Hear Me Out

Chapter 1

Chapter 1

       "Jeremy!" Mom called from the living room. "We need to leave soon! Are you packed?!"

       I stopped playing Beethoven's Symphany No. 6 on the piano and walked out of the music/art room. Mom was running around the house, trying to pack up a few extra necessities.

       "Mom," I said. "One, calm down. And two, I've been packed for days."

       Mom sighed. "Sorry. Your dad's just taking forever at the store and I need to pack up a few more things and your siblings are taking forever to pack."

       "Do you need help?" I asked.

       "Can you help your brother pack?" Mom asked.

       "Sure," I said. "Um....Which one?"

       Just then, my ten year old brother, Eric, ran down the stairs. "Mom, how long is the cruise? How many clothes should I pack? What should I pack?"

       Mom sighed and gestured for me to help Eric. "I'll help," I told him. Eric quickly ran up to his room and I followed. His room, however, was a pigsty. Well, at least his half was. The other half belonged to my thirteen year old brother, Tyler, and his was completely clean and organized.

       "So what exactly have you packed?" I asked Eric.

       "Well, nothing," Eric said.

       "Nothing?" I asked. "Mom and Dad told us about the cruise weeks ago. We have to leave soon."

       Tyler walked into the room and sighed at the mess. "Eric, how hard is it to pack?"

       "I don't know what to pack though!" Eric said.

       "Fifteen days worth of clothes," I told him, "swimsuit, towel, and some essentials."

       Eric nodded and pulled his suitcase out from under his bed. He then began shoving a bunch of clothes into it. Seeing as he had it under control, I walked to my room across the hall and grabbed my two suitcases. I brought them downstairs, where Mom was now cleaning up the living room.

       The front door opened and Dad walked in with my five year old sister, Zoey, on his shoulder. "We're back!" Zoey announced. "And Daddy bought me a cupcake!"

       "Shh!" Dad said. "You weren't supposed to tell Mommy that."

       Mom sighed. "Luke, you know how Zoey gets if she has cupcakes this early."

       Dad put Zoey down, who immediately ran to the music/art room and began banging on the piano keys. Zoey was a very energetic girl and it didn't help that she just had a cupcake this early.

       "Sorry, Mel, but she gave me those big eyes that I can't refuse," Dad said. He placed a bag on the coffee table. "Anyway, I got those last minute things we need."

       "Thank you," Mom said. She turned to me. "Is Eric packing?"

       I nodded. "Yeah. He should be done soon."

       "Good," Mom said. "Can you see if your sisters are done?"

       I nodded before going back up the stairs. My ten year old sister, Carter, just walked out of the door with her suitcase. Carter was Eric's twin sister and they were very much alike. They both loved outdoor activities and pranking, but Eric was the more extreme pranker. My twin sister, Massey, was the usual victim of their pranks.

       I knocked on Massey's door, only to hear an annoyed groaned before Massey yelled, "Go away!"

       I didn't listen and walked into her bedroom. "That's not a nice way to treat your twin," I teased.