"ello?" I opened the door but no one was there. The cool autumn wind ruffled the orange and red leaves down the sidewalk.

"Hello? Is anyone-"

A big figure popped out infront me, scaring me half to death.

"BOO."

"Ah!" I screamed, kicking him in the groin as a reflex.

"Holy shit, Lia." Winter groaned, bending over. Jesus, I thought he was a murderer.

"What are you, ten? Don't scare me!" I yelled at him, hitting him in the arm. Ugh, I hated when he did that.

"It was too good to pass up. Like old times." Yeah, old times when he'd always hide on me when I got home from school and scare me to death.

"You know you could've just knocked like a normal person." I finally moved out of the way so he could come in.

"Where's the fun in that?"

"Do you know where Owen and Finn are?" Owen went to college in California and Finn went to a boarding school called Lux Academy, which was a couple of miles away from here.

"Owen got an early flight, so he's probably landing soon and I think Finn's almost here," Winter hung up his coat in the closet, "So what's been going on with you?"

"Nothing much. Oh, Stella's hosting a Thanksgiving party today. She invited you." She literally threw the party together yesterday when she found out my brothers were coming home early.

"Who parties on a Sunday? And who hosts a Thanksgiving party?"

"TGI Sunday, bro,"

Winter grinned, "Be honest, you're happy to see me."

"You are my favorite. Don't tell the others." We talked about his college stuff and the new internship he started this semester. He was twenty-three and was getting his degree in criminal justice because he wanted to be a policeman.

A few hours later Finn arrived. One of his friends must've given him a ride.

I picked him up and lifted him off the ground as soon as he walked in, hugging him happily.

"Ah, I haven't seen you in forever!" He was fourteen but I liked to treat him like he was five.

"I missed you so much, Lia!" Finn hugged me back tightly and I had to let him go before he broke my ribs.

"Wow, did you get super strength or something? You almost broke my ribs."

I heard the door open again and turned back around to hug my last brother.

"Yo, everybody! Now the party can begin." Owen said loudly as I pulled away.

I burst out into laughter, he was severely sunburnt. His face was bright red like a cherry and so was the rest of him. But the worst were his ears.

"How's Cali going for you, lobster face?" Winter asked, sitting down at the kitchen table. I went into the cabinets to get some chips and hummus.

"It's warm. Very warm," Owen shivered, "I'm turning the thermostat up."

"Okay," I brought the chips over to Winter and Finn, where they instantly shoved handfulls of chips into their mouths before I even sat down.

"Hey, hey, one at a time, you pigs,"

"What? It's only sixty-eight in here!" Owen complained in the hallway.

"Yeah, that's usually how it is." I sighed. Ugh, tourists.

"Well, I just turned it up to a toasty seventy-five." He came back and sat down, gobbling the whole bowl down. Wow, save it for Thanksgiving, Owen.

"Are you kidding? That's way too hot." Winter objected. Owen shrugged.

"Nah, it's perfect."

I threw a chip at him.

"Where are Mom and Dad?" Finn asked suddenly.

Owen replied with a mouth full of chips, "Yeah, where are the parents? They're gonna have a heart attack when they see me." I'd never seen him so sunburnt, he looked ridiculous.

"They're at work. If you ever visited, you'd know that Mom got a promotion and has longer hours and Dad's office moved so he has to take a different route to work."

"I visit. More than him." Winter jerked his thumb in Owen's direction.

"We should scare them!" Finn said.

Owen nodded, "I second that. They won't be expecting us, either,"

"You guys are so childish. . . Let's do it." When we were little, we'd wait until Mom and Dad came home from work so we could scare them. They hated it but we loved it.

When it was around five thirty, we heard the garage door opening.

"Turn the lights off." Winter said and I quickly shut them off before hiding behind the door.

"Hello?" Mom asked and we waited until they walked into the kitchen. When I heard their feet touch the wooden floor, we all emerged from our hiding places.

"BOO." We all yelled but they didn't scream. They didn't even flinch.

"You didn't scare us, we saw your cars in the driveway," Dad shook his head at our lame attempt at scaring them.

"Ugh, nice going, guys."

"Aren't you all too old for that, anyway?" Mom raised an eyebrow, mostly at Winter.

"Hey, I'm setting an example for Finn. You can never be too old to have fun." He explained.

"Right," Mom hung up her bag in the closet, "Did Lia tell you about the party tonight-?"

"Party?" Owen interjected.

"Yeah, Stella's having a Thanksgiving party. Actually, it's going to start in an hour-"

"I'm in." Owen interrupted again.

"Ouch, middle child syndrome, always seeking attention." Winter teased.

"You don't see me being like that." I said and Owen snorted.

"That's because you're the only girl in the family!"

"Well, it's not my fault you're a boy!"

.•*•.

"Hey, guys!" Stella engulfed each one of my brothers in a friendly hug. Taylor and Nicole were also at the door, in casual dresses. I'd decided to wear a simple black dress and flats.

"Glad you could make it in such short notice,"

"Yeah, Stell, you were really cutting it." I walked in, my brothers behind me. It was pretty crowded but still comfortable.

Stella disappeared to entertain her guests so I hung around with Nicole and Taylor.

"Wow, when did he get to be so handsome?" Taylor asked, smiling. I looked back and almost choked when I saw who she was admiring.

"I thought you had Jesse." Nicole elbowed her.

"What, I can't admire how good-looking he is?" Taylor scoffed. "Is that a crime?"

"Keep your eyes to yourself."

"What do you think, Lia? Do you approve?"

"Of you and Owen? Of course not. He's a complete idiot." I rolled my eyes, I honestly couldn't see my brothers as anything more than complete slobs.

"But he's so handsome."

"Do you not see the sunburn on his face?" I demanded.

"He's still good looking, tomato or not," Taylor set her soda down, "I'm going to go ask him if he wants to dance."

Nicole scoffed, "What is she doing?" That's what I was thinking. My friends had known my brothers since elementary school and never showed any interest.

"What, jealous?" It was meant to be a joke but I heard Nicole's heart beat sped up.

"N-No."

"Do you think my brother is, and I quote, 'still good-looking, tomato or not'?"

"No." She denied again but I saw right through her.

We watched as Owen nodded and Taylor took his cup, probably to refill it.

Winter came over, wrapping an around my shoulder, being annoying.

"Hey, Lia. Stella said you're dating someone, who is that exactly?"

"Wouldn't you like to know." I lifted his arm off of me.

"If you don't tell me, I'm just gonna keep asking people."

"I don't care." It wasn't true.

"Nic?" Winter turned to her but she didn't reply, "Well- hey, Finn, Owen, come over here," Winter waved to Owen, who was dancing with some seniors, and Finn, who was busy eating everything in sight.

"Lia's got a boyfriend."

I growled, "Winter-"

"Who is it? Is it someone here?" Owen asked quickly.

"Look, I'm not-"

"Lia's got a boyfriend!" Finn sing-songed.

"I'm asking everyone here if you don't tell me." Winter wondered off before I could tell him it wasn't true. Owen and Finn quickly followed and I exhaled in exasperation.

"Hey Lia, where'd your brother go?" Taylor asked, punch in hand.

"No idea." I shrugged and she walked away, probably going to search for him.

Not before long, Winter, Owen and Finn came back with John, shoving him around.

"Is it this guy?"

"No." I replied, pouring more punch into my own cup.

"Well, some guy said he saw you with him." Owen argued.

"Doesn't mean we're dating." They all ran back as I drank my punch. I was going to kill Stella. Again.

They came back with Jesse.

"Lia, tell them to let me go, I have no idea what they're doing." Jesse pulled away from my brothers' harsh grasps.

"Not him. That's just disgusting." I made a face.

"Thanks," Jesse said sarcastically, "Do you know where Taylor is?" I shook my head and he glared at my brothers before walking away.

"Then who is it?" Winter asked and I could see how desperate they were to figure it out. Who knew they'd be so curious?

"You'll find out tomorrow." I fudged for an answer. It was kind of funny how desperate they were being. I always said that if none of us got good jobs, we could star in our own reality TV show. We were just the right amount of crazy.

Maybe even crazier.

"I'm going to see what Stella's doing." Nicole said, a hint of anger in her voice. I had no idea what her problem was.

"This party sucks." Owen pouted.

"Of course it does, there's no beer." Owen was twenty but he's a college kid, so of course he'd drink illegally.

"You know there's a lot more to life than beer." Owen pointed out and Finn burst into laughter.

"Says the guy who parties every weekend and hides it from Mom and Dad."

"It's not illegal if no one sees you do it." He shrugged.

"I'm pretty that's not how it works," Winter added.

I slipped away, partly because I really needed to go to the bathroom and partly because I just needed to take a break from them.

I loved them, I really did, and they were family, but sometimes I just wanted to sock them all in the faces.

When I rounded the corner upstairs, the bathroom door was closed.

I leaned my ear against the door, trying to hear who was in there.

"I know you're using me to get to Stella." I knew that voice, it was Taylor's.

"Why would you say that?" I knew that voice, too, it was Jesse's.

"Don't play dumb, I heard it from one of your friends."

I pressed my ear closer but there was pure silence.

Then the door opened quickly and I almost fell over.

Taylor blinked when she was it was me, tears threatening to fall, "Oh, Lia,"

"Are you okay, Tay? Want me to punch someone?" I asked quietly but she just shook her head.

"I'm fine." She moved passed me, running downstairs.

I turned back and glared at Jesse. God, everything he did just made me want to strangle him. I admit, I had violent tendencies, but I also had good intentions.

"What?" Jesse demanded coldly.

"'What' is right." I said just as coldly.