Few Days Later, October 5th. 2015
ANASTASIA'S POV:
Screeching.
A loud, harsh, piercing cry or noise.
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Today was a Monday morning, and after multiple long discussions over the weekend about what we were going to do with the newest threat that my friends and I are now up against. We came up with a solid outline of a plan. Now all that was left was to fill in a few of the small gaps we had. Then, we'd just need to go through with the plan.
It was utterly exhausting work to get done, and we still had plenty more to go, but the work was still going to be there when we got back from school.
So, I started today off like it was any normal day. I woke up, worked out with my friends, got showered, bathed and dressed the little ones after waking them up, dressed myself, and then made everyone in the house breakfast.
After checking the weather for the day, I figured for the twins, Courtney and Dylan, it was time to pull out some of the new warmer clothes I had recently bought them.
Courtney was dressed with a black bow in her hair that had grown to be right below her shoulders, a glittery grey and white stripped sweater, an army green jean skirt, magenta tights that were soft on her baby skin, and brown leather combat boots. For when I had to take her out of the house, I had a heavy mustard yellow, almost brown colored, knit sweater that she would be wearing.
COURTNEY'S OUTFIT IN THE IMAGE ABOVE
Dylan decided he wanted a more simple outfit. He picked out a mustard yellow t-shirt, black jeggings, white running shoes, and an army green colored bomber jacket for whenever we leave the house.
DYLAN'S OUTFIT IN THE IMAGE ABOVE
My outfit on the other hand consisted of a simple black tank top with a light grey sweatshirt thrown on top of my tank top, with a black and white plaid jacket over the sweatshirt. I wore a comfortable pair of black leggings, and white running shoes. I kept the makeup off my face, and placed my hair into a simple messy bun. I look awesome with barely any effort, and I love it.
ANASTASIA'S OUTFIT IN THE IMAGE ABOVE
Once everyone was ready to leave the mansion and get to either school or daycare, we quickly left the house and got into our predesignated cars. I drove with the twins to school with Disney songs blasting on repeat, all three of us screaming the lyrics to our favorite songs the entire way to daycare.
After leaving the twins at daycare, I made my way to the school building where I knew my friends would all be waiting for me.
And looking at the congested traffic in front of me, I knew that today would be a complicated day. It was going to be one of those days, where something would happen. I don't know what could happen, but something was.
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After meeting up with Luke, Wyatt, Max, Layla, Kayla, and Jamie in the school parking lot, we made our way to our lockers, each of us waiting for the others as we all got the books we'd need for our classes.
After a long fifteen minutes of meaningless fun conversations and grabbing what we needed out of our personal lockers, we were on our way to the first class of the day, world history, Matthew's class.
Matthew on the other hand still wasn't back to work, and in return there was still a substitute teacher in his place. Matthew had gotten released from the psych ward yesterday after spending nearly a week working on himself. He still stayed at the facility though.
He was also mandated to have therapy three times a week and couldn't return to work until his therapist cleared him. As long as all goes well, Matthew should be back to work full-time by the end of next week.
Eventually we got to the correct classroom with two minutes to spare. My friends and I all took our seats, with me sighing heavily as my body came into contact with the hard chair below me. I had been on my feet all morning and my body was aching.
As I looked around the classroom, my eyes locked on an unfamiliar figure, the substitute teacher. I looked behind him, and seen his name written in big bold lettering on the whiteboard: Mr. Hall.
Mr. Hall was an older male, probably in his mid-sixty's, and he looked like he wanted to be anywhere but here right now.
"Good morning class." Mr. Hall spoke, "I'm Mr. Hall, and I'll be your substitute teacher until your regular teacher comes back. He's currently on a break, but should be back by next week or the week after. Now we have a lot to go over and not a lot of time to do it, so turn to page two-hundred-eighty-seven in your textbooks, and we'll begin."
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Time Skip- Lunch
I had just finished grabbing my lunch from my locker, after making a phone call to the babysitter. I had called to see how Dylan and Courtney were doing. They were currently having a nap after they had finished eating their lunch about half an hour ago.
I felt better knowing that the twins were napping their day away right now. Their lives were so simple and I bask in the fact that I've helped them keep their childhood normal.
Now, though, after knowing the babies were doing alright, it was time for me to take care of myself. I just needed to get through the day and then I'd be okay. I need to eat lunch, finish the school day, go to some work meetings, and then I'd get to relax at home.
Looking around the lunchroom, I took notice of Nathan, Jackson, and Mason all sitting at the lunch table my best friends were sat at. From afar everyone seemed to be getting along well, but the only way I'd know if that was the truth would be to enter the conversation myself.
I wasn't in great terms with Jackson or Mason, or even Matthew and James. Nathan and I call ourselves friends, with our relationship slowly building. I could hold a civil conversation with Jackson and Mason, though I tended to stay away from them more than I was near them. Matthew and I hadn't talked to since he was checked into a facility, with our only conversation being about how we'd begin to try and rebuild our relationship once he was in a better mental state. James and I, on the other hand were better than we were two years ago, but most of our conversations still end in fights between the two of us.
So with a final deep breath, hoping that I'd be okay to last a whole lunch period with three of my brothers, I walked towards the lunch table.
"Move over." I gave Wyatt a slight nudge with hip, watching as he moved over to give me more room on the bench.
"Hey." Wyatt smiled at me, the bags under his eyes were smaller than they were a few days ago.
The weight on his chest had lessened considerably. Wyatt could sleep easier at night, much like the rest of us. We had a plan of action, though it was more of an outline than an actual plan right now, but nonetheless it was a start-
It was something we didn't have a few days ago, and right now, that was more than enough for us to consider it a win.
"Ana!" Nathan cheered, "I've missed you, we haven't spent a lot of time together lately."
"I know." I sighed sadly, "I've been really busy with work and all."
"You guys hang out, and he's allowed to call you Ana without you getting upset?" Mason asked Nathan and I.
"Yep." Nathan and I replied in unison.
"We've been working on our relationship with each other since a few days after school started." I informed.
"We're friends." Nathan smiled.
"You haven't given us that chance." Jackson replied, his face showing the utter disbelief.
I shrugged my shoulders, "You both generally just push for what you want, and nobody, especially myself has time for that. There's too much going on for me to spend time in a pointless conversation that I know isn't going to go anywhere."
"Can we talk to you after lunch then?" Jackson asked.
"So you can see if we've changed at all?" Mason added on.
I sighed heavily. And if they hadn't changed at all, it would be just another thing on my mind to drag me down.
"Fine." I spoke.
"So what do you guys like to do in your spare time?" Layla, the peacekeeper of the group, asked my brothers, before an awkward silence could fall over the table.
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Our conversation came to an end less than halfway through lunch, when we heard heels clicking on the hard tile flooring.
And then there was a high-pitched voice, that sounded like a dying walrus screeching mixed with nails on a chalkboard, "Why are you sitting with my boyfriend?!"
I ignored the squeaky girl, deciding to talk with Kayla, Layla, and Jamie until the other girl had enough of me ignoring her existence. She went to grab my hair, trying to yank me out of my seat.
Instead of allowing her to grab my hair and yank it, I took a harsh grip of her wrist and spoke in nothing more than a harsh whisper, fully aware of all the eyes on me.
"You do not grab me, you do not touch me without permission. I do not care if your boyfriend is sitting at this table, I'm sitting with my friends and brothers. Now who's your boy toy?"
"N-Nathan?"
"You don't sound to sure, princess." I teased.
"Nathan's my boyfriend." she spoke, "Now give me my hand back."
"You better not try anything." I told her, before shoving her hand back to her body.
Less than five seconds later, I felt her hand in my hair, and I sighed.
Why do all the stupid bitches go after my brothers?
I grabbed her hand, that was currently in a death grip around my hair, "Drop it."
And then I twisted her hand, listening to her whimpers as I forced her into letting my hair go.
I turned around in my seat as she screeched, "Why the hell would you try to break my arm?!"
"Because you started it." I shrugged, rolling my eyes at the dumb girl in front of me.
"Well Nathan's my boyfriend, and you're just a dumb whore. So really you started it." she smiled smugly, at the excuse she had given for her poor behavior.
Though, she still cradled her wrist into her chest as she covered the amount of pain she was in with the smug smile that looked much more like a pain-filled grimace.
"Yeah, and I'm the sister, Nate's twin sister." I crossed my arms over my chest and watched as her smug facial expression quickly morphed into one of fear.
"And if I could just say that I'm not your boyfriend, Brittney. I don't like you." Nathan spoke before he looked towards me, "I don't like her."
I only rose an eyebrow at the girl now known as Brittney, as every person at the table let out loud chuckles, and Brittney's face flushed red from pure embarrassment.
Brittney stormed off, and all of us (Jackson, Mason, Luke, Max, Wyatt, Layla, Jamie, Kayla, Nathan, and myself) all burst out laughing, with our faces turning red and our lungs gasping for air.
Today's been a pretty good day.
Time Skip - Six Days Later - October 8th. 2015
It was almost a week later, and it was time for Matthew's release from the facility he had been staying in for a few weeks. He had been doing much better according to his personal mental health physician.
He was stable enough to come home. He wouldn't be going back to work or doing anything too stressful yet. But he was going to get back into the schedule of being at home first, then hopefully if everything goes according to plan by next week he'll be back to work.
I was waiting in my car, with Courtney and Dylan strapped in their car seats in the backseat. Nathan had texted me two days prior to let me know that the entire family would be happy if I came to meet Matthew for his release.
And I agreed before realizing that every single one of my friends had a busy schedule today. I called the babysitter, but she wasn't able to take care of kids today.
So with nowhere to place the kids besides with myself, I decided that I didn't want to break the promise I made. After all, this isn't a business meeting that can be rescheduled. This is my brother, a brother I do want to have a relationship with at some point.
And Nathan, at the very least deserves to be able to put trust in me and know I'll be there.
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We had been sitting in the car for half of an hour, the twins were playing their baby games on their tablets that Mom and Dad had bought for them before they died. I, on the other hand was answering emails and setting up meetings for the following week on my cell phone.
Fifteen minutes ago, James and the rest of the family had shown up in order to pick up Matthew. I decided on only coming out once I seen Matthew with the family, that way I didn't have to leave the twins alone in the car or have my brothers meet them.
My biological brothers might be able to see the twins from in the car, but at least this way if a screaming match does take part, the twins will be in the safety of my car and away from the possible dangers my brothers could possibly turn into.
My brothers haven't come out yet, but I would assume that's because Matthew was gathering his belongings and being checked out from the facility. Sitting in the car with nothing to do but replying to emails was beginning to bore me.
Luckily though, after a few more minutes of pointless waiting, the doors to the facility opened up once again, and this time James, Jackson, and Mason walked out of the building, followed by Nathan and Matthew.
"You kids stay in the car." I told Courtney and Dylan, as I opened the door of my car.
"Okay, Mom-Ana." Courtney replied, causing me to chuckle slightly.
As of lately the twins had gotten into the pattern of calling me Mom-Ana. I was their mother and sister. Everyone in the house knew that I would never take the place of Alexandria and Miles if I didn't have to, and so when the twins began calling me Mom, I made sure they knew that I wasn't their mom.
I was their sister.
And so the name Mom-Ana became a thing. This let them call me mom, like they wanted to, but it also made them realize that I wasn't their real mom, I was only a substitute mom. I would never be their mom, but as long as I was a quarter of the mother both my mom and Alexandria had been, these kids will be in good hands.
As soon as I shut the car door behind me, all of the Smith brothers attention to me.
"Ana, you made it!" Nathan smiled at me, his arms opening in wait of a hug.
I entered his arms, giving him a tight squeeze before moving out of Nathan's arms and looking towards Matthew.
"Hey, Matthew." I waved towards him.
"Hi Anastasia. That's what you wanted me to call you, right?" Matthew spoke quietly.
"Yeah, Anastasia is fine." I told him, "Are you happy to be going home?"
"You have no idea." Matthew admitted, "I feel a lot better than I did before, but I'm ready to get back to normal."
"I'm glad you're feeling better." I told him, "I can't stay long, but I wanted you to know that I've been thinking about you, and whenever you feel up to it I hope we can make progress on our relationship."
"Me too. Maybe in the next few weeks we could hang out or something?" he asked.
"I'll have to check my schedule." I told him, causing James to scoff.
"Like you have a busy schedule."
"I do." I told James, before turning my attention back on Matthew, "But I'd love to hang out. Just have Nathan text me with the details."
"Alright." both Matthew and Nathan nodded.
"I better be off now though, I just stopped by to say hi and say I'm happy that you're going home."
"I appreciate it." Matthew told me.
"Alright then, bye everyone."
I had made it less than ten feet away when I heard Jackson and Mason call out for me to wait, before footsteps soon followed.
"Yes, Jackson, Mason?"
"We never got to have that conversation with you." Jackson spoke.
"So." Mason continued, "We wanted to invite you to a family dinner in a few weeks."
"Only if you want to, of course."
I stopped for a moment before replying, "Well, that's not what I was expecting, but I'll have to check my schedule. Soon though, yeah?"
"Yeah."
"Yeah."
And then, with every single one of my brother's watching me, I walked away.
This time I held all the cards and they had to wait in order to see what I was going to do.
And the feeling that gave, was like no other feeling I've ever felt.
I was the powerful one.
They were the ones holding their breaths, wondering what was to happen next.
Author's Note -
Here's the nineteenth chapter of "Run-Away Little Sister: Hurting".
We had the bitchy "girlfriend" scene, which I loved writing. Matthew's going home. Ana's trying to form a good relationship with Nathan, and there might even be a family dinner coming soon.
Please, let me know what you all think about this chapter. And make sure you all comment, vote (by clicking the star), and share this story with those who might like it.
Thanks for reading!
-michaelaloveswriting
Original Version Published: January 1st. 2020
Edited Version Published: June 28th. 2022