Fixing A Broken Compass

Another Day

"At this moment I'm exactly who and where I need to be"

Today was a rarity.

The twins were up and ready, their soccer bags packed neatly by the door. Reggie was extremely sleepy and calm this morning, and Willow, although clingy, was not yet complaining about attending school.

It made dropping them off a bit easier, and the weekend's fun left him with a bit of pep in his step, even if his Sunday was chaotic.

He would take every chaotic weekend if he could wake up the next day to a peaceful morning.

It was a miracle he didn't have a tear of joy run down his face. He was tired, but gosh, it always felt like he was exhausted. Was it possible to be in a perpetual state of tiredness? He is supposed to take care of younger kids. Oh god. He was a single mom.

Did he have to have snacks ready if the kids brought friends over?

He really needed to go grocery shopping properly and get a planner. He made a mental note, adding it to his shopping list as he moved through the school halls. After dropping the twins off and then his younger siblings, he got to school in just enough time to make it to Ms. Johnson's class before the bell rang.

That was a victory in itself.

The woman smiled at him fondly as he greeted her. He was happy that the guys had saved him a seat as soon as he came in Kota moved his backpack off the chair, giving him a warm welcoming smile. Kota sat at the desk in front of Miles, Corey the one behind, with Gabe to his left and Luke in the seat behind Gabe.

He was in a hot boy circle. Rectangle? Odd-shaped square? He always sat in the row closest to the door so he could lean against the wall, fourth back so he wasn't too close to the front, but also wasn't so far back that he wouldn't be able to pay attention.

He could blend into the room.

Well, maybe not as much with four attractive guys encircling him.

"Hey, Miles," Kota's words made the others glance up, all giving him wide grins.

It was almost overwhelming having all of their attention on him at once. He merely stood awkwardly looking at them all for a brief moment a sheepish grin on his lips.

He had...an embarrassing amount of excitement at seeing them. Was that strange? For a moment on Saturday, despite the anxiety that came with it, he felt normal an eighteen-year-old kid hanging out with friends.

No pressure hung over him, just racing, tag, and laughter. They spent so much time with his siblings. It was something he had thought about since the moment he left Nathan's house.

He couldn't think about Marc and his shared phone call and felt his cheeks tint. Were these guys truly so considerate? He was waiting for the ball to drop. No one could take Disney songs and stinky diapers without some complaints.

"Can we talk about how fucking cute your siblings are?" The smile on Gabe's face and the bright light in his eyes made his heart ping. He looked so solemn and excited. "Can I keep them? I want to keep them?"

"Gabe, you can't keep everyone you meet," Kota shook his head, a grin on his face. His eyes twinkled with amusement as he turned in his seat. Miles finally forced himself to move, sitting down, his legs crossing under the desk as he moved his backpack up against the wall. Careful, he placed his coffee on his desk.

Gabe shushed him and rolled his eyes, "I only keep the best people! Don't complain, I kept you."

Luke laughed, shaking his head. "Gabe's right I want to keep them. " He put his head on his chin. "I was trying not to overwhelm them because I could tell they were all nervous, but I just wanted to scoop them all up into bear hugs."