Gracious

Chapter 3

A/N - My Christmas present to you all❤️🎄

Enjoyyy <3

~~~

"I'm not going, it's shit!", I pinched the bridge of my nose and huffed, placing the empty rucksack on the counter and folding my arms.

"You will watch your tone, Caleb", I narrowed my eyes at the 12 year old, "it's a few hours a day at school, everyone has to do it".

"You don't have to do it, you dropped out", he jabbed a finger at me with a scowl, he was worse than Alexander sometimes.

"I dropped out to take care of you", I muttered, "if I'd had a choice-,".

"I'm sorry we're so inconvenient for you then", he snapped and I bit my tongue, he knew how to push all of my buttons without even trying, "I'm not going".

"I want five genuine reasons why", I perched on a chair, picking at the bottom of my white shirt, untucked from my trousers.

"It's stupid, it's boring, I hate it, I hate the teachers, and I'd rather sleep", he reeled off, ticking each one off on his fingertips, "can I stay home now?". My lips tipped up in amusement as the twins' bickering from the other room filled my ears, I needed to move quick before Alexander came in saying the same thing.

"Not one of those was genuine", I told him and he groaned, "tell me why, and I'll consider it". He stopped pacing, ran a hand through his unruly blonde hair and dropped his chin into his palm on the counter.

"I'm behind everyone else", he sighed, "I'm saving myself the embarrassment". I watched him for a moment, the frown etched on his face that was due to become permanent any day now, the hand that was slowly being curled into a fist.

"It's your first day of 7th grade, how do you know you're behind?", I decided to ask, his glare burned holes through me in seconds, "what?".

"I've been behind since I started school", he scowled, "the older I get, the worse it gets, so I just won't go".

"And is that the mindset you'd raise your children with?", I raised an eyebrow, "you find something hard, so stop trying?".

"No", he mumbled after a beat of silence, "I don't know".

"I'll make a deal with you", he perked up at that, "you stay in school Monday to Thursday, I'll take you out on Friday for your birthday".

"Just me?", his eyes lit up and I nodded, "okay fine". He stood up straight and dusted off his red T-shirt, pushing his hair back, he needed a haircut.

"You'll keep an eye on Chase today? His first day of middle school", he nodded rapidly and I smiled, maybe today wouldn't be so bad after all.

~

"I hate it back here", Alexander grumbled from the very back of the car, "I'm being crushed".

"Too bad, you're the youngest", I shook my head with a smile at Xavier's reply, keeping my focus on the road.

"By six minutes", he scowled back, "I call shotgun for the ride home".

"Yeah right", Prescott laughed from the passenger seat, "the day you sit anywhere near the front of the car will be when you're driving it".

"Shut up", he mumbled, "can we have pizza tonight?".

"No, I want pasta", Chase protested, "we always have pizza".

"We always have pasta", Alexander replied and I smirked, "Chase always get his own way".

"Because I'm older", he said, "you're just boring".