I wake up the next morning and stretch. There is nothing like waking up in your own bed. As much as I'm starting to like my new school I miss my bed.
My phone buzzes six times so I reach over and grab it.
'Emerson wake up😒' - Zoie
'We know you're home come over slut😝 and bring your moms!' - Emilia
'What they mean sweet cousin💙 is please come over mom's making breakfast.' - Damien
'Why's everyone so hostile this fine morning?' - Kai
'Shut up Kai, go meditate somewhere!' - Zoie
'😂😂😂 good one!' - Emilia
I respond,' alright losers I'm up. I'll be over soon.'
My phone continues to vibrate as their conversation keeps going.
Getting out of bed I go take a shower, after drying my hair I french braid it to the back, then put on beige jeans, my white Air Force Ones, and a white and grey Nike windbreaker.
I head out the door and over to my moms' room, waiting for a response after knocking, and leaning in.
"Hey guys Ali's making breakfast and wants us to come over."
Ma groans some response out and Momma sits up," alright hun. Why don't you head over we'll meet you there."
"Okay."
I close the door behind me before going downstairs and leaving out. Aunt Ali and Uncle Drew live about twenty minutes away.
When I pull up I hold down on the horn for a minute before getting out. Emilia leans out the door and sticks the middle finger up at me.
Chuckling I jog up the steps and pull her into a hug," hey cuz." I greet.
"Hey babe."
She turns and walks inside ahead of me.
"D!" I exclaim walking over to him and hugging him over the back of the couch.
His hands come up and he hugs me, its an awkward position but there's nothing like showing love.
I'm close with all my cousins, blood related and otherwise. I am a lot closer to Damien and Emilia than the rest though.
When I first realized I liked girls and guys they were the first to know. Damien said "no duh" and Emilia shrugged saying "the way you dress gives it away."
My being an only child drew me even closer to my cousins and they never once made me feel left out even though they have each other. They see me as a sibling rather than a cousin.
"Come sit cuzo." He pats the spot beside him.
One hand on the back of the couch I boost myself up and jump over the back landing in the spot perfectly.
"Whatcha playin?" I ask.
"Mario Kart."
I snatch up the blue PlayStation controller," let me in."
With an amused roll of his eyes he goes back to the main menu and I join the game.
After selecting Yoshi, my favorite character, I set the controller down and go into the kitchen.
"TT!" I exclaim.
At the sound of my voice she glances at me, sets down the plate of hash browns, and comes to hug me.
Her arms wound around my middle and I wrap mine around her neck. She rocks us back and forth for a second.
"How are you mija?" She holds me at arms length.
I smile," I'm good. You?"
Stepping back she focuses back on what's in the skillet," I'm great honey and I've missed you."
"I missed you too TT."
"Well we'll have t-"
"Emerson come on so I can kick your butt!" Damien calls.
Aunty Ali chuckles," go play your game, we'll talk later."
I nod and go back to the living room.
"Hey Unc."
Uncle Drew is reclining in a La-Z-Boy reading a magazine," sup kiddo. How are ya?"
"Good good, you?" I ask scooping up the controller and focusing my eyes on the tv.
"I'm great."
The doorbell rings and he stands to get it, taking his precious time to do so.
"Bestie!"
He greets my moms, stepping back to let them in, then all of them head into the kitchen. I focus my attention back on the game, considering I'm in fourth place now.
With the help of a few power-ups I speed to second place, neck and neck with Damien. Just at the last second I activate my nitrous and shoot forward.
"Wooo!" I exclaim, jumping up and dropping my controller on the couch.
My dance moves aren't the best but I still do a victory dance, mocking Damien.
"Alright alright that's enough." He chuckles and lightly pushes me.
"Everyone come eat!" Drew shouts.
I reach down to grab my phone from the coffee table and pause when I notice it's not there.
When in the heck, I look over at Damien and he raises a brow.
"You seen my phone?"
"Nah."
I sigh. I know it's here at least so I'll look for it after I eat.
I go into the dining room where everyone is and sit down between Zoie and Emilia.
Everyone starts to fill their plates and pour drinks.
While we're eating and talking I notice that Zoie and Emilia keep trading glances and snickering. They're up to something.
"So Em, you like your new school?" Aunt Ali asks looking from her pancakes to me.
I nod," yeah. I've made some new friends and my classes are all cool. I never thought I'd be into astronomy but it's interesting."
"Wasn't Austin super into Astronomy at some point?" Ma asks.
Ali nods," right around the time he came back from the army, that zodiac sign astrological stuff."
"In it's broadest sense astrology is the search for purpose in the heavens." I quote the Astrology book we use in class.
Ma chuckles," oh no she's turning into a nerd," then she adds," like her mother."
Momma smacks her arm," I'm not nor have I ever been a nerd. I was just invested in getting good grades."
"So a nerd then." Uncle Drew speaks up, food in his mouth.
I chuckle and ask," where is Austin and Roxy?"
"Work." Kai answers.
Zoie and Emilia finish their food and excuse themselves, running upstairs. I finish up a few minutes later and I help Aunt Ali and Momma wash the dishes before going upstairs to Emilia's room.
She and Zoie sit on her bed playing on my phone, Emilia smirking and Zoie with a raised eyebrow.
"You thieves." I say leaving on the doorframe.
Zoie's head snaps up but Emilia types something then looks at me.
"Who's Jasmine?"
My eyes widen before I can stop them but I hone in my shock and shrug," a friend from school."
"Really? Just a friend? Cause this is some serious flirting Em." She scrolls.
With a sigh I go over and sit next to her, looking at my phone," Jasmine is just a friend," I pause," who I happen to have feelings for."
"That's so cute! Is she hot?! Is she smart?! Why haven't you told her you like her?!" She fires of a crap load of questions.
"Hey chill," I say to her," I haven't told her because one I don't think she's gay, two she probably doesn't even like me, and three I doubt she'd be interested."
Zoie leans forward," bullshit you're a total catch Em. Your hot, funny, smart, artistic, who wouldn't like you."
"Jasmine." I say.
They both groan.
"You're so insecure perk up hun. Anyone, girl or boy, would be great to have you. You're fuckin awesome." Emilia says wrapping an arm around my shoulders.
A smile slowly stretches across my face," you really think so?"
"I know so." She smiles.
I jump up, clap my hands, and ask," wanna go to the park, just chill?"
"Yes!" Zoie exclaims jumping up.
Emilia nods and hands me my phone," let me put on my shoes."
Zoie and I go get the boys and we meet Emilia at the door before leaving out.
As we're walking to the park we decide to stop at a 7/11.
"Who wants to pay for my stuff?" Emilia asks grabbing a pack of starburst.
I pick up 3 laffy taffy's, a cherry Sprite, and a bag of popcorn.
"Really? No one is going to pay for my stuff? I left my purse at home." She whines.
Kai wordlessly grabs her stuff from her and goes to the register.
Her face lights up," that's why he's my favorite."
"Liar on my birthday you said I was your favorite." I say frowning and getting in line.
She leans up and kisses my cheek.
Rolling my eyes I pay and leave out the store. After everyone comes out we continue our walk to the park.
By the time we get there Damien is done with his slushee and is obnoxiously sucking up air from the empty cup. Kai, obviously feeling the way we all do, snatches the cup from Damien and tosses it in a trash can.
"Hey," he whines," there was still drink in there."
Kai shrugs.
Kai is the quietest one out of us all. He hangs around us and plays with us but it's a silent hang. He speaks of course but only when necessary or when he wants to. Apart from that he observes everything.
When he does speak though it's either really philosophical or really random.
"If there was something in it then you wouldn't have been slurping all annoyingly." Zoie says sticking her tongue out at him.
Zoie's the youngest at 16. Her birthday is in six months but by then everyone will be 18 apart from Kai who will be 19.
Emilia and Damien are identical twins. Dark brown hair, brown eyes, same nose. And their personalities are pretty similar as well.
I sit on a swing and open my sprite.
"This park is way too empty." Damien says looking around.
It is pretty deserted. Especially considering it's 2 p.m. on a Sunday and it's a pretty decent outside.
A little chilly but that never stopped me from going outside as a kid.
It's quiet for about five minutes.
"Tag Emilia's it!" Zoie shouts before taking off to the playscape.
There's a brief pause before the rest of us follow suit. I run up a slide and across the bridge.
"You can't catch me." Damien teases Emilia.
She glares at him before darting towards him. He goes to dive down the slide but she taps his back right before he's gone then sprints away.
A scream escapes my lips as I see him run for me and I take off back across the bridge and towards a slide. Turning around I find that Damien went after Kai and tagged him.
Kai scams the playground from his spot in the far corner and his eyes hit mine. My eyes widen and I shake my head.
He runs towards me and I sprint, you guessed it back across the bridge and over to a corner where the spiral slide is located.
Kai doesn't let the plastic walls separating us stop him. He jumps up and scales the side of the tower and jumps through the opening between the roof and the wall.
"Kai listen. It doesn't have to be this way."
An evil smirk plays on to his face and he stalks towards me, hands in front of him.
"No!" Zoie dives in front of me and Kai tags her before dashing off.
"Zoie nooooo!" I over exaggerate.
She fake coughs," Emerson I don't have long," she pauses," before I have to tag you."
Stifling a laugh I jump down the slide and twirl all the way down before hitting the floor. I slip out from the slide and roll across the ground then jump up and run towards Damien.
Our game of tag continues for a while but then the sun starts to go down. I check the time on my phone and it reads 5:45 p.m.
Kai looks at the time over my shoulder," guys pack it in time to go!" He calls waving everyone over.
Damien leaps from the playscape top of one of the towers and rolls across the ground then jogs over to us followed by Zoie and Emilia.
We clean up our trash and leave out the park.
"Race you guys back." I say to everyone stopping at the entrance of the park.
Damien smirks and gets down into a runner position. Kai shrugs and does the same and eventually we're all kneeling down.
"On you marks . . . get set . . . go!"
We all take off down the side walk. Damien's and Kai's long legs take them way further ahead of us girls. Emilia is slower than Zoie and I who run neck and neck about five feet behind Damien and Kai.
The boys reach the house before us and as Zoie and I approach I push myself further and sprint ahead of her into the house.
"Woo!" I exclaim collapsing in to the floor trying to catch my breath.
Emilia jogs in shortly after, bending over at the door, hands on her knees as she breathes deeply.
Kai breathing heavily but not as heavily as us waltzes into the kitchen and comes back tossing us all water.
"Thanks." I say chugging it then standing.
I make my way into the living room where our parents are. I didn't sit down on the couch because I had been on the ground at the park and I didn't want to get the couch dirty.
"We ordered pizza so go wash up before it gets here." Aunt Ali says eyes trained on the tv.
Nodding I turn around, walk past the steps and down the hall to the bathroom. After washing my hands I go back into the living room.
"What time do you have to be back at OKCA?" Ma asks.
"10."
She nods and just then the doorbell rings. Drew hops up and answers the door before bringing the pizza in.
We all sit around watching a movie and eating pizza. When we're done though I have to leave.
"I'll see you guys later." I say hugging Emilia then everyone else.
"Drive safe mija." Aunt Ali kisses my cheek.
Uncle Drew ruffles my hair and then me and my moms leave.
I follow them home, get my things, and then go say goodbye to them.
"I love you, bye." I hug Momma.
She kisses my forehead and squeezes me tightly," call as soon as you get in."
"Yes ma'am." I say hugging Ma.
"Love you princess."
"Love you too."
I leave out and get in my car. Waving to my moms at the front door I pull off and head back to OKCA.
Walking up the stairs to my room I bump into Jasmine.
"Oh hey, you're back!" She beams hugging me.
I smile and hug her back, my arms around her waist," yeah. I was only gone two days."
"Two days too long. I missed you," she pulls away.
"We'll have to hang out then. Soon."
My tone suggests more than just a causal hang out but she doesn't seem to catch it.
"Definitely. I'd love to hang out with you."
"Yeah," I chuckle hiding the humorlessness," I, uh, I'm gonna head to bed."
"See you around." She smiles.
With a nod I head to my room, shower, and go straight to sleep.