Horror in the House

One

Frankie

Friday, 7:58 pm

I had just picked Ariana up from her cheer practice, and now she was bothering me about Mcdonalds for dinner.

"Ari, you know mom and dad don't like you to have Mcdonalds."

"So? I don't care. I want it."

"You are too spoiled." I roll my eyes and turn into the parking lot of the nearest Mcdonalds, which is conveniently right down the street from our neighborhood.

"What do you want?" I ask Ariana.

"I want a cheeseburger and fries. And apple juice!" She says excitedly.

Once the car in front of us moves, I order Ariana's food.

"Your total comes to $5.28." The drive thru worker says.

I drive to the first window and pay for the food, then to the second window to receive the food. I give the bag to Ariana and drive the rest of the way home.

8:08 pm

"Mommy, daddy! We're back!" Ariana yells, running inside the house.

"Ari, one of the cars wasn't even outside. What makes you think they're here?"

"Only one of the cars was gone. So one of them could still be here."

I sigh, watching my baby sisters excitement deteriorate as she runs around the house.

"They're not here." She mumbles, going into the kitchen to eat her food.

Mom and dad had been home less and less for the past month. I had tried talking to them about it, but they always said the same thing: it was none of my business.

I go into the kitchen to see Ariana eating and not looking the least bit upset.

"Ariana, are you okay?"

"I'm perfectly fine. If they don't wanna come home, they don't have to. Can Justin, Jazzy, and Jaxon come here instead?"

"Oh, uh. Okay. I'll call and ask." I respond, kind of confused.

Ariana is definitely bipolar.

"Thanks." She smiles and finishes her food before cleaning up.

I call Justin and he answers almost immediately.

"Hey, man. What's up?" Justin says.

"Nothing much, bro. Just calling to see if you and the kids can come over."

"Oh, yeah. Absolutely. I was just gonna ask you that, actually."

"Oh, okay. Well, the parents aren't here so, come on over."

"We'll be there in ten minutes."

"Okay. See you then." I hang up my phone and put it down on the counter.

Ariana was sitting at the island on her phone. Don't ask me why my parents found it appropriate for a nine year old to have a phone.

"They're on the way. You gonna take a shower?"

"I guess." She hops off her chair and walks her half naked self upstairs.

Because of cheer practice, she was only wearing a pink sports bra and lime green spandex.

I take my phone to the living room and turn on the TV. After flipping through the multiple channels, I decide on The Loud House.

8:24 pm

The doorbell rings and I stand up to answer it. Justin, Jazmyn, and Jaxon are standing on the porch.

"Hey, man. What's up?" Justin extends his hand and I take it, pulling him in for a hug, also known as the "man-shake".

"Hi, Frankie!" Jazmyn and Jaxon push their brother out of the way and attack me in a hug.

"Justin!" Ariana runs down the stairs and jumps into Justin's arms.

"Hey, Ari. How are you?" Justin kisses her cheek and places her on the ground.

"I'm great." She smiles.

"That's good." They walk into the living room and I follow them with Jazzy and Jax.

Ariana and Justin are sitting on one side of the couch, so I sit down on the other side, Jazmyn in my lap and Jaxon next to me.

"How was school today?"

"Fine. Boring, as always."

"Of course."

3:48 am

"Where do you think they went?" Justin asks.

"I have no idea. I don't know why they would leave me with Ariana."

"Come on, dude. She's not that bad. She's adorable."

"Take her, then. I'll take J and J."

"Why do you call them that?"

"It's easier than saying their names."

"That's true."

Me and Justin were in my room while the kids were asleep in Ariana's room. It's just the fact that teenage boys don't know how to go to sleep.

"Justin, I can't sleep. I'm scared." Ariana walks in the open door of my room and sits in Justin's lap.

"Why are you scared?"

"I had a bad dream. Somebody killed mommy and daddy and they came back as ghosts and they were bothering me."

"Ari, I'm pretty sure that's not gonna happen. I promise you." Justin kisses her cheek and she lays her head on his shoulder.

Ariana is asleep in seconds.

"Should I put her back in bed? She might not let me." Justin asks.

"No, it's fine." I shake my head, picking up my phone.

I stay on my phone for a couple minutes before looking up and seeing Justin asleep. He was laying down on the couch in my room, with Ariana laying on his chest. Their relationship was weird, but cute at the same time. They were like brother and sister.

I plug my phone up and climb into my bed, falling asleep almost immediately.