Storm, Meet Raine

Don't be a....

      However, there are few times when there are moments of pure chaos, and that's when everyone is gathered together without Caprice. My mom is basically the glue on the completed puzzle, my father being the puzzle piece collector and organizer. Without him, we'd be all over the place, and arguing with each other over dumb things like this:

     "Could you two shut your mouths for five seconds? Jesus, you sound like 3rd graders," Caleb pauses his conversation with my mom in order to fuss at our older siblings, who both turn in that twin-like scary way, their eyes blinking in shock.

     "You're one to talk, Caleb," Korinne narrows her eyes, looking at her duplicate that further explains why my brother is one to talk.

     "Yeah, Mr. My Girl Best Friend That I Sleep With Is Just My Friend," Kennedy smirks. I wince, watching as a fire brews in his eyes. He opens his mouth, possibly about to unleash some terrible, hot-headed mean jab, but I speak before he can hurt her feelings.

"Just like you called Ryker just a friend?" She narrows her eyes at me in a glare. I glare right back, not scared at all because out of the both of them, Kennedy was mostly talk. She can manipulate people with her words, and be a mean girl with her sly tongue, but Korinne was the kicker. She'd kick your ass in a heartbeat, and even though she can do damage, she'd never go that far with me. Despite the small wounds we give each other, we're all each other's soft spots.

That's why I have their names tatted on my back, and those three hearts behind my ear. Well, four as of recently because I started dating Raine and she felt like the missing piece of my puzzle. She still does feel like that missing piece, so obviously I'm not getting it removed. Kennedy rolls her eyes at me, the best thing she could think to do. "Stay out of this you little—"

     "Enough." My dad's soft, but strict voice travels from the upstairs to us, and the sound of heavier, scarier footsteps are almost echoed down to us. The only thing we saw at first were his big, bare feet half hidden by the length of his plaid night pants, and then the rest of his huge self was revealed. Sunday mornings were a time where my dad finally got time off at his club and could relax. Even though he has a calm, chilled persona on the outside, he's always calculating and thinking about any and everything on the inside. He rubs his eyes while walking further into the kitchen, his eyes briefly flicking over to where my brother was peeking over mom's shoulder as she mixes pancake batter.

"You two are twenty-five," he points to Korinne and Kennedy, who both have those stupid doe eyes, trying to seem innocent. "You're both twenty-two," he drags his tired gaze from the twins to me and then Ryker, who was leaning against the wall, just taking everything in. "And you're eighteen," he gestures to Caleb. "Why are you all arguing like kids? Shut up and sit down." And like the father-fearing children we were, everyone made their way to the kitchen island table where I was, taking their seats. He looks to my mom, who looks up and away from the bowl of mix, sensing his gaze. "Baby."

"Daddy," she whispers softly, lovingly, a hint of a teasing smile on her lips. I roll my eyes at the same time my dad did, and grimace. I swear every time I visit I become more and more like him.

They share a brief look before he turns to the table of us. "What's going on anyway?"

"The girls are being mean to Carson because he's getting over his heartbreak," my mom gives me a quick glance, and then pours batter into a pan, wiping the excess mixture with her finger and pressing it to her apron.

"Well did you call her?" My dad gives me that 'are you dumb?' look, crossing his arms over his bare chest, and leaning back against the wall across from us.

"I don't have her number."

"Why don't you just go to her house?" Korinne asks me, flicking her hair over her shoulder so that it was away from her face when she rested the side of her face in her hand.