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Issac kicked at the set of legs across the table. Being suspended sure was boring, he thought, putting more effort into kicking at the girl across the table. Mission accomplished. She slammed her pencil down and glared at him.
“Would you stop that?” Issac grinned at the older girl. Unlike his cousin, he didn’t get why the other kids always found her intimidating. Sure, she was bigger than him, but that just meant he usually got the adults on his side.
“Doing what?” He asked innocently, leaning on his hand. Annoying Lucy was so much more fun than doing his homework.
“You know what,” she mumbled, picking her pencil back up.
Issac waited a few moments for Lucy to really get reinvested in her homework before kicking her again. This time, however, she didn’t glare at him. She didn’t even look up, she just extended her leg out to kick him back, and she definitely had the leg reach advantage.
He jumped out of the chair, and shouted out a word he probably wasn’t supposed to say, but since his dad used it a lot he figured it would be fine. Lucy jerked up, eyes filled with more disapproval than an old lady.
“Issac!”
“You kicked me!” He answered, matching her outrage.
“Watch your language!” She admonished, smoothing out the collar of her school uniform. Unlike the rest of their family, Lucy went to a fancy private school that required her to wear a uniform, and she always kept in perfect condition. She pointed her pencil at his unfinished work. “And finish your homework.”
Issac sneered, but started working on his homework, knowing the others would be back soon. Just as he thought, only a few moments into his homework, the door opened. And several sets of footsteps entered the door.
“We’re back guys,” Issac’s mother called.
“Bella!” Issac yelled as his twin sister came into the room, carrying her backpack. She grinned back and waved, moving to the seat next to him.
Next to walk into the room was L.J. who looked decidedly less happy than usual. He sat in the last open chair at the table and pulled out one of his school books. Then Issac’s mother came in and pushed L.J closer to Lucy, so she set an extra chair in between him and Issac for Issac’s other sister, Paige.
“What do you guys want for snack, Today?” His mother asked, swiping a red lock of hair out of her face.
“Can we have goldfish?” Bella asked, excitedly. Issac nodded vigorously in agreement.
Lucy wrinkled her nose. “I’ll just have an apple, please.”
“L.J.?” Hearing his name, the boy looked up at his aunt. “What would you like?”
“I’m not hungry, Aunt Cat.”
Cat circled the table and wrapped her arm around his shoulder. “You know everything is going to be okay, right?”
The boy nodded weakly, and Cat rubbed a circle on his shoulder. Issac glanced at his cousin, confused. Why was he in such a bad mood? Issac and Lucy were the ones in trouble after all. What did he have to be upset about?
Issac was much happier to finish his homework with everyone home. He always found it easier to motivate himself to work when everyone else was working as well. The work itself was easy, which was probably why Issac had such a hard time with it. Since Bella had the same homework it was easier for him to force himself to finish. They usually had a contest to see who could finish faster, and were pretty evenly matched which kept it fun.
Cat spent most of the time the kids were working, in the kitchen, so the kids chatted amongst themselves while they finished their work. Bella finished her homework fastest, followed by Issac whose work ethic was improved with her presence. L.J. finished shortly after, pushing his books away.
“How did you two get suspended, anyway?” L.J. asked, looking between Issac and Lucy.
“Jimmy Martin was picking on Bella, so I recorded some audio of him, and edited it, so it sounded like he was admitting to wetting the bed, and broke into the principal’s office to play it over the intercom,” Issac admitted, shrugging before throwing an arm around Bella, and pulling her into the most awkward hug ever.
L.J.’s brown eyes doubled in size as he listened to Issac’s story. “Are you messing with me? I’m pretty sure that’s impossible.”
“It’s not like they lock the office. I just sat in the waiting room pretending to be in trouble till he left then slipped in. It took me a bit to figure out the intercom though. As for editing the audio, that was easy. I just borrowed Aunt Riley’s fancy computer and used google and youtube to figure out how to edit audio recordings.” The triumphant 7-year-old sat up straighter as if daring the older boy to doubt him again.
“What about you, Lucy?” L.J. asked.
“I punched Sissy Tate, and knocked out two of her teeth,” Lucy said matter-of-factly, not bothering to look up from her geometry book.
“Hey, kids!” All five kids looked up at Cat as she walked in pulling her coat on. “I have to go run an errand.” She pointed at her own kids. “Your father is on his way home. As is yours Lucy, and L.J., you’re going to be staying with us tonight. Lucy, you’re in charge.”
She planted a kiss on each kid’s head before walking out, clearly nervous at the idea of leaving them all alone.
As soon as she was gone, Issac walked into the living room and turned on the T.V. “Who wants to watch a movie with me?”
“I do!” Bella called jumping on the couch next to her brother.
“I guess, I will too,” L.J. said hesitantly, joining them in the living room.
“Me too,” Paige called, running after the older kids.
Lucy just rolled her eyes, and ignored them until she heard L.J muttering.
“Issac, are you sure we’re allowed to be watching this?”
“Of course,” the boy answered far too quickly and innocently to be genuine.
Lucy tensed as she walked into the living room. She frowned. She didn’t recognize the movie playing, but was certain it wasn’t age appropriate. She paused the movie to read the title and description, her eyes widening when she realized what kind of movie this was.
“Issac. You can’t be playing slasher movies, especially in front of Paige,” she instructed, turning it off.
“You’re only saying that because you’re chicken.”
He was baiting her, and she knew it, but she couldn’t help herself. She turned the movie back on and plopped on the couch next to him, determined to prove him wrong. Less than five minutes passed before Paige had crawled in her lap. Lucy frowned in annoyance but said nothing. She quickly became grateful for the arrangement after the first sign of blood. She whipped her hand out to cover the little girl’s eyes. Paige kept grabbing at her hand, but Lucy refused to budge.
Issac was leaning forward in anticipation. Bella was sitting slightly behind him,holding a blanket close to her face, pulling it over her eyes whenever there was blood. L.J. was leaning away from the screen with a grimace. Everyone stayed that way for almost twenty minutes before they heard a sound behind them.
“What do you think you are doing?”
Bella screamed and jumped off the couch, pushing Issac in front of her. L.J also jumped up, but he also took a few steps back, almost tripping. Lucy remained and the couch, maintaining a rigid posture, closing her eyes, and gulping down a breath. Paige tried wriggling out of Lucy’s grasp, and Issac let out another swear word.
“Issac!” Lucy admonished. “What did I just tell you about language!”
“You’re not my mother!”
“Lucile,” A different voice warned, causing Lucy to tense even more as she stood up and turned, wincing as she met the stern green gaze of her father.
“Lucy won’t let go of me!” Paige complained. Lucy gently set her down and removed her hand from the girl’s eyes.
“We finished our homework and thought we’d watch a movie,” Issac answered, looking at his own father, more time than the others were used to seeing him.
“You didn’t think to stop this? Adam asked, looking directly at his daughter.
“Actually Lucy did turn it off as soon as she figured out Issac turned on a slasher movie,” L.J. said, surprising Lucy by coming to her defense. “It wasn't until Issac called her a chicken that she actually sat down with us.”
Lucy glanced at her father, waiting for him to say something. He didn't, which was somehow even worse, especially when she could feel the disappointment in his gaze.
Mason shook his head. “No more T.V. You two...” he pointed at the twins. “Go to your room until your mother gets home. You…” He pointed at L.J. this time. “Go get a book.”
Adam turned his gaze to Lucy. “We are going home. Grab your stuff, we’ll talk in the car.”
Lucy hung her head as she collected her things, and followed him out to the car. She climbed in the passenger seat without a word, sitting almost as straight as he was.
“What’s going on?” He asked, catching her off guard. She was expecting a lecture not a question. “Getting suspended, allowing your 7-year-old cousin to play a slasher movie, this isn’t like you.”
She just shrugged, not really sure how to answer. He reached over to push the lock of hair covering her grey eye out of the way. She quickly pulled it back, and realized that was a mistake when he frowned. When he moved it again she forced herself to leave it out of her face.
“You are the oldest, and as such you should set a good example. When your mother and I, or any of your aunts and uncles leave you alone with younger children, we expect you to behave responsibly, and take care of them.”
“I know,” She answered, turning away from him, guiltily. “I’ll do better next time. I promise.”
He sighed, reaching a hand out to turn her head so she was facing him. “I know it's a lot of responsibility, Lucile, but know that I would not expect this of you if I was not sure that you were capable of it.”
“I won’t let you down, Dad,” she promised, meaning every word.