"Scar we're running late!"
A distant voice calls urgently, slightly pulling me from my slumber.
I groan pleadingly, "Just. Five. More. Minutes."
Silence follows so I sigh in victory and begin to doze back off when a chilling liquid washes over my body, snapping me awake.
What the...
"Sage!" I scream at my 16 year old brother, shivering from the cold water.
He rips my now soaking covers off of me, goosebumps forming on my arms. "We only have thirty minutes."
I scrunch my brows in confusion, that's impossible. Last I checked it was 5:50. I just laid back down for a few extra seconds of rest before waking everyone else up.
I grab my phone to check the time, which we should have plenty of- shit.
It's 7:05.
I jump from my once warm bed and rush towards my bathroom, a new source of adrenaline thrumming through my body. Sage trails behind me wordlessly. My mind begins to race with the million things that need to be done before we leave for school.
The twins need to get their football clothes from the dryer
Saffron needs to be woken up
The dishes need to be done
Medicine needs to be taken
Breakfast needs to be made
In a rush, I pop my contacts into my eyes, squeeze toothpaste onto the toothbrush and scrub my teeth with more force than needed before I turn my attention back to Sage.
"Are the twins up?"
"Yes"
"Saffron?"
"I asked Sterling to wake her."
"Has breakfast been made?"
"Silver is on it"
"The pills-"
He holds a finger up silencing me.
"Don't worry sis, I will go right now and make sure everyone gets everything they need, including you."
The loss of control makes my palms sweat. Normally I have everything done before they wake up just to make the mornings easier. I already made lunches but there was still so much more that needed to be done. "I need to-"
"Nothing. Just get ready and head downstairs."
He leaves my room before I could further protest. I look at the mirror and take in my reflection.
My curly hair is a wild mess, strands of blonde, russet, and brown sticking everywhere, courtesy of the water my darling brother dumped on me. Purple bags that I've accepted as permanent rest underneath my golden brown eyes which are dull with tiredness, concealing the green that normally peaked through.
I look like trash.
I take a deep breath. "I can do this. It's just another day Scarlett, nothing more. Nothing less." I repeat to myself the mantra my mother taught me from a young age as I walk into my closet.
Mornings tend to be stressful in my house but what's to be expected when a 17 year old is in charge?
A little under two years ago our parents died. They went out one night for a party and on their way home a drunk driver hit them. We later found out that his wife had left him, causing him to drink. So with the cruel way the world works, we lost our family right along with him.
We never got to say goodbye.
We were placed in the custody of my mom's sister, our Aunt Karen. It was more of a last resort than a choice. My father had no living relatives and my mom's parents didn't want us, not that Karen did either.
We tried to make things work for a little while but it was hell.
She has two kids of her own so she didn't have time to raise five more. Let alone she wasn't prepared to deal with all of our problems. The fact that she hated our mother with a burning passion didn't help the situation either.
Right after my sixteenth birthday we agreed on a deal.
The five of us would be able to live in our old house by ourselves. I would be responsible for the four other kids and in return she would make sure I had enough money to pay the bills and buy groceries.
The only catch to her deal is that we have to spend all major holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter with them for a family dinner.
The time of the year when we gather with our grandparents, aunt, uncle and horrible cousins. We eat catered food that takes away all special meaning from holiday dinner and listen to them talk about how our parents didn't know what they were doing when they decided to have five children. Or how they instilled such poor manners and ethics in us.
It's miserable but it bought us our freedom. So it's just the five of us that live in this house.
Scarlett Rain, Sage Forest, Sterling Ocean, Silver Sea, and Saffron Valley. Taking on the world exactly one day at a time.
Our parents named us after colors. My mom was an artist so she claims the colors just called to her when picking out our names. She believed life should be lived in color and that the best place to start was with our names. The matching S's happened because my father wanted at least some say in the process. Our middle names on the other hand were completely his doing. He was an environmental architect, hence the nature theme.
I scan quickly through my clothes, trying to find something easy but cute to wear. From the past couple years I've learned that if you look put together people will believe that you are. In the case of a seventeen year old whose technically a teenage mother and has no idea what I'm doing with my life, I need all the help I can get.
I settle on a loose, neutral shaded maxi dress with a pale purple bralette and Birkenstock's. The bohemian style is perfect for looking cute in a rush. I'm in the middle of trying to fix my hair when I hear a high pitched scream.
My first instinct is to ignore it since screaming is a common occurrence in my house. However, a few seconds later Saffron runs into my room, still in her pjs, crying with a bloody nose.
I pick up my seven year old little sister, assessing the damage done. At least nothing's broken.
Sterling appears a few seconds later, guilt evident on his face.
"What did you do Sterling? You were asked to wake her up not kill her."
My twelve year old brother pushes his glasses up on his nose. "I did."
I shot him a look. That's right I have a look and it's scary too.
He continues, "I created a new system that would apply a specific amount of force to wake Saff up but..." he hesitates. I motioned for him to continue, not having time for him to waste.
"I may have miscalculated her weight and she may or may not of been shoved from her bed onto the floor."
Saffron sniffles, her russet hair falling in her face. "He did it on purpose."
I let out a very long sigh. It was only Monday and we have boarded the struggle bus. Sterling's a literal genius but he doesn't always think things through, like ever.
"Sterling what have I said about using machines on people, especially in the mornings."
How many other people have to teach children not to use possible deadly machines?
He lowers his head in shame, "It's a big no."
I shift Saffron's weight as I exit my bathroom and begin to head downstairs to her room, holding a tissue to her bloody nose.
"I beg of you Sterlz, don't let it happen again. Now grab my phone and head downstairs." He only nods in response before going to get my stuff.
After fully cleaning up the blood I fight with Saffron on what to wear. After what feels like a lifetime she settles on a dress and sandals similar to my own.
My little mini me. Ahh, I need a picture of our adorableness.
The smell of burning food and the fire alarm snap me from my adoration.
"Uh oh" Saff whispers, holding her ears. I run down the stairs to the kitchen, passing Silver on his way to the laundry room.
I stop for a second. Silver should be in the kitchen, cooking. Oh, no.
By the time I enter the kitchen Sage has taken care of the burnt pancakes and offers up those that survived. I take one and greedily shove it into my mouth as he opens our backdoor to waft some of the smoke out.
"Silver, get your ass in here!" I scream, not caring if our neighbors hear me. He strolls in a few seconds later, football clothes in hand, completely oblivious to the disaster he just made.
"You forgot about the food. Again!" I shout.
"I'm sorry. I was doing fine but then I took my medicine and Sage reminded me to get my stuff and then I just sort of forgot about it."
"This is the third time in the past month, Silv, I can't let you cook anymore." He opens his mouth to protest and I begin to feel bad for yelling at him. "I know you didn't mean it but you could burn the house down if you're not careful."
"I'm sorry, I thought I was helping."
I gesture to Sage and Saffron eating pancakes, "You did, you helped a lot. Now go finish getting ready for the day."
I hate yelling at him at times like this. I know he can't always help what he focuses on but it's so dangerous in a situation like this. I take a moment to gather my thoughts and stop myself from shaking. I think about what I'm forgetting because I'm always forgetting something.
I make a checklist
Saffron is dressed and her bag is by the door.
Sage's football stuff is ready and he was dressed somewhat decent in jeans and a button up shirt with flamingos on it. Why flamingos, I don't know. His bleached hair is pulled back with a headband, showing his dark roots.
Sterling walks in with his dirty blond hair comb over with a Rays baseball jersey unbuttoned. I snag the orange baseball hat off his head, replacing it with a blue one from the counter. Silver runs back in with his flannel on inside out and his black hair a complete mess.
Sometimes I seriously wonder how they're twins. I mean besides the hair colors and the fact that Silver has a darker complexion, the two are identical. Personality wise; however, they're polar opposites.
Yes, my parents named them Sterling and Silver with full knowledge of what they were doing. And yes, they thought it was a very clever set of names. Even at five I tried to warn them not to but alas, here we are today.
"We're ready." The twins creepily say together as they shoulder their bags.
I do another once over of the house, making sure the stove is definitely off and all the doors are locked.
Just as I'm ready to walk out Sage holds up a clear plastic container and I let out a groan. I empty the three pills and place them in my mouth before washing them down with a swig of water from a random cup on the counter.
Like I said, I always forget something.
"Alrighty kids, lets go, go, go!" I holler, shuffling them all out the door.
As the boys load the bags and various sports equipment into the car I take my make-up bag from Sterling and put it in the passenger seat of our suburban.
Sage gets behind the wheel and we finally head to school, just five minutes behind our normal schedule. The nice thing is that we attend a charter school that teaches K-12 so we only make one stop in the morning instead of three.
Small blessings.
I pull my hair back in a loose bun, adding a headband, before putting loose powder and blush to my face. I apply some light eyeshadow and mascara while watching Silver brush his hair and fix his shirt in the rear-view mirror. At least now he looks presentable.
The numbers on the clock seemed to be moving at the speed of light.
"Hey Scar?" Sage asks
"Yeah" I reply, shuffling through my bag to find last nights pre-cal homework.
"I think I may have missed the turn."
"It's on Elm Street."
"I might've misread the sign" He informs me.
Oh. I look out at the road and see where we are. "Take a left up here. It should loop us around to the school."
A faint blush of embarrassment spreads across his tan cheeks. "Sorry"
I smile at him reassuringly, "Don't worry about it, just look out for the gas station next time."
Today really isn't the day to take the scenic route though. We only have fifteen minutes 'till school starts and I still have to drop Saffron off at her class.
A small pain begins to form in my skull.
It's fine. Absolutely fine.
Riverview is divided up into three sections: elementary, middle and high school. With the locker rooms all being located on the back half of the school. Making it super convenient for the end of the day sports, but also hell to get Saffron to class since we park at the high school locker rooms.
Sage stops at the front of the school, letting Saffron and I get out. "Please don't stop and talk to half the school. Be on time." I plead, Sage has a habit of talking to every person he sees in the hallway.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Love ya sisters"
I smile at the three of them. "Love you boys."
I grab Saffs hand and walk towards my locker, knowing I won't be able to stop by it later before first period. My two best friends are getting things from their own neighboring lockers.
Ella Mackenzie waves at us, her black sweater and boyfriend jeans showing off her slim figure perfectly. I notice a pair of face shaped earrings, that I'm ninety percent sure are mine, dangling from her ears. Her blonde locks hang straight down her back as she towers over Stella Hollins in a pair of feathered pink heals, like she isn't tall enough already.
Stella, in stark contrast, wears her signature color with a black jean skirt and a white cropped sweatshirt that had eyes on the front of it. She has on a pair of platform blue sneakers in attempt to make herself seem taller that 5 feet. Her long black hair was pulled into a tight ponytail, accented by golden hoops. Her eyeliner so sharp it could cut a hoe.
If a person saw the three of us they would never guess us to be friends because we all look and act completely different. Ella's pretty and sweet, Stella's scary and loud, and I'm a mess. However, we've been best friends since elementary school and somehow haven't killed each other yet.
My eyes narrow on the extra Dunkin' Donuts iced coffee in Ella's hand.
"Please tell me that's for me." I beg, the need for caffeine is strong this morning.
She smiles sweetly, "Nope. It's Sage's."
I glared at her, Ella and my brother have a... thing.
They aren't dating but they might as well be. The endless flirting can be a bit much sometimes. No sister should have to see their brother and best friend flirt. Ever.
I punch her thin arm, causing her to yelp. "Good God woman, I'm kidding it's yours."
I take the coffee from her and hand it to Saffron to hold while I grab my books for my first three classes. She takes a sip before letting out a giggle.
"Um, Scarlett, don't you think she's a little young to be drinking coffee." Stella asks concerned.
I think while I close my locker and zip up my bag. "Nah, she should be fine. My parents started me on caffeine before I was even in school."
"And look at the addicted monster you've become." She states with mock seriousness.
I flip her the bird before picking up Saffron and my coffee. She may be seven but she's smaller than average. Today is not the day to risk losing her to the crowds of high schoolers.
"Have you heard?" Ella asks excitedly as we walk down the hall.
"Heard what?"
"There's supposedly a new guy at school"
"A hot new guy." Stella adds, placing extra volume to the word hot, causing half the hallway to stare at us.
I roll my eyes at my friends, unlike me, they're utterly and completely boy crazed. I'm pretty sure they have an app that alerts them when an even somewhat attractive boy is near.
"Supposedly he got expelled from his old school, at least that's what Gabbi told me." Stella continues, somewhat impressed.
That makes him sound even more uninteresting, the last thing I need to be surrounded by is trouble. Been there, done that.
"Hey, do me a favor and save me a seat in class?" I ask, heading towards the connecting middle school doors.
"Sure thing, but come on Scar, you've got to be the smallest bit excited." Stella offers.
"But I'm not." I state before turning away. I walk quickly through the halls, pushing through the sea of middle schoolers before making it to the elementary school.
I set Saffron down and let her run off to class before heading into the office to talk to the nurse. My phone rings as I walk towards the office door.
"Hello?"
"Scarlett, I left my math homework on the kitchen table, can you please email my teacher?" Silver begs through the phone.
I take a deep breath, "No, Silver, I know for a fact you don't have math until after your study hall so do it then."
"But-"
"No buts, if you need too, have your brother help you. Love you. Bye."
I hang up the phone and try to put it in my bag as I open the office door. However, instead of walking through I hit a surface, a somewhat solid, warm, and very good smelling surface.
My phone falls to the floor but I'm able to hang tight to my coffee. Priorities.
I bend down to pick up my phone before looking to see what I hit. My eyes search up a very fit body until they meet a pair of steel gray eyes. Eyes that are home to a very good looking face.
Hot damn.
"Sorry." I offer still taking in his eyes.
"Watch where you're going Sweetheart." Mr. Gray Eyes growls at me before storming away.
My blood begins to boil, there's nothing I hate more than being called a condescending nickname. "Excuse you, if anything, you bumped into me."
His eyes light up in surprise but instead of apologizing he scoffs, walking away from me. What an inconsiderate brat.
"Asshole!" I holler before remembering that I'm in the elementary school.
Good going, Scarlett.
I walk into the office thinking about how all of his hotness was ruined by being a total jerk. I may not be boy crazed but I do have eyes.
I walk over to the nurse's room and greet Nurse Molly.
"Hello, dear, what can I help you with?" She asks in her soft voice.
I reach into my bag and pull out an inhaler, "Just here to give you Saffron's refill."
She takes it from me as the two minute bell rings. I groan and massage my temples as the pain spreads thinking of being late yet again to class.
"Here, let me write you a note."
I smile at her, "Thank you."
She smiles, looking like the stereotypical grandmother, gray hair, soft wrinkles and a slight pudge that makes her appear so comforting. "No worries, but how are you doing Scarlett?"
Her kind eyes seem to be peering into my soul, making me feel squirmish. "Um... I... I'm doing fine I guess." I say politely before darting back out the door as the late bell rings.
I rush through the now empty halls, the silence sounding foreign to my ears. After what seems like forever I make my way into Ms. Millers AP Lang class.
My absolute favorite class of the day, note the heavy sarcasm. I open the door, interrupting whatever she's saying.
"You're late Miss Rhodes." She reprimands.
"I have a note this time." I snap, shoving Nurse Molly's now crumpled note into her hand before taking my seat in the back row behind Stella and Ella. I say hello to them but their attention seems to be focused on the front of the room.
Getting agitated by the shitty morning I've had, I look up to find the Mr. Gray Eyes standing at the front of the room, a smirk on his face.
Shit.
*****
If you want to check out this scene from Ashton's POV go read Life in Search, it's definitely interesting!
Also, there are definitely things I need to go back and change but I promise the writing gets better
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Xo-Mo