The Decuplets

Prologue

Scarlett

I like to think she didn't intend it this way. Who would? But one thing leads to another, you get a little carried away, and suddenly you're buying ten cradles, strollers, the whole deal.
Growing up, I didn't think much about it. Yet, as we age and blossom into our own beings, it truly is a blessing in many ways.

Growing up, I was lonely, not fitting in with my brothers, but now, I think, they have a lot more appreciation for me, and we all have a lot of fun. They've become very protective over the years, and at times they were some of my only friends. A lot of girls tried to talk to me to get in with my brothers, which makes it very hard to trust anyone, even if they seem genuine.

My parents, Emilio and Nicolette Romano, were born and raised in the Big Apple— New York. Both of them have great success stories, thus having bounding careers. Therefore, the two of them are rarely home. They travel all over the place resulting in the decuplets and I remaining home alone for unknown amounts of time.

It affected me heavily the first few times, but honestly, I don't even care to know if or when the two of them are returning. My brothers came to the same realization as myself as we got older, and I could tell it really hurt them not having our parents around, but they don't show it. As annoying as those boys can be, it's nice having them around.

The house is always busy. Whether it be me or my brothers having people over, the place never fails to resemble a zoo. Again, people love to use me to get to those pesky brothers of mine, so finding true friendships have always been hard for me. That's where Ella stands out.

Ella Adams has been my best friend for the past 6 years. I remember the day we met in 5th grade: she was tossing a tomato out her sandwich and asked if I wanted it. Yes, a tomato sprouted our friendship. She has been by my side through everything. El has seen me hate the boys, love them, want to run away, cry, laugh, you name it. The boys see her as family too, I'd like to believe. They tease her similarly to myself and just assume whenever I am, she's alongside me.

The boys have countless friends, as most guys do. I couldn't even try to tell you who each of their closest friends are. Some of them make me want to rip my hair out more than my own brothers do, but the guys never see people the way Ella and I do.

I love my brothers, my only family, and wouldn't trade them for the world. They make me want to bang my head against a wall repeatedly, sure, but they keep life interesting. I know they would say the same about me, too.

For quick introductions, I'll describe a few words for my brothers.

Brandon, the oldest decuplet, is the most mature, which we all hate to admit. He is probably the smartest, no, he is definitely the smartest; another thing I hate to admit. He is the first to take charge and keep everyone in line. In other words, he's very straightforward and witty. He plays football, don't ask me what position, and seems to enjoy it very much.

Reece is the second oldest decuplet. He is someone who takes things less seriously, unless need be. He enjoys teasing us and making smartass remarks. Sass is something he's very familiar with. He is the point guard of the varsity basketball team. If you thought that was cliche, he is also the quarterback of the football team. He is definitely the most athletic of us all.

Liam is the third oldest of us ten. He is similar to Brandon, if you were to compare him to another brother. He is very focused on his studies and doesn't engage in soccer, football, or basketball like the rest of my brothers. Instead, he plays tennis on the boys varsity team. He's laid back and chill. He is also someone who approaches things reasonably, not afraid to speak his mind.

Clay is the fourth born decuplet. He is more cocky, determined, bossy, and cynical— sorry Clay. Although rather negative descriptors, he's not a bad guy. He is straightforward in a different way than Brandon. He plays soccer for the boys varsity team. He's also quite confident.

Corey is the fifth born decuplet. He is rather annoying. He loves to tease and joke around. He is rarely serious and very hard to reason with. He's direct and doesn't let people change his mind easily. He plays vairsty boys basketball and he's pretty good.

Gabriele is the sixth born decuplet. He is probably one of the more quiet decuplets, but funny nonetheless. He is the kind of funny where he doesn't intend to be, he just is. He is often very straightforward and somewhat cruel with his words, also without trying to be... I think. He plays on the boys varsity soccer team and he is also pretty good, like Clay.

Max is the seventh born twin. He isn't immature, but I think we'd all agree he's the least mature decuplet. He loves to joke and can lighten up any room. I'd say he's the funniest of the decuplets. He is very determined and motivated in doing things he loves. He plays no sports, but he loves to entertain himself with whatever comes to his mind first. He's quite creative and down for whatever.

Noah is the eighth born decuplet. He is similar to Clay and Gabriele. He's quite cynical, yet he has humor. He is very outgoing. He loves to party and have a good time. He is also quite straightforward. Noah plays lacrosse for the boys varsity team and runs varsity track. He's for sure the fastest of us all.

Zach is the ninth born of us ten, so the last boy of the decuplets born. Zach is a handful. He is the nicest out of the guys, for sure. He's funny and outgoing. He's a bit cocky at times, though. He plays soccer, and he would say he's the best. He also plays basketball, which isn't quite his sport as much as soccer is. Word around town is that he is quite the ball hog and plays sports for himself— he puts an "i" in team.

I, Scarlett, am the final born of the ten; and my brothers love to remind me of that. I have tried many different sports in my 16 years of life, yet I've only stuck to soccer— both of these being the girls varsity teams. I'd say athleticism is in our blood, personally.

Ella is my best friend, like I've said. She plays soccer with me and we sure know how to make the team have a good time. Ella is very smart and enjoys having little side hobbies. She practically lives at our house.

You'll get to see more of Ella and I as this story goes on...

The Decuplets (twins, but 10 born at once...)

Scarlett Romano (16)
Brandon Romano (16)
Reece Romano (16)
Zach Romano (16)
Gabriel Romano (16)
Liam Romano (16)
Clay Romano (16)
Max Romano (16)
Corey Romano (16)
Noah Romano (16)

Ella Adams (16)- Scarlett's ride-or-die best friend