie, jeez, where did you come from…” I muttered cuz I got startled out of my thoughts. Like she just spawned in or some shit… “Wassup kid?”
“Look at what I drew!” She held up her drawing, extremely excited to show me what it was.
And boy, do I wish I could tell you because I have no idea what the hell I’m looking at.
But I played along, cuz I’m not gonna dash an 8-year-old’s attempt at creativity.
“Aw, it’s very pretty, Eves!” I replied cheerfully, which made her really proud of what she had done.
“Thank you! It’s a picture of you and Anthony swordfighting! I spent all morning working on it and Anthony really liked it and wanted me to show you!” Girl, BREATHE!
“Oh wow! It’s really pretty, I love it! You wanna put it up on your wall?” Her face lit up.
“Yeah! Yeah! Come on!” She ran into her room as fast as her little legs could carry her.
Did not expect for her to just appear, but honestly, I’m thankful that she did. It brightened my mood.
Evie tended to do that. She’s a sweet, hyper kid who’s been tapping into her creative side since she was 4. All of her drawings would be on the fridge, and she often participated in her school’s gallery shows. She’s also really good at spelling - I dunno if you remember but Dolly helped her study for the spelling bee and she placed 2nd out of 70 people. A damn impressive accomplishment.
Honestly, Evie’s on the path of hitting Sarah’s level of intelligence. She’s never had a bad grade, and she makes sure to turn in every single homework assignment. And y’know, I could definitely see her pushing her artistic abilities as she gets older. Hell, she has a really impressive art wall in her room that’s still growing to this day.
And even though we live like 30 minutes away from her school, her attendance is pretty good. We always get comments about that - though I’m not sure how they’d feel if they knew that the reason behind that was because Anthony floors it down the I-90 like he’s Vin Diesel.
But yeah, she’s a wholesome kid with lots of friends, and teachers who could spend hours telling us what a joy she is in the classroom. Yeah, she could do something bad sometimes - like when she bit the fuck out of Finn’s shin (Ha, that rhymed), though I forgot why she did that. But otherwise, that kid is a literal angel.
“Sis, come on!” She called for me, peeking out of the doorway.
I chuckled to myself as I headed toward her room.
Nothing warms my heart more than my sibs shining like the stars they’re meant to be.
Right as I made it to her room, I glanced back at mom and dad’s door once more.
“You’ll be okay, Em… I’ll make sure of that…” I whispered to myself, and walked inside, ready for another Evie art presentation.
Notes:
Thank you all for reading, I'll see you all next chapter!
Have a cookie! 🍪
Chapter 4: Spending Time with 'Em
Summary:
The kiddos pay a visit to Nanny's house!
Notes:
Hey all, sorry about dying. Was going through a lot last month. Have an extra long chapter to make up for it! :D
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Well, I must hate myself - and by extension, Anthony - cuz I piled us into dad’s van and made him drive to see our granny Noel!
Hell yeah!
Forcing the kids to get up and out the house by 9AM the day after the day - inhale - after last day of school?
Hell yeah!
Promising them we’ll get IHOP on the way back home even though we most likely won’t cuz Nana cooks too goddamn much anyway?
FUCK YEEEEAH!
“Oh, my sweethearts have arrived!” Nanny Noel exclaimed enthusiastically as she approached our van. She had been chilling on her chair swing, working in a word search book.
“NANNYYY!” Ava and Evie shout as they happily run up to her and capture her in a hug.
Anthony, Finnley and Dolly were pleased to finally see her. Emory came out of his shell a bit to greet her. Sarah unthawed and embraced her.
And then there was Endira, who simply just waved as she walked inside, eyes glued to twitter. God dammit, Endi…
“Make yourselves at home, dearies! I’ve just made pancakes for breakfast!” Nanny proudly proclaimed; she was super excited that we came, by surprise at that. Always warms my heart to make her happy. :)
It’s not everyday that I can scoop the kiddos up and hit up Hazelcrest, especially during the school year. I try to take them to visit her at least once a month, though. She is our only living grandparent…
I chilled on the couch and watched as Emory, Ava, Evie and Sarah made themselves a plate. Nana had cooked some eggs and bacon, trying to stuff their tummies like always.
Anthony chilled in her massage chair, immediately checking out from reality. Finnley was watching Press Your Luck, Nana’s favorite game show. Dolly was reading one of Nana’s magazines. Endira was scrolling through Twitter, chilling out next to me on the couch.
I always found it easy to relax at Nana’s house. I don’t know if it was the atmosphere, or the decor, or just how loving she was to us. But I always felt like I could fully relieve myself of all of my problems the second I got here. I used to come here right after school and spend weekends with her to escape from the world. Sometimes, being at home was too much. Being relied on by our parents to be the rock, they seemed to not realize that I’d still break into chips and pieces if given too much to handle. Even though Nana would babysit whenever mom and dad would leave the country - and this was before the stays became prolonged - she would still offer us a bed to sleep in whenever we needed it.
I hope Nana knows just how grateful I am to have her in my life. She’s still kicking so strong. Everytime I look over to her, I see her. Like her in her entirety that I’ve gotten to know over the course of my whole life. Even after Papa died, she still remained strong through her grief, knowing how much it meant to her family to still have their rock.
I hope that I’ll be as strong as her one day.
Been a couple of hours now.
Evie and Ava fell asleep on the floor watching a movie. Finn’s probably in the den reading Papa’s old med books. Sarah’s definitely out on the patio in the chair swing. Five bucks says Emory’s right out there with her because they both glue their asses to that thing. Not that I blame them because I definitely do, too.
Five more bucks says that Dolly’s upstairs going through Nana’s makeup and jewelry. And if Endira’s right up there posing with said jewelry, I’ll throw you a 20.
And as for Anthony… his fat ass is probably raiding the pantry.
As for me, I’m still snuggled on this couch in this warm ass blanket that Nana got for christmas. And she, herself, is sitting in her loveseat, working on a crossword puzzle. Or crocheting. I dunno, I’m too cozy.
So, dearie…
Right as I was falling asleep, I heard her ask:
“How are the kids?”
Uuuuuugh.
She always knows how to make me crack.
Slumping further into the pillow I was snuggling, I responded, “They’re like Alvin and the Chipmunks on crack.”
Dolly, who was walking downstairs, scoffed at my reply. “Rude, much?”
I responded by flipping her the bird, which made her raise her nose even further at me. I heard Nana laughing at me, then nudging me with her crochet needles to cut it out.
I chuckled back. “In all seriousness though, it’s getting somehow harder.”
“I can imagine so. Is your shoulder healing good? You haven’t swelled, have you?” She inquired, looking - sorry, squinting - at my shoulder.
I nodded my head. “Yeah, but Anthony still won’t let me do chores.”
“Got that right, bitch.” He said, exiting the bathroom and heading past us to the kitchen.
“Language, Ant,” Nana reminded him sternly.
“Sorry Nan!” He called from the kitchen, clearly about to raid the pantry of snacks assuming he hasn’t already.
I roll my eyes and close them right after. I’m not awake enough to entertain Anthony’s bullshit.
Nana quickly noticed that I was falling asleep, so she got up to head into the kitchen. Last thing I heard her say was, “Antie, don’t be eating all of Nana’s snacks!”
Entering Jay’s Dream
I was in a large field… beautiful flowers, vibrant green grass. Blue skies, minimal clouds, slightly windy but fairly warm.
I was a kid again. I was standing by a tree when I heard mom and dad calling for me. I walk over and see we’re having a picnic. Dad pulled me onto his lap and started to feed me snacks.
I looked over to mom, and she was holding Anthony. He was an infant, no more than 2 years old, and I looked to see mom’s belly bump. Anthony was expressionless in mom’s arms. Just staring ahead, blankly, as mom fed him baby food.
“Open wide and say ‘ah’, honey,” She told him, feeding him as if he weren’t in some sort of catatonic state. Around us, I could see random two-story houses appearing around us. They all had pitch black doors and wide open mailboxes.
In one of the houses’ driveway stood Nana and Papa. It was so vivid. He died when I was a kid and I barely remembered his voice, but I so distinctly heard him say, “My sweet little Jamie.”
I felt scared when he said that. Mom originally wanted to name me Jamie, and Papa would pretend like a ghost girl was around who took that name.
Said ghost girl was now standing next to Papa, holding his hand. Looking down with a blank stare, Papa walked inside of the house with ghost me(?) in tow. That left Nana standing in the driveway, carrying 7 oranges, or something. I looked back at my parents, and they both were missing their eyes.
I look at Anthony, HE’S missing his eyes.
I look at Nana, and she’s holding their eyes in a fucking fruit basket, giving it to some stranger, who then takes HER eyes.
Last thing I see is mom and dad going into the house where Papa and ghost me(?) went. They took Anthony with them, and no matter how loudly I begged to go with or not be left, how many times I cried out “mom!” they all went. I sat on the picnic blanket until they went in, frozen. Once I could finally run to the house they all went in, the door and driveway were gone.
The guy with the fruit basket, now looking like the grim reaper, stared down at me with his crimson eyes, while the eyes in the basket stared at me, too. I was banging on the walls, begging to be let in.
But the grim reaper took me away. He held my hand and for some reason, I went with him, leaving my family behind.
Exiting Jay's Dream
I woke up to Anthony kneeling in front of me.
“Hey dude, kiddos are ready to head home. You coming?” He asked, standing up. I blinked a few times and stared up at him. He had on his shoes and jacket. Emory stood behind him, also wearing his jacket and shoes. I sat up wearily and looked around, but no one else was in the room.
“Where’s everyone?” I asked.
“Everyone’s already in the car. We’re just waiting on you.”
“Ava and Evie are staying here…” Emory added quietly.
“Yeah so, if you wanna stay, it’s cool. If you wanna go home, come on. I’m coming back in the morning either way,” Anthony explained, with his usual tone being overshadowed by how tired he was.
With little debate, I just opted to stay here.
Within about 5 minutes, Anthony and Emory bid Nana farewell, and left out.
I was still reeling from my dream. The most intense shit I’ve seen in a minute… Why was… why was death there? Why did Papa have a “me”?
Why was everyone’s eyes falling out???
“Jay, dearie?”
I snapped out of my mind-fuckery to see Nana standing in front of me.
“I’m making Ava and Evie some hot cocoa. Would you like some, dear?”
The four of us sat in the dining room, lit solely by candlelight. Makes a nice, cozy vibe at night. We each had a cup of cocoa, to varying degrees.
I always liked mine with minimal additions; nice hot water mixed with a few mini marshmallows with a small dabble of whipped cream. The hot cocoa’s gotta be half an inch from the top to leave room from the toppings. It’s absolutely perfect.
Yes, I like my hot cocoa with water, don’t judge me.
Evie’s always had to be filled to the brim, decked out in whip cream with marshmallows and cocoa shavings. She’s a major sugar freak. She also used to color her whip cream to whatever color of the week she loved. Red, blue, green, yellow, purple, brown, orange, LITERALLY any color. I think once she made it turquoise and cyan. Oh, and to be clear, they would mix whip cream with food coloring to achieve this. Nana has way more patience for this than I do. Then again, I’m almost positive she enjoys it.
Ava’s was usually the simplest to make. She only drank her’s in a small teacup, filled only halfway, with oat milk instead of whole. She didn’t like whip cream or marshmallows, so Nana would always try to do some “latte art” to make it look pretty.
Nana’s hot cocoa would always look like it came right out of The Polar Express. Like, super creamy, with CHOCOLATE whip cream, shavings, AND a wafer in the center like a cherry. I would try it, but I feel like I’d shit myself. Literally.
“Thank you for the hot cocoa, Nana!” The three of us somewhat in unison.
Nana chuckled, “Of course, my dears.” Sip. “It’s so hard to believe that you all have grown up so fast.”
“Yeah, especially JuJu!” Evie piped up, giggling and eating the whip cream. I stuck my tongue out at her, like playfully mad at her.
“Indeed. You’re going to be an adult soon, dearie. How do you feel?” Nana asked me.
SHIIIIIIIIT .
“Old,” I muttered into my cup. “I feel old.” Sip.
“I’m so glad I won’t be 18 for another 8 years!” Ava chimed in. “I still have to get through middle school and high school. Not to mention standardized testing, projects, and-”
“Now now, little Ava, that’s all well within the future,” Nana interjected, getting ahead of Ava’s anxiety rambles. “Remember to focus on the now , dearie. You’ve still got plenty of time to prepare for everything.” She concluded sweetly.
“Oh right, thanks Nanny!” Ava said with a sheepish chuckle.
“So, my dear…” She began, turning her attention back to me as I tried burying myself in my cocoa… please don’t ask me what I wanna do for my birthday-
“What would you like to do for your birthday?”
FUCK!
“Mmmm, I dunno, Nan… I don’t see the big deal behind turning 18.”
Not exactly lying, there…
Nana gave me the most innocent old lady chuckle. “Now, dearie… There's nothing wrong with turning 18. After all, you’re entering adulthood! Doesn’t that feel exciting?”
“I’ve basically been an adult,” I replied bluntly, taking a quick sip . “With mom and dad working abroad, there needs to be some semblance of an adult.”
“I know,” She agreed, of course. “Your mother and father are working very hard, but their absence can be taxing. I’m not as mobile as I used to be, but I still want you kids to know that I’m always a call or a mile away.”
“But-but Nana, isn’t the distance between our homes technically 12 miles away?” Ava questioned.
“Oh yes, but with how your brother drives, it might as well be a mile.” Nana chuckled and took another sip .
I couldn’t bite back a laugh on that. Fucker floors it, I swear to you. You’ve seen him drive me to the hospital. And yeah, that was different, but still.
It’s times like this where I cherish Nana. She always makes the best of a shitty situation. And honestly, drinking hot cocoa in the dining room by candlelight is the best solution to any situation.
And if you’re still judging me about using water for my cocoa, it tastes better and that’s the hill I’m dying on.
Anyways…
Mom, Dad… if you can read my mind… I miss you guys. We all do. Please… come back safely.
And Nana, thank you.
I truly don’t know what I’d do without you.
Notes:
Don't forget ya cookies for reading through! 🍪🍪
Chapter 5: Pranking 'Em
Summary:
Anthony goes to collect the girls from Nana Noel's. Sarah proceeds to make Dolly want to commit fratricide. :)
Notes:
Hello, my apologies for the delay! Life has been quite intense. I hope you're all doing well and that you enjoy the chapter!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Anthony's POV
10:00PM
God damn, I’m tired.
Drove 24 miles total today, hours apart, and yet it still feels like forever. Traffic in the morning is always a pain in the ass, but at night, I can at least floor it and shave 10 minutes off a 23 minute drive.
I parked the car in the driveway, but didn’t turn it off. It’s easier to make everyone get out and then park in the garage than to have everyone struggling to get out inside said garage.
Looking back at the sibs, only Finn was awake. Everyone else had fallen asleep.
So, in my most loving big brother voice, I said:
“Everybody wake up and get the fuck out!” Sorry, meant to say I yelled.
They immediately were startled awake. And of course, Finn screamed.
“Anthony, what the hell!” Dolly angrily shouted. “You couldn’t find a better way to wake us up?!”
“Nah, that was the best way,” I replied smugly, smirking at the collective glares I saw through the rearview mirror. “Okay, but seriously, get out so I can park.”
I watched with a teasing smirk as the tired sibs shuffled out of the car. Once I saw Finn unlocking the front door, I parked in the garage.
Few minutes later, I came inside and saw that everyone pretty much went straight to bed.
Shiiiit, that works for me.
Going up the stairs, kicking my shoes off, chilling in bed, phone call from dad-
Wait, hold the fuck up.
Incoming Call - Dad
Dad’s calling? The fuck? Why would he call this late?
I was stunned, I damn near missed the call.
“...Dad?” I greeted, like I never spoke to the fucker a day in my life.
“Hey, beefcake,” Damn it’s been a while since I heard that nickname. “You awake?”
“Yeah, kinda,” Shit, of course. I’m wide the fuck awake. I’m back on my feet. “What’s up?”
“Just checking in. ‘Bout that time of year. You and your sister’s birthdays are around the corner.”
Oh shit, that is coming up.
“Yeah, creeping up on us,” I responded, absentmindedly walking around the room. “What’s up?”
“Your mother and I won’t be back in time for them,” Yeah, go figure. “But… we will be back the first week of August.”
Oh…
Oh…
I had to clear the shock out of my throat. “...really?”
“Yeah,” He responded after a brief pause. “When we get back, we’re gonna celebrate Ava’s birthday and yours as well.” My silence didn’t help, but I couldn’t HELP THAT. They just drop that bomb on me before our birthdays like they just- like they even planned on coming home ahead of time? You might as well not even call if that’s all there is to this, especially since they couldn’t even try and come for TWO graduations.
Like, I haven’t seen these motherfuckers since-
“Son, you still there?”
…hold on, rescinding my tirade.
“Yeah, still here. That’s uh- that’s good. Good stuff, dad. Can’t wait.” Can wait.
Dad sighed wearily into the phone. He could always cut through my bullshit, but I been stopped caring. After a few seconds, he goes, “Well, I’ll let you kids rest, I know it’s nighttime there. We’ll talk more about this later.”
“Okay dad,” I yawned on the line, acting more tired than I actually was. “I’ll let Jay know that-”
“No need to, we already talked to her. You all just go about business as usual, and we’ll reach out to the rest of the bunch later this week,” He said, cutting me off kinda quick. Should that be a sign of some bull, or am I just tired?
“Okay dad, you and mom take care. Love you.”
“Love you too, Ant.” Same second, his voice is replaced with the dial tone.
Really feels like some bullshit I should be worried about, but maybe not, I dunno.
Where was I again?
Oh right, my rant.
I ain’t seen these motherfuckers since-!
10:00AM
“Anthony, wake up.”
“Mmmm…” Translation: Get the fuck out.
“Anthony, get up, it’s 10AM.”
Who the fuck’s trying to wake me up.
“Mmmm… fuck off…”
“Anthony get the fuck up or I’m pinching your ass, and I’m not playing.”
Well, clearly it’s Sarah because nobody pinches ass cheeks but Sarah. Now, do I wanna fuck around with Sarah’s threats and find out? Depends, I’m tired as fuck, ran errands all week, and drove 8 annoying motherfuckers in dad’s raggedy ass van. Extra sleep would be nice, and I forgot why she’d be in here waking me up anyway.
On the other hand, Sarah has pinched my ass cheek hard enough for it to bruise. And not only did that shit bruise, but it fucking hurt for a month. Try sitting with a bruise ass cheek and tell me how it feels.
“What do you want …” I muttered in annoyance, keeping my fucking eyes closed.
I didn’t need to open my eyes to know the eyeroll she gave me. “You told me to wake you up at 10 so you could pick up Jay, Evie and Ava from Nan’s house.”
When the fuck did I tell her that.
“When the fuck did I say that.” I asked, turning my head towards her.
Sarah's POV: Last night in the car...
“Uuuugh, I’m so goddamn tired. I don’t feel like picking them uuuuup.” [Anthony, whining while driving.]
“Then don’t. I dunno what to tell you.” [Me, reading on my kindle.]
“Fucking wish… Imma just do it early and get it over with. Can you wake me at like 9 or 10? I don’t trust my alarm.” [Damn, Anthony DID ask me to wake him up. CRAZY, huh.]
“Sure, I don’t care.” [Me confirming that I would be waking him up at one of those times? WOW!]
Anthony’s POV: Still not awake, huh?
“Okay, fuck, fine.” I sat up, stretching and yawning like a motherfucker. “I’m getting up, thanks for waking me.”
Loved opening my eyes to see Sarah flipping me off as she’s leaving the room.
Walking down the stairs with my keys in my knuckles, I see Sarah, Emory and Dolly chilling on the couches. “Aight, I’m gonna go get the other 3 heffers who live here.”
Without looking up, Sarah pipes up like, “A) you’re not using that insult right, and B) drive safe, don’t kill anyone.” I roll my eyes at her as I open the door. “Whatever, don’t blow anything up while I’m gone.”
Phone, Keys, Wallet, Headphones.
Pat down complete, peacing out.
…
…
I’ve been driving in complete silence for like 5 minutes now.
I don’t really know what to do. Like, I just processed that dad called last night.
He told Jay about this already, allegedly. Why didn’t she tell me?
Surprise, maybe? But, she’d still tell me. I would’ve told her. Do I even ask? I mean, I learned it from the source and not through a grapevine, so it shouldn’t be an issue to mention it.
But dad cut me off mighty quick.
“We’ll reach out to the rest of the bunch later this week…” Hm.
Who else, Sarah? Dolly? Finn?
Kinda pointless for them to know, at least right now. I dunno.
Plus, it seemed like they were more interested in Ava’s birthday and mine than Jay’s. Real shitty if so.
They better start going easy on her.
And I really mean that shit.
Alright, Sarah’s POV!
Hello world, it’s my time to shine. I’m stuck babysitting so I’m gonna be diabolical.
See, two months ago, Dolly broke my mirror when she stole it from my room and let it drop to the floor. You’re probably thinking, “it’s just a mirror, Sarah, get a new one”.
MY FAVORITE TEACHER GAVE ME THAT MIRROR! Okay? That woman was amazing and helped me through some of the darkest points of that academic year. And I told Dolly that and she still stole and broke it.
So, because she can’t follow directions and respect my personal belongings, I’m retaliating with a little concoction I found online.
Liquid. Ass. Fart. Spray.
I heard that this is so wretched, it could clear out a sewer. So disgusting that it makes chitlins smell like Häagen-Dazs. Stinks so bad that it could put sulfur to shame.
And I’m gonna use it on her favorite ascot. That sparkling, violet ascot that she loves to wear on special occasions and has to be dry-cleaned.
…
HGHAAAH-
…
HGHHH….
sarah is currently dying from how awful fucking this smell is. please stay tuned until she resumes her revenge broadcast.
Okay.
dude… this smell…
it’s okay, it’ll be worth it.
…
Currently peeking over the banister and seeing Dolly alone in the living room. Now to get her out.
I got this folder from Emory’s room that has his leftover construction paper. I just sprayed a bit on there and I swear to god, if any of this seeps through my gloves, I’m gonna freak out.
No POV >:3
Dolly was laying on the couch, scrolling through some BuzzFeed article. She would occupy herself with the endless hours of quizzes and astrological facts. Across from her lay Endira, who was taking a nap on the other couch.
There’s always one thing people forget about Sarah.
She moves like a phantom.
Sliding the contaminated piece of paper under the couch was nothing but a cake walk. And the smell?
The nightmare had just begun.
90 seconds later…
Dolly’s social media nosedive was interrupted by the rudely awakening smell of Anthony’s gym socks the summer he fell into horseshit.
She sat upright, feeling her stomach twisting and turning as this demon odor surrounded her personal space. Actually, fuck surrounding. The funk was trespassing. Full on invasion.
She looked around in disgust and disbelief as she tried to pinpoint the culprit. Obviously had to be Endi, right? She’s the only other person in there and sometimes could stink a place with something fierce. So it had to have been her.
“Endi!” Dolly called, trying to save her nose by covering it with her shirt. “Endira, what the fuck! Wake up!”
Endira lifted her head from the comfort of the couch. She was irritated being awakened from a dream about riding in the Google Street View car with Markiplier. However, her irritation was quickly replaced with repulsion. Eyeing Dolly with annoyance, Endira mutters, “Did you really wake me up to have me smell your farts...?”
“No, that was you and your funky asshole!” Dolly barked, beginning to gag uncontrollably. “Oh, my fucking god, I’m gonna be sick!”
“You and I both.” Endira sat upright, covering her nose with both hands. “God, Dolly, what did you eat-”
“Nah, nah, what did YOU eat!” Dolly shouted, standing up from the couch and holding her stomach. It was now taking everything in her not to barf.
And it was also taking everything in Sarah not to laugh out loud from upstairs.
Finnley, who heard the commotion from the kitchen, came in to investigate. “Dolly, why are you- HOLY-”
The smell smacked him mid sentence. He immediately jumped back and covered his face with his shirt. “OH MY-” Gagging. “WHO THE-”
“Oh my god, this is actually sickening…” Endira said, leaving the living room while giving Dolly a dirty look. “Go sit on the damn toilet!”
“YOU go sit on the toilet! I know it was YOU!” Dolly retaliated, now stomping her foot for emphasis.
“Yeah, well, you BOTH stink and I’m going upstairs to get my eucalyptus air freshener!” Finn cried out, running up the stairs and missing Sarah sitting by the stairs.
By now, the smell basically engulfed both the living room and dining room, and Dolly ran outside to throw up in the storm drain.
Sarah retreated to her room, dying laughing at the commotion she caused. “Man, I can’t wait for the others to get here… this is going too well.” In between breaths, she muttered mischievously.
Anthony had arrived at Nana's house in no time, but he just sat in the car for a bit. He couldn’t stop thinking about the phone call.
“I’ll let Jay know that-”
“No need to, we already talked to her. You all just go about business as usual, and we’ll reach out to the rest of the bunch later this week,” -- That just sat with him in the worst way possible.
“What bullshit are you on, dad…” He muttered to himself, staring at the garage. From the car, he could vaguely see Ava’s silhouette. She was probably waiting by the window for his arrival and moved once she saw he was in the driveway. Anthony didn’t exactly jump out of the car, though.
Truthfully, Anthony would usually just wait in the car for the passengers to come to him, but he felt like he needed to talk to Nana.
"Oh, it always pains my heart to let you dearies go..." Nana said melancholically, hugging both Ava and Evie. "But remember, don't be afraid to come back sooner, alright?"
"Okay, Nana!" Both girls said, hugging back as she kissed their foreheads.
"Now, let's not keep your brother waiting! Do you girls have everything?" Nana questioned. It was her protocol to make sure that everyone had everything they needed before leaving her house. She knew it was a pain to do a last-minute round trip; she hoped that doing this would make things easier for Anthony and Jay.
Speaking of Anthony,
He opened the door, surprising everyone. Jay rolled her eyes playfully, saying, "I know we're taking a while, but you don't gotta be impatient."
Anthony let out a half-hearted chuckle, pulling his keys out his pocket and passing them to her. "Yeah, yeah. Can you put them in the car for me? I gotta talk to Nana real quick."
"Yeah, I gotcha," Jay said without a beat. "Y'all ready?" She called into the darkness. Ava and Evie emerged seconds later, belongings in hand and ready to go. They both nodded and exclaimed, "Ready, sis!" and ran out the door. Jay followed shortly after, closing the door and leaving Anthony alone with Nana.
Welcome back to Jay's POV
Fifteen minutes later, Anthony left out.
I look up and saw them hugging. Nana kissed his head. He walked out and she closed the door behind him, which was kinda unusual because she usually stands in the doorway to see us pull off.
Anthony came back to the car. Bet he wasn't expecting me to be in the driver's seat.
He opened my door and goes, "Since when do you wanna drive?"
To which I respond, "Fine, I'll have you drive us home."
"Nah, you got it," He concedes before closing the door and getting in on the passenger side. "Did y'all have fun?"
Positive responses from the crowd in the backseat. Evie was beaming about having hot chocolate, while Ava was excited to finally kick off summer. No better place to do so than Nanny's, am I right?
"Now, we just gotta hope Jay doesn't kill us!" Ava piped up. "N-Not that you would, you're a great driver, sis!" Good old backpedaling!
Man, I swear she and Finn act the same.
"Damn, have some faith. I don't drive like Lightning McQueen, over here," I said, pointing at Anthony. "Let's get going."
I pulled out of the driveway and we were headed home.
...
The drive was pretty quiet, for the most part. Anthony was unusually silent, scrolling through his feed on Twitter. Ava was working on a word search puzzle, while Evie played on her tablet. The traffic was ass, since it was rush hour still, but can't win all the time.
We made it in eventually, though. I just kept the car out the garage and sat while Anthony got Ava and Evie out to take them inside. Figure we might be heading back out today anyway. Maybe get some ice cream, go to the park or something like that. Like what Mom and Dad would do when we were officially out for the summer. I'd give anything to relive those days - y'know, without the stress. Shit...
Wish I could redo my childhood as a whole.
But hey, I made it. We all did.
And I-
"WHAT THE FUCK?!"
And we lost Jay's POV. We now have no POV. What the fuck.
Jay was snapped out of her thoughts by Anthony, exclaiming in disgust as he opened the door and was smacked in the face. She jumps out of the car, thinking he just witnessed something horrible or had gotten hit or some shit. He's just hunched over on the ground, Evie's bags just on the grass, and Ava holding her own face, ANYTHING could've happened. Evie was also standing by the front door, confused and scared by Anthony's reaction.
"Anthony, what the hell happened!?" Jay shouted, kneeling down by her brother. Anthony was hunched over, covering his entire face with his shirt. Jay was even more confused as she saw the front door ajar.
Preparing for the worst, she moved Ava and Evie away from the front door and armed herself with her house keys. Opening the door, she expected a burglar, a crime scene, something that justified that reaction.
And oh, she got hit.
Never had she been hit harder by a wall of FUNK.
She didn't make it through the door before she jumped backwards and gagged for her life.
Nobody was in the living room. Not a damn soul. And usually someone would greet them at the door, but no.
The goddamn living room smelled like swamp ass. And she could not express it enough. It smelled like the one time Anthony let a watermelon decompose in our living room. Have you smelled that shit?! If not, consider yourself fucking lucky!
Anyways,
WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT SMELL?!
We return to Sarah's POV >:)
I walked downstairs to greet my new victims.
I head to the front door and see her brother and sisters in disbelief at the stench.
See, I wish they were here sooner, because they missed what was easily the greatest hour of my life.
Seeing Dolly vomiting in the bathroom, then going ballistic when she discovered that the stench was also on her ascot, then hysterical over the fact that the smell was on her person - even though it wasn't?
Fucking Amazing.
It's tough that Endi, Finn and Emory got caught up in it. But hey, I said I felt like being diabolical.
And you guys made fun of me for buying a gas mask. At least my nostrils aren't dying anymore!
"Oh hey guys," I wave at them like they're not smelling a tire dump. "Welcome home."
They couldn't even respond to me for real. They were literally trying not to vomit.
I just shrug and go into the living room. I decided to spare them the torture since they didn't do anything recently to deserve it, so...
I removed the troublemaker source from under the couch and disposed of it in the outside bin.
Prank over.
I skip back over to the front door as Anthony and Jay were finally back on their feet and cheerfully tell them, "Well, as you can see, the house is a bit unkempt but if you want, you can join the others in the backyard!"
They both could only look at me with a mix of emotions so hilarious, I damn near lost it.
"Sarah..." Anthony started, covering his face with his shirt. "What the fuck happened here."
"Payback."
Jay just coughs and backs away from the door. "Yeah, you know what, we're definitely heading out."
"Great! You can catch up with the other kiddos, they've been in the backyard plotting my murder for a while now."
And with that, I gleefully turn around to get the floor cleaner and air freshener, certain that nobody will ever fuck with my things again.
And as I predicted, FInn, Emory, Dolly and Endira were in the backyard still, glaring daggers into my soul while holding garden tools.
In response, I lift up the bottle of mischief maker, lifting my mask and chuckling evilly.
I see them hesitate, but then stand their ground still. Seems like I've made a little war.
How beautifully executed.
Notes:
Thanks for reading gang! I'll catch ya on the flip side, and if you got questions feel free to comment!
Take care! <3
Extremereader3 on Chapter 1 Sat 22 Feb 2025 01:50PM UTC
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RosesWilt on Chapter 1 Tue 25 Mar 2025 04:42PM UTC
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Extremereader3 on Chapter 2 Sat 22 Feb 2025 01:53PM UTC
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THEBIGGESTSHOTINTOWN on Chapter 3 Sat 04 Jan 2025 05:07PM UTC
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RosesWilt on Chapter 3 Sat 04 Jan 2025 05:10PM UTC
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THEBIGGESTSHOTINTOWN on Chapter 3 Sat 04 Jan 2025 10:45PM UTC
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Extremereader3 on Chapter 3 Sat 22 Feb 2025 02:27PM UTC
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RosesWilt on Chapter 3 Sat 04 Jan 2025 05:19PM UTC
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Miiv on Chapter 3 Sat 04 Jan 2025 05:36PM UTC
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Lilithlover57 on Chapter 3 Fri 10 Jan 2025 01:20AM UTC
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Extremereader3 on Chapter 3 Sat 22 Feb 2025 01:55PM UTC
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Extremereader3 on Chapter 4 Tue 25 Mar 2025 10:14AM UTC
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RosesWilt on Chapter 4 Tue 25 Mar 2025 04:42PM UTC
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Extremereader3 on Chapter 4 Tue 27 May 2025 09:16PM UTC
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RosesWilt on Chapter 4 Thu 19 Jun 2025 08:05PM UTC
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Miiv on Chapter 4 Fri 20 Jun 2025 11:45PM UTC
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RosesWilt on Chapter 4 Wed 02 Jul 2025 02:52PM UTC
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Miiv on Chapter 4 Wed 02 Jul 2025 03:03PM UTC
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Miiv on Chapter 5 Fri 20 Jun 2025 11:56PM UTC
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RosesWilt on Chapter 5 Wed 02 Jul 2025 02:52PM UTC
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Extremereader3 on Chapter 5 Sun 22 Jun 2025 11:25AM UTC
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RosesWilt on Chapter 5 Wed 02 Jul 2025 02:52PM UTC
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