Sober (A Septiplier Story)

Chapter 2: Rules and Housemates

(Mark's POV)

The inside of the house was clean and quiet, not at all what I was expecting.

"My name is Nina, I am a counselor here at Glenwood. In here is the living room, TV times are in your rulebook." The living room was cramped with mismatched chairs all pointing towards an ancient TV, one of those that have a big box in the back. There were some cupboards on each side filled with movies and board games. Nina sashayed through the chairs and led me to the kitchen. "Here is the kitchen, every two weeks we rotate chores so at some point you will be in here making dinner for the house or doing dishes. Do you cook?"

"Uh, does mac and cheese count?" Nina laughed.

"Sure! Someone will help you if need be."

"Where is everyone?" Mark wondered.

"Alright, this is the ladies room through here." Nina gestured to a door in the hallway off the kitchen. "There are some bedrooms down here, but your room is upstairs." I followed Nina up the squeaky wooden stairs. She knocked on a door and swung it open.

"Mark, this is your room. Your roommate, Matt, is at work so you will meet him later. Now, I will leave you to get settled in and I will see you tonight at dinner." Nina shut the door and I was left to the silence. There was a stereo nearby and I turned on some music so as not to go crazy from being alone. Matt's part of the room was decorated in band and video game posters. Mine was bare, but I would change that soon.

~Time Skip~

After everything was unpacked, I sprawled on the bed and read through the rulebook:

1. Curfew is at 10pm SHARP (unless other permission is given)

2. Absolutely no drugs, alcohol, or other paraphernalia

3. Chores must be completed promptly and before 10 pm

4. Therapy is mandatory

Failure to follow these rules will result in probation or expulsion from the house

I was assigned to floors for the next two weeks, meaning I will have to vacuum, sweep, and mop daily; easy enough.

"Hey! You must be Mark! I'm Matt." A tall, slender kid stood at the foot of my bed with his lanky arm outstretched towards me.

I took his hand and shook it firmly, "Nice to meet you."

Matt flopped on his bed and threw his arm over his face. I was wearing a green apron and smelled strongly of coffee.

"Nina asked me to show you the ropes, I hope that's alright."

"Sure, I could use it."

Matt sat up and sat cross legged, facing me, "So, what are you in for?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Alcohol I suppose. You?"

Matt scoffed, "Many, many drugs. Been clean for 127 days." he grinned proudly.

"Good for you man."

Matt glanced at his watch, "It's time to head down for dinner. Come on, I will introduce you to everyone."

~Time Skip~

I found out there were 15 other people living in the house, 8 women and 7 men. There were two people missing from dinner since they were still at work, but Matt assured me I would meet them at group therapy tomorrow.

I slept hard that night, groaning when the alarm clock rang the next morning. Matt was already awake and gone when I got out of bed. I put on my glasses and headed downstairs for breakfast. Compared to when I first got here, the house was filled with noise and chaos. I slowly ate a bowl of cereal while the noise slowly died down and the house emptied of people going to work and school.

I rinsed my bowl and left it in the sink.

"You're just going to let that sit there?" I spun around and found a girl standing behind me with her arms crossed across her chest.

"Uh, sorry, I didn't know." I put my bowl in the dishwasher and went to leave.

"Sorry, I'm Jessie." I stopped and faced her. She was wearing short pajama shorts and a pink tank top, showing off her toned body. Her blonde hair was piled on her head in a messy bun.

"Mark." I greeted.

"You're the new guy? Shit, I'm sorry for being such a bitch. I have dishes duty and I have to get them done before I start my shift."

"No worries, I will know for the future."

"I have to run but let's chat sometime."

"Sure, it was nice meeting you."

I retreated to my room to get dressed and started my chores for the day.

A/N Thanks for reading! This was an introductory chapter, so hopefully it wasn't too boring. In the next chapter, Mark meets a handsome green haired stranger and begins therapy.

See you in the next chapter!