Yours, Mine & Ours

1

I had just rounded the corner after going for a jog around the neighborhood. I was going back to the North residence where I was staying for a few weeks until my mom came back from her business trip.

I had used the jog as an excuse to head to my mom's house to grab a few things I wanted to have. Just as I was about to cut across the lawn I ran into someone.

"Sorry I wasn't paying attention" I said as I picked myself off the sidewalk.

I saw his hand extended out towards me. I grabbed it as I lifted myself off the concrete.

"Sorry I wasn't paying attention either. I'm William, William Beardsley" the boy said.

He was extremely good looking, an extreme opposite to Dylan. I looked around to see a moving van and boxes being brought inside the house, I assumed his family just moved to town.

"I'm Laney, Laney Johnson. I live a few houses down" I said before mentally kicking myself. He was going to eventually realizing I didn't really live there as of right now.

"Great my first day here and I've already met the cutest girl in town" William said making a light blush appear across my face.

I quickly grabbed the pen from his stack of papers and jotted my number down on the corner of the piece of paper.

Dylan and I had broken up a few months ago and I figured it was time to move on.

"If you need someone to show you around" I said with a wink before slipping the paper and pen back towards him and jogging off towards the North's house.

As I jogged by I noticed what seemed to be William's father dressed in a military uniform blowing a whistle.

"LETS GO LETS GO LETS GO MOVE IT MOVE IT MOVE IT" the paternal figure yelled. I continued, not taking a second glance and jogged back to the brightest house on the next block. The pink North residence was now my home for the next few weeks.

"Hey Phoebe" I said as I ran up the driveway following the tramped of animals.

"Hey Laney" she said as she walked into the garage that was converted into a work shed for Helen.

Helen was a fashion designer and a good one too. She had recently been noticed by a big buyer in NYC and has been consumed with it ever since.

"Hey mom want to hear my song?" Phoebe asked playing a few cords before being shut down by Max, the assistant of the Helen.

"Okay, yes, mommy is going to listen to the rest of the song when your mom and I are finished with work" Max said pulling the cord out of the amp.

Helen was laughing while Phoebe just gave a death stare back. Max wasn't the most accepting person of the North family, so it was no shock to see him looking agitated by the music and chaos.

"Here you go" Max said handing the amp back to Phoebe. She turned to look at me displaying the look that said she was slightly pissed off at Max.

"That was great Phoebe" Helen called out as she continued her search for items to give to Max.

Max being the assistant and representative of her fashion line was going to pitch her designs to the big company back in New York. He had come to collect the samples Helen wanted to display and show off.

"Helen I think we're set here"

"Just one more Max. I was thinking about this one. Lau what do you think about this one honey?" Helen asked presenting the purse to her son.

Lau was a son of Helen's. He was adopted from China and shared the same passion for designing and fashion as Helen making him her right hand man.

"Please it needs a little swag. Scooch of Gucci" Lau sassily said pulling his pen from behind his ear and drawing a sketch of his design. "Like this but in gold" Lau said as he presented his drawing to Helen.

I chuckled silently to myself watching Max's face of confusion. Growing up with the North's I expect nothing less than chaos but to a new comer it can seem extreme.

"No one will ever doubt you're my son" Helen said before being whisked away towards the window to tend to the cries of Bina and Marisa. The two were twins and adopted from New Delhi.

"MOOOOM" the twins yelled. Helen opened the window responding with "what?"

"He's painting our roses again" they said in unison. I looked out the opened door to see Dylan spray painting the twins' roses.

"It's art" Dylan said trying to convince his mother of his actions.

"You can't call it art unless you have talent. That's just tagging" Jimi joked making me laugh. My laugh must have been louder than I thought because Dylan swiftly turned my way looking at me.

"Helen really I have got to go. I think we're really good. I should be really getting out of here" Max nervously said inching his way towards the door.

"Max just wait one second. I love this one just give me one second" Helen cried out scurrying off. Before Max had the chance to leave Joni enters with her Saxophone.

"Oh no" I whispered to Phoebe who rolled her eyes. We both agreed Joni was in no state of playing instruments because of her "lack" of talent.

"Mom there's something wrong with my sax" Joni whined causing Helen to stop what she was doing.

"What is it honey?" Helen asked. Joni takes a deep breath before blowing into the instrument. A high pitched untuned noise flows from the saxophone. Phoebe and I both grab our ears.

"Okay honey I'll be right back" Helen says before darting off to finish her original mission.

"Sounds the same to me" Phoebe jokes.

"Phoebe be nice. It's gotten a lot better" I joked nudging Phoebe getting a laugh out of her and a tongue from Joni. Joni blows once again on the instrument this time revealing Rainbow from the horn. Rainbow goes flying in the air landing on Max's head.

"What's on my head? What's on my head?" Max asked while panicking. I grab Rainbow from his head petting the hamster in my hands.

"Jimi we found Rainbow" Phoebe yells. Jimi barges into the work shed.

"Where's rainbow?" Jimi yells as he pushes Max who in turn pushes me causing Rainbow to go flying out the floor. Jimi dives trying to catch him.

Helen walks back in to see chaos has broken out. All of the sudden in the midst of chaos Aldo the youngest of the North children falls from the rolling ladder into a pile of glitter.

"I'm shiny mommy" Aldo exclaims.

"Yes you are very shiny" Helen giggled. "Max, Max I'm sorry it gets a little crazy around here sometimes"

"A little, no Helen this all terrific. You're very talented and so are your 10 kids or 11" Max exclaimed before kissing Helen on the cheeks. He then proceeds to leave the shed.

"Tell me why you just let a perfectly single man walk out without a date" I said getting Phoebe to agree. Helen laughed kissing both of our foreheads.

"So you speaking of single. You will not believe who I ran into on my jog" I began explaining all the details to Phoebe as we walked into the house.