The Decuplets

Scarlett and Ella Break The Rules

Scarlett

"She is so fucking stupid," someone groaned.

"And to think she has anxiety," another scoffed, "what if an alligator gobbled her up?"

"Corey, we're in fucking New York," Brandon's recognizable scold replied, "there are no alligators."

"Whatever, Brandon."

I opened my eyes and squinted as they adjusted to the light.

The light was not artificial from a bulb, though.

But rather the literal sun beaming down on me.

Because I was outside.

By the lake.

On that same bench.

Gabe, Brandon, and Corey were standing over me.

"Gosh, good morning sis! I didn't know how much you loved nature!" Gabe sassed, picking a twig and leaf from my hair.

I sat up, rolling my eyes. "It's just a backyard, guys. No biggy!"

"It's a lakehouse, for Christs-sakes! There is no such thing as a backyard! You people have no idea where we even are!" Brandon complained.

"He woke up on the wrong side of the bed," Corey whispered, but purposely loud enough for Brandon to hear.

For that, Brandon smacked him upside the head.

"Ow!"

"We were searching for you for the last hour, Scarlett! Hour!" Brandon began his lecture.

"I wasn't that far," I shrugged, "clearly you didn't look well enough."

"Oh, I'm sorry! You're right! I should assume my overly drunk sister would be outside sleeping on a bench and not off somewhere hurt!"

"Makes sense to me," Corey continued to poke.

"Corey, I am this close," he demonstrated with his fingers, "to beating the shit out of you."

"Alright, we found her alive," Gabe broke the two up, "let's not return with a different dead one."

I giggled, unable to contain my laughter at the sight of them dog-fighting.

Brandon whipped his head at me. "You did way too much last night, let alone sleeping out here and wasting our time, to have a right of laughter."

"I didn't know I needed a right," I nudged Corey, who backed me up with a smirk he too tried to contain.

"I'm done. You're done," Brandon dusted me off before gripping my arm to make me stand, "inside. We must talk."

I was barely in something that could count as a shirt rather than a piece of fabric, so I was not complaining about heading indoors.

"Where was she?" Liam spoke first, gaining everybody else's attention.

I sat down on the couch and realized my back was quite sore from that hard wooden sleep.

"On the fucking bench out there," Brandon gestured with his hand.

"Watch out, belligerent Brandon the bear woke up on the wrong side of the bed," I whispered into Noah's ear– he was sitting closest to me on my left.

He nodded dramatically to show he could clearly tell.

"Explain to me, Scarlett Romano, why I caught Sal Dolphins sneaking out the front door," Brandon spat.

I never realized how funny Sal's name was...