Oh Brothers

Chapter 8

When we make it to the cafeteria, I was surprised to see Mom and Dad already waiting for us. We slowly walk over to them but no one makes a motion to hug them. We're all tense from our last interaction.

"Shall we get some food?" Mom asks nervously.

"Yeah," Jason answers for us. We awkwardly make our way to the food line.

"Ara, sweetie, that dress is lovely, where did you get it from?" Mom attempts conversation.

"Uh, a store here actually, I don't remember the name though, Carter?" I call to my twin three people down, "do you remember the name of the store we got this dress at?"

"Spool," he simply answers and turns back to the line.

"Yeah that was it," I lamely confirm. 

"I've heard good things about that place," Mom adds, "Are you ready for school to start on Monday?"

I mentally groan. This conversation is becoming painful, "Um, I guess, as much as anyone can be ready for school."

"Well, I know you miss your old friends. I'm sure you'll make new friends soon though, if you haven't already," Mom smiles warmly and my heart drops. Does she really not know me? I just nod my head and take my tray of food back to our table.

Mom and Dad continually try to make small talk to all of us throughout dinner, but everyone is acting distant. 

"Well, we have some news," Dad smiles and looks at Mom.

"Please don't say you're having another kid," Ryder slips out. Mom and Dad's smiles drop.

"What would be so wrong with having another kid?" Dad asks, furiously.

"Wait are you?" Scott asks and I feel the worry slip in. Mom blushes and shakes her head.

"No," She quickly answers and I can feel a general sigh of relief amongst my brothers and me.

"What would be so wrong with having another kid?" Dad repeats, still angry.

"You're not very attentive parents and well, we're all leaving soon so who would be left to raise the kid?" Carter answers and Dad's eyebrows furrow.

"How many times do we have to keep telling you kids that you did not raise yourselves," Dad stubbornly huffs.

"Let's just not get into this right now," Jason, the peacekeeper, intervenes, "you had an announcement?"

Dad takes a deep breath and looks at us excitedly, "Right, well we've established a volunteer program here at the hospital, and we want you kids to all come in each week and spend time with the long term patients. Jason, Ryder and Scott, you boys only have to come in at least once a week, but Arabella, Carter and Thomas, you kids have to come in at least two to three times a week."

I am really starting to hate these surprise announcements. How do they think this is such a good idea? We don't have time to do this and we just moved here! We still have to adjust to everything, not to mention school is starting on Monday.

"Why are you making us do this?" Thomas voices our mutual opinion. Dad's face falls.

"We thought this would be a good way for us to find more time to spend together. See, with our new schedules we're going to be home even less, like half the amount of time we were in Maryland. If you guys are at the hospital, we probably will be able to squeeze out fifteen minutes here and there and see you all more," Dad explains.

"Plus volunteering will look very good on your college applications," Mom adds. 

I don't even know what to feel. I don't even like hospitals, they are the reason I don't really have parents, and now we're being forced to spend more time here.

"I don't know if I can fit this in with my sports schedule," Ryder sighs, "and homework."

"Yeah this isn't a really convenient time to spring something like this on us," Carter adds. Mom's smile disappears.

"I don't want to hear any excuses. You all are going to have to make time for this," Mom snaps.

"Like you make time for us," Thomas mutters. Dad runs a hand through his hair, frustratedly.

"You guys can make it work, I have full faith in you. We actually have to be in the OR in fifteen minutes so we have to run, but when you're finished eating you're to go to the front desk and find Amelia who will be your coordinator here and get you all set up. We have to go now," Dad stands up and with Mom in hand they start to make their way out of the cafeteria.

Mom blows us a kiss as if nothing has happened and calls out "Love you all."

I blankly stare at their retreating figure. What just happened?

"What just happened?" Thomas asks, voicing my thoughts.

"Do we really have to do this?" I ask.

"It appears as though we do," Jason replies grimly. I sigh.

"Come on guys, who knows, it can't be that bad, right," Scott tries to turn the situation around.

"Scott, we have to spend time with the long term patients. The ones who are really sick and many of them dying," I softly remind him. We are all silent for a minute, all internally dreading what's to come.

"Well, we're done eating so I guess we should go get the information," Jason stands up. I realize there's nothing we can do. 

We meet Amelia and she's this nice nurse who takes our pictures and says our badges will be ready by Tuesday when we all have to come in together for the first day. On Tuesday we will figure out a schedule or something.

By the time we get home it's around ten thirty and but I'm too wired to go to sleep. Looking around at my brothers, I see they're all much more hurt than they'd care to admit. An idea hits me. Distraction time!

"Okay no more moping!" I declare and gallop into the kitchen. Yeah, I gallop sometimes. 

"What are you doing Ara?" Ryder asks with an extremely amused voice.

"We are going to cheer up! We are going to make hot chocolate and chocolate chip cookies and popcorn and we're going to watch Frozen and Tangled and stay up late!" I exclaim excitedly.

"Ara-" Carter begins to protest but I cut him off.

"No! Carter, I know guys are really upset about this and I can't make it better but I can distract you. SO! We are going to sing along to Elsa and Anna and gorge ourselves on yummy food and have a pillow fight and play card games until we can't remember our parent's names. Okay?" I rant. Carter smiles brightly.

"Okay," he agrees. And that's what we do. It takes about an hour to get all the food together and then we settle down to watch Frozen. We sing along and Thomas singing 'Let it Go' almost makes me pee my pants in laughter. 

After Frozen, Jason pulls out his guitar and we sing along to all our favorite songs and then we play card games and just enjoy each other's company. We even have a pillow fight. I fall asleep in the living room, surrounded by my brothers and feeling like the luckiest girl in the world. 

Unedited and THANK YOU for reading!! I've written like four chapters in two days and they're all kinda short but I plan on having lots of them!