Starburst

Chapter 13: The Kormos Clan

"You can never have enough sparkles! Thanks Phy, you're my favorite sibling." Cress squealed, hugging her brother before rushing off to get changed.

"Hurtful!" Christine feigned sadness at her sister's declaration.

"Don't act so surprised, it's always been those two against the world." Calix snorted before taking a sip of Desmond's mocktail.

— — — — — — — — — —

"Viola!" Cress dramatically posed once she was done getting ready.

"You look stunning, asteráki mu (My little star)!" Olive gasped, immediately throwing her arms around her daughter for a side hug.

"Obviously, she's wearing a Phyrros Kormos altered dress." Phyrros joked, puffing his chest.

"I can drive you over to school." Zale offered, already holding the car keys at hand.

"I'm the one attending Homecoming, not you." Cress retorted.

"What's with the getup?" Phyrros raised an eyebrow at Zale's attire. "Did your friends set you up on a blind date again?"

"I just wanted to go out for coffee." Zale averted his gaze.

"Sure, are you certain it's not because you're trying to ask out Cordelia again?" Phyrros's voice chimed in in a sing-song tone.

Zale's face turned pink at the mention of his longtime friend. Cordelia Matthew-Smith. One of Seb's older sisters and Zale's closest friends.

"We're just friends! Besides, she's got that internship interview coming up and I agreed to help her out after her shift at Smith's Family Cafe." The platinum blond man crossed his arms.

"Sounds like a date~" Phyrros and Cress had the biggest smug grins on their faces.

"Can you two gremlins not make it weird?!" Zale's face flushed red at his siblings' joke, "We're just gonna run lines with each other!"

"Ooh, still so romantic~" Cress hummed.

Zale groaned louder, looking over his shoulder at their mother, "Ma! Do something."

"Make safe choices, Chelônê (Greek translation for Turtle)." Olive smirked, before she swaddled her toddler grandson.

"MA!!" Zale's face is now redder than Phyrros' hair.

"Ok, enough pictures. You're going to be late." The older woman laughed in a good-natured manner after teasing her children, "The night is young."

"Bye mama, see you later." Cress pressed a quick kiss on her mother's cheek before she and Zale went off to fetch Ten.

— — — — — — — — — —

"TENNY!" Cress exclaimed, waving at Ten as he approached the car.

"Hey Cress." Ten smiled at his friend. "You look stunning."

"Aww thanks!" Cress preened at his compliment, "and you look amazing as always."

"I don't get paid enough for this." Zale grumbled under his breath, before offering Ten a smile, "Good to see you, Ten."

"Make sure she doesn't cause too much trouble." Zale half-jokingly whispered to his sister's friend as he dropped them off.

"Enjoy your 'hangout session' with Cordelia." Cress winked playfully at her brother.

Aww, as annoying as his family can be, it's really nice when they're supportive of him like that.

"AND DON'T FORGET TO USE PROTECTION!" Cress hollered, waving a hand.

And just like that, Zale just floored it, leaving the window open to promptly flip the bird at his sister. The younger sister cackled in delight at their conversation.

Scratch that, never mind! They drive him nuts just like his Ducklings.

— — — — — — — — — —

As much as I had wanted to continue with the Homecoming scene, I felt like it deserves its own chapter. But here's a breather/interlude scene where you get a peek into the Kormos family dynamics.

Chapter Talk: -

(1.) I love to mention the Kormos clan whenever possible. They're a big chaotic Greek family with Olive Kormos as the family matriarch and her 10 wonderful children, and the family will continue to grow. Here's a quick run-down of the Kormos Clan Siblings (2019 edition)

●  Olive (55) – Proud mother of her amazing kids. She's where Cress gets her unpredictable and chaotic personality from.

●  Tara (37) – Married to Phil Peterson, and (adoptive) mother of their toddler son Xander. Sharpshooter back in her college archery club.

●  Calix (35) – A filmmaker, she once worked as an intern for 'Mark and Spark' show for 2 years. Graduated North High with Miss Jenn and Zach Roy. Biromantic Demisexual.

● Seth (32) – Gay and happily married. Seth is a professional prop designer and sculpture as a side job.

● Denise (33) [Adopted] – A blind social worker. Happily married to her coworker Asa. Denise and Desmond are technically Olive's niece and nephew, but the older woman deemed her sister an unfit and neglectful parent.

● Desmond (30) [Adopted] – A bartender. He can be a bit snarky but sweet.

● Christine (25) – The 'Mom Friend' to her younger siblings. She's dating Elliott (Seb's oldest brother). Kind, headstrong and responsible.

● Lynx (23) 'they/them' – Reside in Los Angeles. Graduated from East High. Currently in college. Likes cats. Asexual Aromantic.

● Zale (21) – Studies in University of Utah (a 10-minute distance from East High). He used to be Jeonghan's dorm brother back in Lakeshore Academy. He has Mr Moseby level of Stress and Chase Davenport level of anxiety.

● Cress (18) [Adopted] – Chaotic force to be reckoned with. Chihuahua energy.

● Phyrros (15) – Freshman at North High. He's stylish, friendly and loves spending time with his family and friends. Fashionista and master of disguises.

(2.) A bit of 'Talk To Me' reference in which Cress (and a few of her siblings) has a morbid interest for horror genre, one of her past projects include painting hand mannequins to the point they resembled the embalmed hand from 'Talk to Me'. Yes, it's a nod to how Sophie Wilde is casted as Cress in my head.

(3.) So remember the unnamed blonde reporter (played by Cozi Zuehlsdorff) from season 4? Yeah I named her Cordelia, and she's one of Seb's older siblings. She'll get mentioned every now and then in 'Starburst' and 'The Siblings Squad' as Seb's sister and Zale's longtime friend (and not-so secret crush). His family enjoys teasing him and asking when he's finally gonna ask her out.

And that's all for February, I'm really excited to share what next month's Homecoming scene has in store, because boy will it get angsty really quick. Thank you so much for reading, feel free to leave a comment and let me know your thoughts. See you next time and have a splendid day.