Sullivan Siblings

II

I hit the snooze button one more time and roll over, groaning in my half awake state before I groan in contentment from my amazing stretching on my double bed. I could stay here forever.

"Huxley, I swear, if you hit that snooze button one more time, I'm gonna strangle you with my bare hands!" Hollis shouts through the door, slamming his fists on the wood.

"I'm up," I mumble, my tongue still thick with sleep and my throat parched. I clear my throat, lick my lips and swallow saliva. Hollis is still banging on my bedroom door. "I'm up!" I holler, annoyed that he actually woke me up. If it was up to me, I would have snoozed at least three more times to get that extra half hour of sleep. It is for this reason that I shower at night.

While I am a sleep-in, hard-to-wake, not-so-cheery morning person, my brothers are all the opposite. Most of them are in bed by ten pm at the latest for their five or six am wake up to start the day right by working out or going for a run. Levi and Simon might be the only non early birds but that would be because of their bar hopping social life.

I roll out of bed, yawning widely. Sleep beckons my name, makes me want to close my eyes as I search through my dresser for a hand me down t-shirt from Simon, my smallest older brother. He knows by now that when his clothes go missing that I have taken them but my favourite hoodies will always be Odin's. The t-shirt is baggy, clearly oversized but it is comfy and that is my goal today and every morning. When I wake up more, I regret not putting more thought into my outfits but early morning, just-woken-up me does not care. I match the black Guns & Roses shirt with a pair of grey Harvard sweat pants. Here is a hint: none of us have went to that smarty pants school.

I don't have a vanity, which every female book and movie character seems to have but Odin spoiled me with a new dresser set on my birthday last year, with a dresser that has a mirror so I don't have to fight the boys in the morning. I stand in front of said mirror, brush my hair into a high ponytail and rub deodorant on. One of Odin's stolen sweaters completes my haggard look and I drag my feet downstairs, yawning every third step.

"Morning, loser." Simon pats my head with a grin. Why is he so happy and alert at seven in the freaking morning?

"No," I moan, climbing onto an island stool and resting my head in my elbows. It's cold and uncomfortable, waking me up a little much to my dismay.

"Oh my gosh, Huxley! You're alarm is going off!" Hollis screams from upstairs. How does that beeping sound make him so angry? That's how he wakes up, too!

"Meh." I shrug, not having the energy to care about his irritability right now.

"Breakfast?" Odin asks, leaning on the island opposite me. I make some sort of noise that could mean either yes or no. Odin laughs. "Sit down, love, I'll make you a plate."

I raise my arms like a zombie from The Walking Dead and Levi doesn't let me down. He carries me bridal style to my chair next to Odin's and sets me on it, placing my hood over my head and because it's three sizes too big, over my face. "Ivan," I mutter, my forehead once again resting in my arms.

"He's at work, homeless," Silas says with a laugh. Ivan is a stickler for no hats or hoods on in the house, especially at the table. We're lucky Odin doesn't really care.

"You're lucky he is," Lukas adds mildly. Amusement tints his voice.

"I guess we'll have to take you shopping for some girl clothes," Simon sighs. That is his way of saying he wants his clothes back.

"Didn't we do that, like, last month?" Hollis mutters. I'm betting it's him who pettily kicks my chair. I can't be bothered to chase after him, drool already sliding out of my halfway closed lips.