Chapter 2

Ever since the kids found out in January, the older ones had been looking for furniture online, and all possible ways how to decorate their new rooms. It had been clear already that Chic, Nate, and Steph were going to have their own rooms, while Theo and Ricky had to share, as did Jimmy and Hugo. But for everyone, it was an exciting change, because, for their entire lives, three and four of them had been sharing rooms.

The moving took place in the second week of August. The family had two cars: one minivan with exactly twelve seats, and a smaller car with five. Most of the kids wanted to drive together to play and goof around most of the time, but Steph preferred peace and maybe a little bit of silence, so she and Nathan drove with their mom, while all the others stayed in the minivan with Cory. The backseat was packed full of things, so Steph was happy she had hurried to get the front.

“You two excited?” Jane asked.

“I’m more like… terrified,” Nate said. “Like seriously, what if none of us makes friends there.”

Steph chuckled and turned to look at her twin brother on the backseat. “You’re the first one bringing five guys home to play Fortnite with you. What are you worried about?”

He shrugged. “More worried about you than anyone else.”

At that, she rolled her eyes and turned back to face the front. “He’s right, honey,” their mother agreed.

“I’m always right.”

“No, you’re not,” Jane chuckled. “I’m always right.” She was. Steph knew that better than anybody else.

“Anyway, I’ll be fine. I have my own room, privacy, and a bathroom.”

“Which is totally unfair by the way,” Nate mentioned casually. When they were told that Steph’s room had a bathroom in it, all the others were jealous. She tried to make them understand how they never took time in shower anyway, and how she did, and it would just be better for all of them if she had a private one. In reality, she knew she was blessed to get her own space. It was tiring sharing a house with six boys, two parents, and her soon-to-come baby sister.

She spaced out from her mother and brother’s talking, eyes focusing on the beautiful forest around her. It was mid-August, about seventy-five degrees outside, the car had air conditioning on, but outside, all the animals and birds were running free in the warm weather. She saw a deer between the yellowish-green nature, looking around in the woods. Steph tried to imagine what it was like being an animal. What was it like just running free and going wherever you wanted. She wanted to travel the world one day. Without being told what to do or where to go. Even just a road trip around the country would’ve been nice. She just wanted to see how other people lived.

Growing up in a big family, it had always been difficult going anywhere on vacation. There was always one of her siblings who was too young to go anywhere, and her parents didn’t have money for all of them anyway. So, she, Chic and Nate had gone on a trip to Hawaii with their dad when they were ten and eleven, and of course, they had driven around the country just a bit, but that was it. She dreamed about going to Europe. She really wanted to go to Europe. Maybe with Nate, maybe just alone. She just wanted to go and be free.

Chic was the oldest of her siblings. He was seventeen now. While they did get along okay—at least better than he did with the other boys—they couldn’t spend a full week together if they tried. They were too different but too similar at the same time, which cost them a lot of arguments. He liked sports and he had a chance of getting some kind of scholarship this year if he was going to make an effort.

Nate was her twin brother. He was twenty-four minutes older than her, and he always rubbed it into her face when arguing. Other than that, he was amazing. They got along great, the best of all siblings she had; maybe because he was her twin, maybe because they had grown up sharing everything with each other, Steph wasn’t sure. All she knew was that Nate was definitely her favorite. (But she would never admit that, not even to herself.)

Their birthday was on February 24th, which made them be Pisces, while also having a bit of Aquarius in them. Even though Steph didn’t believe in star signs much, she did know that she had a lot of similar traits with her brother while also being so different it could’ve been horrible. But, it was easier for them to be together, supportive of each other, than to fight over small things that annoyed them about one another.

After Steph and Nate, came Theo. He had gotten thirteen in March, and somehow his teenage hormones were worse than Steph and Nate’s who were sixteen. Chic was already over that period of time, and Theo was far worse than any three of the older ones had ever been.

Ricky, who was now eleven, was the next one. After him, Jane and Cory promised the kids they weren’t going to get any more kids. But, then came Jimmy who had just gotten six a week ago, and Hugo who was now four. Their little sister was coming in about ten weeks.

“Steph?” Nate asked, pulling the girl out of her thoughts. She had a sudden urge to re-watch the YouTube video which they had uploaded lately. It was the gender-reveal. She cried a lot happy tears in there. First sister after sixteen years and six brothers.

“Yeah, what?”

“Where did you go?” he teased.

“Just thinking,” she said and turned to look at him a little. “What is it?”

“Do you want a stop?”

“Nah, I’m okay. Only if you guys want to.”

“The others are taking a break, the boys are hungry, and they have to walk Bolt,” Jane said and looked at her for a moment before turning back to the road. “Do you want anything to eat?”

“They can just get me a coke or something.”

#

“Hey, guys! We’re about to drive into the town we’ll be living in from now on. Steph told me she wasn’t going to help me edit so I’m just doing a LIVE because I’m not going to do it either,” Nate explained as people were already spamming the live comments. “Hi, Netherlands! Hi San Francisco!”

“Na, don’t film the surroundings,” Steph said, looking around herself as they passed the Bluewere sign and slowed down with their car.

“I’m not going to, idiot.” He continued talking with the fans, “Yeah guys, I’m here with mom and Steph, and all the others are behind us in the van. Aaand we just drove past the sign… Damn, it looks just as good in here as it did in November under the snow.”

“Yeah, I wanna see what the center of the town is like now,” Steph said.

“Stephie, Pablo from Brazil, says hi,” Nate sniggered and moved his phone to Steph’s face on the front seat.

“Hi guys,” the girl smiled and pushed the camera away from her face.

“Mom, say hi.”

“Hey, Champs.” That’s what they called their fanbase. Everyone who subscribed to them and watched their videos was a “Champ”. They knew it was weird and cringe, but everybody did it, so when the kids were younger, they all chose that name. And from then on, everyone who recognized them in public went up to them and told them they were a Champ too.

“We should be there soon, people. Just wanted to film our reactions,” Nate said. “Hey Stephie, one guy says ‘Steph, you’re beautiful, but I’ll always choose Nathan, he’s hot’.”

“No, he doesn’t,” Steph frowned and turned to look at his brother.

“He sure does.”

“What’s his name?”

“I don’t know, I lost the comment. Guess what, there are two thousand people in this car right now.”

“You’re such an idiot,” Steph sighed and looked back out of the window while Jane laughed at the two of them. “Go enjoy your summer kids, the LIVE will be saved later anyway,” the youngest blonde said.

After fifteen more minutes of driving and goofing around, they reached the destination. Nathan’s mouth dropped open, looking at the newly built house in front of them. Steph’s eyes were wide as she turned the vlogging camera on. They were going to make a vlog later on anyway, about how everyone’s rooms looked, etc. She needed to get a clear shot of the house for that.

Steph noticed an older man standing in front of the house, and a younger redheaded one sitting on the doorsteps, looking up at the two cars that were now in the driveway. He got up as Steph and Nate got out of the car and the minibus’ door opened. “Hey Philippe,” Cory greeted and gave the man a bro hug. “Everything going good in here?”

“Great. The last piece of furniture came yesterday. My men said they are willing to help you out with putting it together. Beds and the bigger bookshelves are already done.”

“Thank you. And tell them thanks too, but that’s okay, they can rest now. Got my own helpers here,” the dad said, nudging his head towards all the kids coming out of the cars.

“You have a lot of those, yeah,” Philippe chuckled. “That’s Mason. My son.”

“Hey kid,” Cory said and hugged him welcomingly.

“Five bathrooms,” Chic laughed, holding a vlogging camera as well, trying to get everyone to bed how many there were. “And yours, Stephie?”

The blonde girl looked at the house with a smile and into her own camera, not his. “Five, definitely. Oh, wait, actually… If it has a basement, six.”

“No, five was your first and last answer,” her older brother insisted.

“Who cares, you don’t even have a price anyway.”

“True.” They both laughed as Nate came to them as well.

Steph got silent as she turned the camera off and looked around. She observed the man his dad was friends with, Philippe. He had kind warm brown eyes his hair was black, and he was wearing flannel over his t-shirt. Mason, his son, had his father’s eyes, and the two looked a lot alike, only the bright rooster top changing their looks. His arms were ripped in the tight t-shirt, and Steph found herself liking that.

“So, which one of you seven is the oldest?” the boy asked, having counted how many there was, not directing the question to anyone particularly.

“I am,” Chic spoke up, going to all of them. “I’m seventeen.”

The boy nodded. “You’re all going to Bluewere High now?”

“The three of us,” Nate said. “The others are in middle and grade school, and Steph’s in preschool.”

The girl rolled her eyes at the lame joke, making the three boys chuckle. “She’d hit me if you weren’t here.”

“I’d hit you if mom weren’t here,” Steph said.

“How old are you?” Mason asked her, making her sigh as she had to meet his eyes now.

“Sixteen.”

“So, you’re a Junior now?”

“Yeah.”

“I am too, we’re twins, actually,” Nate said. “What about you?”

“Yeah, me too. And… We’re actually neighbors.”

“Oh, that’s cool. Are you straight? Do you have a girlfriend?”

“Nathan,” Steph sighed, still hating how his brother got comfortable around every stranger immediately.

“I am,” Mason chuckled. “And I do. But one of my best friends is gay and about to install tinder. I can tell him about you.”

“Oh my god. Yes.”