.

.

The soft light dimmed over my head as I kept on reading. My eyes burned from the hour I spent staring at the screen.

"It's a toxic relationship. I can't do this anymore. I'm done." I slammed my phone on the bed and looked at Remi.

"Shh, I haven't finished the chapter yet." She shushed me and stuffed her mouth with chocolate popcorn.

Tuesday night was our time. It was the freest time other than the weekend to binge read Wattpad's stories together. Sometimes we'd read something new, sometimes we would re-read the legendary stories from our predecessors on Wattpad.

"I can kind of understand why she's behaving this way. He was a total douche for the last five chapters." Remi kept scrolling down on her phone and shaking her head. "You don't get this as I do."

I sighed. "That's because you enjoy the drama. You lavish in their pain because you don't feel it. I'm emotionally invested. It ruins me."

Remi laughed and passed me the popcorn. "I'm almost done. Give me a minute."

I put the popcorn away and waited impatiently, cuddling in my soft white blanket. I looked around my room and started thinking I should redecorate while I still have time.

It was still blue and green with some butterflies painted over it. It was fun while it lasted but I was over the "Lara Jean-to all the boys I loved" inspo for months now. My phone was flooded with Pinterest aesthetic photos, and I had ideas to last me a lifetime on ways to decorate my room. Due to me being a great student, my parents were willing to let me spend money on my artistic outburst. There were probably zero people who knew me and didn't know about my obsession with aesthetics.

Remi suddenly got a notification and the moment she saw it was she gave me a smirk.

"Peter posted another sexy selfie again." She inspected the photo, zoomed in and out...

"Yes. I can confirm his spectacular body is not photoshopped. He is indeed all-natural." She zoomed the picture in his shorts. "Aaaall natural.."

"Stop that." I laughed and waved my leg at her to get her to stop zooming in and out on his...

"Ew get your smelly sock out of my face." She screamed and I laughed even more.

"Are you done yet?"

"Okay, I'm done." Remi put her phone down and took a deep breath. "We need boyfriends desperately. This is not good for my sanity."

I waved my hand at her. "Not happening. I need to get out of high school first. I need someone serious and proper. These boys are just..."

"Say no more. I know exactly what you mean. Last month I had to break up with my man because he didn't get the memo he wasn't supposed to date Amber." Remi pushed her curly hair back annoyed. "I had a very emotional time going through that breakup."

"He cheated on you. You had to move on." I confirmed.

"But I was kind of two-timing him with Jay." She sighed. "Maybe I should forgive him."

"You and Jay only shared a few glances at Bio class. Your ex-boyfriend didn't even do that. He pretended like you don't exist."

"Even my imaginary dating and my imaginary boyfriends are douchebags." Remi tapped her chest obviously heartbroken.

"Well, I on the other hand am a notorious heartbreaker. I've broken up with all my crushes after two weeks. Just two weeks."

Remi nodded. "I'm surprised they lasted two weeks. You lose interest so fast I'm sometimes surprised you even like someone."

"I guess I'll just be a career woman."

Remi laughed. "We need to go out more and meet new people. Maybe your br..."

She was about to say something when we heard a noise upstairs. Instant panic befell in the room.

"What was that?" Remi whispered and climbed on the bed with me. "Your parents are at a friend's dinner right?"

"Yes." I nodded.

"Your brothers?" She asked with her eyes hopefully glinting that I would say the answer she wanted to hear.

"Ace is at a senior party, Kai is with his friends and Rehan is well somewhere," I said calmly then we heard the noise again and Remi screamed.

I covered her mouth. "Shh."

"What about your cats?"

"They are right there!" I pointed at our three cats passed out in their cushions.

"Well someone is making noise upstairs and I'm freaking out."

"Do you think it's a thief?" I whispered.

"I'm calling the cops," Remi said and grabbed her phone when we heard the noise again only this time it was someone's voice."

"Francy! Help!" The voice was so faint, but I was sure I heard my name.

"I think it's one of my brothers." I ran up the stairs, Remi right behind me.

"Who is it?" I yelled and that's when I heard it again.

"Francy hurry.!"

I followed the call through the hallway to Ace's room and slammed the door open.

Ace was stuck in the window, his face pale, his shirt hanging upside down and he reeked of alcohol.

"Francy you came!" He grinned and then blaaah all over the floor. Remi covered her mouth in disgust and ran out of the room.

"Can I get a......bleeeeh. ..helping hand?" Ace was still stuck in the window, his head over the vomit.

I closed my eyes to calm down and contain my anger. I took a deep breath... wrong idea. I ran out of the room for some fresh air.

"Ace! Why does your vomit smell like that?" I asked covering my nose with my sleeve.

"You mean like my Mexican dinner?" He replied, still struggling to get through the window. He put his hands on the floor pushing himself forward but his hand slipped and squelch..right in the vomit.

"Ew.ew.ew.ew." I covered my face.

Ace looked at his hand. "I need to chew more properly."

I lifted my sleeve and entered his room ready for whatever was to come. I tiptoed around the vomit and tried to get the window to open.

"It's stuck."

"I know." He said.

"What do you want me to do?" I asked.

"Hurry...Mom and da.. "-burp-" dad can't see me."

I tried pulling him out but it was useless. "It's not working."

"Stand back." Remi showed up at the door armed with my mom's rubber cleaning gloves, her hair barely contained in a bathing hat, the bathroom slippers with her socks still on , and a giant bottle of vaseline.

"Will this work?" I asked.

"One way to find out!" Remi said and I ran out of her way. She slapped on a good dose of vaseline on his back and all over the window part that had trapped him. Grabbing him she pulled and pulled and pulled until he slipped out from the window into the pool of undigested Mexican food.

"Thanks, Remi." He said half asleep half-awake.

"You're welcome," Remi said proudly. "Give me a hand Francy. Let's get him in the shower."

So we dragged him to the shower and as I tried to put him down he slipped on the floor. Remi reacted to catch him and his little vomit hand touched her cheek.

"Ew. Ew. Ew. It's on my face...aaa," She started screaming.

I dropped Ace on the ground and turned on the water. Grabbing the portable shower head I aimed it at her to get off the vomit.

"Ah it's freezing are you trying to kill me!" She yelled and tried to grab the showerhead away from me spraying me all over.

"AaAA IT'S FREEZING," I yelled at her trying to get the showerhead back.

A subtle voice spoke. "I'm dying..."

We both looked down to see Ace laying on the floor in the puddle of cold water unable to get up.

"Hurry," Remi screamed and we quickly changed the water temperature and got him out of the clothes leaving him in his boxers.

After he was vomit free we got him to his room and all was left now was getting him into bed.

"Francy how are we gonna..." Remi pointed at his boxers. "I mean we could.. um.." Her ears were burning red.

"You did well soldier. It's my turn now. Just please bring a mop for the vomit."

"Got it." Remi ran out and I walked over to the desk where my brother's drunk body was laid on. I managed to get him up and I pressed my lips tight. "This is going to hurt you more than it's going to hurt me, brother." I slapped him so hard he came back to it.

"What? Are mom and dad home?"

"Ace you need to change right now before Remi comes back. I can not have you flash that girl again."

"I was seven last time." He complained and then took his boxers off.

"aaa ." I shut my eyes. "I didn't mean you can flash me. My virgin eyes. Argh. I can't believe this."

Then boom. A crashing sound.

I peeked only to see my naked brother passed out on the ground. Remi came back into the room.

"Not again."

Just as I was going to ask why me, I heard the door open.

"Shii...Okay Remi close the door. Make sure mom and dad can't see Ace like that. I'm going to stall."

Remi nodded and I ran downstairs.

"I'm home," Kai yelled from the front door. As I made it down I almost sighed in relief.

"It's you. Thank you to the gods." I said inhaling the breath I had left upstairs.

He calmly observed me head to toe, drenched and decorated with vomit here and there.

"Ace?" He asked.

I nodded. Somehow I was too tired to reply.

"Can you please take over. He is passed out naked on the floor." I pleaded.

"Now why would I?" Kai replied in his usual cool tone. "If he's...."

I sighed. "If you don't do it, Remi will end up doing it!"

His eyebrow flinched. "I'll do it then."

"Thank you." I smiled. "How was your night?"

"The usual. We played some games, went out so Fin can meet some girls and then went to get some food."

"Italian?"

"Mexican."

"Well if you had the same thing Ace had, I hope you digested it better," I said pretty sure I will never eat Mexican food again.

"Are your parents home?" Remi peeked from the stairs and once she saw Kai she sighed in relief.

"Oh, it's Kai. We're saved." Remi smiled and joined us in the living room.

"Hi." Remi smiled at him.

"Hi." Kai went pale in the face and stood frozen in place.

"Hi." She said again, taking off the rubber gloves.

"Hi." He repeated not making a single move.

"Okaaay," Remi said awkwardly and then looked at herself. "Oh, this? Ace! Vomit"

"Aha." Kai nodded and then suddenly rushed upstairs.

"We should change," I told Remi.

"Yeah." She said and then the door opened again.

We both stood incredibly still. Please don't be my parents. Please don't be my parents.

"Hey."

We turned around to see my youngest brother Rehan walking in.

He took one good look at us. "Ace?"

We both nodded.

"Need help?"

"Kai is taking care of it," I replied.

"Well then..." Rehan threw himself on the sofa and took out his phone. "I'm starving. Wanna order something?"

"No thanks," Remi said. "I wanna shower and go home."

"Are you sure? I was in the mood for Mexican."

And just like that our night was done.

An hour later I waited outside with Remi so her father could pick her up. Like deflated balloons, we sat on the sidewalk in silence.

"Hey, Francy," Remi spoke first.

"Mm?"

"Let's hang out at my place next time."

"Agreed," I replied.

"I mean I love you, but your brothers are weird."

"Agreed."

"I can't believe how many girls wanna date Ace. He is just..."

"Agreed."

"How is he even that popular? Can we cancel him?"

"We should."

"Remember that time when he was twelve and gave us cat food convincing us is just regular tuna?"

"Aha.."

"And that one time we caught him ..."

"Ew don't remind me."

"And then Kai is just soo..."

"I know." I nodded. "Apparently he has a cool mysterious aura that despite his cold personality, people find attractive. It's on his Instagram fan page."

"He had a fan page?" She asked. "How can he be popular as well? He can barely get two words of conversation with me."

I glanced at her suspiciously. "Don't you ever wonder why?"

She shrugged. "I don't know girl. They are your wacko brothers."

I stayed silent. It wasn't only my brothers who were wacko.

"And Rehan.." She clicked her tongue over her teeth. "He is a story on its own. I can't figure him out."

"Am I normal?" I asked worried.

"Of course." Remi smiled.

"Maybe I'm adopted," I said.

We burst out in laughter for quite a while.

"Ah good one." Remi tapped my shoulder and then saw her dad pull up in his Volvo.

"Well. See you tomorrow at school."

I waved my hand at Remi and her father and got back inside. That was a good laugh. I made my way back to my room and decided to call it a night.

As I was getting ready for bed I stopped in front of my mirror and took a look at the polaroid picture of my family. Ahh, we took that on our vacation.

Despite the craziness in our family, I loved them all so much. Mom and Dad never got to have children so they fostered Kai first when he was two. His Japanese parents had left him in front of their hospital and while it's assumed they had only left him for some time, no one ever came back for him.

The same year my parents got a surprise since Ace was unexpectedly in need to be fostered. He was three at the time and his parents were not the safest place for him. Kai already had a name but Ace had refused to talk. Since they didn't know his name and what to call him, the people that had brought him to our home suggested my parents name him. Since my dad had kept calling out to him, Hey Ace, it kind of stuck with him.

In that year mom and dad had loved Ace and Kai so much that they adopted them. A year later they adopted Rehan whose parents from Africa had immigrated here and died while crossing borders. My parents work as doctors and helped out the stuck immigrants at the borders at the time. When they saved Rehan from dying they decided to adopt him.

Then I come last. I was never told my adoption story so I believe it is either something traumatic or boring, and I don't remember anything, so I try not to think about it too much. While Ace is the oldest and Rehan the youngest we got along pretty well.Well...as good as we can just like any brothers and sisters. Our childhood was pretty much normal.

Kai would eat mud with me, Rehan would behead my dolls, and Ace being the supporting oldest brother would cut my hair so I could be pretty. There aren't many good stories including a six-year-old with scissors, but my hair evened out eventually.

I, the same as today, had barely changed. While my brothers had an amazing glow up I was still the same. Only with even hair of course.

I would pull the gum out of Kai's hair, stop Rehan from eating his boogers and Ace's naked running phase lasted so long that I had to carry extra clothes in my preschool bag just in case.

But my parents leaned on me. With my crazy brothers, my sweet charming, and calm personality, and a small obsession I was perfect. I have to agree. I never complained (too much) and was a decent girl with decent grades with decent friends.

They were so lucky to have me. I went to bed and hoped the next day at school would be normal like me.