We Bought a Zoo-Falling Apart

Chapter 2-Brooke

Beep. Beep. Beep.

My alarm clock impatiently screeched as I groaned and opened my eyes. Sunlight filtered through the blinds, creating shadows near my bed. I slowly dragged myself out of bed and stood in front of my window. It was going to be really hot today. 

I hated heat, more than anything. Sweating, exhausted, those are words that I hate more than anything. In addition, zoo work on a ninety degree day is just death. 

 I decided to put on a Rosemoor Wildlife t-shirt [Yes, all employees have a ton of these, we get them for free.] along with jean shorts. Tying up my hair in a high ponytail, I used a thin head band to  keep the hair out of my face. Quickly washing and brushing my teeth, I gave myself a sure smile in the mirror, then headed down to the kitchen.

I quickly poured some cereal in a bowl and added milk. I ate it as fast as possible, it was currently 7:45 and Benjamin's dad was going to pick me up at 8:00.

 Kelly never eats breakfast with me. It often gives the house a lonely aura, but I get used to it. Kelly's doing more important things anyways, like tending to the zoo animals and helping out the Mee family. It's a kind thing to do. When I was younger at my home in Seattle, I wasn't really noticed, or the "star" of the family. I was part of a loving family, but the family had multiple siblings. Three, to be exact. 

There was Riley, the oldest, who is currently 17. Riley is the sibling with the good looks, along with surprisingly good grades and has a million friends. He was the sibling everyone envied; my parents showered him with presents and he honestly was never the best brother to anyone of us. I don't know if it was just me, but he ignored me and rarely ever talked with me. He'll take off in his car and go into his own world. I've always imagined running home and having Riley greet me in a giant bear hug, but it never has happened. Ever. 

Next there's Leon, turning fourteen in a couple months. Leon reminds me of Dylan-which is a partial reason why I really like hanging out with him. Leon swims and is completely the opposite of Riley-he struggles with school and is kind of a loner. He's really deep though. Leon just tries though, and he doesn't fail school in an attempt to be cool. 

Finally, there's Ariana who's nine and is the youngest, and definetly the boldest.. She doesn't worry about looks, school, just about her television time. She's like Rosie, but she's headstrong and always daring. I'm not saying that Rosie is a wimp, Rosie's a great kid. I'm saying that Ariana gets ahead of herself easily. The first day of kindergarten, Ariana was so excited she "accidently" left school early during recess. 

I'm jammed between Ariana and Leon, being thirteen. I guess you could say that I'm closest to Leon, because we're close to the same age. He's kind and willing to talk. That's one thing that I honestly rarely ever hear from siblings. I just often feel so hidden in my family. I could hide in a closest and write and no one would notice. Our family is a busy family-and I'm not a busy person, which ruins it all. People would always call my mom or deliver food because they felt like my mom was such a hard working person. My dad would always work hard all day and night to feed us, and I just tried to stay out of activities, to keep the money low and I'd entertain myself in my own ways. 

Kelly is my mom's younger, much more energetic sister. I don't know much of how she ended up at the zoo, but Kelly's my older sister. She's not the type that'll help you with make-up tutorials and clothes, but she's the type that'll help you with important life lessons. I moved to the zoo about two years ago, after spending a week with Kelly and begging my mom to stay longer. My mom finally agreed, she knew I'd be in good hands. 

The Ford pulled up into our driveway, with Benjamin giving me a wave through the window. Dylan was sitting in shot gun, so I pulled open the door and sat next to Rosie, in her carseat. The car ride was pretty peaceful, if you ignored everything Benjamin and Dylan said.