56.

Goodbyes are only for those who love with their eyes. Because for those who love with heart and soul there is no such thing as separation.

Rumi

~~~~

"Come on, Sonny. You'll be home in 23 days."

The pout was prominent on Emerson's face as he wrapped his arms around Hayes' tiny frame for the second time. He rested his chin on top of her head as his sad blue eyes found Austin's. "Maybe I should come home now."

"Emerson..."

"I'll just email my professors. They'll understand."

"No..."

"I'll do my classes online. The internet exists for this very reason."

Francis tilted his head, nodding along with his best friend, "I agree."

"I disagree," Austin asserted, his blue eyes revealing his amusement. This happened every single time, Emerson postponing the departure of his siblings to return home or the reverse, postponing his own departure back to college.

Emerson hated goodbyes.

"Fine," The young adult sighed, full of sadness, "See you later, Junior."

"Bye, Sonny," Hayes murmured, rubbing her forehead against his chest in a sign of affection. She only stepped back when Emerson finally released her after an extra squeeze. He moved over to the next person in line, giving Glen a big hug.

His other little mini-me, the boy was quickly gaining height. Won't be mini for long.

"Bye, Smiley." Emerson patted his upper back, taking an extra second to hold him tight. He whispered in his kid brother's ear, "You're stronger than you think and you're not alone. Remember that."

Glen's fingers tightened into a fist, pressed against Emerson's back. He pinched his eyes shut, trying to remain strong like his brother believed he was.

The boy had tried to bounce back after the heart-to-heart, if you could call it that, with Dakota that morning, but he never really felt his normal self.

Glen wasn't so sure his brothers were sold by the act or not, but no one brought it up. He wasn't sure if they even knew what took place while they were out picking up breakfast at IHOP.

Neither did the brothers ask questions as to why Hayes had been a shell of herself, too. When Austin had returned to the hotel room with Emerson, Francis, and hot food, she had silently busied herself with eating the chocolate chocolate chip pancakes before retreating to the empty connected bedroom.

They let her be for a little while, as the brothers made mindless conversation and ate their own pancakes. She only reemerged after Austin went to check on her, fully dressed for the day in another pair of running shorts and this time, her own sweatshirt.

What else but the neon green sweatshirt that Dakota owned a matching pair. Even he couldn't deny the smile that graced his face when he saw her wearing it, the blonde baby doing a little twirl to show off her outfit.

But then Austin redirected her back into the bedroom to add some more warm clothes to her attire. The weather was beautiful compared to yesterday's overcast so Emerson wanted to go walk around campus so he could play tour guide before the siblings had to leave.

In quick fashion, She simply pulled on sweatpants over her shorts before snatching Francis' hoodie he wore that morning for the breakfast run.

Who was complaining now about his overpacking?

It was a good thing he brought two sweatshirts after all.

Her perked up, childlike behavior remained for the rest of the morning, though that probably had to do with all the chocolates that Emerson kept stored away in her backpack.

That teensy part was being kept on the downlow.

But Austin knew. He was just choosing his battles wisely.

Emerson gave one final affectionate smack on the back before letting Glen be free. He went to turn away before stopping. Emerson lightly punched him in the chest. "Hey, call me, alright? I could use your brains for my Greek mythology history class."

Glen rolled his eyes though nodded nonetheless. The little smirk on his face captured his happiness at being requested by his older brother. It felt good to be needed again, something he hadn't been feeling much as Hayes continued to seek out Austin's comfort more often than not.

"Uhh, wait I think we're still banned from phones," Glen remembered, folding his arms across his chest.

Emerson flicked his eyes to Austin before looking at Glen again. "I'm the exception. You can always call me." He nudged the kid's shoulder, making him take a tiny step back to keep his balance. The boy needed to gain some more muscle to keep up with his growth spurt. "You hear me?"

"Yeah," Glen nodded, "Loud and clear, Em."

Satisfied, Emerson grinned and held up his fingers in the vulcan salute. "Live long and prosper, Smiley face."

Leaving his brother looking at him like he was a weirdo, Emerson continued down the line of siblings, fighting Dakota for a quick bro-hug and then Austin with a bear hug. He ended up back at Francis, ready to begin round three of goodbyes.

Francis was feeling just as miserable about the fact that they were leaving Emerson at his college apartment, So he didn't mind the hugs. But before Sonny could get to his little sister again, he was stopped by a firm hand on his shoulder, courtesy of the eldest brother.

They needed to leave at some point.

Austin nodded his head in the direction of the car, silently requesting his younger siblings to hop in the car. As he figured, all but Francis abided, the teen embracing Emerson one last time before the best friends separated for the long 23 days. They slapped high-fives, doing some handshake ritual that the two always did since they were double-trouble adolescences.

The eldest brother knew it was difficult for both of them, just as it will be a challenge for himself when Austin has to drop Franny off at his freshman dorm come August.

Austin instantly shoved those thoughts to the back of his mind again, his gaze settling on Emerson. His right hand planted on Sonny's shoulder, his left hand lightly patted Emerson's cheek. "Thanks for having us visit. I'm proud of you, Em. We all are. Keep up the good work, I know you can do it."

"I know I can, I just don't wanna," Emerson replied smartly with a slight childish whine.

The 21-year-old was sounding just like the 14-year-old.

Austin chuckled, "Just 23 days. It will fly by before you know it. Then you get to be home and veg on the couch and eat all the food in the house."

"Yep... Just 23 days."

Thanksgiving break couldn't come soon enough.

Austin slid his hand from Emerson's cheek to the back of his neck, pulling him closer so he could press a kiss to the side of his head. "23 days. I love you, Sonny boy."

The three teens waved in the windows of the car as Austin drove them away, until they could no longer see their brother standing on the sidewalk, waving back just as endearingly.

Heigh-ho, Heigh-ho

Back to home, they go.

————

Here's an existential question.

Ready for it?

Why is the last 10 minutes of a road-trip always the most chaotic?

10 minutes...

Always.

Everyone had been relatively well-behaved up until that point. When they left Emerson's apartment, the siblings zombified to their own devices.

Glen quickly fell asleep, taking a much needed nap. Francis plugged in his earphones and entertained himself on his phone, similar to Dakota who was occupying the passenger seat up front next to Austin.

The eldest brother focused on his driving for the 2 hour trip, which left Hayes all alone in the back row doing who knows what.

Silence is golden unless kids are involved, then silence is just plain suspicious.

He stole glances in the rearview mirror every so often to check on her, which Dakota smirked at each time, the observant SOB.

Alas, all Austin could decipher was that she was all cozy-looking, tucked behind Francis' chair with her Comfy pulled over her legs in potato fashion, as Dakota declared it.

Hmm. Suspicious.

Hayes T R O U B L E Powers.

Look at that, the little girl had a middle name after all.

If he had to guess though, his sister was probably reading another book. Compared to the drive they made to Florida, this trip was much shorter and didn't make her nauseated.

His little book worm, slowly powering through Colton's bookshelf like no tomorrow. If only she completed her homework in similar fashion rather than procrastinating each night.

Now, some may ask, wouldn't the fourteen-year-old teenage girl be engrossed in her phone like her brothers?

First of all, they very obviously never met Hayes as the girl rarely, if ever, just casually played on her phone.

Second of all, Austin knew for certain that it wasn't her phone, because the girl accidentally, on purpose no doubt, left her phone at their home... 2 hours away from Emerson's college.

Overlooking that tidbit, the eldest brother was honestly quite proud of her, how relaxed she has become with riding in the car. Especially the fact that she didn't even hesitate with climbing into their cars.

He hated to admit it to himself, but Hayes was growing up so fast, especially in such a short amount of time and even with all the minor set-backs.

Austin needed her to slow down now. He wanted to keep the little girl little forever.

Because that's how it worked, right?

Little hands

The world is yours

Hold it close with open arms

Little feet

With miles ahead

Take it slow, see it all, take it in

The peaceful silence, which actually was simply peaceful with no suspicion whatsoever, was broken by who else but Francis.

"Are we almost home?"

"Yep," Austin replied.

Francis took his headphone out of his ear. "What did you say? I gotta take a leak."

"I said yes," Austin palmed the gear shift, his fingers tapping on the metal. "We're 10 minutes away."

"Cool," Francis mumbled, holding his phone up to his ear. It seemed like he was talking to himself at first, but apparently he called someone. He started talking to whoever picked up on the other line.  "Yo, Cole, are you home? ... Can you unlock the front door?"

"Fran, what?" Austin risked a brief glance at the boy over his shoulder.

Francis ignored his eldest brother as he explained to Colton how he had to piss his pants and didn't have the precious seconds to waste by waiting for the garage door to open or the time it took for Austin to turn the car off and hand over the keys so he could open the front door.

This was no joking matter.

Colton must have agreed, as Francis finished the conversation with a dramatic "Thank you, Sir Colton, whom I love as my brother from the same mother. Blood brothers forever..."

Colton hung up on him.

Probably the smart choice.

Francis' knee bounced rapidly, the motion more noticeable now that the car was stopped at the red light at the end of the off-ramp. They have officially arrived back in town.

The teen hummed to himself, "Prince Ali, gotta go pee, gotta  go badly. Shut the door, gotta go more, gotta go pssssssssst."

Dakota had long since turned off his phone a while ago and had been enjoying the silence which was no more. He groaned, mumbling choice words under his breath.

Austin swiftly nudged Dakota's head to the side, cutting off the long stream of cursing.

"Prince Ali had to go pee under a palm tree..."

"Shut the fuck up," Dakota loudly advised.

Francis made a face, sticking his tongue out at the back of his brother's head.

"Dakota," Austin warned, shaking his head. He just needed them to be civilized for several more minutes and then they could disperse to their own corners, where they were less likely to antagonize one another.

A hushed voice traveled through the car, the brothers' ears subconsciously picking up the words without trying.

Hayes spoke to herself, not a single thought of the consequences from her choice of words. She mindlessly flicked to the next page in her book, quietly sighing.  "If I had a dollar for every time Dakota said fuck I'd be a rich woman with so much chocolate."

Dakota snickered, though he hid the proud smirk at the sight of irritation on Austin's face.

Austin glanced up in the rearview mirror, finding his sister with her head tilted downward, not realizing everyone heard her. There was no mistaking the familiar sternness in his voice, it just wasn't often aimed at the girl. "Hayes Powers."

Her eyes widened as she snapped her head up. Her fingers tightened around the pages of the book, her shoulders automatically curled in at his strict tone. "What?"

"Do not what me. One, You do not curse, little lady, unless you want soap in your mouth. And two, I told you no more chocolates. Put it in your backpack or it's mine."

Damn, who pissed in his cheerios?

Hayes' gaze flicked from Austin's frame to her teen brother who turned around in his seat to stare at her.

"Ooooooooh, someone's in trouble," Francis teased.

Hayes' bottom lip curved downward into a frown, her eyes beginning to glisten. "Wha- what?" She stammered, her body shrinking further into her chair. Her fingers automatically closed the book, cuddling it to her chest as if protecting it. She didn't even have chocolate out to be munching on, too engrossed in her book to snack on the yummy nuggets.

Her eyes fell on the Hershey kiss wrappers that were crumpled beside her. She had ate those when they first got in the car for the drive home.

Oops.

The wrappers must have fallen off her lap when she was shifting positions earlier, as her legs had fallen asleep. She did not appreciate the pins and needles sensation.

All hints of laughter evaporated on Francis' face. "I was kidding," he rushed to assure her, "Don't cry, Sissy." His knee restarted the bouncing movement as the threat of potential tears made him anxious.

"You made Hayes cry?" Glen yawned, waking up from his sleep. He rubbed one of his eyes as he lifted his head, looking for his sister in concern. "What'd you do that for?"

"No! Nobody is crying," Francis denied, "you're okay, Sissy. Don't listen to Austin, he's a old man."

"Excuse me?"

"Shush, grandpa," Francis waved his hand, brushing Austin off.

"Francis James."

"Oh, lookie! We're home!" The vehicle barely stopped moving before Francis fled from the car, first one out. The siblings watched as he barged into the house, announcing to the world, "I have to take a leak!"

The teen was gone in an instant, climbing the stairs by skipping two at a time, heading directly into the upstairs hallway bathroom.

Silence filled the car as everyone recovered from the whiplash that was Francis and furthermore the austerity from Austin.

"He's fucking insane," Dakota recovered first, trying to ease the uncomfortableness that was hovering.

"What just happened?" Glen asked, still fighting off the bits of grogginess.

"I have no idea," Austin shook his head before unbuckling his seatbelt. He shuffled around, turning slightly so he could look at his sister over his shoulder. Maybe he did come off harsh, he blamed the long night for the out-of-character behavior, which was a poor excuse, and now he was feeling the regret. He called her name, wanting to make amends, "Sunshine."

"Sorry," She automatically replied, avoiding his gaze as she shoved her book and the empty wrappers back into her backpack. The girl scooted over on the bench, pushing her backpack ahead so she could climb out of the car.

Austin sighed, opening his door and getting out. He turned around and grabbed the handle of the back door, pulling it open for Glen to get out.

He wasn't sure if it was on purpose or not, but Hayes escaped out the opposite door, the one Francis left open. He pressed his lips together, his mind jumping around as he opened the trunk of the car and began taking out everyone's duffle bags.

Austin didn't even bother asking for help, sometimes it was just easier to do it himself.

He listened to the sound of three car doors slamming shut, before he felt the presence of someone behind him. The yawn that accompanied it gave away that it was Glen.

"Come on, Smiley," Austin heard the sluggish pattering of the boy's sneakers following behind him, up the three steps to the front porch, and into the house. "Why don't you go lay back down," he instructed the boy, unloading the bags by the stairs. The siblings could carry them to their rooms later. Austin nodded his head in the direction of the living room, gently pushing Glen on the shoulder to get him moving through the foyer.

Still exhausted even after a two-hour nap, Glen simply let himself be guided right to the couch, collapsing with a tired groan as soon as his shins hit the furniture.

In the background, Austin could hear the flush of the toilet from upstairs, which meant Francis probably didn't bother shutting the door all the way. But alas, with a quick head count, two siblings were accounted for, which meant two were not.

That definitely smelt like T R O U B L E.

————

"You okay?"

"I didn't even curse," Hayes mumbled, clasping the straps of her backpack so the bag lay taut against her back. She was staring at the ground, trying to see if she could see her toes wiggling in her sneakers.

"Yeah, you did," Dakota chuckled, eyeballing his sister as she stood despondent in front of him. "You said fuck." Something akin to pride was heard in his voice.

Her bottom lip puffed out in a frowny face, complete with a sniffle. "But I didn't mean to. I was just copying you." She sniffed again. "You didn't get yelled at."

Dakota rolled his eyes, "Austin yells at me all the time."

Hayes finally glanced up, a few runaway tears visible on her cheeks. "I wasn't even eating chocolates."

"He's not angry, Hayes."  Dakota watched a single tear trail to her chin. His chest tightened when he heard Hayes sniffle again. "He's never angry at you."

But shit, Austin was going to be mad at him if Hayes went inside with tears steamrolling down her face.

The little girl used the too-long sleeve of her sweatshirt to wipe away her tears. Her bottom lip began to wobble before she covered her mouth with her fist.

Dakota sighed, his voice akin to a rough-around-the-edges gentleness, "Sunshine." He waited until he saw her bright blue eyes with the glint of tears. "Austin isn't mad at you, I promise. He just doesn't want you to get sick from eating too much candy."

God damn, he didn't like the sullen Sunshine.

"Will you stop with the crying if you have another piece of chocolate?" He could read the hesitation blatant in the wrinkles on her forehead. "I won't tell Austin. I'm not a fucking snitch."

"Really?" Hayes whispered, weighing her options. Eat or not eat?

Dakota nodded, "Just hurry the fuck up." He rushed her, doing the hand motion to accompany his words of urgency. It would be better for the both of them if Austin didn't happen to catch this act.

Like it was Christmas morning, a wide smile blossomed over the little girl's face. She quickly slipped her hand into the kangaroo pouch of her sweatshirt and pulled out a few pieces, immediately unwrapping a Hershey kiss and popping it in her mouth.

Her brother could only stare at her, completely flabbergasted.

Did he just get played?

By a baby no less?

What the fuck?

"Want one?" Hayes sweetly offered, holding out her palm with two pieces of chocolate.

How considerate of her.

Dakota's eyes narrowed. "Did you just take advantage of my kindness?"

The brother would be lying if he wasn't feeling a bit proud right now.

She didn't even look a smidge sheepish or remorseful, her smile only getting brighter if possible.

"Run."

Hayes began laughing hysterically, shoving the chocolates back into her pocket. She knew Dakota was absolutely serious about his threat, so she took off running into the grassy yard. Nothing like wind sprints to get the heart racing.

"Sorry, Kota!"

"No, you're not!" He shook his head, still in amazement. When he decided she had enough of a head start, he began sprinting after his sister, the two running chaotically in circles around the cul-de-sac.

Let the game of tag commence.

————

"Hey man, welcome back. Dinner should be ready in 30 minutes. I know it's early, but I was getting hungry. I made chicken and rice and the broccoli is in the microwave."

Austin turned around from the doorway, where he had been watching a sketchy deal occur between Dakota and Hayes before the little girl ran off in a fit of laughter.

Although he knew she totally just ate more chocolate, he couldn't help but smile at her contagious joy.

He would much rather be responsible for her radiating happiness than the heart-wrenching frown on her face.

Colton raised his eyebrows at the grin on his brother's face. "What?"

"What?" Austin repeated dumbly.

"That look on your face," Colton pointed at him, swirling his finger in a circle round his face, "What's that?"

"I think... I think Hayes just pulled a fast one on us. I mean, I did reprimand her in the car kinda harshly, but after what I just watched, I don't think she was really upset over it." Austin lifted a hand to the back of his head, scratching his hair, still confused.

"Damn," Colton laughed, "Sunshine is a swindler."

Austin could only shake his head as he kicked his shoes off his feet. He bent down and put the sneakers into the shoe bin before standing up straight. "I think we just saw another glimpse into her teenage years."

"Don't panic," Colton patted him condescendingly on the shoulder, "We already know she has you wrapped around her finger."

Austin rolled his eyes, following his brother through the foyer and towards the kitchen. Or, that's what Austin thought they were going until Colton suddenly stopped and turned back around.

"What?" Austin questioned, his concern starting to spark.

"Can I talk to you about something?"

"Now?"

Colton nodded, hiking his thumb over his shoulder towards the family room. "In there."

"Yeah, sure," Austin agreed. He stepped into the family room, watching as Colton took the time to close the window panel, granting them some privacy for whatever Cole had to share. Austin scanned the room, catching sight of Cole's laptop and a pile of papers sitting on the coffee table. "How was your weekend?"

"It was good," Colton replied, "Got caught up on grading essays which is always something."

"Sure, sure," Austin nodded, helping himself to the la-z boy to get comfortable. Something was making Colton nervous, and much like Hayes, Cole had to build himself up to sharing. "How's your lady friend doing?"

The brother confided everything in Austin, a day-to-day upkeep, much like Francis and Emerson. And if it wasn't Austin, then it was Dakota, with one of the many late night chats in the family room when Kota couldn't sleep.

It was always amusing to Austin to spot how the siblings emulated traits from each other.

"She's fine." Colton's fair skin worked against him as blush covered his cheeks. His hand rubbed the back of his neck. "She came over and worked on her lessons plans."

"Uh huh," Austin said, "sure And that made you want to clean the house?" His nose picked up on the extra-clean, freshly clean smell as soon as he walked in the front door.

Colton rolled his eyes, "There's nothing wrong with a clean house. You're welcome."

"I don't disagree," Austin laughed, "So when do we get to meet her?"

"You already met her."

"No," Austin was having too much fun with this. It wasn't often that Colton got flustered and actually acted his young age of 26. "I met Joe's daughter before. Now, I want to meet Colton's teacher friend, or better yet, your girlfriend."

"Shut up. We're just friends," Colton moaned as he flopped onto the couch and covered his eyes with his hands. "And you know I can't just introduce her to the kids yet. I can't rock the boat too much, especially not with what I'm about to tell you."

That got Austin's attention as Colton turned serious. The eldest brother sat up straight, his feet planted on the ground as he rested his elbows on his thighs. "What's going on, Cole?"

————

"I smell cookies!"

Their little sister's shout of glee interrupted the brothers' thoughts about what Colton just shared with his brother.

Colton glanced at Austin apologetically. "Sorry, Stella wanted to bake cookies for everyone."

Austin sighed, dragging his hands down his face. "Just hide them when Hayes isn't looking."

"Already done."

Smart Cole.

Their gazes landed on the panel barrier as Hayes pushed it open enough so she could squeeze through. Hyper as can be, the girl bounced onto the couch and wrapped her arms around Colton in greeting. "Hi Cole! Did you make chocolate chip cookies?"

Colton returned the embrace, pulling his little sister onto his lap for a proper hug. She looked like a cherub, cheeks flushed and blonde hair wind blown. "Hi Sunshine! I missed you." He gave her head a big smooch.

Hayes giggled manically, on a chaotic sugar high, "Cookies, Colton! Cookies!"

She was relentless.

"There is one cookie with your name on," Colton held up his hand to keep her from interrupting, "And you can have it after dinner."

"Fuck no, are you crazy?" Dakota leaned against the wall. "Don't give her more chocolate. She's already high on enough crack."

"I thought you were running off her energy outside?" Austin said.

"It didn't work."

"Don't be a hater," Hayes accused Kota.

"What am I hating?" Dakota crossed his arms.

"You are a chocolate hater," Hayes declared before addressing Colton. "What's that fancy word when people hate chocolate?"

"Hmm," Cole, the human dictionary, racked his brain. "there is xocolatophobia."

Da fuq?

That was above Dakota's pay grade.

Hayes squinted her eyes. Yeah, she wasn't even going to try to pronounce that. Nonetheless, very enthusiastically, she shouted "Yeah, that!" She looked at Dakota, "That's what you are."

"Whatever, Hayes." Dakota rolled his eyes and pushed off the wall. He glanced between Austin, who was standing up now and stretching his back, to Colton, who was playfully squeezing Sunshine to death in a loving hug. "What were you guys talking about?"

Austin shook his head, his lips in a neutral frown. "Nothing, just catching up." He patted Dakota on the shoulder, "Come on, help me set the table for dinner."

It was perfect timing as he could hear beeping coming from the kitchen. Something was done cooking. Just the thought got Austin's stomach grumbling.

Dakota's questioning gaze lingered on Colton before he finally turned away and followed Austin. His inquisitive mind was going to grill his older brother until he got answers.

Colton exhaled, laughing when he noticed a little bit of chocolate smudge around Hayes' lips. "Saving some for later, Sunshine?"

Hayes was confused until Colton pointed at the corner of his own lip, indicating where the chocolate stain was. "You got a little something right there."

Hayes grinned, her tongue poking out to lick her lips. "I love chocolate."

Cole laughed, "We know."

————

It wasn't until Wednesday when Hayes understood why one second she was happy go-lucky and then the next, she could be crying over the littlest thing.

Like Austin scolding her for trying to eat chocolate chip cookies for breakfast. Apparently, she shouldn't eat any cookies that early in the morning, the brother reminding her about what happened last time.

She didn't forget, clearly remembering when she vomited on the kitchen floor.

But that was absolute bologna and totally a fluke.

What was the point of cookies if you couldn't eat them at all hours of the day?

Austin said it wasn't healthy.

Hayes said pish posh.

Austin said no more cookies for the rest of the week.

Hayes cried again. It wasn't many tears, just a few pesky tears that were more annoying than anything which she angrily wiped away with the back of her hand.

And no, she didn't get to eat cookies for breakfast.

Dumb womanhood.

Besides that, the morning went as well as it could with three teens needing to be fed, dressed, and out the door in a reasonable amount of time. Not to mention the three other brothers who lived in the house who needed to get ready too.

Hayes powered through until lunch time, when her stomach cramps really kicked in.

Why did the cramping have to be so dramatic? What was the benefit of her uterus making her want to die every month? It certainly wasn't encouraging her to have babies.

Hayes was not a happy camper, the discomfort evident on her face when she slouched onto the table bench. She slung her backpack onto her lap and hugged it tightly to her chest. She dropped her head down against the wooden table.

Too late to hope that it was cleaned.

"Class went that well?" Glen's teasing voice traveled to her ears. The boy sat in his normal seat across from his sister.

Hayes groaned in response.

The noise level increased as the rest of their friend group arrived. Food trays and backpacks slammed onto the table, courtesy of the boys.

Johnna was more polite, sliding onto the bench next to her best friend. She flung her arm around Hayes' shoulders, sympathetic. "Are you blood-letting too?"

"Gross, Johnny," her twin, Abe, made as face as he complained. "People are trying to eat here."

"Shut up, Abraham, it's natural. Don't be such an asshole." Johnna snapped back.

"So cranky."

"Dude," Glen shook his head, making a cutting motion against his neck to get him to shut up.

Theo laughed, elbowing Abe. "Haven't you learned by now not to piss off your sister?"

"But where's the fun in that?" Abe joked, wincing when Johnna kicked his shin. "Jeez, cranky and violent."

"Kick him again," Hayes mumbled, her face buried against her backpack now. If her stomach didn't hurt so bad, her face would have been as red as a tomato right now. Sure, her brothers were probably well aware that it was that dreadful time of the month again, but she was definitely not like Johnna, with no shame about talking about it.

Johnna grinned, "My pleasure." Without warning, she nailed Abe in his other shin.

"Okay, shit, I get it," Abraham held up his hands. "When mom asks where I got the bruises from, I'll be sure to tell her it was you."

"You're so annoying," Johnna roughly unzipped her backpack, pulling out her brown bag lunch.

"Right back at you, twin."

"Guys, enough," Theo pacified, refereeing the twins like always. Without him, Abe and Johnna would have killed each other by now.

Glen ignored the chaos between his friends, leaning forward to be closer to Hayes who sat across from him. "You okay, Hayes?"

No, she wanted to go home.

"I have pain meds if you want some," Johnna kindly offered, already digging through her bag for the medicine. "That's what helps me. That, ice cream and a heating pad. Or, if you're feeling really crazy, go exercise! Those natural endorphins, baby. They do wonders."

No, no, no and no.

Johnna was crazy.

"I'm okay," Hayes declined, her whole body twisting when she shook her head. Her answer would never change in regards to medicine. And the idea of going on a run only made her want to vomit.

But what might help, was another sweatshirt to bundle up on top of the sweatshirt she was already wearing, so then she could curl up with her legs pressed against her chest. Just like what she did at home.

Then at night, when she couldn't sleep because the pain wouldn't settle, she'll snuggle with Dakota on the couch and watch an old movie. They had a running list going that they were a little behind on, all things considered, and next up was Fight Club.

Hayes glanced around the cafeteria full of high school students, looking for one particular person, no other than her brother, Francis.

Muttering her classic phrase, "Be right back," Hayes unfolded herself from the lunch table, slid her backpack on to a shoulder and walked away without further explanation. And no, in all the times she had done so, she never once ended up back before the lunch period ends.

Hayes dragged her feet as she traversed the depths of the cafeteria, looking the definition of pitiful. One may question if she even brushed her hair this morning, her ponytail unkempt. But alas, nobody bothered her, the littlest Powers untouchable with her innocent presence.

"Hi Sissy, long time no see," Francis was alerted of his sister's presence by his friend group, whom he swore all liked his little sister more than they liked him. His smile faltered when he saw she looked worse off than she did just several minutes prior in their shared Italian class.

Hayes dropped her head on his shoulder like it was a heavyweight, leaning her body against him when she felt his arm sneak around her waist.

The girl was breaking his heart here. He hated seeing her in pain. "Sissy, what can I do to help? Want me to call Austin?"

Yes.

"No," she whimpered, clutching her stomach. She was a tough cookie, she ain't no wimp.

"Do you wanna..." Francis thought about this for a second, "... Go find Colton and see if he'll give us cash so we can get some chocolate bars from the vending machine?" He asked, his voice perking up with his bright idea. Wasn't like Fran had something to gain with that plan.

He wanted the sour patch kids.

"Okay."

"Yeah?" He confirmed, smiling again when Hayes nodded, though never lifting her head from his shoulder. Francis immediately started gathering his things together, his sister taking a step back to give him space so she wouldn't be elbowed. "Later, losers," He saluted his motely crew of friends, lifting one long leg over the bench and then the other to stand up.

Slinging his arm around Hayes' shoulders, Francis led the way to the double doors, the burst of air conditioning hitting them on the way out. The heavy doors didn't even swing shut before being pushed wide open again.

"Wait for me!"

"Oh hey, Baby Bro," Francis stopped and turned, forcing Hayes to move with him. He happily greeted Smiley, the two brothers doing their 'sup bro' fist bump. "Care to take a stroll around the pond?"

"Where are we going?" Glen completely ignored his brother's horrible English accent and joined in stride, the three taking up the entire sidewalk as they strolled.

"On a bear hunt."

Glen snorted, "but really?"

"Colton's classroom," Francis answered correctly, "on a hunt for chocolate."

Glen leaned his head forward, glancing at Hayes. "You know Austin packed cookies in your lunch, right?"

Hayes, in fact, did not know that bit of information, having not opened her lunch bag. Her eyes lit up in gratitude, displaying the appreciation for her eldest brother that the grimace on her face hidden.

"And I have extra for you, too, that I got when he wasn't looking." Glen added with a proud grin.

"What about me?" Francis asked.

"Depends if Hayes eats them all."

Francis jokingly shoved Glen, the boy stumbling sideways into the grass as he laughed. He quickly caught back up to them though, winking at Hayes when he caught her eye.

"You can have one," Hayes offered, tilting her head backward as she looked at Fran but he wasn't watching her.

Instead, Francis' eyes darted around, blinking away the sudden feeling of hurt that pinged his chest. It happened every now and then, when the idea of being the three musketeers was crushed by the true duo partnership of Scooby Doo and Shaggy.

Or Shrek and Donkey.

Mario and Luigi.

Zack and Cody.

SpongeBob and Patrick.

No! That was solely reserved for him and Emerson.

Welcome to the Glen and Hayes show.

Francis knew it was completely unintentional, so he tried hard not to let the jealously slip. But, like, Glen didn't keep any to share with him?

"One? Just one?"

"Or none," Hayes shrugged, laughter bubbling out when Francis tasered her very ticklish side. "Kidding, Franny!"

Francis glanced down at her short stature, "sure you are."

Something must have gave away his true thoughts because it seemed like Hayes was looking into his soul for a second. He was taken by surprise when she leaned back into his embrace, at risk of being tasered again, and quietly said, "love you, Fran."

Simple as that, the three amigos were back in action.

The siblings must have looked like quite the trio, catching curious stares from other random high school students who were hanging outside for lunch. The teens didn't pay much attention to that as they moseyed on down the sidewalk to the designated building for the elementary students.

The Powers siblings seemed to form an impenetrable bubble from the outside world when they were together. Like nothing else mattered.

"Hey Sissy, pull my finger."

Hayes weakly pushed Francis' hand out of her face. That was an obvious nope.

"Rude." Francis turned to Glen, pointing his index finger at his brother. "Pull my finger."

"Yeah, no."

"Come on," Francis waggled his finger. "You know you want to."

As much as Glen wanted not to do so, the boyish urge was still present. It overrode his mature demeanor.

Smiley lifted his hand and gave a single tug on Francis' finger, already bracing for whatever disgustingly, immaturely, hilarious thing the teen was about to do.

Francis belched in his brother's face, a satisfied smile on his lips afterwards. He lightly pounded his own chest at the sternum. "Ah, that felt good."

Glen waved a hand in front of his face, "fricking disgusting, Fran."

"You're very welcome."

"You're stupid."

"Stupidly drop-dead gorgeous? Thanks, baby bro."

Hayes decidedly piped up before Glen had a smartass comeback, saying in a low voice. "I think that was an 8."

Her brothers blinked, their brains slow to understand, before both breaking out into a good laugh. Sunshine was such a little bro.

Once his laughter died down, Francis whistled happily the rest of the way until they finally reached their destination.

Glen pulled the heavy door open, letting them escape the winter coldness of the great outdoors. He briskly rubbed his hands, bringing them up to his face to blow hot air on as he hurried to rejoin his siblings. He popped up on Hayes' right side, throwing an arm around her shoulder and squishing her between himself and Francis.

Sissy sandwich for the win.

If Glen was cold, then Hayes definitely needed some more body heat to warm her back up.

Finding Colton's classroom took no time at all, especially with Francis leading the pack as he was the only one who had a clue where the heck he was going.

It was tough being directionally challenged.

Francis pressed his ear against the classroom door that was still decked out in a sports theme, though most of the neighboring classes had long since abandoned the upkeep of their decorations, choosing to wait until after thanksgiving to start again for the Christmas door competition.

What a bunch of Lameos.

No wonder Colton was a popular teacher of request.

He was cool.

Francis listened in for any sounds of gremlins in the form of children, but Colton's classroom was quiet.

Too quiet.

Suspicious radar.

So Fran went ahead and knocked several times on the door, which turned into a continuous knocking beat, sort of, with Glen pretending to beat box beside him. There was no rhythm to any of it.

Luckily before a teacher could stick their head into the hallway and give the well-versed disappointed sigh, "boys," Colton rescued them.

Francis and Glen smirked at each other when the door creaked open.

"I should have known trouble was coming," Colton's amused face appeared, before he pushed the door all the way open with the palm of his hand. He kept the door propped open with his back, his arms folded over his chest as he invited his siblings into the classroom.

Francis was correct, no students were present.

"Who's Trouble?" Francis questioned, shuffling Hayes forward by two hands on her shoulders, otherwise she'd still be frozen in the doorway. "Couldn't be me? I'm an angel."

Colton laughed, making Glen snort and Hayes giggle. Francis seemed to take offense to that by the gasp that left his lips.

"Y'all are mean."

"Just keeping you in reality." Colton replied, following his siblings over to where they stopped in the open space in the front of the room. Naturally, he gave them all a hug and chaste kiss to the head before taking a step back, perching on the edge of his desk. He propped his hands by his hips and crossed his ankles.

"Now, to what do I owe this visit? I would like to think you're in lunch right now rather than skipping class."

Both Francis' and Glen's eyes darted to their little sister, who was shyly staring holes into the ground as her fingers fumbled with the ends of her sweatshirt sleeves.

Well, That answered that question.

Colton turned his attention to his sister. "What's going on, Sunshine?"

Hidden slightly behind her, he caught Glen making a circular motion over his abdomen. That cued the brother in immediately.

Hayes kept her gaze averted, feeling her cheeks warm up with a pinkish tinge, her arms returned to clutching her stomach. One glance from Cole sent the two teen boys scattered around the classroom, stirring up shit by touching every little object that was laying around.

The older brother gently clasped one of Hayes' wrists and brought her over to behind his desk where his comfy teacher chair was.

Cole helped Hayes take off her backpack, placing it on the ground before he took a seat, loosely wrapping his arms around the girl's back as she stood in between his outstretched legs.

Colton softy smiled at his little sister. "How are you doing, Sunshine?"

Hayes chewed on her bottom lip as she worked herself up to answer.

"What's got you upset?" Colton could see the angst visible on her face. "Talk to me, baby cakes."

A bit embarrassed, she mumbled, "my stomach hurts."

Colton understood, nodding as he wiped away a couple stray tears on her cheek. Hayes wasn't one to call wolf, so he knew her pain was immense.

Well, as much as a guy could know, considering he's never had menstrual cycles before.

Ya know?

"Do you want someone to take you home?" Colton offered. His hand rubbed up and down her back, hopefully providing her some comfort.

First Francis, now Colton, both asking her the same thing. They must really mean it.

But Hayes declined their kindness, shaking her head no. She'd tough it out like she always had done in the past.

Colton kept silence, knowing there was comfort in just being there for her and she would talk when she was ready. That gave her 15 minutes, plenty of time to sort it out before he had to pick up his class from their specials period.

He pulled her closer, shifting the girl so she rested against his leg and gave her another hug. Hayes buried her face against his chest, the smooth feel of his dress shirt cooling her burning cheeks.

Colton's gaze landed back to his brothers who found a plush basketball and were tossing it across the classroom.

Dear God, if they hit the ceiling sprinklers...

"Yo Cole," Francis called his name when he saw Colton watching him.

"What?"

"Hi."

Colton's lips twitched. "What do you want, Francis?"

"Nothing, just saying hi." Francis squeezed the plush toy before throwing it back to Glen. "And can I have $20?"

"Why?"

"Because."

"Then no."

Francis frowned and tapped a finger against his chin in thought. "Can Hayes have $20?"

Colton glanced down at Hayes, who seemed just as confused at her brother's request. "And what does Hayes need the money for?"

"Because."

"Then still no."

Francis huffed. "Damn, you're feeling stingy today."

"What's that suppose to mean?" Colton inquired, staring at his younger brother. It felt like there was an underlying message there that Cole didn't get.

"Oh, nothing, nothing," Francis sighed, showing his back as he walked towards the back corner of the classroom. He opened the door to the little walk-in supply closet that every classroom was equipped with and started being nosy, snooping around inside.

Besides dust bunnies, Cole didn't think he'd find anything interesting to mess with. So he decidedly moved on from Francis' cryptic words and let the teen be.

Glen took this to mean that they were done playing a game of catch, so he abandoned the basketball and sauntered back over to the front of the classroom, and picked a desk to sit on.

"Hey, Colton?"

"Yeah, Smiley?" Colton could hear the curiosity in the kid's tone. He loosened his hold on Hayes, as the girl turned around in his embrace when she heard Glen's voice. Now her back was pressed against Colton's chest, as she hugged his muscular arms tightly to her stomach.

The older brother wished he could rid her of the discomfort she was feeling. Instead, he settled with resting his chin on her shoulder, sneaking a kiss against her temple.

Glen slide himself backward on the desk so his legs could swing freely, the tips of his sneakers barely skimming the tile floor. "Who is your favorite student?"

"I don't have favorites," Colton chuckled.

"No, really," Glen persisted, "You gotta have one at least. What about teacher's pet?"

"Nope, no favorites," Colton answered honestly, dropping his gaze to where his thumbs rubbed up and down along Hayes' sides. Granted, she had a sweatshirt on, so she probably didn't feel the soothing motion anyways. "Every child has their quirks, some more than others, but that doesn't make one better than the other. They all deserve love and someone to believe in them."

Glen digested his brother's words, ducking his chin against his chest as he watched his shoes kick into view. That was deeper than the boy expected and he didn't quite know what to say. So he went with silence.

Colton lifted his eyes, trying to gage the kid's thoughts before he spoke some more. He could tell there was something spinning in Glen's brain, a reason for the questions.

"Cole, you using this?" Francis reemerged from the closet, stalking down the aisle between the rows of desks with a sweatshirt in his hands.

Colton squinted his eyes, recognizing the piece of clothing with the school emblem but having no recollection on when it ended up in the storage closet. "No, you can have it."

"Thanks," Francis reached the desk, and handed the sweatshirt over to Hayes who, once she got over her confusion, grabbed it and instantly hugged it to her chest. "Is this what you were looking for, Sissy?"

Hayes nodded rapidly.

It was just what she wanted.

How did Francis know?

Though she eventually wanted to put it on and hide under the excessive bundle of fabric, for now she settled with snuggling with Colton and cuddling basically a blanket. Again, warmth encompassed her, inside and out, but this time she welcomed it.

Just when she least expected it, Francis always managed to surprise her, whether it be a playful joke or something sweet, like this.

The only explanation was that Francis was more observant than she gave him credit for, as she already knew her older brothers were constantly keeping an eye on her and Glen. At home, the girl was rarely without a sweatshirt on or a blanket wrapped around her shoulders.

Aw man, Francis was gonna make her cry now.

Hayes curled her shoulders in as she turned sideways, hiding her face from her brothers. In unison, all three of her brothers frowned, their eyebrows furrowed in identical looks.

These mood swings always made them feel plain lost. Was she crying cause she was overjoyed or terribly wretched?

Oh shit, or both?

They never knew.

Colton stole a glance at the clock that was slowly ticking. He was down to 5 minutes until he had to send his siblings back to their side of the campus for more education while he had to go retrieve his class.

Damn, time flies.

Welp, it was on par that lesson plans never got done during his free planning period.

Knuckles rapped on the classroom door, pulling everyone's attention. Nobody moved at first, all three siblings looking at Colton.

Francis spoke, "Aren't you going to get that?"

Colton looked at him, his eyes darting to Hayes then back up to Francis. He was a little busy, if Fran couldn't tell.

Francis made a face at the unspoken demand. "It's not my classroom. Glen, you get the door."

"Stranger danger," Glen replied cheekily, "I'm not allowed to answer the door."

"Francis, just go open the door." Colton ordered.

The teen, in a very dramatic fashion, flung his arms in the air as he stomped to the door. He grumbled, "I always have to do everything."

Ignoring Fran, Colton gently pushed Hayes away from him so he could stand up from the chair. He would have to greet whoever was at the door anyways and no time like the present to get their ducks in a row before they all had to leave to their respective classrooms.

"Ms. Miller?" Francis had opened the door.

"Oh, Francis, hi. How are you doing?" A lady's voice replied, evidently not expecting the teen to be there. She had a quick reaction rate though, as a friendly smile lifted her lips in recognition.

Francis nudged the door open further, deeming the teacher standing in front of him not a threat. "Good, good. Decided to bless Colton with my presence for lunch today." Though his voice was light and pleasant, his mind was whirling with suspicion.

"Isn't he lucky," Ms. Miller joked, to which Francis nodded.

"It certainly is his lucky day."

He subtly took a whiff of the air as Ms. Miller walked into the classroom, the teacher blissfully unaware as she smiled kindly at Glen and Hayes before glancing at Colton in greeting. She also recognized the girl, having seen her once before with Francis.

But anyone with eyes would be able to see the family relation between Colton and the three teens in the room, even if she never met the boy.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt."

Colton shook his head, dismissing her worry. "We were about to head out."

"Want a chocolate chip cookie? We have some extra," Francis casually but randomly offered, walking to Glen's side. The boy sent his brother a questioning glance, as he tried to figure out his brother's plans.

No doubt there was a meaning to Francis' madness.

Colton's eyes narrowed on his brother, slightly cautious for what shenanigans he was up to now. It was becoming quite apparent that Francis had picked up on a vibe and was putting the puzzle pieces together. Cole would be lying if he said he wasn't curious on how Francis figured it out, considering how he had been intentionally careful not to reveal anything.

Only Austin knew the whole story and Dakota had partial insight.

Which meant Baker probably had some knowledge of what was going on.

But he highly doubt word got spread to the younger bunch. That would be like blindly lighting a box of fireworks and seeing them set off in a chaotic showing.

"Oh," Ms. Miller hesitated. "No, thank you, Francis. I'm okay."

"Alright, but I think you're missing out."

Ms. Miller's cheeks became flushed, so Colton stepped in to stop Francis' unnecessary torment, "Stella, I don't think you've met my youngest siblings yet. This is Glen and Hayes." Only Glen gave a polite wave of the hand, Hayes shying away behind Colton's arm. "Kids, this is Ms. Miller. She's the reading specialist for the elementary grades."

Stella Miller.

Glen scrutinized her. She looked young, around the same age as Colton. Pretty, with brunette, wavy hair that was tied back in a simple pony tail. Fair skin, with freckles and now rosy cheeks. Interesting fashion sense, wearing a plain, deep green dress and a pair of converse.

For some reason, Glen couldn't shake the feeling that she looked familiar but he knew he never seen her before. Now he was going to spend the afternoon racking his brain for who she looked like.

Not to mention, her relation with his older brother.

Glen didn't care much for what a reading specialist was but he still verbally replied with a nice and even, "cool."

Francis nudged Glen with his elbow, though his attention was focused on Colton. "Well, we gotta go, bro. Lunch is almost over and education awaits and all."

Glen hopped off the desk, briefly bending backwards to crack his back. "Come on, Hayes." He called his sister, giving her reason to escape.

Colton grabbed her backpack, holding it so she could slip her arms through the straps. He bent down and kissed her head, murmuring "Bye, Sunshine."

Hayes gave him a tiny smile and a quick squeeze before scurrying over to Francis and Glen. She made sure to give Ms. Miller as wide a birth as possible.

Glen laced his fingers together with Hayes, impatiently tugging her to the door to leave. Francis was acting somewhat odd about the lady teacher, which made Glen's spidey senses go off and his overprotective protective nature kick in.

The teen boys said their goodbyes, and then the siblings were in the hallway, walking fast-paced to the doors that led outside. Francis had something to say but he didn't want the teachers to overhear.

"What the hell was that?" Glen waited until the solid doors slammed shut behind him to ask. Hayes stared curiously between her brothers, twirling the sweatshirt she held in her clutches.

"I have a theory."

"Care to share?"

Francis paused, forcing Glen and Hayes to slam on their brakes before they ran into his back. He spun around on his feet, an inquisitive look on his face.

"I think Cole has a girlfriend."

~~~

That feeling when you really need to finish this book because life is about to get #crazycrazy with school and I keep postponing the inevitable that I know will happen even though I am well aware that all books have to end eventually. *insert super sad face*

Sorry in advanced for the increasing longer gaps between updates.

:)