14.

5:35 am.

Good news, her innate alarm clock was not broken by any means. In fact, it was working a little too well, waking her up 10 minutes earlier than usual for a school day.

Bad news, Hayes only managed a solid 4 and 1/2 hours of sleep so she was feeling a little crabby. At least she was a morning person, so her ray of sunshine personality would kick in any moment now.

As she laid in bed, she could hear Glen starting to teeter around in his bedroom next door. When they were back in Live Oak, Glen used to get up before her and hog the bathroom first. She never minded since that gave her a couple extra moments of peace and quiet. Soon the Bear would arrive home and it was a toss up on what kind of mood he was in after work. Majority of the time, he was the silent type and just let the kids do what they had to do to get ready for school. But those once in a blue moon moments were enough to keep them on their toes.

When one more minute suddenly turned into five, Hayes tossed the comfort to the side and rolled out of bed, letting her feet softly hit the floor before slowly standing up. Besides the two of them, it didn't seem like anyone was up. The bathroom in the hallway was open so she quietly went in to use the toilet and brush her teeth. She briefly glanced at her reflection in the mirror as she free-handed her hair into a loose ponytail using one of the hair ties laying around. Why take the time to brush it now when she'll only have to brush it again after getting changed.

Hayes slowly descended the stairs, stopping on the second to last step when the sound of the front door unlocking hit her ears. Keeping silent, she was basically a ghost in the darkness of the house to the unsuspecting visitor.

The door opened and Austin walked in. She watched him remove his earbuds and wipe his face using the bottom of his T-shirt as he tried to quietly close the door behind him. Colton's bedroom was right across from the front door and Austin did not want to wake him up any earlier than necessary. His brother was up just as late as he was last night.

"You run?" Unable to help herself, she spoke up, revealing her hiding spot.

"Jesus fuck, Mary, and Joseph." Austin startled at her voice. His head swiveled to the staircase to where she was standing. "Shit, I think I just lost 10 years off my life." He rested his hands on top of his head, taking deep breaths to slow his racing heart.

Hayes kept quiet, unsure whether he was mad at her or not for spooking him. If she hadn't been so worried about his reaction, she would have been laughing. She scared him real good.

After a few tense seconds for Hayes, Austin dropped his hands and approached her. Since she was standing on the steps, they were almost at eye level. Almost. "To answer your question, yes, I run every morning." He cocked his head to the side. "Why are you up?"

"School?" she questioned him back, tilting her head in the same direction.

"And you're already up?" She could tell he was impressed by the way his eyebrows rose. "Is Glen up, too?" Hayes nodded. "Wow maybe some of these morning vibes will rub off on Francis." He chuckled to himself, shaking his head. "When pigs fly."

Austin's eyes twinkled in amusement as they stared at each other. Hayes was fascinated by the pretty replica of her blue eyes looking back at her. She was glad they had their dad's genes because their mom had green eyes that only meant trouble.

Then she sneezed.

"Bless you," Austin laughed, poking the little girl in the side.

"Sorry," Hayes mumbled, wiping her nose with the sweatshirt sleeve. She suffered from the morning sneezes. Thankfully it was not seasonal allergies though because living in Florida would have been brutal during the spring.

"No need to apologize," he pushed off the banister to head into the kitchen, his velcro baby following a step behind him.

Hayes was temporarily blinded by the lights Austin turned on in the kitchen, taking a seat at the breakfast nook. To get comfortable, she pulled her legs to her chest and rested her chin on her knees. She sat quietly, not wanting to disturb Austin as he went about his morning routine. First thing he did was wash his hands and rinse his face, using some paper towels to dry off before coming over to her again, this time to kiss her head. "Good morning, my sweet Sunshine."

"Morning," she replied with a soft grin.

Next, he filled a glass with water from the fridge and propped his back against the counter to look at Hayes as he drank. He wasn't use to company so early in the morning, but it was a change he was happy to make.

"How'd you sleep?" Austin asked. How he wished to be young again and look refreshed after a questionable 5 hours of sleep. Instead he relied on coffee for his initial burst of energy in addition to his natural adrenaline rush from running. Speaking of, he reached sideways to press the button to turn on the coffee machine.

"Fine," Hayes' eyes flickered around the kitchen checking her surroundings before landing back on Austin. He had his own grin on his face as he watched her. She was very observant, constantly watching her surroundings.

"Do you always wake up before 6?" He was digging now, curious to see what she'd share with him. Considering none of the brothers besides himself ever voluntarily woke up early, he was surprised Glen and Hayes were up before they needed to. Francis' phone alarm was set for 6am and Francis' second alarm, also known as Austin, went off at 6:15am. Colton emerged when the smell of coffee reached his bedroom and Dakota, well, he didn't really sleep according to a schedule to begin with but Austin had no complaints because he was up and ready by the time the two of them needed to leave the house for work.

When she didn't respond, he chugged the rest of his water before putting the cup in the sink. It wasn't until his back was turned that Hayes decided to throw him a bone.

"We like to be awake before the Bear got home." It was a simple explanation, but a bone for Austin, no less.

His grip tightened on the edge of the sink as his mind filled in what she wasn't saying. He really needed to stop assuming things because assumptions tended to be wrong.

"Can I go?"

Austin blinked, confused. He must have missed what she said. He made sure his face was clear of any lingering thoughts before turning around. "Go where, baby?"

"Running. Can I go running, with you, in the morning? Please." She was picking the never-healing scab on her knee, avoiding eye contact with him. Austin thought it was pretty brave of her to ask him. He knew she was still nervous, afraid of rejection from him. It was a dagger to his heart every time he thought about that. He'd never deny her.

"You like to run?" This little tidbit hadn't been mentioned, only their love for basketball.

"I guess," Hayes lifted a shoulder for a half-shrug, "I never just ran to run but, like," she hesitated, she ran to survive. "At PE, I ran the track when everyone walked, I guess." Which was true. It was one of the two classes she didn't share with Margot so she didn't have anyone to hang out with and walking was very, very boring when you were by yourself. Running, at least, cleared her mind so she didn't have to be alone with her thoughts for an hour.

Nodding his head in acknowledgement, he grabbed a banana from the bunch and placed it down in front of her before running a hand over her messy ponytail. The banana had been her breakfast choice for the past week. "You can absolutely come with me." He gently tugged on the end of her ponytail before taking his own seat, stretching out his legs. He pulled his shirt away from his stomach trying to prevent the stickiness of his sweat from adhering to his shirt.

Loud stomping from above their heads caught their attention along with footsteps running down the stairs. Hayes bit her lip as she thought. If she had to guess, it sounded like Glen pissed off Francis this morning. She would have been more scared if it wasn't for Austin's wink and relaxed posture.

"Good morning, Smiley," Austin greeted the boy, a smiling playing on his lips.

"Hey Austin, Hay Hay," Glen looked a little flustered, taking a seat at the nook. Hayes gave a slight wave as hello.

"Do I want to know what's happening upstairs?" Austin asked, lacing his hands together against his stomach.

"Sorry," Glen grimaced, "I accidently turned on the bedroom light instead of the bathroom light... again."

"Didn't you do that yesterday?" Hayes asked.

"That's why I said again," Glen said, tapping his fingers on the table. "Fran wasn't too happy about it. He won't kill me, right?"

"Nah, he knows the rule." Austin assured him.

"The 'no killing siblings' rule? Oh, great. Perfect. Fabulous" Hayes snickered at her brother's slight panic.

"You're dead meat." She teased, making Austin nudge her foot with his own.

"The 'don't hurt your own siblings' rule." Austin corrected with a chuckle. "Remember that one?"

"Oh," Glen slouched down, "Yeah, I remember." He deserved that.

"Ease up, Smiley. Fran won't even kill a bug." Austin knocked his knuckles on the table before standing up, letting out a groan like he had old man bones. "Now, what do you want for breakfast?"

"Oh, I can get it." Glen said, getting up as well.

"No, sit. What do you want?"

"Fruity pebbles?" Glen replied, unsure.

"Sure thing, Boss. You want some too, Sunshine?" Austin didn't miss her perk up at the request. She nodded shyly and picked up her banana to eat.

"Two bowls of cereal coming up." Austin got to work, pulling out bowls and spoons. Glen felt weird not doing anything so he helped by grabbing the cereal out of the panty.

"So, Smiley, you still feeling nervous about starting school?" Austin asked. The coffee was ready so he grabbed a mug to pour himself a cup.

"Huh?" Glen paused, the spoon halfway to his mouth. He looked at Hayes, confused, until she mouthed 'last night' to him. "Uh, no I'm okay. I'm not really sure what came over me last night. I like school." Glen grinned at the end, hoping he just didn't blow their cover.

"Oh, well good. That's good. What about you, Sunshine? How are you feeling?" Her mouth was full of food, so she settled for a thumbs up.

————

She lied. She should have given Austin a thumbs down. Hayes was doing good until it was time to get ready for school. As she tucked her collared shirt into her skort, there was an influx of unwanted emotions. Her stomach felt like there were a million and one butterflies flying around and the thought of stepping out the front door made her want to cry.

Standing in front of the mirror, staring back at her was a stranger, nowhere near the confident young lady that she wished she could be; The girl that her brothers were trying to coax out of her shell; That Stephen Rayon knew she could be. Shine like the Sunshine you are, he had told her. She frowned. If only it was that easy.

"Hayes, you ready? Colton wants to leave in 5 minutes." Her door was open, not that it would have stopped Glen either way. He strolled right in, only stopping short when he saw the state she was in. "Hay Hay, what's wrong?"

"I can't, I don't..." Hayes was in a state of anxiety that was building into panic. She couldn't organize her thoughts to form a sentence.

Glen didn't say anything as he embraced her in a tight hug. They didn't need words to communicate their thoughts. He could read her like an open book and knew what she was thinking before she even thought it. And right now, she was petrified.

————

"Where are they?" Francis grumbled, still holding on to the bitterness about being woken up early. He was being a sour puss over 20 minutes of sleep, gaining no sympathy from his brothers. Glen went to retrieve Hayes from her bedroom a couple minutes ago but neither had returned.

"Why are you so moody?" Colton questioned, "Give him a break, it's his first day at this school."

Francis rested his head against the front door. "We were suppose to leave two minutes ago."

"You won't die if you don't hang out with your friends for one day."

"Yes, I will." He groaned dramatically.

"Actually," Austin overhead them from the kitchen and came over to where they were waiting in the foyer, "I'll go check on them. They know you have to get to school early." Even though this was only Colton's third year of teaching, he had built quite the fan club. His classroom became the common gathering spot for a lot of students, a mix of current gremlins, past students, and student-athletes. Although the brothers teased him about it, they were proud of the impact he made on the students. The students saw him as their mentor and by giving them a space to go in the morning, it also kept the high school boys out of trouble before school started. Catholic school didn't prevent teenage stupidity.

Plus, as much as Hayes did a decent job at hiding her anxiety about school from her older brothers leading up to that morning, Glen told Austin in confidence that Hayes had separation anxiety when beginning a new routine. For example, starting a new school in a new state knowing no one but your brothers. So yes, he was a little worried.

Austin climbed the steps two at a time, turning left at the top to head to Hayes' room.

"Hey," Glen greeted, his chin resting on top of Hayes' head. He made little progress in calming her down but he wasn't surprised about it. Although Hayes would always seek comfort from Glen, her anxiety was only going to be subdued by one person. And he just walked in the room.

Knowing someone else was there, Hayes clenched Glen's shirt tighter. She didn't want to go.

"Sunshine," Austin murmured, walking up behind her. He placed his hands on her shoulders, rubbing circles with his thumbs.

"Don't make me go," she begged, wrinkling Glen's shirt even more. Dagger. To. The. Heart.

"I thought you wanted to go to school?" Austin said, faking confusion. He was happy to hear her talking to him. It was a good sign, she wasn't totally shut down.

"That was Glen."

"I see," Austin hummed, "so does that mean you don't want to play basketball either?"

"You gotta go to school to be able to practice with the team," Glen reminded her. "School comes first." That's what Stephen would tell Patrick anytime he tried to convince his parents for a day off from school. He also told the kids that whenever they complained about their schoolwork. Needless to say, Patrick had practically perfect attendance and the kids completed their homework before even thinking about shooting hoops. Sergeant Rayon was not to be messed with when it came to education

As her brothers talked, their calm voices soothed the young girl. Hayes' grip began to loosen a little on his T-shirt, enough for Glen to notice so he gently unhooked her fingers the rest of the way, allowing Austin to turn her around by the shoulders and embrace her in his own hug. With Hayes tucked against him, Austin tried to will Glen into sharing where her mind was at.

Twice, Glen opened his mouth before shutting it without saying anything. He scratched his arm then his head. "She's scared you won't be here when we get home." Glen twisted his lips to the side. Hayes was probably going to punch him for sharing that. "We both are." Glen admitted more quietly. The last time they went to school, they came home to an empty house and a whole lot of problems.

Austin never expected he'd be back in this situation again, but life was a constant surprise. It was very similar to the many years ago when Emerson and Francis clung to Austin and Baker. They had just lost their mother and their baby siblings and their dad was across the ocean saving everyone but his family. But the brothers were resilient, they became closer and stronger than ever. Austin took guardianship of his siblings, with Baker by his side and they never looked back. South Carolina was their fresh start.

Glen and Hayes deserved a fresh start.

"I promise you," Austin reached out and squeezed Glen's shoulder, "the both of you, that I will be sitting downstairs right in the kitchen, waiting for you to walk through that front door to tell me all about your day." Austin said with earnest. "Even if you say it was the most boringest day of school you've ever had and have absolutely nothing to share. Then we'll just sit there and stare at each other until dinner time, together. Because we are all coming home tonight. How's that sound?"

Glen nodded. Hayes, on the other hand, was a little tougher to sway.

"And maybe there will be a tiny bowl of ice cream with your names on it to celebrate your first day." Austin added.

"Dessert before dinner?" Hayes asked, confirming what her brother said. She could heard the left-over ice cream cake calling her name.

"Dessert before dinner, Sunshine."

"Dessert after dinner, too?" she tried her luck. Glen snorted while Austin barked out a laugh. His Hayes was back.

"I love you, Sunshine." Austin kissed her head, before looking at Glen. "And I love you, Smiley. Don't ever change, kids."

————

Hayes rubbed one of her eyes as Colton held onto her shoulders, keeping her in place. A couple tears had slipped out when Austin was talking with them upstairs and she didn't want any evidence of her weakness. When Austin succeeded in getting Hayes and Glen downstairs and ready to leave, he passed her to Colton to keep her from fleeing back to her room. Not saying that was her plan or anything, but just in case. Austin carried her backpack into the kitchen to put her lunch in there, Glen following behind him. Austin also wanted to personally check to make sure her phone was there as well. Second zipper, front pocket.

"Here you go," Austin passed Glen his brown bag lunch. "And if you would rather just have lunch money, let me know. Fran claims both daily, no surprise there, so I don't have a preference for what you decide."

"Thanks," Glen muttered, shoving the lunch into his backpack. No one had packed him a real lunch before. Before he chickened out, Glen hugged Austin briefly to display his gratitude.

"You're welcome, Smiley." Austin squeezed his shoulder, adding. "Thanks for your help this morning."

"No problemo," Glen shrugged. He would have done it regardless, just like he'd been doing all his life.

"Let's get you to school, hmm?" Austin slung his arm around Glen's shoulder, the other hand carrying Hayes' backpack, and led him back to the front door.

"Wait!" Dakota came flying down the stairs with his camera in hand, "don't walk outside yet. Fuck." He came to a stop in front of the group. "First day of school pictures. Helloooo." He waved the camera in their faces.

"Come on," Francis groaned. He removed his hand off the doorknob and dropped his head down to his chest. They were so close to leaving.

"I don't need you." Dakota rolled his eyes at Francis. "I need these two." He grabbed Glen's and Hayes' arms, tugging them into the living room for better lighting. "Wait, fuck, yes you too. And Colton." He glanced around. Colton was standing there just a minute ago. "Colton! Come get your fucking picture taken."

"I thought we said you'd work on your cursing." Austin said, strolling behind the kids into the living room. As soon as Dakota let go of them, Hayes migrated to Austin's side. He held up her backpack for her to slip on her shoulders.

"Yeah yeah, don't say fuck." Dakota rolled his eyes again, focusing on setting up the camera. He was using the piano to stand his camera on because he was in too much of a hurry to remember to grab his tripod.

"I'm so glad we can document Hayes in a skort." Glen laughed, ducking out of Hayes' reach before she could punch him.

"Shut up." Hayes glared at him making him smirk back. Her glare couldn't intimidate a baby.

"I want to be in it," Emerson stated, popping his face into the living room. It was hard to sleep when the siblings were shouting at 7 in the morning. So eventually he and Drew gave up and started to get ready for the day.

"No." Dakota responded, just to be difficult.

"Austin," Emerson whined.

"Dakota." Austin had no spare time to deal with their bickering. The clock was ticking and everyone needed to get out the door. School started in less than an hour and rush hour was approaching.

"He's not even wearing a fucking shirt." Dakota pointed out.

"But that's what makes it more authentic." Emerson claimed, finding a spot to stand. He wrapped an arm around Glen's neck, smiling wide.

"I can take the picture so you can be in it." Drew offered from where he was standing off to the side.

"Good idea, thanks Drew!" Austin responded before Dakota could answer. How foolish of Dakota to think he wouldn't be in the family photo.

"Fine." Dakota bit back his snarky remark. "But if you break my camera, I'll break your fucking face." Or maybe he didn't.

"Duly noted," Drew grinned, not afraid of him. Dakota reluctantly handed over the camera before walking over to the group. That camera was worth more than Drew's life.

"At least pretend you like us," Colton teased, not at all offended by Dakota's attitude. Turns out he had put Francis in charge of not letting Hayes escape so he could use the bathroom real quick, now that they were actually leaving. Or so he thought.

"No." Dakota deadpanned as he forced his way to stand besides Hayes and Colton. If he had to be in the picture, then he was going to stand next to his Sunshine. His other siblings were too annoying for him.

"I think you should stand in front." Hayes suggested to him. "Be the star."

"And hide you wearing a skort, hell no." Dakota responded making her pout. She really, really didn't like the skort.

"Hey, no frowning allowed." Austin said, poking the girl in the side. Dakota started poking her on the other side until she couldn't take it no more and laughter bubbled out, awarding the boys with a smile.

"Say Cheese!" Drew was ready with the camera.

"Francis smells!" Emerson and Glen shouted with glee. Close enough.

Drew snapped several beautiful photos of the family before capturing the moment when Francis turned and jumped on to his brothers. It truly showcased the real authentic love between brothers.

————

I am brave.

Hayes leaned her head against the cool window, watching the scenery as the car drove down the road. The sun was in the process of waking up, creating a beautiful sunrise for her to watch. The car held a comfortable silence. Colton had the radio playing on low volume, creating a soothing environment; Francis had his earbuds in, snoozing in the passenger seat; and Glen, similar to Hayes, was watching the trees go by on his side of the car.

The sound of someone's phone ringing broke the silence.

"Who is it?" Colton asked, nudging Francis awake with his hand. His phone was sitting in the cup-holder console as he drove them to school.

"What?" Francis pulled out an earbud. Hearing the phone ring, he held it up to read the caller ID. "It's Baker."

"Answer it." Colton said. Another highly implemented rule the Powers siblings had was to always answer the phone when they called each other. If they happened to miss the call or for some reason couldn't answer in that moment, then they were to call back as soon as they could. Phone calls meant urgency until proven otherwise. Text messages were less emergent.

"Sup Bakey boy,"  Francis answered, "you're on speaker phone."

"Hey Franny boy, Cole, kids." Baker's voice came through. "Are y'all on your way to school?"

"Dakota wanted a photo so we left late. What's up?" Colton responded.

"Nothing. I'm on shift change so I was hoping to catch the kids for their first day of school."

"Hey Baker," Glen said, looking at the phone. Baker just made his whole day by calling.

"My man, Smiley. You have a good day at school. Remember, don't do anything I wouldn't do." Baker chuckled.

"Don't listen to him," Colton glanced at Glen in the rear view mirror. "Baker is not the role model student you're looking for."

"Don't do what I wouldn't do," was Francis' piece of advice.

"Better," Colton conceded, "Just be yourself Glen. You're a good kid."

"I'm a good kid, too." Francis scoffed. Colton slapped him with the back of his hand. It wasn't about him.

"I think you're mistaking me for Austin," Baker chuckled, "He was the bad ass of us siblings." Hayes and Glen didn't believe that for a moment.

"Mother hen Austin, a bad ass?" Francis laughed, "Baker, you're not suppose to lie to us, bro." Hayes giggled into her hand, the image of Austin dressed in a chicken costume that popped into her head was too much to handle.

"What was that?" Baker questioned.

"What was what?" Colton asked, joining in on his fun.

"I could have sworn I heard a giggle from my little sister."

"Hayes doesn't giggle, that's too lady-like. She snorts." Glen teased her.

"Meanie," Hayes slapped Glen's leg.

"True ladies snort." Baker stated, "Don't listen to him, Sunshine. You keep being you." Hayes stuck her tongue out at Glen so he flicked her on the forehead.

"Stop, that hurts," Hayes whined, punching him in the arm.

"I'm not doing anything," Glen replied, punching her back.

"Glennard punched me!" Hayes ratted him out to their brothers.

"Hey." Colton channeled his stern teacher voice. It was enough to separate the kids. Francis turned around in his seat and tsk'd at them in mock disappointment.

"Punch him back, Sunshine." Baker advised from over the phone.

I am strong.

"We're here." Colton announced, pulling into an open teacher's spot. He wasn't even going to bother to deny Baker's words of wisdom. He wanted his sister to be able to stick up for herself, even against her brothers.

"Guess that means I have to hang up." Baker sighed, "Alright my siblings, have a great day at school. Baby kiddos, make sure to beat Cole 1-on-1 at practice for me, alright?"

Glen grinned, "sure thing."

"Love you, fam."

"Love you, B. Later." Colton said.

"Later." Baker hung up.

Car doors slammed around them as people exited their cars. Hayes took a deep breath in, before slowly letting it out. Colton opened the door for her so she could climb out. "Sunshine," He stopped her before she could walk to where Glen and Francis stood. She looked up at him expectantly with her bright blue eyes. "I'm proud of you, babe." Hayes' cheeks reddened from Colton's affection. "And I love you." He tapped her nose before bending down to kiss her head.

"Love you, Cole," Hayes replied. Colton winked at her before turning her around and gently pushing her towards their brothers. Francis and Glen, it appeared were once again best friends as it looked as though they were conspiring about something together. That didn't look good for Hayes, since it probably involved teaming up against her. It continued to amaze her how quick of a transition it was from bickering brothers to best buddies that occurred between all her siblings. Their blood certainly ran thicker than thieves. It was nice to know that they'd always have each other's backs, including her's.

"Fran, you're going to walk them to their first class, right?"

"Yeah," Francis responded, "absolutely I'll walk my little sissy and baby bro to class." Glen elbowed Francis in the gut as he went to pinch his cheeks.

"Thanks," Colton sent him a grateful smile before turning to the two kids standing in front of him. The first bell was going to ring in a couple minutes, otherwise Colton would have just done it himself. But he had to get to his own classroom to let his students in. Hayes played with her backpack straps, keeping her hands occupied so she wouldn't clench them. In an attempt to get her to stop and be more at ease, Glen teased that he'd hold her hand anytime he caught her at school which Francis unfortunately overhead and said he'd hold her other hand. Hayes wasn't so sure Glen was joking and didn't want to find out. "Remember, meet me back at the car after school to get your gym bags. Fran, don't do anything stupid and have fun at baseball practice."

"Yes, Colton," The youngest siblings responded. Francis saluted his big brother and then they were off, walking in the opposite direction of Colton towards the high school buildings.

Hayes' classroom was the first stop for the trio. English, bleh. She didn't mind reading the books, she enjoyed reading. It was the papers that needed to be written, that she disliked.

Francis halted them a little ways away from the classroom, off to the side from the main walkway so they wouldn't get ran into.

"Okay, Sissy, this is where we leave you." Francis wrapped her in a hug, swaying them side-to-side. Her face was squished against his chest.

"Oof," her last breath of air left her when another body joined the hug. She was now sandwiched between her brothers. Hayes had to decide whether to play the 'annoyed little sister' act or just admit she loved it.

She loved it.

The school bell rung for the 5 minute warning, breaking up their hug fest. "Cool, so Sissy, you're gonna kill it. I'll meet you here after class to walk you to the next one. Smiley, let's roll so we're not late. Austin will totally kill me if he gets another phone call for tardiness." Francis clapped his hands together. "And, break."

Glen nodded and faced Hayes, grabbing her by the shoulders. "You gucci, Hay Hay?"

She stared back at him and saw in his eyes that he believed in her. "I'm peachy, G." she nodded affirmative. Whether it was to convince him or herself, she wasn't sure.

"Remember, if someone messes with you, kick em' in the balls." Glen grinned at her.

"Or punch them in the jugular. That one hurts too." Francis added. Hayes shook her head at their goofiness.

"Go away," She pushed their shoulders in an attempt to make them move. She needed them to leave before her burst of confidence left her and she ends up clinging to them instead.

"Okay, love you sis, see you at lunch. Go get em' tiger." Glen punched her arm in the classic Glen tradition and then they were off. She watched as they walked down the hall, away from her to their own classes. It wasn't until Glen playfully shoved Francis to the side, causing him to accidently bump into people and apologize with his pretty-boy smile before he retaliated by pulling Glen into a headlock and messing up his hair, did Hayes know it was going to be okay.

Pulling on her backpack straps, Hayes faced her classroom door. She took a deep breath in and out, watching as her classmates began to shuffle into the classroom, ready for a full day of learning. That's when she knew that she was going to be okay.

I can do this.