Last Chance

1.

It was a long day and all I wanted to do was just sleep. Basketball practice followed by running home and then homework and then helping out with the younger siblings. It was a lot. And all I wanted to do was sleep.

"Jamie, are you coming down to help Travis with his homework?" His mother yelled down from the bottom of the stairs like she did when she wanted to know the truth.

"No!! I'm going to bed." Jamie thought to himself before pushing himself off the bed and sighing. He probably should get downstairs and help out. It's the only way he'll be able to get any sleep.

"On my way mom." I replied, so she didn't think I was ignoring her. I walked down the stairs as quickly as I could and stopped at the most recent family picture on the wall at the bottom of the steps. It was his dad, Nathan, his mom, Haley and his 5 other siblings or rather brats, he called them brats because they annoyed him, Lydia was 10, Thomas was 9, Sylvia was 8, Jonathan was 6 and Travis was 5. Oh and somehow mom was pregnant again. I mean I'm almost 17 so moms 34 almost 35 but still I never knew mom wanted a big family. I mean I kinda did, but not really.

I know my parents story. I heard how they met. I heard how they almost got divorced several times. I remember my dad making the NBA and then an international team and then getting kidnapped and then being found and then becoming an NBA coach. He's still a coach and he's home more now but it doesn't seem to feel the same. If dad was home, maybe mom wouldn't be so stressed so much. I don't know. All I know is that I miss dad.

"Trav, what do you need help with?" I ask my youngest brother gently, knowing that if I go any harsher with my voice he'll clam up and not want to do anything till he realizes I was the one in a bad mood.

"Is this right? I think I did it right but I'm not sure." He said quietly like he normally does. Of all the kids Travis was the one who got the sickest and had the hardest time believing in himself to be able to do anything. Jonathan and I got my dads basketball skills and Lydia got moms voice. Sylvia actually got Aunt Peytons art skills and was always drawing this or that. Half of the pictures of our family were from her drawings. I shook my head to concentrate and looked over Travis' homework and grabbed a pencil.

"Alrighty. Travis everything is right but this question. Remember how I taught you last time to count?" I ask him softly, knowing if the other kids knew he messed up, Travis would refuse to answer.

Travis nodded slowly and looked up at me in a slight look of worry.

"You told me to remember basketballs being on my fingers, right?" Travis asked again to make sense of what I had told him beforehand. I nodded softly to acknowledge that he was right and he looked back down at the paper.

"Jamie I don't have 12 fingers. How am I suppose to add 8 to them if I don't have 12 fingers?" I laughed softly and smiled at my younger brother.

"You borrow Jamie's fingers." Sylvia piped up quietly. I looked up slightly surprised because I thought it was just me and my little brother and I found my entire family was watching Travis and I. I smiled at everyone.

"Okay." He says and grabs my hands and pulls them closer to him. "I need two fingers up now." I laughed and did what he told me and then he kept counting my fingers till he looked me surprised.

"The answer is 20. Is there an easier way to do that because I feel like this is too easy." I shrugged slightly.

"Well technically you could take two from the twelve and add them to the 8 and then the problem would be ten plus ten." I stated quickly trying to get closer to the bed again. He looked at me and puffed his chest out and frowned.

"You should have told me that first." He stated a little frustrated and went on about doing his homework. When he finished he pushed the paper towards me and looked at me defiantly.

"I bet you I got them all right." For a five year old he sure was prideful. I pushed the thought away and looked down at the paper. Yeah he got them all right.

"Good job bud. Anything else you need help with?" I ask nicely because I know my moms listening and if I don't ask she'll make me come back downstairs.

"No. I'm all done with my homework. Now I have to go do my chores." He sighed at that last sentence. Mom always told us that because we were a big busy family we would all have to help out around the house once we were big enough. Thankfully I was smart and mowed the lawn yesterday and cleaned out the pool. I watched as my little brother marched his way over to the closet and pull out a way too big broom for the small skinny blonde haired kid and smiled as he tried to sweep as much as he could of the floor in the kitchen. I stared at the clock a little too long and started dazing off. I really need to find a bed now. I slowly climbed the stairs and went into my room, climbed into bed and thought quietly about what a day today was.

"You did good son. I'm very proud of you. You've really worked hard at this position. I could see you starting in the spring time when we start playing again." I was practicing at the gym by myself when my coach came in and watched me. Sophomore year was a little harder for me than I wanted it to be but I worked really hard to get back to where I'm at today. I slowly fell asleep as I kept thinking about today, oblivious to the fact that tomorrow might be one of the hardest days of my life.

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Uh trying something different. Hope you like it.