Gracies POV (4 Years Old)
"Jay" I squealed as I let go of my brothers hand and ran ahead of him down the aisle of the grocery store and grabbed a beautiful brown haired doll off the shelf and showed it to him excitedly "this is that dolly that I saw on the TV remember?" I asked and he nodded,
"So it is" he acknowledged with a light smile,
"Can we buy her?" I asked hopefully with the best puppy dog eyes I could manage,
"Not today sweetheart" he replied with a shake of his head and a small frown made its way on to my forehead,
"Why not?" I whined sadly,
"Because it's to expensive" he said calmly "and it's gonna be Christmas soon, why don't you wait and see what Santa brings you" he suggested but my frown only deepened,
"Noooo" I complained and I watched as my brothers stare visibly hardened,
"Gracie" he warned "I said no" he reminded "now let's put it back and go find Will" he suggested but I shook my head and tightened my hold on the box,
"Please Jay" I pleaded as tears began to sting my eyes,
"Gracelyn, I said no" he replied "put it back" he instructed,
"NO" I shouted as I stamped my foot angrily,
"Ey" he bent down to my level "I told you no Gracelyn and shouting and stamping your feet definitely isn't gonna get me to change my answer" he stated causing me to huff,
"But I want the dolly" I cried and he raised an eyebrow at me before removing the box from my hand and putting it back on the shelf causing my cries and screams to intensify,
"Enough" he said firmly as he grabbed my hand to stop me from grabbing the doll once again "right c'mon, we're finding Will then we're going home" he told me as he held my hand in his and I walked a few steps behind him crying and sobbing at my unfair treatment,
"Please" I sobbed "please Jay" I continued "Jay. Please" I continued to sob uncontrollably.
"What's going on?" A confused looking Will asked as we eventually located him down the cereal isle,
"Jay is horrible" I stated along with another stomp causing Will to frown,
"Our sister would like a $40 doll and I said no" he informed our oldest brother,
"Oh Gracie" Will shook his head with a frustrated sigh "you've got plenty of dolls at home and it's Christmas in a few weeks" he agreed with our other brother,
"That's exactly what I said" Jay added and I screeched angrily,
"That's not fair" I stated furiously "I want that dolly" I cried,
"I want never gets Gracelyn" Will replied which only ignited my anger more,
"IT'S NOT FAIR" I screamed at the top of my voice making my ears ring,
"We'll wait for you in the car" Jay said as he quickly picked me up and began to carry me out of the store. I continued to scream and struggle against my brothers strong hold and ignored the looks I was getting from the other people in the store. He carried me across the carpark and over to his truck "you're getting a time out when we get home" he told me seriously as he unlocked the truck and opened the back door "don't even try to climb out of here Gracie" he warned as he strapped me in to my carseat before closing the door and climbing in to the front.
"It's not fair" I screamed dramatically "you hate me" I falsely accused causing him to scoff but still remain silent. Urgh! "Jay" I cried in an attempt to catch his attention "Jay" I tried again but with no success "I don't want you I want Will" I screamed but my brother continued to ignore me. I began to become increasingly more frustrated as Jay continued to ignore my screams so I decided to change my tactics. I undid my seatbelt and waited to see if it got a reaction. Once I realised that my action had gone unnoticed I made my move to open the door and quickly jumped out of the truck and attempted to take off back towards the store. I barley made it two steps before I felt a hand firmly grab my upper arm and swing me back towards the car. He pulled me round to the other side of the truck that was more sheltered from a hedge and adjusted his grip before landing a handful of smacks to my butt before bending down to my height,
"That's enough now Gracelyn, do you understand me?" He asked furiously but I only gave him a sniffle in reply "this is not acceptable behaviour and we're not gonna put up with it" he continued "now, you're gonna get back in the car and sit quietly until Will gets back" he instructed and he walked me back to the other side before lifting me back in an firmly putting me back in my seat with a pointed look that was daring me to continue my behaviour. Like that'll stop me. With a furious huff and a frown on my face, I crossed my arms across my chest and stared daggers in to the back of the drivers seat in front of me.
Around ten minutes later Will walked back to the car pushing the shopping cart full of grocery bags. Jay got out to help put the stuff in the trunk and I could overhear some of the conversation they where having,
"Has she calmed down now?" Will asked Jay,
"She's not calmed down but she's quiet" Jay replied "only because she got her butt smacked for jumping out of the car and trying to leg it across the car park" he added. I zoned out of their stupid conversation and instead made myself busy counting the pink flowers on my pale yellow dress. I could feel the seatbelt rubbing against my neck so I decided to undo it and just hope my brothers don't notice. My head snapped up when I heard the car door opening and Will climbed in to the passenger seat and Jay getting in the drivers side.
"You need to put your seatbelt on Gracie" Will said once he turned to notice I wasn't wearing it,
"I don't wanna" I whined with the same scowl plastered on to my face,
"It doesn't matter if you want to because you need to" Will replied "so just do it please" he added but I shook my head and deepened my frown,
"No" I defied and Will let out a frustrated sigh before undoing his own seatbelt and getting out the car,
"C'mon Gracelyn, you're really pushing your luck" he warned but I shook my head causing my brother to grumble in displeasure as he reached over and pulled my seatbelt across me before clipping it in and closing my door. I instantly moved to undo it again,
"Don't you dare" Jay warned as he noticed me through the rearview mirror and I huffed but did as I was told.
The drive wasn't particularly long but it was still boring so I chose to pass my time by swinging my legs back and forth, consequently kicking Jay's seat every time,
"Gracie" Jay warned "stop it" he said but I chose to ignore him making him even more frustrated "do you want me to pull this car over?" He asked threateningly and my frown faltered slightly and I shook my head silently "huh?" He asked irritated,
"NO" I cried with frustrated tears running down my cheeks,
"The pack it in" he replied in a raised voice "you keep this up and you'll be getting way more than a timeout when we get home" he added making me huff in defeat.
The rest of the drive was short and uneventful meaning that we where back outside our apartment in no time.
"C'mon" Will instructed. The drive back calmed me down a lot and I suddenly became very aware of how angry both of my brothers where right now.
"Please Will" I pleaded as my bottom lip began to wobble "m'tired" I sobbed. With a flustered sigh my brother unbuckled my seatbelt and picked me up out of the car and proceeded to carry me up to the apartment,
"Early bedtime for you tonight" he commented as I continued to cry.
"Right missy" Jay said once Will put me not he floor in the kitchen "corner" he instructed causing me sobs to increase,
"I don't wanna" I cried completely past myself,
"Now Gracie" he replied "let's go" he added as he led me over to the corner and placed me there "now take some deep breaths and calm down" he demanded before walking away and leaving me there.
Five minutes later my crying had stopped and been replaced by the odd sniffle here and there. My throat was well and truly saw from all the screaming and my eyes where out of tears,
"Ok Gracie" I heard Will say as he turned me towards him and crouched down in front of me "have you got anything you wanna say?" He asked with an expectant eyebrow raised,
"Sorry" I apologised,
"What're you sorry for?" He pushed,
"For screaming when Jay said I couldn't have the dolly and being bad in the car" I continued and he nodded,
"Good girl" he praised "it's not ok to behave like that Gracie and I think deep down you know that" he said and I looked down at my feet shamefully "C'mere" he sighed as I wrapped my arms around his neck and allowed him to pick me up and carry me over to the sofa where he sat down with me still attached to his side and stayed there for a few minutes "you still need to say sorry for Jay though, ok?" He asked and I nodded sadly in understanding "go on" he encouraged. I hopped off of his knee and went to Jays room where I approached him nervously,
"Jay" I said barley above a whisper "m'sorry" I apologised once again and I watched as Jay gave me a firm look but opened his arms up for me to climb in to anyway. I did so happily and snuggled down in to his side, finding comfort in his familiar scent that was filling my nose,
"Never again" he warned and I nodded,
"I'll try not to" I admitted but I knew I couldn't make that promise. My brother chuckled before kissing the top of my head,
"What're we gonna do with you?" He asked and I shrugged with a slight giggle.
We had dinner and shortly after that Will said it was my bedtime. Normally I would be complaining about going to bed early but I was so tired I didn't mind on this occasion. Once I had done my night time routine and said goodnight to Jay, Will tucked me up in to my bed and my eyes naturally fell shut within seconds.