Written in the Stars

Teenagers

JAMIE AND CAROLINE

Spoon in hand and bowl of Cheerios placed securely to his front, Jack Brewer sat at the kitchen table, enjoying his meal of preference as he read through articles on his laptop speculating on the content and sound of his band, Vertical Limit's, next album.

This was his favorite way to spend afternoons while his wife was at work and he was between tours. The next album was already finished and in the process of being made for mass sale, but he always found it entertaining to read what the music experts on the gossip sites were saying. Today's dose of hilarity came from one analyst suggesting the possibility that the band would go country for their next album due to the fact that they'd tweeted about having an amazing time during their last concert in Nashville.

"Country," he snorted, shoveling another spoon full of Cheerios into his mouth. "Can you imagine?"

The door from the garage opened just in time for his kids to miss hearing him talk to himself and his daughter, Caroline breezed into the kitchen, dropping her backpack and athletic bag by the door as she made a beeline for the fridge, exhausted from soccer practice and in desperate need of fuel. His first born, Jamie, followed behind, untucking his button up from his uniform pants as he came to plop down next to Jack at the table.

"Hey, Dad," Jamie sighed as he dropped his backpack to the floor and ran a hand through his short, quiffed hair.

"Hey, J," Jack furrowed his brow after swallowing his Cheerios. "How was school?"

It was a question Jack asked every day, despite knowing that the answer would be the same. Jamie was on the honor roll and Jack had never really had to worry about his grades. However, Jack's son had recently been elected as the president of the senior class, which meant that he was pretty much constantly stressed out in his attempt to keep his classmates happy.

Sometimes Jack wondered how time could cause so much change. As a child, Jamison had been rambunctious and naughty, constantly in trouble for disrupting class to the point where Jack and his wife were on a first name basis with the principal. Once he'd hit his teenage years, however, he'd calmed down a lot. He still found practical jokes hilarious, but he let others perform them rather participating in the action himself.

"Fine," Jamie shrugged and Jack didn't ask any further because he knew that was all he was going to get.

"What about you, Care Bear?" Jack turned his attention to his daughter, who had found sustenance in the form of an orange and was peeling it as she made her way to the chair on the other side of her father. "How was practice?"

"Good," she nodded, setting down the peel and beginning to pick apart the individual slices, her eyes lighting with excitement. "Coach says that if I practice really hard, I'll be able to start before the season is over."

"That's great, sweetie," Jack grinned, reaching out and tugging on the end of her sweat dampened ponytail.

Caroline had fallen in love with soccer when she was young and with the help of her Uncle Justin, the band's bass player and resident soccer enthusiast, she'd become quite good. If she did end up starting on the team, at fifteen, she would probably be the youngest player to do so.

"Do you think Uncle Justin would help me with some passing drills?" She asked eagerly. It was pretty convenient that her uncle could double as a knowledgeable coach as well and she could use all the practice she could get if she was going to prove herself.

"I'm sure he could find some time this weekend," Jack laughed, knowing Justin would jump at any opportunity to help Caroline on the field. His love of soccer had always stayed with him, despite having to choose between the sport and the band when he was a teenager, and he also found it hilarious that Jack's daughter was so athletic when Jack was the most uncoordinated person Justin had ever met. "Things are pretty slow for us right now."