3 Families

Chapter 2

I woke up to the light glaring through the opened curtains. I glanced at my clock on my nightstand. It was just past 8:00. I always liked being up early and I didn't know what time everyone usually woke up here, so I got up and got dressed. I slipped on some leggings and a Nike sweatshirt. I went into the bathroom and washed my face and brushed my teeth. I combed through my hair and tidied up everything that I had taken out. I turned off my lights and made my way downstairs.

As I came closer to the kitchen, I heard voices talking in the kitchen. I recognized Marcus', but not the other one. I walked in to see Marcus standing by the fridge laughing at something and someone sitting at the island with their back facing me. Marcus took a bottle of juice from the fridge and closed it as he noticed me.

"Hey, Callie."

I smiled at him as the boy sitting at the island turned around. He had short curly blonde hair and big green eyes. I gave him a small smile which he returned. I hesitantly walked over to stand on the other side of the island near Marcus.

"This is Jake. He's my best friend. He lives across the street."

"Nice to meet you, Callie." He flashed his charming smile at me.

"What are you doing up so early?" Marcus asked as he poured three glasses of juice.

"This is early?" I asked as I took a sip of my juice.

He laughed. "For this family on a Sunday, yeah."

"Oh." I laughed lightly. "What about you?"

"Jake and I went for a run."

I looked at them to notice they were in athletic attire. I nodded and glanced around the kitchen.

"What time is everyone else usually up?" I asked.

"Normally, Dad and Karen are up by 10 but Jackson and Luke are usually later."

I nodded.

"What do you guys feel like for breakfast?" Marcus asked as he went back over to the fridge.

"I don't care." I shrugged.

"Good. I can only make eggs." He looked around in the fridge and sighed. "I'm gonna run to the store." He walked over to the table and grabbed a pair of keys.

"Be back in 10." He said as he walked out the garage door.

After a few moments of silence, Jake started making small talk.

"So you're twins with Marcus?"

I nodded.

"That's cool. Are you going to Ridgeview?"

"Yeah. I start Monday."

He nodded. "It's not bad."

I smiled at my feet and fidgeted with my hands.

"Are you nervous?"

I looked up. "For school?"

He shrugged. "About all of this."

I nodded slowly. "It's a weird adjustment, I guess."

He nodded understandingly. "Well, if it makes you feel any better, Marcus is really excited about you being here. He's been talking about it ever since he found out."

I smiled.

"Jackson and Luke seem really happy about it, too."

"It feels weird to have siblings after being an only child for so long."

He nodded. "I wouldn't know. I have three younger sisters."

I laughed. "What's that like?"

"Chaotic."

"How old are they?"

"Lauren is 12, she's in seventh grade. Then Sarah is 7 and Lucy is 5."

I nodded.

"They're a bit of a handful sometimes." He laughed lightly.

"I bet." I smiled.

After a few more minutes of small talk, Marcus came back from the store and started making breakfast.