Heartbeat

Chapter 15.

— Aria's POV —

"Can't we stay home for another week? I don't wanna go to school, I'm tired." Eleanor whines in the back of my car and I look over at Noah for sympathy.

It's been two weeks. Two weeks of vacation and two weeks of the kids being at home... every single day. I am going insane, and I'm sure mom is too. If it wasn't for work, I'm sure both of us would be needing a vacation of our own.

Mom got called in last minute this morning for an accident, so I opted into doing the school run with Noah. He stayed last night after a date to the movies; we had pizza in bed once we got home and we fell asleep watching YouTube together.

It has never taken me so long in my life to get all three of my sisters up, dressed, fed and in my car in time to get them to school before they'd get into trouble. Eleanor wasn't at all happy to be awake so early and she's still complaining as we pull into the school parking lot.

Lexi is silent as she is every school morning, her head in her phone. She doesn't look too happy to be going back but I know she missed her friends so she hasn't complained half as much as Eleanor.

I've never been so thankful for both our middle school and high school to be next to one another, so as Lexi jumps out of the back, I leave Noah in the car with Eloise, taking Eleanor's hand to walk her into class.

It only takes five minutes for Eleanor to go off on her own, meeting up with her friends, and I wave her goodbye before walking back to my car.

As I get closer, I soon hear Eloise's cries which can be heard with all the windows rolled up on my car. I shake my head with a smile, opening up the door to my seat, and Noah's eyes drown into mine with plead.

"I didn't do anything, I promise. She just won't stop crying." He panics and I can't stop myself before a laugh erupts as I sit down.

I look back behind me, seeing Eloise settle down, wiping her face with her jacket sleeve. "What's wrong? Why are you so sad? I was coming back."

"You left." She sulks, and I spin round in my seat, putting my seatbelt on. "Get candy?"

"No, not today, baby. I'll get you some candy later if you're on your best behaviour." I say and she smiles brightly.

"How do you do it?" Noah asks, and I frown in confusion, pulling out of my parking space. "Be so good, I mean. You're like... amazing."

"Practice, my dear, three siblings worth of practice." I tell him and he sighs. "You'll get there, you're going to be amazing. You were the same age as Lillie?"

"Yeah, my dad was a slut." He says, and then slaps his hand over his mouth, looking back at Eloise who just giggles in reply. "Sorry, not a- he had a fun era. Me and Lillie have only a couple months between us. My mom and her mom were pregnant at the same time. So, I never was the big brother - even though I am - I never was like... I don't know how to explain it."

"No, I understand." I say, watching him relax from his current ramble. "You don't have to panic today, okay? She's my sister, she's my responsibility. You're just here to stand next to me and look pretty, yes?"

"I know, I just... we're having a baby, very soon. I feel like I know nothing." He admits. "Like, I don't even know how to change a diaper. I'm twenty, that's not normal."