E I G H T E E N

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(A/N: BIG CHANGE! BELLA IS NOW NAMED EVANGELINE! IT'S EASIER! LAST CHANGE TO HER STORY!❤️)

Evangeline

Time flew so quickly. Our adoption was coming up in a few days and we all made some friends.

Callie had this assignment in her sophomore English class, where she had to write about anything she felt guilty about. As soon as I heard about it, I knew what her brain was thinking.

"Cal?" I sat next to her on her bed, while the family was downstairs eating dinner. "Stressed about the paper​?"

"All I can think about is Liam." She sighed, putting her journal and pen in her lap, and ran her hand through her long, dark hair.

"Just write about him." I grabbed her pen and journal and shoved it at her chest. "No one is gonna read it."

I got up without another word from either of us, seeing that she needed some time to decide.

~/~

A few hours later, Talya showed up and we all played Monopoly. Callie wouldn't come downstairs, despite my many attempts to get her there.

"I call race car!" Brandon and Talya said.

"We're done." Talya laughed, smiling at Brandon, and putting her arm around my shoulder. "I'm taking your sister away."

Hearing Talya call me Brandon's sister, Stef and Lena both looked at each other and smiled.

After Monopoly, Callie came downstairs, since Stef practically forced her, and sat next to Jude on the floor. I sat in between Talya and Mariana, Brandon sat by Talya, and Jesus sat one the other side of Jude.

"I think the bad man should have a name, don't you?" Jude asked during the movie.

"How about Jim?" Jesus joked, making me smile. "He looks like a Jim."

"What about Liam?" Talya smirked with Brandon's​ arm around her shoulder.

Callie's face froze and she grabbed my hand, running upstairs and looking at her bed and dresser.

"Mariana!" She called, angry. Mariana ran up into the room with Stef, looking scared. "You read my journal!"

"I'm sure this is a misunderstanding." Stef said, trying to calm Callie down.

"No. She read my journal. There's nothing more to say about it." Callie sighed. "It was right there!" She yelled, pointing to her dresser. "Now it's there. That's not possible!"

"I'm sure you are just thinking it moved." I put my hand on her back, trying to calm her down.

"No." She pushed me away harshly. "And you," She pointed at Stef. "Need to notice that your daughter isn't the little princess that you treat her like."

Hearing this, Mariana rushed out of the room.

"I'm sorry, Callie." I hugged her, though she didn't hug back, and followed after my other sister to check up on her.

"Why does everyone hate me?" Mariana cried as we both sat on the couch in my music 'studio.'

"Nobody hates you, Mari." I hugged her as she cried in my shoulder. "They are just stressed. They need to focus on our adoption, and work, and everything else going on right now. Callie is making them freak out."

"My birth mom hates me too. She was-- is a drug addict. I've been giving her money that she was supposed to use to get back on her feet." She lifted her head out of my shoulder, wiping her tears, and trying not to smudge her mascara.

"How have you been getting the money?" I asked, looking at her big, brown eyes.

She inhaled sharply, like what she was about to say was gonna be hard to hear. "By selling Jesus' pills. I know, I know, it's bad. I stopped immediately, but now Jesus wants to meet her with me. We're going tomorrow."

I didn't say another word. Instead, I just hugged her, as it seemed like that was all she needed and whatever I was gonna say wouldn't make it any better.

"You know, you need to be the bigger person. You have to invite Callie to your quinceañera. I know you don't wanna, but you have to, Mari." I told her, changing the subject.

"I know. And I will."

~/~

After everyone was calm, I talked to Callie about her outburst.

"Cal..." I sat next to her on her bed.

"I know, 'You shouldn't have done that. We might get kicked out. Blah. Blah. Blah." She kept her eyes on the ground, not looking up at me. "I'll never do it again, Evan."

"You better not." I told her. "Jude and I like it here. Don't ruin that."

"I'm not trying to. Do you really think I would take that away from you guys?" She looked up at me.

"I don't know anymore, Callie." I got up and left the room, not saying another word.

~/~

"Oh my gosh! We have to be there in five minutes, girls. Grab you dresses and makeup! Get ready there." Lena called to all of us girls from the bottom of the stairs.

All of us, including Lexi, grabbed our makeup bags, dresses, heels, and any accessories and walked down the stars.

"I'll drive Jesus, Brandon, Evan, and Jude. Only if that's okay with you." Talya said, questioning Stef with her look.

"That's fine. Thanks, Talya." Stef sighed as Talya and Brandon held hand, leading me and Jude, my arm around his shoulder, Jesus following us.

"Shotgun!" I hip bumped Brandon, causing him to sigh sarcastically and move to the back with Jude. "I also call radio!" I called, slapping Talya's had away from the radio and went to my punk station, hearing Jenny Devers' voice. I could hear a new sounding voice talk in the background.

"How do you find listening to people talk entertaining?" Jesus asked, sounding weirded out.

"Shh..." I held up a finger and turned the radio up a little. "Jenny is, like, my favorite celebrity."

"Please welcome my new co-host, Izzy. She prefers to be called just Izzy." Jenny said, welcoming Izzy.

"Hey, guys. Hope you enjoy my selections." Izzy spoke. "Next, we have Not Today by BTS."

"Today is, in honor of Izzy's first day, K-pop day. Normal punk music back tomorrow." Jenny said and the song started.

I didn't really listen to K-pop, so I switched the station back to Talya's pop station.

The car was pretty silent. I looked back at Jesus, Brandon, and Jude.

Brandon looked at me and gave me a toothless smile, Jude giggled a little, and Jesus gave me a cheesy little smile.

Those boys.

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