8.

"Bro, don't look now but I think there's someone behind you."

Austin immediately turned around. He had been sitting in the living room FaceTiming with Emerson, the two of them catching up from the past few days before introducing him to the kids. Not that they really had "catching up" to do since Emerson texted Austin constantly throughout the day about every little thing. Austin saw Hayes hanging in the doorway, unsure on whether she was welcomed into the room or not. She had been in the family room after Austin changed the bandage on her knee but then Dakota, Francis, and Glen started playing some violent shooting game and she didn't like the noise.

Austin winked at her and patted the spot next to him, instantly winning a tiny grin from her.

"OMG is that who I think it is?" Emerson's voice went up an octave. He watched her pop up on the screen when she sat down. Austin pulled her into his side and kissed her head. Hayes snuggled close to her eldest brother. She liked the feeling of being loved.

"Did you just say OMG?" Austin raised his eyebrows at the phone.

"Leave me alone, I'm excited. Hi Sunshine!" Emerson waved chaotically. "I'm Emerson. Totally your favorite brother, you just don't know that yet."

Hayes giggled. Austin was right, he was even more energetic than Glen and Francis put together. She hated to break his heart, but Glen would always be her favorite brother even if he did constantly annoy her. Second place was still available though!

"I think she likes me." Emerson stage-whispered to Austin.

"Or she thinks you're crazy." Austin teased.

"He's fucking psycho, Austin," Emerson's roommate yelled from somewhere in the background.

"Screw you Drew!" Emerson yelled back chucking a shoe at the door in an attempt to close it. "Ignore him, he's stupid." He told Hayes, rolling his eyes.

"Don't worry, they're best friends." Austin assured Hayes, who looked amused and slightly concerned at Emerson's behavior.

"Some best friend he is. I'd trade him for a puppy in an instant." Emerson huffed.

Hayes glanced up at Austin, the words on the edge of her lips but not coming out. She'd like a puppy, too.

"Don't even think about it." Austin answered her unspoken question making her pout.  "Baker has a dog that you can play with anytime."

Hmm, she could live with that.

"Oh Chubba, that fat boy. Think Peyton will let me borrow him? I could use an emotional support animal." Emerson chimed in. Hayes didn't know who Peyton was, but she assumed Chubba was the dog. Cute name.

"Dude, you're never home. Who's going to take care of him?" Austin played along.

"Oh, yeah you're right. That sucks balls." Emerson grimaced before his face lit up again. "Hey! You know what's cool?" Emerson paused dramatically, "that she looks just like me. I've always wanted a mini-me. Franny doesn't count because he has short hair. But Hayes has long hair! And she basically has my namesake. Sonny, Sunshine, we're twins! But I'm older so you get to be jr., junior." He had a lot of chaotic energy. Hayes felt like she had whiplash.

"Wait until you see Glen." Austin said.

"Really?"

"Growing tall with blonde hair that rivals yours."

"You do look alike," Hayes agreed with Austin. It rang true for all of them since tallness and blonde lockes ran in the family. Well, excluding Hayes' height. A stranger would easily be able to tell that they were all the siblings. They must look like their father because their mother was a redhead, if Hayes remembered correctly. But if Emerson thought he and Hayes looked alike, he was going to be shook when he sees Glen.

Emerson's jaw dropped at the sound of her voice. It was the first time he's heard her talk since they left. It suddenly made him feel very homesick. "Austin you suck. I could have been there right now but nooooo you wouldn't let me come home. Rude."

"You'll survive. Friday is only a couple days away."

Hayes furrowed her eyebrows. What was happening on Friday?

"I could just skip the game and come home tomorrow." Emerson shrugged.

Austin must have picked up on something in Emerson's voice because he studied Emerson through the phone for a moment. Hayes glanced back and forth between Austin and Emerson, unable to decipher what was taking place but Austin looked serious.

"They aren't going anywhere, Sonny." Austin finally replied. The arm he had wrapped around her tightened slightly as he spoke. "You'll get to meet them after the game and spend all weekend together."

Oh.

That's what he was worried about. Don't worry Sonny, you're not alone in your fear, Hayes thought. But she trusted Austin and if he believed they weren't ever leaving, than so did she.

———

"Sacred Heart Catholic School." Glen read the sign posted on the fence. "This school looks super fancy. Are you sure you want to send us here?" You could hear the hesitancy in his voice.

It was the next morning. Austin, Glen, and Hayes were on their way to their new school to be officially enrolled. Last night Austin informed them that they'd be starting school on Monday.

Though she didn't speak up, Hayes agreed with Glen's thoughts. They did not feel worthy for Austin to be spending money on them and this was a private Catholic school. It just smelled expensive. Their old school was the local public high school and she liked to think that they didn't turn out so bad. A healthy dose of book smarts and street smarts.

She drummed her fingers against the seat, a nervous habit of hers. It was a mixture of nerves - half from being in a car with someone new driving her and half from starting a new school. She didn't get much sleep last night from stressing about today's outing.

"Yeah I'm sure. You two don't need to worry about it. That's my job." Austin removed a hand off the wheel to squeeze Glen's shoulder. "Now, let's get through this then we can get some chicken tenders for lunch. How's that sound?"

"I'm always in the mood for some chicken nuggies." Glen replied.

Hayes saw Austin glance at her through the rear view window and shot him a thumbs up. She felt a spark of happiness run through her when she realized that Austin remembered what Glen had said. She loved chicken tenders.

Austin parked the car. "Time to roll, kids."

------

"Hello Austin, good to see you again. And you two must be the infamous Glen and Hayes whom Colton has been very excited about. It's very nice to meet you both. Welcome to Sacred Heart." A middle-aged man greeted them at the desk. "I'm Dr. Graham, one of the high school guidance counselors."

"Hi." Glen and Hayes shook his hand. He seemed pleasant enough, though Hayes hoped to keep their interactions to a minimum in the future. To her, counselors meant talking and she didn't want talk to anyone.

"I was thinking we can get the scheduling stuff done first and then I'll give you a grand tour of the school. How's that sound?"

"Sounds good, Dr. Graham." Austin answered for the group.

Dr. Graham smiled at them before turning on his heel, waving his hand over his shoulder to follow him. "My office is this way."

Picking classes was about as boring as Glen and Hayes expected it to be. Fortunately, the school offered similar courses to the ones they had been taking so there was no trouble in enrolling except for one tiny hiccup. Every student took PE no matter the grade, so Glen had to give up his music class. He didn't complain aloud, but Hayes could tell he was bummed about it. He loved playing instruments and the only opportunity he ever got to play was now just taken away. Though there was a grand piano at the house, maybe he'd be able to play that.

Dr. Graham printed out their finalized schedules, handing the kids their respective ones. 7:40am to 2:40 pm, consisting of 7 periods plus lunch followed by sports after school. It was a full day.

For the tour, Dr. Graham walked them all around the campus. If Hayes was completely honest, she had still had no idea where anything was. Hopefully Francis would be nice enough to help her out, or she'd probably be late to every class. That thought made her heart race a little. She did not want that attention.

As Dr. Graham led them to one last building, which she had no clue what was in it, she found herself walking side-by-side with Glen. "Three words. Basketball gym." He greeted her.

"That's two words." Hayes dryly pointed out.

"It was so awesome in there!" Glen continued on as if she didn't say anything, "It smelled of greatness. My shoes squeaked with no effort. The court was so shiny, I could see my reflection." Was Glen excited? She couldn't tell. He jumped in front of her, forcing her to stop. "And we get to play on it on Monday!"

"Glen, Hayes," Austin addressed the slow pokes, "let's keep this bus rolling."

Glen slung his arm around Hayes, jostling her a little as they started walking again. "Want to know a secret?"

"No."

"Yes? Okay." He bent his head down towards her ear. "I farted. Teehee." He giggled like a 3 year old. How was this boy 15?

"Ew! Glen I said no, you nasty idiot." Hayes pushed away from him and hurried to catch up with Austin.

They had reached their final destination in the building and Dr. Graham disappeared into a classroom, telling the group to wait in the hallway for a moment. Feeling a wave of tiredness, Hayes lazily leaned against Austin's arm.

"What'cha think so far?" Austin asked the kids. He rubbed Hayes's arm providing her a relaxing sense of comfort.

"It's fine." Glen answered, not really impressed or turned off. The basketball court was obviously a high note but not being able to take music class sucked. "School is school. The only difference is now we have to wear uniforms." Austin was going to take them after lunch to buy the uniforms. Hayes wasn't to thrilled about that part. Apparently the girl's uniform included skorts, which was most definitely not a part of Hayes' attire. She was jealous of Glen who got to at least wear pants. What happened to suffering together?

"Fair enough. Hayes, what are your thoughts?"

She shrugged.

Before Austin could inquire further, the classroom door opened. "Hey! It's my favorite family!"

"Hey Colton!" Glen exclaimed, bounding over to greet him. Hayes obviously knew Colton was the basketball coach but she had kind of forgotten that Colton was also a teacher at the school. This was good, maybe he could help her find her classes if Francis was a meanie.

"What's up Smiley? How's it going?" They bro-hugged. "Hey, Austin. Hi, Sunshine," He winked at the girl. She gave a half-hearted wave in return. She didn't have the energy for anything else.

"We saw the gym," Glen said, "It looks cool. Thanks again for letting us practice with your team."

"Yeah, it is pretty great, huh?" Colton agreed. "Nothing but the best for the best team in the league. So what's on tap next? Did you pick your schedules already?"

"Lunch and then uniform shopping." Austin informed him.

"That wrecks. Glad I don't have to wear uniforms anymore." Colton made a face.

That made Hayes glance at what Colton was wearing. She giggled, quickly covering her mouth and tried to hide behind Austin's arm in hopes of no one noticing. It was a fail.

"What's so funny?" The brothers were amused as Hayes started to blush from their attention.

"Nothing," she denied before adding, "It just kinda looks like you have a uniform." Colton stood before them dressed nicely in slacks and a long sleeved business dress shirt. She tilted her head, unable to decide on whether she liked it or not. He looked handsome. It was very professional of him and not at all like his casual home attire. But it covered his tattoo sleeve which she was intrigued by. But Hayes guessed it was for the best. His students' parents probably wouldn't approve of it.

He struck a pose for them. "I look good, don't I?" He wiggled his eyebrows, making Hayes laugh some more.

"So beautiful." Glen supplied cheekily.

"Wow, that wasn't sarcastic at all. Thanks buddy!" Colton laughed. "Alright, well I have to go rescue Dr.  Graham from my gremlins. They are a force to be reckoned with. Thanks for stopping by." He saluted them. "Peace out fam." Ruffling Glen's hair, he went back into the classroom to save Dr. Graham.

———

In an attempt to salvage the afternoon after a tiring visit to the uniform store, Austin stopped by Walmart on the way home.

Who knew getting Hayes to wear a skort would have been so difficult. But, he didn't blame her for the trouble. It was very evident the young girl was tired.

"Hi, welcome to Walmart." The greeter greeted the three as they walked in. Austin grabbed a shopping cart, leading them along.

Glen and Hayes walked on either side of Austin towards the back of the store. "Seriously, don't be shy. I know you have clothes, but if you need more or want something new," Austin gave each a stern glance. "Let me know, Okay? I'm not just talking about Walmart, either. We can go shopping at the mall or something. Whatever you need. Don't worry about the price."

They nodded but offered up no wanted items.

"Socks, shoes, boxers, briefs, underwear." Austin named off items as they walked. "Glen, you have an advantage because you can just go in any of our closets. But Hayes, baby you're out of luck."

"I'm okay." Hayes muttered. She had more than enough and it's not like she didn't have a uniform to wear everyday of the week now. Plus, all that mattered was that she had all the t-shirts in the world to wear since she had 6 brothers to borrow shirts from. Considering her attire choice when not at school consisted of tshirts and running shorts, she was set.

"No girly products? Special bath soap? Even Emerson has a favorite soap." Well, Emerson was a special case, Hayes thought.

Hayes shook her head no. She was set with all she needed. Deja had made sure to pack a couple months supply worth of pads in her suitcase. She wanted to be sure the girl was prepared and not have to stress over asking her brothers to buy them.

They ended up in the school supply aisle. "Go crazy, guys. Notebooks, pens, pencils. Whatever you need."

"Done." Glen was boring and just grabbed a couple black notebooks and folders.

Hayes, on the other hand, grabbed practically every color of the rainbow. He took note of the multiple green and purple colors. Her favorite colors.

Austin smiled at the sight. It was nice to see the difference in their personalities shine. He knew by watching them these past three days that the two were super close and closed off about their past. Hell, they barely went anywhere in the house without the another. He could only hope that they would grow into their own beings and succeed as an individual. So far, Austin thought the outlook was bright.

"I have an idea," he got their attention. "What's one thing that you guys always wanted but never had. Only rule is that it is sold in this store."

"Seriously?" Glen questioned

"Seriously." Austin nodded. He was amused, watching as Glen and Hayes looked at each other seeming to communicate with their eyes. It was as if they had been waiting for this moment their whole life. Identical smiles formed on their faces as they faced him.

"Nerf guns!"

------

Okay, so in retrospect, perhaps buying two hyperactive kids nerf guns was not the best idea.

"Attack!" Nerf bullets rained through the air at the unsuspecting people walking through the front door. Hayes and Glen had been positioned on the staircase lying in wait for their next victims to walk in.

Austin lasted about an half hour of being hit by bullets before he had enough fun and sent them into the backyard to play. He was on his own without Dakota to help buffer the hits because he just happened to being hanging out with his friends after work today. Lucky him.

When Austin checked on them a little while ago, Glen and Hayes had been playing around with some old lacrosse sticks. Knowing they probably didn't have a lot of exposure to the sport, he was impressed with their skills. Definitely received the familial athletic genes.

Austin also didn't miss the fact that Hayes got her second burst of energy as soon as they got home. If she was anything like her baby years, which the previous nights have proven yes, he figured she'd be knocked out by 9pm at the latest. She never did like staying up late.

"What the fuck is this." Someone exclaimed.

"Shit! Dude, where'd we leave the guns?"

"We weren't even warned. Damn bitches. Take fucking cover!"

Glen and Hayes ceased shooting, watching their victims run out of sight towards the dining room. They high-fived, before creeping down the stairs to see where they went.

"Can we stop saying 'fuck' for longer than 2 seconds, please?" Austin exclaimed from the kitchen. He was in the process of cooking dinner and could hear the ruckus.

"What's with the fucking screaming?" A third voice joined in.

"Unbelievable." Austin muttered under his breathe.

Catching sight of the troublesome babies and their giant nerf guns, Colton barked out a laugh.

"You better run boys!" He teased Francis and Dakota who were frantically digging thru the chest of miscellaneous stuff in the family room. Colton had been nice enough to pick up Dakota on his way home. Dakota wasn't so lucky anymore.

Glen was the first to hop off the stairs and strolled into the dining room following behind Colton. "Hey Cole," he greeted casually, the nerf gun hanging by his side.

"Don't even think about it. I will crush you." Colton wanted no part of the eminent battle. It never ended well with the brothers, because usually Francis threw a fit about getting bullied by everyone. Which, yes the brothers found it fun to team up against the youngest. Glen would soon find this out.

"Hi Colton." Hayes made her appearance with her own nerf gun.

"Y'all are evil." He took cover in the kitchen by Austin. Austin was safe grounds.

Glen and Hayes just smiled. They nodded once to each other to indicate their readiness.

"Attack!" Glen yelled, and bullets when flying. Dakota and Francis didn't stand a chance.

————

The battle only lasted for about 10 minutes before Austin enforced a truce because dinner was ready to be served.

Hayes hesitantly took her seat between Dakota and Francis, a little worried Francis would retaliate against her. He was still muttering about how it was always the quiet ones that did the most damage. Hayes had accidentally shot him in the groin.

"I really am sorry." She whispered to him.

"Don't worry about it, Sissy. I'm tough." Francis winked at her to ease her mind. Yes, it hurt like a bitch in the moment but they all had fun. He saw that his reassurance did nothing if her crossed arms and bouncing uninjured knee was anything to go by. "Seriously, it's fine. Stop it" He grabbed her knee to stop it from moving.

Hayes nodded, accepting his answer. She was then distracted by a plate of food being placed in front of her by Colton.

"Ew." She scrunched her nose at the meal.

"That's not what the cook likes to hear," Colton chuckled at her. He was helping Austin pass out plates.

"Sorry," she instantly apologized. If it wasn't obvious, Hayes did not like vegetables. This was unfortunate for her because dinner was chicken and mixed vegetables.

She systematically ate only the chicken, leaving the veggies behind. Austin wasn't amused.

"Sunshine, stop messing with your food and eat the vegetables." For five minutes now, Austin had watched the girl eat only the pieces of chicken.

She scowled, stabbing a carrot with her fork and dragging it around her plate.

Dakota nudged her with his elbow. "Try it."

"I'm not hungry."

"You asked me for a snack 20 minutes ago." Austin reminded her.

"Yeah but now I ate the chicken."

"Hayes."

"But I don't like veggies." She whined rolling the fork between her fingers.

"How do you know if you haven't even tried it?"

Hayes placed her fork down. "I'm a fruitarian."

"The fuck?" Dakota asked.

"What's a fruitarian?" Francis asked.

Ah yes, thank you Francis. she had been waiting for this moment.

Glen starting coughing. He knew where she was heading. Of course he did, Hayes made him watch the movie with him whenever it would play on cable tv.

Colton patted his back, making sure he was okay.

"Hayes?" Austin was curious to hear what she had to say. Everyone's attention was on her now. It was her time to shine.

"You know, a fruitarian." She shrugged. "I don't eat murdered vegetables."

"Murdered veggies?" Colton echoed her. Her brothers, minus Glen, looked immensely confused which made her want to laugh. Don't do it, Hayes. You'll blow your cover.

"What the fuck does that even mean?" Dakota scrunched his eyebrows at her.

She sighed dramatically, really getting into her role. "it means," she emphasized, "that I only eat fruits and vegetables that fell from the tree." She pointed to her plate. "You see, these poor veggies have been cooked. You killed them." She shook her head in mock sorrow. "So terrible of you. Veggies have feelings too, you know." Mic drop.

It was dead silent. One, because they never heard her say so much before, and two, because what she said sounded like complete bull shit and they couldn't truly tell if she was serious enough.

Her impressive poker face held up for a couple seconds. Then she made the mistake of looking across the table to Glen whose face was so red from holding his laughter in. Her lips twitched. Unable to control it, a giggle escaped her.

"Aw man, that was good." Francis complimented her amidst the groans from the brothers. Glen high-fived her across the table.

Austin shook his head in laughter. His little sister was definitely going to keep him on his toes.

"Very funny, Sunshine. Eat up, please. Now, Smiley," Switching gears, Austin looked at Glen now. "before I forget," Austin pointed his fork at him, "you need to get a haircut before Monday."

"A haircut? Really?" Glen groaned. He has been rocking the golden surfer boy look for as long as he could remember. Growing up, the Bear deemed haircuts unnecessary, as he was rocking the long hair scruffy-look himself hence the kids' nickname, so Glen never bothered with real cuts. Deja trimmed it every now and then for him but that was it.

"Off the ears, off the neck." Francis mockingly recited the school rules.

"You could use one as well there Franny boy." Colton winked at him. "Get those luscious locks under control."

"That would be a no for me," Francis ran a hand through his relatively short hair.

"But why didn't Dr. Graham say anything? This so stupid." Glen crossed his arms slouching in his chair. Since when was Glen so attached to his hair? Hayes just thought he was lazy.

"That's because Francis goes there so we already know the rules."

"Welcome to Catholic school." Colton patted him on the shoulder.

Glen groaned again.

"Do I need a haircut?" Hayes was curious.

"Only if you want one." Austin thought about it. "I don't think a fresh trim would hurt?" Hayes shrugged. She didn't know much about hair styles, also only getting the dead ends trimmed by Deja every couple months. "Think about it. You have a couple days to decide."

"Hello sibs!" the front door opened and multiple footsteps entered the home, ending the topic about hair.

They all turned towards the foyer to see Baker and another man walk in. They were both dressed similarly in tactical pants and a SWAT shirt.

Greetings of "Hey Lindsay" came from all the guys.

"What am I? Chopped liver?" Baker flicked them off.

"Aye, not in front of the child." Hayes' vision suddenly went dark as Dakota covered her eyes from the obscenity.

"I'm not a child." Hayes argued and pushed his hands off. When Austin raised his eyebrows at her, she belatedly realized that her whining today probably did not help her point.

Baker went around, slapping hands with all the brothers in greeting plus a kiss to the head for Glen and Francis. He tried Dakota but that earned him an elbow to the gut.

"Oof, that hurts my soul, little brother." Baker joked. He stopped behind Hayes' chair and squeezed her shoulders. When she tilted her head back to look up at him, he kissed her forehead. "Hello child." He winked at her.

"You guys hungry?" Austin stood up without waiting for a reply. Who was he kidding, they were always hungry.

"Starved, thanks Austin." the man named Lindsay answered, taking an open seat by Colton. "Hey, you must be Glen. I'm Xander Lindsay, best friend and lucky partner of that bastard." He reached across Colton to shake Glen's hand.

Hayes watched Xander Lindsay with cautious wide eyes, unsure if he was friendly or a foe. He reminded her of Stephan Rayon - big and tough, could easily squash you like a bug, but really just a friendly teddy.

As if sensing her thoughts, Baker flicked her forehead to get her attention. "Lindsay, meet Sunshine. Sunshine, Lindsay. Don't worry, he's basically a human squishable underneath those intimidating muscles."

Hayes slouched back in her chair, muttering a small hello.

"You not eating, Hayes?" Baker asked the girl, taking his seat at the end of the table. He noticed her plate was still full of food.

"I finished,"

"She's a fruitarian."

Hayes and Francis answered at the same time. Hayes scowled at the back of his head. She didn't like Francis anymore.

"The fuck is a fruitarian?" Lindsay questioned.

Glen started laughing again and delved into the whole story for their guests.

Hayes remained quiet as conversation continued, shifting on to various topics. She mindlessly pushed the food around her plate, hoping Austin forgot all about the initial topic.

"Hayes," Austin called her name. She looked at him. "Veggies."

Dang.

Note to self: Austin never forgets.