Hold On

I look at my reflection and sigh as i finish putting my hair into the perfect messy ponytail. Neither mom or dad have asked me about what happened today and I'm hoping they will continue to refrain from asking any questions. The last thing i need is for them to know that i almost blew up a classroom. (Even though it wasn't my fault) And even worse, if mom finds out about Harry, i will never hear the end of it.

My mom thinks that i should have a boyfriend at my age and she never fails to constantly remind me of how single i am. Its weird though, she doesn't bother Kienna about relationships and such. Although thats probably because Kienna brings home a different guy every week. Also, the last time she tried dating someone, my parents absolutely hated the guy and i dont blame them. Marcus was an insanely bad guy. He was big into drugs and sex and he was always getting into trouble.

I blink as a beeping sound echoes through the bathroom before my mothers voice comes up on the speaker system beside the mirror. "Jess can you come help me with dinner please? I want to hear all about your first day!" She enthused and i groaned before pushing the button on the device placed on the wall. "Yeah, I'll be down in 5." I spoke into it. Another beeping sound echoes through the room. "Alright." She replied.

I took another look at my lazy appearence. I had changed into sweatpants and a knitted crop top and was wearing my huge bunny slippers that i got for Christmas when i was in the ninth grade. My hair, although messy, looked decently good and my face was clear and makeup less. I had washed all of my foundation and eye makeup off as soon as i walked in the door, hoping to also wash away the memory of Harry being so close to me and hypnotizing me. That was the strangest feeling.. I've never felt so confused yet weirdly satisfied all at once, and especially not because of a boy.

I sigh as i walk out of my bathroom and into my bedroom where i fall onto my bed. I'm really not looking forward to discussing the events of today with my mom. Hopefully one of my other siblings can distract her.

My laptop, which is situated on the far side of my bed and currently showcasing the netflix home screen, is urging me to just stay in my room and relax. If only i could just ignore my mothers request to help her with dinner and just curl under the covers and escape from reality for a little while. Thats all I'm asking for, but i know that thought will have to be pushed to the side for now. When my mother asks one of us to do something, we better do it before all hell breaks loose. They say therapists are support to remain calm all the time, but not my mother. She's crazy.

It takes a lot of effort to pull myself up and head towards my door. However, the smell of whatever mom was cooking downstairs made it a little easier to forget the comfort of my bed.

I look around as i continue to walk and sigh. Man, this house is huge. The fact that its taken me two minutes to get downstairs really says a lot. You may not think it is, but trust me, two minutes of walking down a hallway and down the stairs is pretty rediculous.

I walk through the foyer and glance at Jackson and Jaime who are watching TV in the living room. They both look exhausted, but thats to be expected since it was their first day back at school and we are all still jet lagged. I wonder how dad made out at work today.

"Hi honney." My mom greets as i step into the kitchen. I smile to the best of my ability as i continue to walk up to her and peak at the ingredients spread out on the counter. Mmmmmm tacos. Mom looks at me as i lean against the marble island in the centre of the room.

She smiles as she stirs the ground beef that found itself in a frying pan on the stove. "So... How was your day?" She asked and i sighed before shrugging. "It was alright." I told her as she handed me a cutting board and a knife. "Tomatoes please." She said before turning around and getting a bag of tomatoes which she placed ontop of the cutting board.

She spoke again as i made my way to a spacious part of the counter and began to cut the red fruits. (I never understood why they were considered fruits.) "Tell me more. I want to know everything." She urged and i winced, not wanting to further explain what exactly this day had in store for me. However, i knew she wasn't going to let it go. She never lets anything go and has always been the person to pry until she gets answers.

"Well," i began as i carefully sliced a tomatoe. "People were nice i guess and the subjects are all interesting. So thats good." I said awkwardly as i tried to avoid getting too far into the story. I looked over my shoulder to see if she was still listening, or too focused on dinner, but to my dismay she was still listening. "Did you make any new friends?" She asked and i smiled to myself. This is a question i actually dont mind answering, since for the first time in a long time i can actually answer positively. "Yes actually. There's this girl named Maddison in my History class and two others named Erica and Carter. We all ate lunch today." I told her and i could sense her smile.

She turned off the stove as i turned around with a bowl full of sliced tomatoes and handed them to her. "That sounds like fun. I'm glad you met some nice people." She said as she took the bowl from my hands. I leaned against the counter and watched her as she grabbed the pan off of the stove and began to pour the beef into a large glass bowl.

"I have to ask you though," she began, making me slightly nervous as i sensed where she was going. "I got a call from your principal today. He said that you set the science room on fire." She said and she looked up at me for a moment. "Why?" She asked and i bit the inside of my cheek. Shit shit shit. I was hoping she wouldn't ask this, but somehow i knew she would. She finds out everything.

"Um," i began as i looked around, stalling until i could think of an excuse. I didnt want to mention Harry. Thats the last thing i needed. "I-" i began to speak but was interrupted by my brother, Ryan, who entered the room at a fast pace.

THANK THE LORD FOR TWIN BROTHERS

"Hey Jess." He said looking in my direction. I smiled and did a slight head nod in his direction before he turned to face Mom. He looked kind of nervous for some reason and i was quite surprised at the fact that he was even standing in the kitchen while Mom was here. He dispises my parents. He thinks that their rules are dumb and pointless and all he ever talks about is moving out. If i had a nickel for everytime that boy said he was going to run away i would be a very rich girl.

Mom looked up from what she was doing and looked shocked to see Ryan standing in front of her. The only time she ever sees Ryan anymore is when he comes downstairs to eat. At this point we were both eager to find out what exactly was important enough for him to come out of his room before dinner.

He took a deep breath as both Mom and I continued to stare at him as if he were some sort of alien. "Can i have a thousand dollars?" He asked and i finally let go of the breath i was holding in. He's just asking for money. Classic Ryan.

Mom put down the now empty pan into the sink and looked up at him. "What for?" She asked Ryan stood up straight and bit his lip, trying to think of the right explanation. Its not like my family doesn't have $1000 to spare, its just we never really give it away for unnecessary reasons. "I um... I wanna join the football team." He whispered to her, trying to hush his voice enough so that i couldn't hear. Unfortunately for him, i heard.

Never did i ever imagine a day when my brother, Ryan Elingston, would want to become involved in the school community for any reason whatsoever. Especially not a sports team. Even though Ryan is one of the most fit people you will ever meet, he's never ever tried playing a sport. Unless you count that time when he was three and he played in a todler soccer league. Other than that, he hasn't tried anything.

My mom stood still, staring at him in disbelief. Not only had he come out of his room, but he is asking to join a sports team. Her mind must be completely blown right now, because mine definitely is. "You want to join your schools football team?" She asked, repeating his statement. Ryan looked nervously towards me, it was obvious that for some reason i have yet to discover, he didn't want me to know about it. "Yeah." He replied and my mom raised an eyebrow at him, probably thinking to herself why on earth Ryan is now suddenly interested in sports. I know exactly what she's thinking.

"Is it because of a girl?" She smirked at him and he rolled his eyes at her although i did notice his cheeks turn a slight shade of pink. Well this is another first. I've never seen him blush before. "No mom. Can i please just have the money? Its for the uniform and athletic fee." He said and she nodded. "Of course you can dear. I'll write you a check later. Can you help your sister set the table please?" She asked and he shrugged. "Sure."

Wait wait wait. Ryan just agreed to help me set the table?

Ryan?

Ryan Elingston?

My brother Ryan?

Well this has been a fucked up day.

I shrug off his weirdly good behaviour and reach for the place mats that sit beside me on the counter. I grab them and throw them to him from across the room, and he misses the catch. "You've got a bit of work to do before tryouts." I teased and he glared at me before picking them up off the ground. What is his problem? He never glares at me. Well he does, but only in a joking way, and i can usually tell when he's joking. But this time, his glare was genuine.

It the two of us approximately five minutes to set the table, and when we had finished, dinner was ready. Mom had called everyone down, and although it took forever for everyone to get there we all ended up in our seats around the table. Everyone except Dad. We all looked at eachother confused as to why Dad wasn't eating dinner with us, but mom didnt seem worried. "He will be here soon, he's just running late." She told us, noticing our expressions. Avery, Jackson, Jaime and Sebastian dug into their food, as Ryan and i shared a look before looking at his empty seat.

"Is this going to become a regular thing? Him being late?" I asked and Mom looked up from her plate before glancing around the table. It looked as though everyone else was eager to hear the answer to my question. "You have to understand that your father is going to be very busy for the next few weeks. People never plan to be late, but sometimes you cant help it when there are things that need to get done at work." She said and we frowned. (All except Ryan of course because he doesn't really care.)

I bit the inside of my cheek as i looked down at my plate, disappointed with her answer, but in a way i guess she's right. "Kienna, phone away please." She told her as she nudged her arm slightly. But Kienna ignored her. "Kie." Sebastian called from across the table, which made her look up from the screen. He didn't say or do anything except give her a stern look, but it was enough to make her roll her eyes and put her phone away.

Sebastian is like a second father in this family. He's the oldest of all of us kids and seems to know how to make people listen around here. Something that my parents have yet to learn how to do. He gets along with everyone in the family although he definitely favours Avery. He'll never admit it, but he does. Everyone does.

We all eat our food in silence for a little while until the noise of the front door opening and closing makes up all turn our heads towards the French doors that lead into the foyer. Through the glass i see my Dad hang up his suit coat on the rack and make his way towards us.

"Sorry im late. Things got absolutely crazy at the studio." He said before giving Jaime a kiss on the top of her head as he walked by. He moved around the table and kissed Mom before taking a seat in his chair and placing a napkin on his lap. He sighed as he sat still in his chair, looking exhausted just like the rest of us. I took a bite out of my taco as Mom started a conversation. "So how was it?" She asked him and he raised his eyebrows as he reached across the table for the bowl of ground beef. He shook his head. "Well I'm not used to things being this busy. I'm also not used to being the boss so it was a really weird experience for me." He admitted and although nobody else at the table seemed to care, i really wanted to know more.

I adjusted myself in my seat so that i was comfortable and spoke up. "What did you have to do?" I asked and he looked at me, almost shocked that someone other than my mother was starting a conversation. He continued to put stuff into his taco shell as he responded. "Everyone is getting ready to have the new boy band come in on Saturday, so we are all prepping the sound systems and cleaning." He said.

I furrowed my eyebrows as Sebastian looked up from his plate. "New boy band? Dont we already have enough shitty wanna-be backstreet boys in this part of the world?" He asked and i laughed a little, causing myself to choke slightly on my watter. Dad laughed as well but mom had something else to say on that topic. "Watch your language." She snapped angrily, but we continued to chuckle. I mean, he isn't wrong.

Dad finished chewing before he replied. "These guys are different. They're not shitty, or wanna-be's. They're the real deal." He spoke, earning a harsh look from my mother at the curse word he just used. Mom usually doesn't mind when we swear, we just aren't allowed to around Avery or when we are at the table. I dont see why not though, I've heard Avery swear a bunch of times, but in Moms eyes she's the only "pure" one left in this family.

"Oh that reminds me," Dad began as he took a sip of water. "I'm going to need an extra set of hands at the studio on Saturday. Any volunteers?" He asked and everyone sunk in their chairs. The last time Dad needed help at work, we all volunteered and got stuck stapling papers and cleaning toilets all day. I dont think any of us are going to be stupid enough to volunteer. I mean there's a slight chance we might get to meet new upcoming superstars... Which Kienna would probably spring for that oportunity. However, she was too distracted by her phone. Jaime isn't into that kind of thing and Avery is still too young to think about boys. To be honest, I'm not really that excited about it since they're probably a bunch of snooty brats who think they run the world and i wouldn't volunteer at all based on last times experience, but nobody else has stepped up to it yet and i feel bad for my Dad... So i guess I'll take one for the team.

"I'll do it." I say after a long silence, earning a smile from both parents. "Great! Thanks Jess, you're a lifesaver." He says and i shrug. "No problem." I tell him and i pick up my delicious taco for another bite.

---------------------------------------------

Dinner ended around 6:30 and since then, I've been upstairs in my room. I left as soon as i finished my last bite in hopes that i could get away before anyone asked me any more questions about how my day went.

I yawn and pause the movie i had been watching for the past hour. Its a documentary about McDonalds called Supersize me. Its really interesting so far, although its getting quite hard to watch it as my eyes seem to be closing every five seconds.

This documentary is the third film I've watched since coming back up to my room and at this point i cant go on any longer. I'm so tired it would be torture to have to keep my eyes opened for another second. That being said, i close my laptop leaving my room completely dark. I sink into my bed and bury myself under my covers and quickly glance at my alarm clock that sits on the table beside me. I sigh. 12:30am. How could i have been so stupid as to stay up this late when i have school tomorrow.

Ugh. School.

Ugh. People.

Ugh. Harry.

Its weird how on my first day meeting him i cant seem to get him out of my head. I hate him so much for making my first day at Sir Mgginly so awful and for being such a rude and manipulating dick. I wish he would just disappear and that i wouldn't have to see his perfect face again. Fuck there i go again.

I manage to close my eyes for a couple minutes before almost falling asleep. My mind seems to take over and i can feel myself slipping farther and farther into a sleep-like serenity. That is however until a beeping sound echoes through my room. Its my phone. Who the hell would message me at this time of night?

I take a deep breath and prop myself up on my elbow before feeling around the covers for my phone. When i finally find it i press the home button, causing the screen to illuminate my room with a painfully bright light. It takes a while for my eyes to adjust, but when they do i am able to read a single notification on my screen, although i really wish i didnt read it.

My eyes widen and my stomach flips in a knot as i become angry, confused and curious all in one. I enter my pass code and look at the message once again as it appears in my current messages list.

Hey sexy, its 12:40am which means that it is officially a new day ;) i look forward to seeing you at school. Wear something hot.
-H xxx

I stare at the message for a good five minutes trying to convince myself that it could be a wrong number situation, but I'm not an idiot. I know who it is. What i dont know however is how the fuck he got my number.

I let my head drop into my cushioned pillow and groan. I am definitely not looking forward to tomorrow. And i am definitely not going to wear something "hot".

Notes

Looks like Jess is a little annoyed ;) hahaha comment subscribe and vote! Xoxoxo