Violets POV (point of view)
Screaming surfaced from the other room. High pitched screaming. Chortles of laughter mixed in with the noise. I knew I had to go. But which room was it? I ran down the narrow, but long, hallway, checking each door. The screams and deep booming laughter only seemed to get louder. I stopped at the final doorway on the hallway an opened it. The screams we at their loudest and I knew that this was the room where the noises were coming from... I quickly ran into the room and quietly shut the door. And I was shocked at what I saw... My brother and my sister were tickling each other. My little sister was gasping for air from being tickled too much while my brother stood there chuckling at her expression and actions once he had stopped tickling her. I should've known it was nothing to worry about! All of the sudden I heard my fathers voice at the bottom of the stairs. "Men! Be lined up by 05 minutes!," he announced. Liam and Payson got up and straightened themselves out from their place on the bed. They hadn't noticed me yet, but I decided to just leave the room without them. I had to hurry and make sure the others were downstairs or else Dad would be mad at all of us. I entered the hallway to see the twins, Charlotte and Arianna, already making their way down the stairs. I went down the hallway opening each door quickly yelling out "Get ready and line up!" through the doorway each time. As soon as I said that, I would hear people scurrying around to get ready. After I was sure that everyone was ready and gone to line up. I trotted down the staircase and to the front room with my long skirt waving around. I quickly did a head count of everyone before feeling satisfied and walked over to take my spot at the front of the line. "Just in time," I thought as my father walked through the room. "Stand straight, stand tall men! Good formation. All right! Lets get down to business!," dad boomed at us. We all nodded our heads and said "Sir, yes sir," in unison. "Right you are men! Today's agenda: 08:00-14:00=school 14:00-16:00=sports practice for Liam, Jessa, Bennett, Charlotte, Arianna, and Clover. 16:00-18:00=free time 18:00-19:00=dinner 19:00-21:00=free time 21:00=bedtime for most men 22:00 lights out," dad spoke. "Violet, I have a date tonight at 19:00, so you are in charge." He said addressing me. "Yes sir!" I boomed "Jessa! You are to make dinner for all men except me." Dad said as he looked at Jessa, who was standing next to me. "Yes sir!" She responded. "All right men! Good formation! Now get ready! Bus arrives in 01 hour!" He cried, addressing all of us. Yep, that's dad for you, he's an army general at fort Spokane. "Oh boy," I thought. Handling one kid was enough but, 11... I'm doomed. Welcome to my world. Living in a household with 12 kids... Oh, and I'm the oldest. My mum died 4 years ago while giving birth to our youngest, Payson. I'm sure you're wondering who the others are... Well... In age order from oldest to youngest there's: me (Violet), Jessa, Liam, Shiloh, Charlotte, Arianna, Bennett, Clover, Parker, Carson, Harvey, Dallas, Amber, and Payson. It's a big family and can get pretty crazy sometimes, but I love each and every one of them. I heard the front door open and close with a forceful slam. That must have been dad leaving for work. Now, to repeat what I do every morning at this time, "Men! Eyes on me!," as soon as I say that, the chaos of the house stops and everyone turns to look at me with wide and wondering eyes. I love this moment of silence and peace... If only it lasted forever. "Okay men, showers are available now youngest go first, oldest go last! Older kids! Listen up! Help your buddy get ready and when everyone's done, we will eat breakfast and head to the bus stop! Alrighty then! Move move move!" I announced. Evernote scurried off with their buddies and got ready. We use the buddy system, which is where an older kid is paired with a younger kid and they help each other complete tasks and go places together. It's a great system for such a big group and it really helps the younger ones stay on top of all of their work. While the kids go to school, I stay home with Payson and Amber and take my college classes online at night, like a normal 19 year old. I held Payson on my hip and took her upstairs to take a shower. After I had gotten Payson all ready, which was quite the challenge, seeing as I had to force the sleepy and cranky four year old into socks, which she really doesn't like to wear, I made sure that everyone else was getting ready like they were supposed to. Much to my delight, everything was on track today and everyone was helping in their own ways. Payson toddled along with me, holding my hand as we walked. There are Seven rooms in our house. One belongs to my dad, and two people share each of the others. The bedroom sharing chart looks like this:
Violet/Jessa- RoomA1
Liam/Bennett- Room A2
Shiloh/Clover- Room A3
Charlotte/Arianna- Room B1
Parker/Carson- Room B2
Dallas/Harvey- Room B3
Amber/Payson- Room C1
Dad- Room C2
It's a pretty darn big house but its very tightly packed with the amount of people living in it. I walked downstairs after getting myself ready to find everyone waiting for breakfast at the big table. Its a rule we have; no eating without everyone. After putting Payson in her seat, I took my own seat before announcing,"Today's breakfast will be cereal and bagels. Jessa! You handle the bagels along with Liam. I will make cereal. Everyone who wants bagels raise your hand!" After doing a quick count, i moved on. "Everyone who wants cereal raise your hand. All righty then! Annndd... Go! Everyone scurried around to get their food. What a life...
~~~~~~~~~~~time lapse
I made sure that the high schoolers all took the bus to school before returning inside along with Amber who is 5 and Payson who is 4. I set both of them on the couch and began doing shapes flashcards with them. I often wish my life were easier, but then I think about it and realize I wouldn't trade it for the world.
Jessa's POV-
I trudged down the steep hill to the big school fields with Liam by my side. Once we had gotten down, I gave him a quick hug and we went our separate ways. As I was walking, I turned back and saw Liam with a girl as he entered the soccer field for his practice. "Awwww! How cute," I thought. "That must be Liam's girlfriend." Even though I couldn't really make out what she looked like, I knew that she must be beautiful. I kept on walking towards the huge yellow goalposts, my huge blue bag thumping against my side. I walked over to the bleachers enforce sitting down and braiding my hair so it would stay back. A boy around the age of 17 came over and sat next to me. "Hi!" He exclaimed. "A bit peppy and excited, but he seems nice" I thought before returning a hello back to him. "So, are you here to watch the football practice?" He asked and at that instant I realized he must be new... Silly boy. "Hey," I thought, "maybe I can act like I'm just here to watch my boyfriend or something. It could be fun. I just want to see what he thinks of me in this "role". "Yes," I answered him, "I'm here to watch my boyfriend." "What's with the bag?" He asked motioning to my large duffle bag. "Oh no, I gotta make up a lie... And fast," I thought in my head. "Uhm... Erm... Oh! It's my boyfriend's football bag. Yeah!" "I never really caught your name or how old you are... Mines Leo and I'm 18, a senior," he said curiously. "Today's my first day at this school and I'm here to try out for the football team. "Uh... Well, my name is Jessa Howell and I am 18, and what position?" I tried to ask without any emotion. "Well, I want to play quarterback, but I hear they've got an amazing quarterback already. Do you know him?" He asked. "Yep, I responded. "I definitely know him and he's a great guy." I said successfully without snickering. All of the sudden Coach Callahan entered the field with most of the football players following him. I have always got here early since the girls locker room is closer to the football field than the boys is. Coach Callahan must have noticed me sitting on the bench because he bellowed out, "Howell! New kid! Get your butts over here and onto the field!" After we had reached midfield, Leo looked at me and asked, "why does he want you out here?" Before I could answer, with yet another lie, Coach yelled,"Alright people! Lets run a powerhouse and finish with a hitch and block. Get into your positions!" "I'm doomed," I thought to myself, "I actually was treated normally by that guy, Leo. Oh well, he was bound to find out sooner or later." "Leo Medina! Come over to the sidelines and watch the play. Howell, you know what to do!" Coach bellowed out and addressed Leo and I. "Aren't you coming?" asked Leo. I shook my head to indicate a no, and Leo just walked away, looking confused. "Alright boys! Come in!" I yelled. They all sprinted over to where I was standing in the end zone. I looked over to the sidelines to see a bewildered Leo. I quickly averted my gaze once he made eye contact with me. I looked back to all of the football players that stood in front of me. "Alright boys!" I bellowed once they had all reached me. "Coach says that we are to run a full-speed powerhouse and end it with a hitch and block. We have a visitor so we want to do our best... Okay?" After the whoops and cheers had died down, I continued. "I am going to go put on my pads and then we will begin executing the routes. We will do it over and over until we get it right! Okay boys!" Loud whoops and cheers erupted from the groups. "Let's go go go!" I screamed before heading over to my bag which, just my luck, was over by Leo. Someone must have moved it. Ugh. I walked over and quickly got my bag, careful not to make eye contact. I quickly put on the football pads and grabbed my helmet! "Alright boys let's move move move!" I screamed out addressing all of the boys on the field. I ran over to my spot behind Jackson, our center, before slipping on my helmet and making sure my shoes were tied. "Ready! Set! Hut!" I yelled, starting the play. Jackson snapped the ball to me and I took three strides back before bringing the ball to my ear and throwing it to my main receiver, Emmet. He caught the ball with ease and began maneuvering in and out between our blockers. He quickly snapped the ball to chase who decided to take the hitch and block himself. As the ball was in the air, Chase ran a few meters before stopping abruptly and turning around to face the ball that was flying at him. He caught it and turned to the two blockers who were running full-speed towards him. He brought his shoulders in and blocked them away as they hit him. Running, Chase spiraled the football to Eric who then ran full speed towards the goal post. We erupted into loud whoops and cheers as Eric ran into the end zone and made the touchdown. I slapped his helmet in a congratulating way. As he made his way back towards the midfield. "Good play boys! Lets run it again!" I addressed the boys. They sprinted back to their places and we ran it again. I felt Leo staring at me, but shrugged it off and returned to my spot as the quarterback.
~~~time lapse
"Very good tonight. Practice tomorrow from 6:30-1:00. Be there or you get kicked off the team," I announced as we had our ending discussion that would finish up our practice. A few of the boys groaned but no one objected. "Do you hear me boys?" I asked. "Yes CAPTAIN!" They all boomed. We had had a fairly productive night and even though there were a few moments that I wished hadn't existed, I was proud of them. Proud of my boys. "Any comments coaches?" I asked directing my words towards coach Callahan And Coach Keegan. Go get cleaned up and go home!" I told them. They obeyed and I walked over to the two coaches to discuss tonight's events as I always did at the end of practice. "Fairly good routes and plays tonight. I do think our offensive linemen need to get a bit more upper arm strength. I'll work on that with them tomorrow when we condition." I commented. I was sore all over and ready to go home and eat. "Oh no! I'm in charge of dinner tonight! Dads not going to be home!" I thought as I remembered that bit. I interrupted the two coaches who were talking to me about a new route they wanted to try out, "I'm sorry to interrupt you guys, but I have to go now! I'm in charge of dinner tonight and if I don't get home soon, the house will be a chaotic mess. I'm really sorry but I have to go soon. Permission to leave?" "Of course Jessa, you can leave. I will email you the details of the new route. Go home and be with your family," Coach Keegan said in his low voice. He knew about my many siblings and how important it was to be on schedule. Coach Callahan simply nodded and motioned for me to go. "Thank you so much, I'm really sorry we couldn't finish up our discussion. Bye!" I said timidly as I walked away. I ran into the girls locker room, my bag thumping against my side and quickly got changed out of my sweaty football gear and into my yoga pants and my state football t-shirt that I bought after we won state last year. I jogged down the schools sidewalk and over to the entrance where my sports playing siblings were waiting. Liam, Bennett, Charlotte, Arianna, and Clover all looked over at me as I said "Ready to go home?" They all followed me to the van and I got into the drivers seat with Liam beside me. Liam and Clover began talking about soccer, which they play year round. Liam must have picked up Clover and Bennett from the middle school, before coming back for me. I looked over at Arianna and Charlotte who were having a conversation about their mile times. Charlotte and Arianna both are really good runners and they run track. I looked back at Bennett who was fiddling with his football that he had in his arms. I often played scrimmages with him and taught him most of the stuff he knows. "Alright! Who wants to say their goal try met today?" Liam responded saying. "I'll go first. Today I made 10 goals in one scrimmage." We went around the car talking about what we had done today. Soon enough we were at home. I opened the door to find amber running around with chocolate smeared on her face and Shiloh chasing after her. At least I hope it was chocolate. I scooped amber up in my arms before handing her over to her Shiloh. "This one needs a bath!" I exclaimed looking at ambers dirty state. Shiloh laughed quietly before slinking away and up the stairs. I looked at myself in the kitchen mirror before scrunching my nose up. "I need to get cleaned up. I'm a mess!" I thought out loud. Oh gosh, I was so sore all over. We ran suicides before finishing up. I heard someone come into the kitchen as I was getting out the stuff to make spaghetti, which would be our dinner. I popped up from where I was getting something from one of the drawers that was closer to the floor. I looked up and saw Liam entering the kitchen. "Need any help? You look exhausted," he asked. "Yes please!" I exclaimed. Liam is a really good cook and I'm so lucky to have him as a brother. He always helps me. As we began making the tomato sauce, I looked at him. "So, who's the girl?" I asked. He began getting nervous and flustered before saying, "Girl... Girl? What girl? I don't know a girl. What are you talking about. I mean seriously a girl. Yeah right," He babbled. I had to stop myself from laughing at his reaction to that question. He's got it bad. "Come on Liam, I know there's a girl, and you like her, I saw you talking to her on the soccer field. It's okay, I promise I won't tell ANYONE." "Bailey." Liam whispered. "What?" I asked. Liam let out a sigh before speaking, "Bailey, my girlfriends name is Bailey." "Aww! My baby brother has a girlfriend!" I exclaimed as I finished up the last bowl of spaghetti and placed it on the large wooden table. Liam shook his hair and flipped it to the side before pressing the intercom button that we kept in the kitchen. "Dinner! Come to the kitchen!" He spoke into the intercom receiver. I could hear his words being played like an echo throughout the rest of the house. Everyone filed in and we said grace before beginning to eat. I wonder how dads doing? I averted my thoughts and focused on how I was going to make the offensive linemen work harder at conditioning the next day. I looked around the table and smiled as everyone ate in peace. What a wonderful Friday night.
Baileys POV
I giggled. I couldn't help it! Liam was just so sweet! Even over text!!! My older brother, Shawn, looked over at me suspiciously. "What was that for Bailey?" he asked. "Umm..." I quickly hid my phone from him. He would never approve of me having a boyfriend, sweet as he may be. Ever since our dad died, it's like he has willingly taken dad's place for us. I miss the old Shawn. Not to mention that he has become wayyy more over protective now. "Nothing. I was just taking to my friend about stuff." "What kind of stuff?" he asked. Shove-out-of-my-business stuff, I thought. But I knew that it wasn't his fault. Curiosity gets the best of us. "Ya' know, girl stuff." I said with a meaningful look. "Ohhh. Ew. TMI." HE said. I shrugged. "You asked!" I grabbed my phone and headed to my room where i could giggle in peace. Well, not really. I shared a room with my youger sister, Kendall. But she was playing with baby Ellis right now.
On my way to my room, I ran into my mom, who caught my arm. I looked over at her. "Wow mom! You look lovely all dolled up going somewhere?" I said slyly. Because I knew where she was going. I was the only one she told that she was dating someone, not even Shawn! Now, I don't know who, but it's the thought that counts. "Ha-ha. Now, I have to get going Bailey. Will you please watch Ellis for me?" "Mo--m!!! Why me? Why not Shawn or Lance?" I had to text Liam back! "Why? Do you have to talk to someone special?" I blushed. Likewise, she was my only family member who I had told about having a boyfriend. Though when she asked for his name, I said we could trade our 'lovers' names. That is where the conversation ended. "Mayyybe." She gave me a knowing look, and then said, "Fine, I'll ask Lance to do it." "Thanks mom!" I gave her a hug, then stepped back to look at her. She had curled her hair, and wore a beautiful dark crimson dress, which was a stark contrast to the crumpled t-shirt and shorts she usually wore. Mom had also put on make-up, although completely unnecessary. She had a kind of natural beauty that I envied, and wished had been passed down. Her eyes glowed with excitement and anxiety with the thought of her date. "Okay, well have fun mom!" "Will do, Captian Sparkles!" I laughed. When I was little, I loved anything to do with sparkles. One time, I went to a camp, and they asked for my name. I had promptly said 'Captian Sparkles'. Since then, the nickname has stuck with me. I moved down the hall into my small, shared bedroom. I plopped down onto my bed and took out my phone.
SENT- I had a horrible day... :/
RECIEVED- Aww I'm so sorry. Want me to bring over a movie?
SENT-Oh no, it's ok. Don't want to trouble you.
RECIEVED-Wouldn't trouble me at all.
SENT-Thanks. Although I'm not really in a movie mood.
RECIEVED-Are you in the mood for a hug?
I mean really, how sweet could Liam get?! The only thing is, with a secret boyfriend and all, he can't really come over for a movie... And then there is the fact that he doesn't know that he is a secret boyfriend. Hehe, whoops. I was just about to reply when Austin and Colton burst into my room, shooting nerf guns like crazy."Ahhh! I've been hit!" yelled Austin. "Mwahaha the princess is mine!" Colton rumbled. He dove under my bed, and dragged out Kendall! "Oh my goodness Kendall! Were you there the whole time?!" I asked. "Yes of course peasant. This is my castle, and I am a princess! I had to hide somewhere.: She exclaimed. I sighed, but what could you do about a 7 year old princess hiding under your bed? I'm just glad I didn't call Liam. Kendall may be sweet, but she has a big mouth.
I decided to tell Liam bye, and help look after my siblings and clean the house up. It was a hard decision, but one that had to be made. I picked Kendall off of the ground and told Austin and Colton to pick up the nerf mess. I walked out of my room and put Kendall down, who just ran right back inside our room. Then, I decided to check on Lance and Ellis. Lance was 16, a year younger than me, but he was already being forced to mature fast. Although Ellis, who was 2, wwas a huge handfull. I found them in the kitchen, where Lance was trying to get Ellis to eat some of his mashed potatoes, leftovers from Thanksgiving. Lance glanced up at me and said, "Hey sis, I've got Ellis, but you might want to check on Carson and Parker." "Oh great. Is Parker crying again?" "Well, that too." He replied. Ugh. I sighed, and then went to look for them. As always, they were hiding in the coat closet. They were both on the floor, looking up at me. "Come here you two." I held out my arms as they scrambled to get up and hug me. They were both sobbing. "What is wrong guys?" "Well today at school, some kids teased me for not being able to read what was on the board." cried Parker. Awww, I thought. It wasn't his fault. He had dyslexia . It makes me so sad and mad when people push him around for it. "It's okay, it's not your fault. For all we know, they are probably just jealous because of your good looks!" Which brought a smile to his face. "Now, what's wrong with you Carson?" "At school, when I was explaining the theory of the Big Bang theory, combined with the physics of evolution, everybody started laughing at me! Then they called me a nerd!" I frowned. "Yous should be proud of that Carson! When I was your age, I didn't even know that! I mea, you're only 9!" When he stood a little taller, I nodded, then held their hands as I walked them to the kitchen to eat dinner. I shook me head. They were twins, but completely opposite! Yet, they did everything together! Shawn entered the kitchen< and took care of them. I looked around. Forget cleaning, I thought, and ran back into my room to text Liam again.
Lances POV
"Come on, man! It'll be fun! And all those hot girls from North High will be there!" Jake said enthusiastically. "Sorry dude, I have to watch Kendall and Ellis for my mom tonight. Plus, I'm on kitchen duty. I just can't go." Even if I wanted to... Lance thought. "Fine. Whatever. Bye." Jake hung up. I tossed my phone onto my bed and sighed. I didn't actually want to go to the party, but still. Wasn't that the fun part about being a teenager? Oh well. Shawn needed my help to handle the kids. Mom was working at one of her two jobs, and Bailey said she was going grocery shopping. Although lately when she says that, she's gone for hours. And dad, well... he hasn't been able to lend a hand for about a year and a half now. Ever since the incident. The shooting. Where an innocent bystander was shot. Apparently, it didn't matter that the bystander was a father. That he had nine kids, including a baby, at home for him to come back to. Obviously, that didn't matter to the shooter. Lee Harrison. I remember the name from the news. From when the police came knocking at our door when we were just about to sit down for dinner, my dad's seat still empty. That plate didn't get picked up for days. That chair didn't get sat in for weeks. Shawn finally picked up the plate. Kendall finally sat in his chair. They were both braver than I was.
Eventually, I had to come to the reality that my father was gone, and my so called 'teenage' years were over. It took me a while. It took everybody else longer. Instead of hanging out with my friends, I was babysitting. Instead of playing video games, I was washing the dishes. Instead of driving to my girlfriend's house, I was driving to pick up the groceries. I didn't despise anyone for my new role, I just accepted it. I longed to get out of our apartment, but when Kendall comes up to me asking to play Barbies with me, I just smile and back away from the door. "LANCE!!!! Come quick! It's an emergency!" Colton's voice shatters my thoughts. "Coming!" I reply hastily. I start jogging to our tiny living room, and find Colton holding Ellis at an arm's length away. "What? What's the emergency?" I asked him. "Ellis pooped!" Colton yelled. "That's it?" I asked him tiredly. "And it stinks!!" "Come here, I'll change him..." I reply with a small lauggh and a shake of my head. I took Ellis from Colton and bring him into the bathroom. Apparently, his potty training wasn't quite successful yet. After changing his pull-ups, I went to find Austin. He was watching tv. I held out Ellis out, set him on Austin's lap and said, "Here. You're on Ellis duty. No complaining, I have to go and make dinner." "Fine. What's for dinner?" he asked. "oh, the usual. Steamed rats with the side of rotten eggs and a dessert of mud pie!" I said with a wink. "Oh, yummy!" Austin said sarcastically. "Haha, well I better start boiling the rats." I headed towards the kitchen to find Shawn headed out for work. Even though he is only 20, he does the manual labor work at Old Man Dean's house for money to help pay our bills. "Okay Lance, I'm headed out to work now. Make sure the kids all get dinner, then their homework, then-" "I know, I know, get to bed on time." I said exasperatingly. "Exactly. Good bye! Be home at eight." Shawn closed the door behind him as I let out another sigh. It seemed like Shawn was in a hurry to grow up, whereas I was the exact opposite. He sounded so much like dad these days that it hurt.
I got out the put to make spaghetti and peered into it.I smiled, and called, "Kendalllll!" "Coming Lacey!" Kendall liked to me 'Lacey' because she thought that it sounded prettier than Lance. She came running into the kitchen with her pink feather boa, purple purse, and my mom's high heels. She then stopped so abruptly that her sparkly tiara fell off of her head. "There ya' go princess! Now, guess what I found in my spaghetti pot?" I asked. "Spaghetti?" she inquired. I laughed. "Noooo. I found this!" I held up one of her favorite barbies. She squealed, snatched it, and ran off. I chuckled, then proceeded to boil water for our dinner. Just then, the front door blew open. "I'm home! Sorry! There was...traffic!" Bailey said, flustered. I looked at her, and then said, "Uh okay, sure." "What? There was!" she protested. "Suuuure." I said slyly. She was completely baffled, which was funny. I may only be sixteen, and an average student, but I pick up on things fast. Unlike Shawn, who is to caught up with trying to be dad, I pay attention to Bailey. After all, she is my closest sibling. I would be the first and only kid to pick up on her sneaking around. I am a pro, or was a pro, at being a teenager, and know all of the tricks, some of which she taught me. And right now, she either has a boyfriend, or is caught up with some hoodlums. Yeah... she definitely has a boyfriend. "What do you mean?!" Bailey asked. "I meannn," I whispered, "that I know that you have a boyfriend. Come on sis, you could never try to hide that from me." "Does Shawn know?" she asked nervously. I looked at her oddly. "Of course not." she looked relieved. "Oh good. Shawn would freak out! and I'm sorry for hiding it from you, but only mom was supposed to know." she explained. I understood. Aside from me, mom was the only one she trusted the most. And if Shawn found out, he would freak out. If any of the others found out, they would endlessly tease her. "it's okay, I understand. And I won't tell anyone else." I reassured her. "Thank you sooo much! Okay, I have to go take a shower before dinner. Liam asked me to do a soccer scrimage with him, and now I'm filthy." She hurried down the hall. Ahhh, so his name is Liam! Interesting. Then, I focused on keeping the dinner bread rolls away from Parker and Carson.
Liam's POV~
I trudged back inside the garage, dirty and grimy. After dinner I had slipped away back to the soccer field to play a scrimmage with Bailey. She was really good, we ended with a tie and called it a night. I didn't care that she was as good as I was, it just made me love her more. Yep, you heard me right. I love bailey. I love her more than anyone could ever imagine. I loved her from her long blonde hair and brown eyes all the way down to her hot pink cleats that she wore with classic style. I sighed as I approached the front door. I had made it this far without anyone noticing that I had been gone. This was going to be the hard part. I slowly opened the wooden door trying not to make it squeak or creak, and tiptoed into the dark kitchen. It was already 9:00 and the kids must be in bed. I hope my room buddy, Bennett, doesn't notice that I'm gone. Bennett is a good kid. At only twelve years old, he is following in Jessa's footsteps to become a football player. He's a really good break dancer and from what I've heard, quite the ladies man. I creeped over to the supply freezer room. We have to have a whole room for our refrigerate and frozen foods because we eat so much as a family. The room acts as a giant refrigerator with its cold temperatures. As I entered the freezer room, I was met with a cold gust of air. I walked over and quickly grabbed some milk and a bowl of leftover spaghetti before returning to the kitchen. I poured myself a glass of milk and warmed up the spaghetti. Slowly and stealthily, I walked over to the table in the almost pitch darkness. I sat down and began eating before hearing a sneeze. It sounded near, it sounded loud, it sounded like it was right next to me. I jumped up before running over and flipping on the switch to turn the lights on. I slowly turned back around, not knowing what I would see. My eyes stopped at a figure in the shadows before I made out who it was. "Jessa?" I exclaimed confused. Jessa stepped out of the darkness and into the light of the kitchen. "So, had a fun date with Bailey. From the looks of yourself you played a soccer scrimmage and tied," Jessa observed creepily correctly. Woah! Maybe she's like psychic or something. "Nope, you've been thinking out loud since you came in," Jessa spoke in a whisper. "Oh," I said uncomfortably. "Well, it was a good date. Did anyone notice I was gone?" I questioned. "No, almost everyone has gone to bed already and the few that are still awake are doing homework or studying." Jessa responded as she got up and began to climb the staircase that lead to the rooms. "Oh, and by the way... Bailey seems like a great girl. Treat her right. You must really love her," She said as she turned around halfway up the stairs to look me in the eyes before continuing on her way up. I tilted my head down in embarrassment before blushing profusely. Jessa was right. I really, really did love her. Bailey. There are so many words to describe Bailey, my Bailey. She's as sweet as pie with her amazing smile that just lights up every room she walks into. Her laugh is like music to my ears. It sounds like little tinkling bells blowing in the summer wind. She's extremely smart with her 4.0 grade point average and is very humble about it. I love the way she goes out of her way to say hi and make plans with me, even if we're at school and the tardy bell is about to ring. Those are just some of the things I love about her. I finished up my bowl of pasta and milk before making my way up the stairs. I got ready including a quick and warm shower, and climbed into bed without waking up a sleeping Bennett. I grabbed my phone from where I had left it on the nightstand before writing Bailey a good night text.
I know you're probably sleeping but I just wanted to tell you good night and let you know how glad I am that you're mine. I love you beautiful.
I pushed the send button before turning my phone to silent and placing it back on my navy blue nightstand. I lay down onto the bed thinking about how Bailey, at first, didn't want to hang out, but I finally got her to. I'm glad I did. I drifted off into a peaceful slumber.
~~~next day
I awoke with a start listening to the voice on the intercom that bombed throughout the house. "Everyone report to the mud room for line up, I repeat, everyone report to the mud room for line up. I got up as fast as I could and rushed to wake Bennett up, who had slept through the message. He awoke slowly and groggily. "Bennett! We need to report to the mud room for line up... RIGHT NOW!" As soon as I said that he hopped out of bed and practically jogged down to the mudroom. I followed him in hot pursuit. As I entered the room hall, I could see Violet rushing to get all the littles awake and ready. She was such a good sister. She keeps up with everyone's lives and keeps everything in order. Though she may be strict and stern at times, she's always there when needed. I barged into my "buddy" Dallas' room, B3, that he shared with Harvey to find them gone. Thy must have already gone to line up. They're both super sweet kids. Dallas is exceptionally quiet and almost mysterious. He likes to keep to himself and plays video games like a pro. Harvey is kinda a skater dude. Yep, at seven years old he can ride a skateboard, and pretty well too. I walked down the steps, following my 16 year old sister, Shiloh. Shiloh is... Well, as her name says... She's shy. Though she may be shy and timid, she's an amazing singer and artist. She does most of the cleaning around the house and has a gift in math. I always go to her if I need help with my trigonometry homework. The only person that knows she can sing is me and that's only cause I walked in on her singing in her room one morning. I saw almost everyone was already in the line. I took my place as 3rd oldest in the line. The only people in front of me were Jessa and Violet. Once we had all settled, Dad entered the room, looking almost... Happy? "Today is Saturday, August 20th and it is now 6:00. Those of you who have sports shall leave when intended. I have another date tonight so i will be leaving at 20:00. Got it?" Dad boomed with a smile creeping onto his face. What in the name of The Lord did his date do to him? "Yes sir!" we all replied before scurrying off to do our own thing. I saw Jessa run like mad upstairs. "Oh, she must have an early football practice today," I thought. I decided to sit down and eat some cereal. Saturday and Sunday were the only two days that we were allowed to eat whenever we wanted and didn't have to wait for the rest of the family. I had a soccer practice at three, but was really tired. I finished up my bowl of Captain Crunch and sat down on the sofa while watching a soccer match on the nearby tv. I felt my eyes droop shut and not long after, I fell into a deep sleep.
Jessa's POV~
I rushed up the stairs after our line up. Practice starts in 30 minutes and I try to be there 10 minutes early. I pulled my long black hair up into a super high ponytail once I entered my room. I danced my way into my football shorts and tugged on a black and yellow jersey. I quickly grabbed my football bag and made sure my helmet was inside, sure enough, it was. I grabbed my phone and iPod before rushing down to the garage and getting in the silver car. I began driving and looked at the clock. 6:10... Not bad. Luckily the school is only about a five minute drive. I turned on the radio to hear my favorite song, Eye of the Tiger. It totally gets me pumped. I rocked out to that and not long after the song was over, I pulled up to the schools field parking lot. I hopped out, grabbing my bag and jogged down to the field where the coaches were. I looked around as I approached Coach Keegan and Coach Callahan to find that none of the other players had come yet. I grabbed my football and lay down my bag before jogging over to talk to the coaches. "I was thinking that today we could work some extra conditioning for our offensive linemen and run a few routes including the new one you sent me an email about yesterday, the deuce, I think it's called. And then maybe we could play a few scrimmages and work on the blocking. Also, our kicker Jason needs to work on his field goals with the kicking block. Michael needs to be more aggressive when he's blocking his opponents. He's not really trying as hard as he can," I rambled as the coaches stood and nodded their heads. I heard loud chuckles and whoops. "Must be the boys," I thought. Sure enough, when I turned around to face the other way, I could see the boys walking down the hill. "Come on boys! Lets go!" I yelled to them. They broke into a sprint, coming towards me. They all huddled around me until I broke the silence saying, "Line up!" They all scurried to get into their places where they stood from tallest to shortest. "It's just like at home," I thought. "What's up Captain?" asked Jackson. Jackson was the boy I was closest to on the team. He was a very genuinely sweet guy and an amazing center. All of my boys were great, though they may be a bit overprotective of me. Being the girl, they never wanted me to be hurt, physically and emotionally. If someone were to make sexist remarks about how girls should be at home cleaning and not in the game, my boys would be the first to defend me. They also never let anyone else touch me in any way. I pretty much always had one of my boys glued to my side whether we were out eating after a game, at a party, or even if we were out on a rare shopping trip. So, because of my boys I've never been kissed or anything like that. They just don't allow it. My boys know about my big family and actually a few come over often to hang out and watch games on tv with me and my siblings. We live in a pretty big house so we can all fit. In return for me letting the boys come over and watch football games, whoever comes over has to help me make dinner or lunch. It works out pretty well. They get to watch the games together and I get help when it's my turn to cook. "We are going to run a new route today called the deuce and then we will play a few scrimmages and finish up with some conditioning. For now, everyone stretch and run 3 laps around the football field. No running," I said, answering Jackson's question. A few of the boys muttered and groaned, but they all got started on their assignment. I looked over and smiled at them. I was so lucky to have my boys.
After dinner, I helped Lance put Ellis to bed, as Austin put Kendall to bed, too. Then, Austin went to play a video game with Colton. I looked at Lance, who looked really tired after holding up the fort for a couple of hours. I felt really bad again for not originally telling him about Liam. "Hey, Lance, thanks for watching the lot while I was gone." "No problem, sis. Anytime." He winked at me. "Haha, well now you can go have some alone time." "Yeah, will do. In this house, you get it while you can." He lumbered off to his room that he shared with Shawn, Austin, and Colton. Ellis slept in my mom's room. The apartment was pretty small, so we all had to share bedrooms. When Ellis grew up, it will be even tighter fit. Although Shawn should go to college soon. He has only stayed here because mom needed help with the other eight of us. He didn't know that we know that though. He pretended that he actually wanted to be with us instead of going to college. I think that once I go to college, he will too. And that is just because Ellis will be old enough to leave with Lance and Colton all the time.
Just then, the front door quietly opened to reveal my mom. She looked hagard from working two jobs at the same time, just to support our family. She looked at me and said, "Are Ellis and Kendall asleep?" "Yupp. Hey, mom, you can catch up on some sleep while I do the dishes and the laundry." I felt like I had to do something to help her out. "Thanks, babe. I need all of the beauty sleep I can get tonight. I have another date tomorrow!" She looked so happy when she said that. And when she was happy, so was I. "Oooo! Sounds like it is going great!" I answered. "Yes, it is! Anyways, how were things this evening on your outing?" She was referring to my earlier date with Liam. "Good! He is so sweet!" I replied. And he really was. Even when we tied in our soccer scrimage, he didn't act sorely because he didn't win. He looked....proud. Proud, that I was his girlfriend. And that made me so happy to have him. "Awww. I'm sure he is. Okay, good night sweetie!" She kissed me on the forehead and then snuck into her room to sleep.
************************************time lapse*********************************
After I did all of the dishes, and everybody's laundry - which is a ton -, I tucked Parker and Carson into bed. Then I told Austin and Colton to head for bed. Then, finally, I headed to go to bed. I brushed my teeth, washed my face, out on my pajamas, and then lay down, all the while thinking about Liam. From his light brown hair with soft curls in it, to his caring hazel eyes, to the way he always put his arm around me when we are walking together. Most guys my age do care about their girlfriends, but don't show it in public. Liam wasn't afraid of what people think or say when he kisses me on the cheek after school. He always defends me, cares about me, and knows exactly what to say to make me feel better. Thinking about this made me smile as I was drifting off to sleep. I just had one last thought. I think...no. I know.. that... I love him... a lot..
-------------- Shawn's POV--------------------- next day--------
I tried really hard to keep my eyes open. I was just so tired. My work last night had gone later than I expected, and I had to get up early this morning to take Kendall to her ballet class. I had just eaten breakfast after coming home from her lesson, and I already wanted to go back to sleep. I don't know how my dad used to do this. He had always seemed so care-free and willing to do anything for us. Now that he was gone, and I had to partially support my family, I was always tired, stressed, and busy. I wasn't trying to take my father's place in the family, but nowadays it always seemed like someone had to make sure that everything got done, and everybody had gotten taken care of. Although truthfully, I could not wait to leave for college. I couldn't tell anybody that though. The only reason I was still here, was that my mom needed help, and I cannot just leave her to take care of eight kids by herself. Not to mention the pile of bills we get every week. Oh well, as soon as Ellis is old enough, I'm gone.
"Shawn! Come here! I need your opinion on something!" I heard Bailey yell from her room. I walked down the hall from the kitchen to her room. She was standing by her bed, holding out two dresses. "Which one do you think will look better on me?" She asked. One, was aqua colored, that cinched on the waist, and hung down from her shoulders. It went from dark aqua at the top, to a lighter shade, to white at the bottom. There was also a gold chain belt above the waist. The other one was light pink, strapless, and the skirt part of the dress was higher in the front and lower in the back with an elastic at the waist. "Umm, the aqua one. Why?" I asked. "Because... I... wanted to know! I am going to play princesses with Kendall and I needed to know which one to dress up in!" she replied. I shook my head. Girls and their clothes. They were so confusing. "Uh, okay. Anyways, since you will be watching Kendall today, I will take care of Ellis since Lance is at football practice." I told her. "Thanks Shawn!" She replied. "No problem." I walked out of her room, only to run into Parker and Carson. "Hi Shawn! Can you play cards with us?" Parker asked. "Please?" Carson added. "Sure guys. Now, who wants to be the dealer?"
---------------- Bailey's POV------------------
Phew, that was a close one with Shawn. I just needed to know which one complimented me better. There was a high school dance coming up, and Liam should ask me to it anyday now. I was just waiting for him to. So for now, I was preparing my outfit for the dance in a week. Although now that I thought about it, I probably should go play with Kendall so that she doesn't distract Austin or Colton from their homework. I laid the two dresses down on my bed. They were the only good dresses that I owned because we didn't have a lot of money to spend on clothes. Then, I started looking around for Kendall. I finally found her under the sink, playing with her stuffed animals. "Hey, you! What are you doing under there, stinker! I've been looking for you everywhere!" I exclaimed "Why?" she asked. "Well, of course to play princesses or barbies with you!" I answered. "Ohhh yay!" she said excitedly. She climbed out of the cabinets, bringing all of her stuffed animals tumbling out with her. "Let's play princesses!" she squealed. "Okay!" I replied, "Go to your room to get your pretty dress on! Oh, and don't forget your tiara!" She quickly ran to her room to get ready to play with me. I chuckled, and then started picking up her animals when the doorbell rang. I set them down on the kitchen table and went to answer it. I opened it up to find Lance and a tall girl beside him. "Uh, sorry, sis. I forgot the house key." he said sheepishly. "Oh, its fine. Who is this?" I asked. "This is Jessa, the captain of my football team. We were just going to study here for a little bit." he replied. "Well you guys can use the kitchen or go into Lance's room." I told them. "Thanks. I think that we will use my room." "Okay." I then started picking up stuffed animals again, as they walked past. I was a little confused, because Jessa reminded me of someone, although I cannot remember who. Although I was happy that Lance was socializing. Sometimes I worry that since he is so busy with his family, that he didn't get much time to hang out with his friends. After brining Kendall's toys to her room, we played princesses for about an hour. The whole time though, I could hear Lance and Jessa in the room on the other side of the wall. At least they were actually studying... football. They kept laughing, too, like they were just old buddies. I was so happy for Lance.
When I sent Kendall to go and play with Colton, I decided to bring Lance and his friend some refreshments. I went into the kitchen to grab some water bottles and chips, then headed to his room. I knocked and heard a, "Come in!". Putting on a smile, I said, "I brought you guys something to snack on and drink!" "Thanks, sis!" replied Lance. "Thank you very much ---?" Jessa asked. I answered, "Bailey. My name's Bailey." Jessa froze and stared at me. "Bailey?!" she repeated incrediculously. "Umm yeah. That is my name." I answered. Then, finally, Jessa started smiling, although I was still puzzled. "Are you dating a guy named Liam by any chance?" she inquired. I slowly nodded myhead, unsure of where this was going. She jumped up from her seat on a bed, surprising me so much that I dropped the water bottles. "OMG! Liam Howell?! He's my brother!!" she exclaimed. I just stood there, gaping at her. I mean, I guess it's feasible... I did think that I recognized her. "Wow, um, cool! Haha, this is so weird!" I said unsteadily, considering I have never met her before, yet she was my boyfriend's sister, in my brother's room. "I know right! I saw you and him at the soccer field yesterday!!" At this moment, I was very glad that I had finally admitted to Lance that I was dating Liam. Then, I started smiling, thining about how much of a coincidence this is. And how Liam's laugh will sound when he finds out about this. Deep, and light... then he would put his arm around me and--- "Hello? Isn't this such a coincidence?" Jessa said, interrupting my thoughts. "Oh, yes. I was just thinking about that!" I replied. She winked at me and said, "Suuure. You were thinking about that." I blushed, knowing she was right. "Yeah, well, I have to go and get Kendall, I can hear her screaming from here." I said. I hurriedly exited Lance's room, bewildered by everything. So apparently, I'm dating Liam, and his older sister is the captain of my brother's football team. And No one knew about htis, I didn't even know that he had an older sister. I thought that he was an only child.
After pulling a screaming Kendall off of Colton, I handed her to Austin and headed to my room again. I couldn't wait to text Liam about this! When I picked up my phone, I saw that he had already texted me, asking if I could meet him up in 10 minutes. I smiled, and grabbed my coat. Now, I could tell him in person. I yelled to Lance that I was going shopping, forgetting that he already knew. Then I headed out the door.
Liam's POV
Today was the day that I would ask Bailey to the dance. I wanted it to be special since the dance would also be our 3 month anniversary. I hope she will say yes, I'm spending a lot of time on this project with Jessa. Apparently Jessa had met Bailey the other night when she went to study with Lance at their house. She said only nice things about bailey and I knew that he must approve of her. Jessa and I sat on the couch working out plans for me to ask her to the dance. All of the sudden the doorbell rang. Payson ran to the door, dragging a weary Violet. Violet straightened herself out and opened the door only to be trampled by a large amount of boys. Jessa got up and walked over to Violet, helping her up as she had fallen to the ground. "Boys! Say you're sorry to violet," Jessa boomed, addressing her group of football players that stood in front of her. It was now about 7:00 and the football game was starting on tv in a half an hour. They must be here to watch the game. "Sorry Violet," they all apologized in sync. Violet waved her hand dismissed them. Wow, Jessa really can control these guys like puppets. I'm surprised they don't hit or flirt with her. I looked over at the boys and recognized all of them. How could I not when they were at our house so much. They often hung out with Payson and Amber so Violet could rest. They even helped Jessa cook dinner when it was her turn. I had become pretty good friends with the boys and treated them like brothers. Jackson, Emmett, Chase, Caine, Joel, Gabe, William, and Lucas made their way over to the kitchen. I saw Jackson scoop up Payson and carry her with him. Jackson had a true talent with kids even though he didn't have any siblings. "So, what's for dinner tonight?" I heard Lucas ask Jessa.
" We are going to make green bean casserole with fried squash. Oh and y'all are helping me, no excuses." The boys moaned but got to work. I had always thought it was sorta weird that Jessa, a girl, played football. It just didnt make sense to me. I knew she was good and i had to be supportive, but it was still odd. I turned my attention back to how I would ask bailey to the dance.
Jessa's POV~
I got my boys (football) cooking the green beans for the casserole while I cut up the several pieces of squash. I looked over to see Jackson getting the pot of water ready while balancing Payson on his hip. He was such a big help when it came to taming the little ones ad my oh my... we needed every ounce of help we could get. We had had a good practice this morning but I knew that the boys were all super sore and tired. The game (Bears v.s. Cowboys) was about to start on tv. I yelled across the massive kitchen and demanded Will, who was helping Gabe and Joel find things in the cabinets and freezer room, to turn on the tv. He responded with an "okay," and dashed out from the freezer room and over by where the remote lay. The tv lit up and the announcers voice filled the house. The announcer had reported that the game would start in five minutes. I turned my attention back to the food and listened to the announcer drone on and on about how the Cowboys were sure to win. I became suddenly very weary and unstable, so I gripped the kitchen counter as hard as I could, hearing cries of "are you okay" and other things become more and more muffled around me. I was very woozy. I struggled to stay upright, but before long, I felt myself falling and a strong pair of arms catch me before everything went black in an instant.