Why Is Life So Harding?

Ch.5

The next morning, Melissa approached Mac's bedroom door with a gentle knock, her voice soft as she called out, "Mac, it's time to wake up for school, sweetheart."

Inside the room, Mac groaned, the sound muffled by his pillow as he buried his face deeper into the soft fabric. He had tossed and turned for most of the night, his mind refusing to quiet down enough to allow him a decent night's sleep.

"Go away," Mac grumbled, his voice tinged with sassy teenage attitude as he pulled the covers over his head. "I'm not going to school today. I'm too tired."

Melissa sighed softly, her patience unwavering as she pushed open the door and stepped into the room. "Come on, Mac," she said gently, her voice filled with concern. "You can't skip school just because you're tired. You'll feel better once you're up and moving."

But Mac was in no mood to listen, his frustration boiling over as he pushed himself upright in bed, his expression sullen. "I said I'm not going," he snapped, his tone laced with defiance. "Leave me alone."

Melissa's heart sank at the sight of her normally sweet-natured foster son displaying such uncharacteristic behavior. She knew that Mac was tired and irritable, but she also knew that skipping school was not the solution.

With a deep breath, Melissa reached out to gently place a hand on Mac's shoulder, her touch firm but gentle. "Mac, I understand that you're tired, but you need to go to school," she said firmly, her voice tinged with a hint of authority. "Now, please, get up and get ready. We'll talk about this later."

Reluctantly, Mac nodded, knowing that he couldn't argue with Melissa's logic. With a resigned sigh, he pushed back the covers and swung his legs over the side of the bed, steeling himself for the day ahead.

As he begrudgingly began to get ready for school, Mac couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt for snapping at Melissa. He knew that she was only trying to help, and he vowed to make it up to her later.

*****

Mac finished getting ready and headed to join the rest of the family for breakfast. He wasn't really feeling any more excited for school then he had when he woke up but he decided to try not to lose his cool.

As Melissa hustled around the kitchen, juggling breakfast preparations and last-minute reminders, the chaos of the morning seemed to reach its peak. Cristina, Nick, Peter, Sammy, and Mac sat scattered around the table, their expressions a mix of bleary-eyed exhaustion and stubborn resistance.

"Come on, guys, we need to leave in fifteen minutes!" Melissa called out, her voice tinged with a hint of urgency as she darted between the stove and the table. "Let's finish up breakfast and get our things together."

But her words seemed to fall on deaf ears as the siblings continued to bicker and squabble amongst themselves, their voices rising in frustration as tensions mounted.

"Sammy, please eat your breakfast before it gets cold," Melissa pleaded, her tone gentle but firm as she tried to coax Sammy into taking a bite of his breakfast.

But Sammy shook his head defiantly, his arms crossed over his chest in a gesture of defiance. "I'm not hungry," Sammy insisted, his voice tinged with irritation as he pushed his plate away.

Meanwhile, Nick and Peter were engaged in a heated argument over who had the right to use the bathroom first, their voices rising to a crescendo as they vied for dominance.

And as for Mac, he seemed more interested in playing with his food than actually eating it.

Feeling her patience wearing thin, Melissa took a deep breath and counted to ten, willing herself to remain calm in the face of the chaos unfolding around her. "Okay, that's enough," she said firmly, her voice cutting through the din of the argument. "We need to leave now, so let's all work together to get out the door on time."