The Prince and the Bookworm

Chapter 6

I was stretched out across the couch, reaching chapter 12 in The Daring Princess when I heard a knock on the door. I got up to my feet, setting my book down on the coffee table.

"They're here!" I called out to my mom just before reaching out for the doorknob and opening the door. I looked at my family members as they smiled over me. I tried to give them a smile back but it would probably be more described as a face a very constipated person would make.

"Look at you!" My Aunt Cindy exclaimed, smothering me with a big bear hug. "You've grown so much!" She swayed a little, making me feel like we were doing a dance. She let me go when she saw my mom. "Jade!" She gushed, moving on to give her sister a hug. I turned to look to my cousins. Caleb was now almost a foot taller than Mariah, despite her being older. Caleb held his hand out, and
I complied by giving him a high five, our usual greeting. Mariah walked over, draping an arm around my shoulder.

"Nice to see you, Sadie." Mariah said, with a large smile. "It's been forever." And she was right. Despite our only being like 30 minutes apart, we rarely saw each other. Only when grandma has a sudden lonely stage and decides to get the family together. She gave me a small squeeze before letting go. She gave me a small wink. "I have lots to get off my chest, so be prepared." She laughed and I replied with a rolling of my eyes and a smirk. I turned to Caleb, who was already scouring the place to find anything nerdy he could do. I studied him a little closer. He definitely was different. He was much taller, and his voice not as deep as I expected, but definitely still not childish. His dark brown hair also looked almost black to me, but it was spiked up today, in a more stylish fashion. He had his usual glasses, but thankfully his braces were gone. He had blue eyes that were darker and a little more serene. He had freckles all over his face, reminding me of a puppy for some reason. His sister though, was gorgeous. Her light brown curls went just past her chest, but it was in a nice braided bun today. She had my dimples, and her brothers freckles. She had soft hazel eyes that were big and beautiful and her smile could literally light up a room. She was tiny though. Literally no muscle and was just over 5 foot.

"And once again I get trumped by girl talk." Caleb grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest. I slap his arm playfully, glaring at him.

"Not trumped. Just overturned for the time being." I replied, smirking when he replied by sticking his tongue out at me. Mariah laughed, placing a hand on her brother's shoulder.

"Honestly, bro, you should just hang with the adults." Mariah joked, her eyes sparkling with silent laughter. I nodded my agreement before turning to walk towards my room, beckoning for my cousins to follow me.

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I wouldn't say I tried to clean my room. More just made it somewhat presentable. As soon as we entered, Caleb snorted.

"Wow, I see you went to all lengths to clean for our arrival."

"Thank you for noticing. I appreciate it." I plopped down on my bed, Mariah following suit. I had previously promised Caleb he could go on my computer while Mariah and I talked. So he went straight to my desk, and I immediately heard a groan.

"You seriously need a Mac." Caleb complained, already typing away. I just rolled my eyes.

"Not in the budget."

"So, how's school been?" Mariah started asking questions right away. She was always one to talk, even if everyone Ind of just wanted her to shut up.

"Okay I guess. Lets just say I'm ready for Thanksgiving break." I said, fingering the edge of my pillow case.

"Bullies getting to you?" She asked, clearly concerned. I had vented to her that a couple of people were constantly making fun of me over the phone, and she had playfully promised one day she would come over to take care of them.