Cinderella's Twist

chapter twenty-eight: left foot on red

"Left foot on red," Brian calls out and I try and get my right foot on a circle but there are none left.

"Guys, move, I'm sharing a circle," I say and shove one of the boys' feet over and place my foot there.

"No, don't do that I'm going to fall!" Sanders shouts.

"Oh, well, in that case," I say with a shrug or attempted shrug since I'm a pretzel right now. I kick Sanders foot aside and place my foot there. Sanders falling makes the rest of them fall and I stand victorious.

"And, Lynn wins," Brian says tossing the spinner in the air.

"Yeah, that's right boys, I beat you guys again!" I exclaim and pick up Chevy who is lying on her back underneath her toy mobile mat thingy.

"I want a rematch!" Lucas yells.

"Well I do too but I'm going to win this time," Freddy yells.

I laugh and shake my head.I walk into the kitchen where mom is eating a huge piece of cake. She's pregnant, she has cravings. Dad is feeding Chevy who laughs every now and then about probably nothing. I walk in and sit down.

"I just won, for the third in Twister. Tell me I'm awesome," I gloat and sit back in a chair, kicking my feet up on table.

"Mom!" Sully yells "don't you dare tell her she's awesome!"

I laugh and so does dad. 

"Get your feet off of my table," mom instructs and I drop my feet from the table. "Kids get here, we have to go over BP."

Oh, good ole BP. Baby Protocol. After mom had Lucas and adopted Sanders, she realized there are too many kids to keep track of. Now, with her going in her final and eleventh, BP is more important than ever. It goes down pretty complicated. Everyone has a job and if not everyone is on top of their job, well, we're all fucked. Two people need to drive us, not counting dad. Someone needs to pack mom's bags. Someone needs to call our grandparents. Someone needs to watch the younger ones. Someone needs to be responsible at home while dad and mom are at the hospital. Someone needs to call Derek, now. There are so many things that have to be done. 

The rest of them walk in and dad hands mom a sheet of paper. Mom slides it over to us and we read carefully.

Winston Baby #11 Baby Protocol

Ricky-driving Sanders, Lynn, Chance and Chevy

Lucas-driving  Sully, Brian, Freddy

Sanders- call Derek or Lauren

Sully- call dad's parents

Freddy- call mom's parents

Brian- pack mom's overnight bag

Lynn- --watch Chance and Chevy at the hospital

Derek- will be responsible and stay here after the baby is born

"Is that understood?" mom asks us.

"Yeah, but why don't I have your overnight bag? I always do" I ask.

"Well you're just the--" my stops and sucks in a painful breath. Her hand smooths ovr her stomach ad her eyes close.

"Mom, are you okay?" Sanders asks.

'Um, yeah. i'm fine," she says exhaling and sitting up. "So, Jaclynn, l was--oh my god!"

"Honey," dad says ad places hi hand over hers.

"That was a contraction," mom says.

"Okay, kids get into the cars you're supposed to be in and I'm taking mom," dad says and helps mom out as they leave the room.

"Are you guys ready for this?" I ask looking at mom and dad.

"Not even in the slightest sense of things," Lucas answers.

"Alright, BP let's go," Ricky says and the madness begins.

***

It's two hours later and mom is just going into labor. They thought she was going to have an emergancy c-section but luckily she was okay.

A nurse walks over to the group ht consists of me, Ricky, Sanders, Chevy, Lucas, the twins, Brian, Lauren, Derek, all four of our grandparents, and Chance. That is fifteen of us. I know, it's a lot.

"Are you Jaclynn?" she asks me and I nod slowly and confused.

"Yes..."

"Your mother would like to see you before she goes into labor," she says and leads me to her. Everyone looks at me for answers and I just shrug.

She takes me into the room and my mother is already sweating and she seems to be in pain. She smiles tightly when she sees me.

"I need you, to go to Noah," she says.

"Mom, you're on drugs so therefore you are crazy. Noah is no longer associated with my life and hasn't been in a while. Plus, he's probably at the airport. I'm dating Ryan too so..." That's been weird. It's June now and we've been together for like two and a half months. It's hard to get used to.

"I don't like Ryan, as if that isn't obvious but Noah loves you. As much as you say you're finally over Noah, we all know you're not. So you're going to leave, let me hav this baby, go to the airport and go to Noah. This is not a suggestion, young lady," she says.

"Mom I..."

"Go," she says.

I've thought about when I would talk to Noah again like i used to. What it would be like if we were still together. I imagined it something like this:

We would have spent Valentine's Day together. Knowing him, he would have gone all out. I would have had this red, floor-length dress. He'd be in a tux, which I love the way he looks in one. He' take me to some nice restaurant even though I hat that and give me some crazy surprise afterward.

Then there would be my birthday. There was some huge party that Lydia threw for me at my house. Our entire class was practically invited. Anyway, he would talk about what he wanted too for my birthday and it was used that thing we won on Halloween and take me to the Hamptons for a few days. 

Of course there was the spring fling. He told me he would take me. Not only to that but to prom. Ugh, prom. It's seniors only so I didn't go this year but I always had this vision for what prom would be like for us. 

Now, I'm in the car, drving to him. I get to the airport and jump out f the cr. I run through the parking lot and straight to Gate 6 of the airport. Ricky texted me what flight he had. I get to security and realize, it's practicall empty. I run over to the window and watch as the plane takes off. That's his plane. That's Noah's plane and he isn't coming back. I know his whole family is moving there. He has no reason to come back. 

And just like that, the love of my life was...

gone.