If Devon thought her life couldn't get more fucked up, she was wrong.
"What the fuck are you doing here?" She stops in her tracks in front of her house, staring at the woman she hadn't seen in years. The woman who left her.
Her mother.
"This is your half brother, Anthony," she says, holding out the small bundle in her arms towards her only daughter.
Devon approaches her cautiously, before gently taking the baby into her arms, staring at him in awe.
"How old is he?" She whispers while staring at him. He was sleeping.
"He's almost two months old, and his birthday is the first of January, but he's yours," Devon's head snapped up at those words.
"What are you talking about?" She rushes out harshly.
"My husband and I- we just- we weren't ready like we thought and-"
"When will you be ready? You've had 18 years and this is child number three so please enlighten your daughter on when her mother will be ready to be a fucking parent. Because I cannot raise another kid I am still a fucking child myself and you're dropping my two month old brother on my door step for me to raise," Devon's word were harsh, she was getting heated, her heart was beating like crazy, but she kept her voice even. She didn't want to wake up and probably scare Anthony.
"You just- you're so good at this Devon. You take care of the house and Jared and yourself so well and- and I wish I could but I can't, I just-"
"Leave," Devon couldn't stand it anymore. She couldn't stand the woman in front of her. Wrongfully, she had found herself missing her mother at times. She doesn't miss her mother, she misses having a mother.
"Devon-"
"Leave before I call the police," Devon threatens, and her mother sighs, walking off the porch and to her car, driving away.
Devon waits until the car is gone before she starts crying.
"Oh my fucking god," she whispers before looking down at Anthony. Her baby brother.
"I won't let you down, I can't let you down. I will do everything in my power to raise you as best as possible," Devon whispers as Anthony begins to wake up and she cooes at him:
"Let's go online shopping."
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Devon learned that babies are fucking expensive, and she's definitely going to need to squeeze a few more matches in this weekend to make up for that, so she called her manager and he promised to do what he could.
Devon had found her old car seat in the garage, thankfully still in very good condition, and installed it for Anthony. Her mother had left her a packet with all of his information, such as insurance information and his birth certificate. Anthony was a calm baby, he instantly took a liking to his big sister.
"Oh my god, what am I supposed to do with you during school?" Devon mutters as she looks at the smiling baby boy.
Needless to say, Devon didn't show up at school the next day, or the rest of the week. Taking care of a baby is a lot of work. She can't bring him to school and as important as her education is to her, Anthony is her priority now. She can always get a GED later.
"Do you wanna go to the beach before I have to work? Yeah? Okay, Tony lets go," she says gently before grabbing her things and getting them into the car.
The ride to the beach was short and it was a warm afternoon. The sun was out for once, making it a beautiful Saturday afternoon. Devon figures a walk on the beach and sitting in the sand and sun would be better than being cooped up in the house.
She cuddled the baby in her arms as she walked, making sure he was sat up enough to have a good view of the outside.
"Look, that's the sun, and the sand, and the sea," Devon pointed out the environment excitedly to Tony. The baby smiled and giggled as his big sister held him equally as happy.
"Devon? I've been looking everywhere for you. Why haven't you been in school all week?" Just her luck, Jared and his friends arrived at the beach and spotted her.
"Oh, hi Jared," she responds lightly, rocking the baby gently.
"Whose baby is that?" He asks, pointing at Tony confused.
"Jared, we can talk about this later-"
"No, we can talk about this now. You haven't been in school and you're holding a random baby, what the hell is going on?" He questioned, not giving up.
Devon sighs, knowing the conversation is unavoidable. She knew it was going to happen sooner or later, and right now, she would rather it happen later.
"I'll tell you the basis of it and then I'll explain more tonight if you're home. Mom decided her and her new husband aren't ready to be parents and she dropped this baby on our door step for me to raise. This is our half brother, Anthony. I have to go to work now. Be home tonight around 11 and I'll tell you more," she says before beginning to walk away.
"You're going to work while taking care of a baby?" He asked, shocked and confused.
"Don't underestimate me, Jared."
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Although it was extremely difficult, Devon did manage to take care of Anthony while she waitressed. He laid in his little seat safely. Whoever was on break would help keep an eye on him, and whenever he needed a diaper change or feeding Devon was quick to make it happen before resuming her normal duties. Then when he went to sleep, Devon finished her last few hours for the night before getting ready to leave.
"If you need anything, anything at all, please give me a call," her boss, Grace, begged her. Devon gave her a gentle and tired smile.
"I will,"
Anthony stayed asleep on the ride home, and upon arriving home, Devon gently laid him in his crib before grabbing a baby monitor and going to meet Jared in the kitchen.
"You look exhausted, Dev," Jared says worried as she moves around, beginning to cook up something.
"Are you hungry? Did you do your homework?" She asked him, ignoring his statement.
"No to both," he told her.
"Those were rhetorical questions, get your homework out while I cook," she instructs him.
"Devon, we need to talk about what's going on," he pushes.
"We'll talk after you're fed and your homework is done. You're still a high school student, take responsibility," Devon said sternly. Jared sighed annoyed before doing as told, knowing she wouldn't give up.
Devon helped her brother with his homework while they ate, and when they were done, it was finally time.
"Why does she expect so much out of you? You're 16 goddammit. You got your license a few months ago. What about your education?" Jared says frustrated.
"I'm doing online courses now," she tells him.
"And your jobs?" He questioned her.
"I can manage with Anthony. Her new husband is super rich or some shit so she's started to send money weekly. It helps a lot, admittedly. I'm thankful for it. But I still have to work in order for everyone to live comfortably," she confessed to her older brother.
"Devon, this is ridiculous-"
"You think I don't know that? You think I'm fine with this? Because I'm not, Jared. I'm really fucking not. Ever since I was 8, I've been taking care of you. Making sure you were fed and bathed and happy and as oblivious as I could possibly make you to our shitty parents. I've also had to take care of myself and my school work, and as soon as I was old enough I began working. I'm 16. You just said it. Yet I am raising both my brothers and myself and I don't know what to fucking do! I am trying my best but I need you to start acting like the adult that you legally are and start taking a little more responsibility for yourself to help me out. You're about to graduate. Just do your fucking homework. I will help you I just need you to try. I understand you're busy with your friends and Sam and I'm not going to pry into whatever the hell that is. I understand privacy. I just need you to do the absolute bare minimum, take initiative, please," her voice raised when she spoke to him before softening towards the end, begging her brother.
"I'm sorry, Devon. I've been caught up in my own life and stopped paying attention to you and it's wrong. You shouldn't have to do everything you do. Even when I treated you like shit you still made sure I was okay, my basic needs were met and my homework was done. I really don't deserve you," his voice starts to shake as he speaks, emotions overwhelming him as he thinks about how shitty of a brother he's been, when he quite possibly has the best sister in the entire world.
"What's happened has happened, I don't care anymore don't stress about it. Just help me now. Actually go to bed now because it's super late and you have school tomorrow," she tells him before looking at the time.
"Yes, mom," he teases her, but they both know the truth behind his words.
"You better be in your bed in the morning, I'll have coffee and breakfast ready. Anthony and I have some errands to run tomorrow. He has a doctors appointment and I need to grocery shop," she tells him as they stand up from the table.
"Do you need me to go to that? I can-"
"I already spoke with the clinic about our situation, they're fine with it. You're almost done with school, Jared. Finish it out strong," she reassures her brother before gently pulling him into a hug, missing the comfort of her brothers arms. He was nearly a foot taller than her, and it was made evident whenever they were close to each other.
She pulled away before he pressed a kiss to her forehead.
"Let's go get some sleep."
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Devon woke up at 6am sharp, knowing by now Anthony probably wouldn't be up until 7:30. She just recently put him back to sleep after feeding him again. Babies need to be fed and sleep every few hours when they're this young.
She makes her way to her en-suite bathroom to shower and do her morning routine. Once she's dressed in sweats and a cropped tank top, hair braided, it's 6:30. She grabs a baby monitor before making her way to Jared's room to get him up.
"Morning, Jare. Time to get up," she announces as she makes her way into his room, opening the blinds.
"C'mon, Dev. Five more minutes," he begs.
"You have five minutes to get into the shower or you can walk to school. Anthony and I will drop you off because his appointment is early," she tells him, making him actually listen and get up. She then made her way downstairs and began making pancakes.
Jared was downstairs by 7, eating happily and enjoying his coffee. Devon packed him a very good lunch, and Anthony woke up a little early. Thankfully, Devon had just finished the dishes, but she didn't get time to eat.
She changed and dressed Anthony before grabbing a hoodie and slides, bringing him downstairs.
"Hey, Jare, can you do me a favor and hold him while I pack his diaper bag?" Devon requests slightly out of breath, and Jared is stunned at the request.
"Yeah, yeah, I'll hold him," he gets excited as it'll be his first time holding his baby brother, and Devon gently places the baby in his arms, making sure he supports his head properly. She quickly made his morning bottle before handing it to Jared.
"Only feed him like, half. Then burp him before you continue," she tells him. Jared is smiling as he rocks the baby softly, putting the bottle into his mouth as they stare at each other. Devon smiles at the sight before quickly continuing to pack the diaper bag for the day, making sure her wallet and phone are in there.
"Alright, it's 7:15, we gotta get going so you're at school on time," Devon says to her brother. They make their way into the car, and Devon buckles in Anthony, who's finished feeding and burping thankfully. She handed him a toy to mess with before setting the diaper bag next to his seat. She grabs her phone, wallet, and keys before getting into the drivers seat, Jared settled in the passengers.
"Alright, lets go," she says.
The drive to school was short, and Jared requested he be dropped off where his other friends were with their cars.
"Have a good day, Jare. Do you need me to pick you up after school?" She asked as she stopped the car.
"No, Paul is gonna give me a ride to Sams. We have a meeting thing and then I have some stuff to do. Do you have work today?" He asked her.
"I have a shorter shift today. It'll be in the afternoon," she informs him.
"I'm not sure if I'll be home for dinner yet, but I'll let you know. Call me if you need anything, I love you," he kisses his sisters forehead before getting out of the car. When he grabs his backpack from the back seat, he leans over and gives Anthony a kiss, saying goodbye to him.
Then he was with his friends. Devon drove off, making her way to the hospital for the check up for Anthony.
A/N
Progress with Devon's relationship with Jared bc they really need each other,, and you saw their current situation with their parents who suck. Children should not lose their childhood bc they have to do the parents job. Who does Devon meet in the next chapter 👀👀
Thank you for reading babies 💓 I'll have the next chapter up ASAP.