𝐋𝐎𝐍𝐃𝐎𝐍 𝐁𝐎𝐘 ; [𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐲 𝐠𝐢𝐫𝐥𝐬]

[𝟏.𝟏] ; 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐎𝐍𝐄 ― 𝐊𝐍𝐈𝐂𝐊𝐄𝐑𝐒 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐁𝐋𝐀𝐙𝐄𝐑𝐒

The dreadful alarm had awoken Alannah McCool that fateful morning. It was the first day back to school, the summer holidays now over and finished and it physically made the blonde girl feel like she was suffering at the hands of the Devil. Sure, the holidays hadn't been that great, but she still didn't want to go back to dreary Sister Michael and far too gleeful Jenny Joyce.

As Alannah's green eyes fluttered open, she saw the hazel-brown eyes of her cousin, Orla McCool, looking down on her intently. "Jesus Christ, Orla!" Alannah exclaimed loudly, pulling her body upwards so she was sitting up a little better.

"I thought I'd be here when you wake up," Orla said.

"Aye, so you did. And why might that be?" asked the blonde.

The curly brunette just smirked. "I just like to watch you wake up," she replied. Oh, not weird at all, thought Alannah. Although, she had always known that her young cousin was always a little on the crazy-mental side of life. People often mistook Orla for stupid but that didn't seem like the case. Most of the time, she heard everything but her brain had mixed it all up or she just really didn't care what others thought of her, and she was so carefree and genuine. She always liked that about Orla. "I'm going to see if Erin's awake,"

"Sure, why not?"

Orla made her way out of Alannah's bedroom and down the hall to their other cousin's, Erin Quinn's, bedroom with what looked like Erin's diary in hand. She didn't spend longer than five minutes in bed, snuggled in the warm duvet, procrastinating when she finally decided to jump up, throw her dark jade-green uniform on and brush her teeth in the bathroom opposite.

When she made it downstairs, she found that her options were cereal, porridge or toast, so she chose the toast. She sat beside her youngest cousin, baby Anna Quinn, smiling brightly up at her as she munched on her own toast cut up into finger-like shapes. "Morning, Alannah," greeted her aunt, Mary Quinn, "Are the other two ready for school?"

"Your guess is as good as mine, Aunt Mary," she answered honestly before returning back to her buttered slice of toast.

She could see her uncle, Gerry Quinn, sipping his cup of tea as he wandered around the kitchen, most likely trying to stay out of her Granda's way. Although they all knew that Joe did somewhat care and love Gerry as a part of his family, he always to him like utter shit. Alannah wondered if her Granda had some built up anger inside that he couldn't speak of so he would take it out on Gerry knowing full well Gerry wouldn't hold a grudge against him for it. Granda was sat in the armchair in the living room, facing away from the kitchen and his eyes glued to the television.

It wasn't long until Orla came down for breakfast with Erin hightailing after her. "She's gone too far this time, Mammy!" Erin cried out, "What next? Will I catch her trying on my knickers?"

Alannah grimaced as she heard her cousin say such a word. She wasn't a prude at all, she definitely swore like sailor, but it was one of those words that she just disliked to hear. "Don't say 'knickers' in front of your father. He can't cope," Mary scolded her daughter.

"Ah, he can cope," muttered Erin.

Orla whipped her head around to face them, her huge curls taking over her face, "Sure, what's a pair of knickers between cousins?" she asked.

"You better not touch my knickers, Orla," the blonde warned, feeling rather odd as she said the word she disliked so much.

"Less of the knickers," Mary told, looking between the three girls.

Alannah turned her head back to baby Anna who was smiling and laughing. "Teenagers have rights now, you know," Erin said, her arms folded against her chest as she huffed.