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Life was good. I was happy, comfortable, and felt safe, surprisingly. I was living life as it was intended. Doing absolutely nothing. I ate, slept, socialized with the same five people, and that was it.

So boy, was I surprised when Callan invited me to an amusement park, and Damian said yes.

It would be my first time ever going to one. Since I grew up poor, I never really had a chance to go to one. And honestly, I was fine with it. But now that it's happening, I can't help but feel this excited. This really was a new feeling.

I was nervous as I lied on my bed, my stomach queasy and the smile on my face temporarily permanent. We were supposed to be asleep for an early start, but I just couldn't do it.

I could feel the heaviness of my eyelids, and I yawned before turning over. I heard scratching at the door and rolled my eyes.

I walked over to the door and allowed Skippy inside, watching her bounce over to my bed and almost immediately get comfortable right on my spot. It was probably because of the warmth.

I crawled next to her and sighed. My mind returned to the amusement park, and I was excited once again. I was definitely not sleeping tonight.

_____

I woke up feeling refreshed and content. I was giddy when I remembered what today was and I ran over to Callan's room. I opened the door and smiled when I saw he was still sleeping.

"Callan!" I hissed, shaking him violently.

"Wha-?" He slurred, his eyes still closed.

"It's today! The amusement park! We have to wake up early!" I reminded, still shaking him.

He slowly sat up and blinked. "Today? Oh yeah...." He flopped right back down and I couldn't stop myself from just dragging him out.

"What do I bring? Oh I bet Damian is bringing everything we need he's the most responsible I bet he prepared last night. What should I wear? Something warm, or something light? I want to be comfortable but I don't want to be too warm or too cold." I chattered at a very fast speed while Callan was unconsciously being dragged around the house.

"Wow. I've never seen you this excited before. You're acting like Callan." Sam joked. He was sitting at the countertop in the kitchen with a hot cup of coffee, smiling at me.

"Oh, well, I've never been to an amusement park before. Sorry I'm being too hyper." I apologized. Sam laughed and shook his head. "It's nice to see you're having fun."

A relieved laugh left my lips as I heard the door creak open. Damian waltzed in carrying a sealed box and set it on the countertop.

"Guess what we got from Aunt Liz?" He asked, a rare smile catching me off guard.

"More junk?" Sam guessed, though they all shared the same knowing look.

Damian nodded and tore it open. Old and random items were inside, and I was rather confused. "Why did she this to you?" I asked, taking a look inside the box.

"She sends us her old stuff when she gets anything new. We used to need her old stuff, but not anymore." Sam explained, but it still left me puzzled.

"We weren't very well off, financially speaking, of course. Mom was always sick and needed a lot of money for treatment." He explained further. "Aunt Liz doesn't know anything about the... Business, though."

I nodded, and ran my thumb along the old lamp. "Want anything? We usually just give these away to family or friends."

I shook my head and Damian nodded understandingly.

Callan's tired head suddenly lifted and he looked at the clock. His eyes met Damian's and he sat up straight.

"Oh yeah, I forgot to mention this. I invited Zack." He randomly brought up. I instantly noticed the vein bulging on Damian's neck.

Whoever Zack was, Damian did not like him.

"Callan, I thought I told you-"

"And Amara."

Damian looked slightly cooler, but he still wasn't very happy. Neither was Sam, which was a surprise to me. Sam was the calm, nonconfrontational one.

The door opened again, and in came Adrian and Andrew, dressed, and prepared. Both had matching outfits, and backpacks. They looked confused, but silently stared at the rest of us before Adrian finally spoke up.

"Why is no one ready? We agreed to be ready by 8:00."

"It's only 7:00 though...." Sam mumbled, but the two glared at him.

"That doesn't matter! We should get an early start! The early bird gets the worm! Now go get ready! Also, Callan, Zack's here." Andrew ranted before sending Callan an annoyed look.

Callan looked excited as he almost ran out of the room. Damian clicked his tongue, but only watched.

I felt left out again. Watching this family live their life and interact was something I wanted so badly.

"Caspian! This is Zack! My boyfriend!" He introduced, his smile wide and eager as we shook hands. I stared at Zack, surprised Callan was even allowed a boyfriend, seeing as how Damian was quite protective, and seemed unhappy about it.

Zack smiled and shook my hand, and I shared the same look. He seemed nice.

"So, you're coming with us?" Damian interrupted, crossing his arms. I could see sweat form as Zack nodded, clearly anxious.

"Yeah... Is... Is that a problem?" He clarified, but Callan rolled his eyes. "Who cares about what he thinks? Come on I'll put your stuff in the van!" He offered, pulling him away from the rest of the group.

Sam raised his brows and gave Damian a warning look. "Damian, you remember what you said to Callan, right? You said you wouldn't treat him any differently since they got together. Just lay off."

Damian exhaled and nodded. "Yeah, I know. Still, I don't think he should be barging in on a family outing."

I cleared my throat, and I could see him blink slowly. "Oh, I didn't mean anything I'll towards you Caspian. You're like another brother to me. Zack is a brother stealer." He corrected, laughing nervously to himself.

I shook my head and decided to just follow Zack and Callan.

______

We all piled into the van after about 10 argument about who sat where. Cause Adrian and Andrew didn't want to sit in the back, and Damian didn't want Callan and Zack to sit together in the back, and I didn't want to sit in the middle of them. Eventually, Sam took charge of the seating arrangement.

That left Damian in the driver's seat with Zack in the passenger seat, me and Callan sat in the front, Adrian and Andrew in the middle, and Sam in the backseat.

Adrian insisted he played his music on the way there, and even though all his brothers objected, it happened anyways.

I didn't mind it too much, and stared out the window, gazing at passing cars and trees, and merely enjoying the safety I felt.

At times like these, I couldn't help but feel pessimistic. How long would this peace last before something went wrong?

Callan was on his phone, barely paying attention to the thick, awkward atmosphere between Damian and Zack. He was constantly showing me pictures he found funny, but I didn't understand any of them. I fake laughed everytime, but he didn't seem to catch on to my terrible acting.

"Are we there yet?" Andrew asked, plugging his ears as his brother bobbed his head aggressively.

Damian rolled his eyes and ignored him, focusing on the upcoming traffic.

Zack was still nervous, and looked as still as a statue, only occasionally glancing at Callan. But since Callan was on his phone, he would lock eyes with me instead, and the two of us would share an awkward smile.

This isn't what I had in mind when I thought of a fun road trip, but it was still fun. Even the awkward and loud parts.

"Are we close?" Andrew asked once more, desperate now. Damian looked fed up, and I could see the white on his knuckles when he tightly grilled the steering wheel.

"Not. Even. Close." He said through gritted teeth. I noticed Zack's eyes widen and he tried scooting as much as he could, which was barely even an inch.

Sam at this point had grabbed Adrian's phone, in attempt to stop the loud music everyone had been shouting over, and the two were playing tug-of-war over the seat.

"Stop it back there, or I swear I'm turning this van around and dropping you off!" Damian warned, eyes never leaving the road.

"Tell him to stop that horrid sound!" Sam insisted, more disheveled than I had ever seen him.

"It's not horrid! Now let go!" Adrian growled. Callan looked back and gave me a frustrated look.

"Sorry, they're so annoying." He muttered, giving me an apologetic look.

I shook my head, a small smile making it's way on my face. "It's okay." Is all I said.

"Oh my god... We're here! We're finally here!" Damian announced. I could practically see tears in his eyes.

Everyone clammed up and looked out their windows, excited and relieved to see we had finally made it. Adrian even turned off his music.

The van suddenly became silent, and I could feel my heart beating loudly. I wondered if anyone else could hear it, but decided it didn't matter.

I was too excited to even care.