"C?!" Eve squeals at the grades test Zach just handed to her. "Oh my god! I️ knew you could do it!"

"All thanks to you!" He suddenly hugs her, spinning her around, making her giggle. He put her down and they both looked at each other with gleeful smiles on their faces. "Thank you."

"Hey, don't thank me yet. You still have two more tests to pass-"

"A-hem," a voice says behind them, startling the both of them apart. Maddie stands behind them, scowling at them both. "What are you doing?" She asks him.

Zach looks over at Eve. "Meet me in the parking lot after school?" He asks her.

"Yeah, sure," she nods, passing by Maddie who flares at her as she walks off.

Maddie's scoffs and walks up to Zach. "What are you doing with her?" She points behind her in the direction that Eve walked off in. Zach rolls his eyes at her and walks past her. "Zach!" She grabs ahold of his letterman jacket, stopping him.

"What do you care? I'm not your boyfriend anymore," he hissed at her.

Maddie rolls his eyes at him. "Don't be stupid, okay Zach?" she harshly whispers to him. "Of course you're still my boyfriend. I️ just can't be seen with you right now cause. You know how it is," she waves him off. "But..." she softly pushes him against the lockers and runs her hands down his chest, really catching his attention now. "Just two more tests and then we can hang out in my room again like we used to," she smirks at him, leaning up against him. She backs off and waves as she walks away. He sighs and runs a hair through his head before heading off to class himself.

After school, Zach meets with Eve at his car and opens the car door do they could both get in. "Hey..." he speaks up, getting her attention. "Why is it that we have to pick your siblings up everyday at 5?" He asks, looking over at him.

Eve looks at him in confusion before answering. "Um, it's because Mrs. Johnson works a night shift so I️ have to get them by that time or else I️ risk her just leaving them outside," Eve answers him with a slight shrug.

Zach starts the car and backs up. "Well...why don't we just get them now and they can stay with us while we study," he suggests, making her eyes widen. "We have a tv. They could like, watch Sesame Street or...whatever kids are into these days, you know?" He tells her.

"That...that would be awesome," she stammers slightly. "Yeah, we could do that, thank you," she says gratefully.

So they arrived to Mrs. Johnson's early and told her that they would be picking up Eva and Eddie early for the next couple of weeks, which delighted her older neighbor. They drove back to Zach's so they could get right on to studying so he could get ready to pass another test. Eve placed Eddie and Eva on the living room couch while Zach turned on the tv and put PBS Kids.

"Listen to me, do not move from this couch unless you need something. Okay?" She instructs the two of them. "Me and Zach?," he points at herself and Zach. "We're gonna be busy. Do not bother us. Just watch tv." Of course, Eddie understood this perfectly. But Eva had other things in mind.

Because of course, five minutes into tutoring, she runs up to Eve, looking for attention. "Evieee!" She shrieks. "Evieee!"

"Eva!" Eve scolds. "You're supposed to be watching tv. Don't you wanna watch tv? You never watch tv babe," Eve sighs and she hops down from her seat and picks her sister up. "Sorry, Zach. This was exactly what I️ was afraid of," she explains to him. "What do you want baby? I'm busy," she tries to talk to her sister. Eventually, she just settled on working with Eva on her lap. "Four x to the negative two minus eight x to the negative two..."

Another two hours later and they finally got their work done. Eva was messing with a sheet of paper and a colorful pen and Eddie's eyes were glued to the TV. Zach notices this as he pours soda for Eve. "Wow, he hasn't moved since we got here," he hands her a cup. Eva reaches out for a drink and Eve moves the cup out of her way.

"No! You can't handle your sugar," she points at sher sister. "You give her one candy bar and she gets a sugar rush," she tells Zach before looking up at him. "Oh, we don't have a TV," she admits to him.

Zach looks at her, confused. "Wait what? I️ thought everyone had tv?"

"TVs cost money. Money we barely have. And then we have to pay for cable, and it's just not a priority right now," she tells him sadly as she gives Eva water from a water bottle, who was happily drinking it. "Eddie, come drink some water," Eva calls on him.

Eddie rushes into the kitchen. "I️ don't like water," he tells her.

Eve sucks her teeth at him and rolls her eyes. "Stop being silly," she tells him.

"Water doesn't have a taste. It tastes nasty," Eddie stands his guard.

"Eddie, water is good for you. If you don't drink it, you will die. Do you want to die?" Eve asks him. Eddie shakes his head "no". "Then drink the water," she hands him a bottle. He begrudgingly takes it and drinks.

"Where's your mom? Does she work or something?" Zach asks. Maybe that's why her mom couldn't watch her siblings.

Eve shrugs as she presses a kiss on Eddie's forehead. "Good job!" She praises him before letting him return back to the living room. She then turns to face him. "I️ have no idea where my mom is. She could be dead for all I️ care," she rolls her eyes.

"What about your dad?" She heard him ask. She sighs and looks at him.

"Are we here to get to know each other, or study?" She asks him, hand on her hip as she leans against the countertop.

"Why can't we do both?" He shrugs, getting closer.

Eve eyes him up and down before answering. "My dad doesn't have a job, but he spends most of his days drinking till he drops. He ends up in the most unusual places but somehow he always makes his way home," she rolls her eyes. "We good now?" She asks him.

He ignored this. "So you just, watch and feed your siblings all by yourself?" He asks.

"Yes," she says as if it was obvious. "If I️ don't, who will?"

Eve was blessed being born basically a genius cause if she had to struggle to study hard while taking care of basically four kids, she probably would've dropped out of school a long time ago.

"Eve-"

"I️ don't need your pity, okay? Just your money," she says, sitting back down, smirking at him.

Zach looks at her before nodding. "A girl that knows what she wants. I️ like that," he points at her, smiling.

She smiles back before giggling. "Should we get back into it?" She asks him before turning back to their work.

Another hour later, and they finished their homework and studying the new material. Eve sat in the back of Zack's car with Eva sitting on her lap and Eddie sitting beside her. Zach pulls up to her house and gets out of his car, helping Eve her out but opening the door for her. "Thanks quarterback," she says as she carries a sleeping Eva.

She reaches out for her backpack but Zach beats her to it. "I️ got it," he tells her. He reaches out for Eddie to help him out. "Come on little man," he says. Eve smiles in appreciation as Zach walks all three of them to the door. Eve usually has a key but today, she knocked.

"Hey, I'm gonna put Eva to bed. Can you wait right here for a second so I can come back for my bag?" She tells him.

"No problem," Zach shrugs off.

Expecting either Evan or Eric to answer, she was completely surprised to see her father answer the door instead.

"Dad?" She let slip out.

Her dad eyes her before looking behind him to see Zach. "Where you been little girl?" He asks.

Eve scoffs as rolls her eyes as she pushes past him. "Like you care," she sassed, leaving Zach to the mercy of her dad instead.

"Hi," he holds his hand out for him to take, "I'm-"

"You her boyfriend or something?" Her dad cuts him off. "Should've know that bougie little bitch would go for a white boy," he huffs. "Did you knock her up or something? Is that why you're here?"

Zach was caught completely off guard by his questions. "No! No, we're not-"

"You look like you got some money..." he eyes him up and down. "Hey, you think you could spare me $20? Since you're family now-"

"Oh my god! Can you please go somewhere that's not here?" Eve snaps as soon as she returns.

Her dad glares her down. "Watch your tone with me little girl! I'm still your daddy!" He yells at her.

Eve pushes Zach back as she steps out and slams the door in her dad's face. "I️ am so sorry about him," she huffs. "I️ swear, he's usually not here, but it seems like he found his way home for once," she mutters. She picks up her backpack from the ground and nods at him. "See you at school," she tells him before turning around.

"See ya..."

Eve enters back into the house, her dad laying on the couch, watching tv with an Olde English 40 in his hand. "Drunk bastard," she says to herself.

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Thoughts?