keeping secrets

you!

I am awakened, by my mother screaming profanities from somewhere downstairs. It's my usual wakeup call and it usually has something to do with me not doing something, or something incorrectly. I'm not sure what I did this time., getting up I scrub my hand down my face, tired, I moan, I never seem to get enough sleep. Looking around the room the boys are still asleep, and Jaxton is curled into my side and Emmet is Sprawled out like an eagle. Carl and Mikey are sound asleep in their beds still. Rolling from bed I check in on Liam and he's asleep with a binky in his mouth.
I silently make my way across my room, to my dresser to gather clothes for the day, picking out a long demi jean skirt that goes almost to my ankles and a white, pink Floyd sweater I got at a secondhand store, and a pair of white ankle socks. I tiptoed past Marie's and the boy's room and slip into the bathroom, changing into my outfit and putting my long hair into a new a French braid. looking in the mirror I can see the bruise mother gave me in the car yesterday. My brown eyes have dark circles are under them from lack of sleep.
Walking out of the bathroom I avoid the creeks the floor made after discovering last night that mother, was disturbed by how much noise I was making, and it resulted in me standing with my nose pressed against the wall for thirty minutes, not one of her worst punishments but still not one I wish to do at all. Going back to my room I make sure everything is picked up and accounted for, that's when I discover a small wooden door placed just besides my small bookshelf, curious I walk over and open the small space, looking inside I find light blue walls and string lights hanging in the fixtures crawling deeper inside I notice I can actually stand inside the little hide away room it's about the same size as my bedroom, I think it would make a good little playroom for the boy's.
"Mia!" Mother screeches from somewhere in the house.
Uh-oh I think, how many times has she called for me? she usually doesn't call me by my name, when she does it means she called for me more than once, and I haven't responded. Quickly I crawl back out, grabbing my used book bag I got a thrift store and the and make my way downstairs.
Coming down I spot mothers angry face glaring at me. yeah, she definitely called more than once.
"Ah, there you are," father says coming into the living room, beating mother to possibly scream at me for not hearing her. " Let's get going, it's already noon, you lot slept in, it's going to take about 15 minutes to get to the school and I need to get this done quick so I can get on the road." He says looking at his watch and handing me a breakfast sandwich "I got the boys up; and they ate, they should be coming down." And sure, enough the boys came down the stairs lip carrying Liam. Liam made grabby hands at me as babbled I took him out of lips hands, ignoring my mother narrowed eyes, she hasn't wanted anything to do with any of my brothers, for all intent and purposes, I was their mother.

Marie came flying down the stairs, in a short black skirt, red spaghetti strap and fish net stockings and black boots, her curly black hair down at just below her shoulder blades. I shivered wasn't she cold?
" Marie, you look beautiful," mother coos at her giving her a once over. Mother than turns her sharp gaze to me, her face pinching into disgust as she looks at my outfit.
Keeping my eyes down cast I walk by her to the front door and slip my feet in my white lace up canvas shoes.
From the corner of my eye I can see mother seething, I'm going to get it tonight because of fathers' interference.
The boys are dressed much similar to me jeans and sweatshirts with their coats on Liam is dressed in a Dino onesie with a blanket wrapped around him.
Quickly I slip out the door with my brothers and Marie and father following, making my way to the van Marie shoves me, before claiming the front seat for herself, I know better than to sit up front when her and mother are around, quietly I slide in to the back, as father slides into the driver's seat, the click of seatbelts let's father know we're all strapped in and ready, as he backs out of the drive way and onto the street, before putting the car into drive and making his way to the school.
Twenty minutes later we pull up to Jefferson high school. The school was not what I was expecting, there was no welcome sign, no fence surrounds the school, no basket basketball hoops. the building itself seemed to be in the dire need of a new foundation as part of the building seemed to look tilted, the school had chunks of missing bricks on the exterior parts of the building, and the once blue letters that's spelled out Jefferson high school, now spelled effers cool in faded blue. It made me think how many the times the school had been sued due to the neglect of the building. Or perhaps nobody cared.
"This is the school?" Marie asked doubtfully," it looks like a bomb went off! I don't want to go here! "Marie cried out.
"Marie, you have one year left of school you can put up with it for ten months." Dad said ending the argument effectively.
Marie glared at the school, her arms crossed over her chest pouting, "whatever." She mumbled.
"Let's get this over with." Dad said finding a parking space in the almost full lot, I could already tell the school was way overpopulated.
Signing I get out of the car and followed silently after Father and Marie with Jaxton on my hip and liam in his carrier, while Mikey and Emmett held onto my belt loop, Carl was on top of Lips shoulders and Nathan and Ian walked behind me. The inside of the school was just as bad as outside of the school, the halls were filled with students. I literally had to shove my way through the thong of students. I probably just injured a boy, when I squeezed through a tight opening in the crowed hallway elbowing the poor boy in the stomach, I think I heard him swear, but couldn't tell over the background noise of students.
I could make out the top of my father's head, his wavy brown hair, slicked back, his suit slightly wrinkled.
Catching up to him I saw him pull out his phone," Mia I have to take this call, go register for your classes, I'm sure you can do that on your own." Nodding my head I look around and notice that Marie has vanished. Shrugging my shoulders, the boys and I head towards what looks like the administration office.
As I get closer, I notice there are lines for each grade, finding the freshmen table I stand in line.
We've been standing in line for about ten minutes when a Boy with a classic scissor hair cut steps forward., his wavey dirty brown hair short on the sides and long on top is combed swooping to the side, keeping the hair at the nape of the neck just a little long, his round beard blending into his sideburns.
I take good looks at him; he's dressed in Jeans and is wearing a white beater and a short sleeve shirt and a blue flannel. His bluish gray eyes, taking in the student population. Before taking a seat at the freshmen table, pulling a stack of papers towards him, he couldn't possibly be a teacher, he looked about 20!
I mean I know I looked young I looked about 13, but I'm 16.
Looking around I see an empty bench, "lip will you take the boys and sit over there while I get my stuff figured out?"
"Yeah, come on guys." Lip says trying to get Jaxton from me a long with the diaper bag but Jaxton has no intention on going, sighing I shift him in my arms. Emmet's, and Mikey's hands leave my belt loop while  Lip shifted carl down to the floor to hold his free hand. Ian grabs Mikey's and Emmet's hand and Nathan grabs Carl's. I watch as the boys find a bench by a wide window. Next to the administration office.
"Miss Lee!" The young teacher called out, gaining the attention of a few students and myself. The girls around me began to swoon at the young teacher.
" It's Alexa but you can call me Lexi," the girl with raven black hair and brown chocolate eyes said leaning forward on the table pretty much shoving her yabos in his poor face. "Miss Lee, " his voice stern as he glared at her, " as school hasn't started yet, but I'm to remind you of the school dress code, halter tops, tube tops, spaghetti straps and strapless shirts, shorts and skirts that aren't long as your fingertips are prohibited, if you continue to ignore the dress code suspension will happen, am I clear. That goes for all of you!" he said louder.
Alexa- or Lexi as she likes to be called battered her eyelashes and smiled, "whatever you say." She said winking at him, before grabbing her schedule and walking away with a little movement to her hips. I rolled my eyes. The young teacher pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation.
"Miss Bailey!" The young teacher called. Signing I walked towards the table and set Liams carrier down at my feet, looking at him he seemed familiar, I couldn't put my finger on where I had seen him before. He had Brown wavey hair, forest green eyes, and a slight beard. He looked at me just as hard I looked at him.
"Mia?!" He asked, he recognized me, my eyebrow went up in confusion, so he knew me too, but from where from...then it hit me!
Owen Jones!
"You?!" I asked gob smacked, shifting Jaxton in arms.