Highschool Lovers

chaos and karen

I glance at the clock. It's barely 8 AM, and the madness has already commenced. "Mia! No, that's not a toy! Put the hair dryer down!" I yell, my voice barely cutting through the delighted squeals of our three little whirlwinds.

"Mommy! I'm making a hairstyle for Mr. Fluffy!" Mia giggles, holding the hair dryer triumphantly, completely ignoring my plea.

"Kids! If we don't hurry, we won't make it to the park!" Adrien calls from the living room, his voice always calm, like a soothing balm in the chaos that is our morning routine.

"You know that's not going to happen with all of this," I mutter, trying not to smile at his optimism as I dig through a pile of adorable onesies for Luke. Just then, I hear the telltale sound of a spit-up. I look down, and my heart sinks. "Oh no, not again!"

"Are you okay, Mommy?" Charlie and Chandler run up to inspect. I can see the mischief dancing in their eyes.

"Yeah, just a little—" I'm interrupted as Luke lets out a gurgled cry, clearly needing a diaper change, too.

"Mia, come help me find a new onesie for Luke!" I call as I march towards the baby's room. But before I can even reach the door, there's a sudden knock.

"What now?" I grumble under my breath. I push the door open, and there she is—Karen.

"Good morning, Y/n! I just had to see how you're managing all of these children at your age," she drones, her phone already out and recording.

"Not now, Karen," I say curtly.

"Oh, but I wanted to talk to you about Adrien! You know those poor kids could really benefit from proper parenting. He needs to help you more," she responds, as if my husband isn't upstairs wrangling the twins to get them dressed.

"What do you want? You think you can just come here and judge me when you have no idea what our life is like?" I snap, the chaos around me bubbling to the surface.

"Actually, I do! You're 21, a mom of four—all under five! It's concerning," she says, cool and collected, like I'm a project she's critiquing.

"Concerned? I didn't ask for your unsolicited opinions. You're here almost every day, judging me. You don't get to—"

"Oh, I see how it is," she cuts me off, her eyes glimmering with faux concern. "Let me just chat with Adrien; I'm sure he would want to hear about my insights."

I can feel my frustration flaring up. "He doesn't need your insights, Karen. He's a fantastic father and husband."

"Still, I think—"

I shut the door in her face and let out a huffy breath. As I turn back to the house, I'm greeted by the lovely sounds of Charlie and Chandler having a wrestling match while Mia is utterly absorbed in a pile of my clothes.

"Alright, kids! Who wants to help with the baby?" I call, turning my attention back to the chaos at hand. "Your brother Luke has made a mess, and I need three little helpers!"

"Me! Me! I want to help!" Mia screeches, bounding towards me with a bright smile.

"Okay, put this onesie on him while I clean up," I say, handing her the cute little outfit with tiny elephants.

Adrien steps into the doorway, a bemused smile on his face. "Everything okay down here?"

"Just a little chaos and a bit of unwanted attention," I reply, quirking an eyebrow.

"Ah, the Karens of the world strike again, huh?" he grins, stepping in to help.

"Yeah, but I dealt with her. She won't be bothering us for a while." I wink, thankful for his presence now more than ever.

"Let's get everyone ready before they turn the house into a trampoline," he chuckles, diving into the chaos.

As we tackle the morning together, I can't help but smile. Who cares what Karen thinks? We have each other, and that's all that really matters in the whirlwind of our beautiful, messy life.