Chapter 3

Steph enjoyed silence. She liked to close her eyes and think. She loved dreaming, even while asleep. And as a rare occasion, she always remembered what she had dreamed of the night before. She remembered all of it because she wanted to remember. She wanted to know what the world was like on other planets somewhere far away in the universe. She believed in magic. Even now, her brothers and parents were fighting in different rooms while putting their furniture together, everybody getting mad at each other for not doing the right part, or mad at themselves, mostly because they were hungry. But Steph had put all hers together already, was lying on the new big bed she had let her mother buy, eyes closed, dreaming. That was her new favorite place; in her bed, simply thinking, hand petting her bulldog, Bolt.

There was a quiet knock on her door before it was pushed open. Steph smiled at her mother on the doorway, and Jane closed the door behind herself as she walked to her daughter’s bed. They looked a lot alike, both blonde, both had the same shaped eyes, only that Steph’s were green while hers were blue.

“Here hon, I found your sheets,” she said quietly, knowing Steph’s environment was peaceful and placed the sheets down on the girl’s bed. “You sure you like the bed like this?”

“I love it,” Steph insisted. The bed legs had different heights. She lowed when there were only these little legs, rising her only a bit above the ground. She loved the big windows in her room that were right next to her bed, and she loved the position. It was comfy and warm and cozy. “The light is amazing, and I can practically use it as a couch when I get a lot of pillows and throw them on here.”

Jane chuckled and looked around in the room as she sat down, hand going onto her belly. “You got all done in here, huh?”

“Yeah. I just wanna go shopping for all the other things now.”

“Your father and I have to check out the Register tomorrow. See where we can work and if they have computers and printers there. And then on Saturday we can go to the store and do a challenge.”

Steph smiled excitedly. “A challenge?”

Jane chuckled. “Mhmm. It might have something to do with room decorating.”

“I can’t wait.”

“Mommy!” Hugo shouted somewhere.

“Mom!” Ricky yelled at the same time.

The older blonde sighed and closed her eyes for a moment. She was obviously tired, and she was pregnant and didn’t look like she was feeling well. “Mom, go to sleep, I’ll go and help them,” Steph said.

“No, baby,” she said when getting up, the big belly weighing too much already. “I need to help them make the beds.”

“The beds are all put together, right?” Steph asked, sitting up. “I’ll help them put the sheets on if you show me the boxes where the duvets and all of that are. Really, don’t worry about it, you need some rest.”

“Steph…” she sighed.

“Really, mom. Just let me help. Dad will put Hugo and Jimmy to sleep, don’t worry about that.”

“Are you sure? Aren’t you tired too?”

“Yeah, I’m positive. I was just going to reread one of my books and do some writing anyway.”

“Alright. Thank you, honey,” she said and hugged the girl tightly. “I love you so much.”

“I love you too, mom.” She kissed Jane’s cheek and they both exited the room filled with unopened boxes.

#

The next day, Steph, Nathan, and Jimmy were going to get some food from the town while Chic babysat Hugo and kept his eyes on Ricky and Theo as well. Cory, who had grown up in the town, told them to get the lunch from Bob’s, a diner in the center of the small town, near the church.

They used Google Maps to go there, and it ended up being only a ten-minute walk from their home, while the phone told them it should’ve lasted fifteen. When the three of them entered the diner, a bell rang over their heads, making Nathan jerk a bit, and Steph laugh quietly.

They felt the eyes on them as they went near the counter, seeing menus on there. Nate lifted Jimmy to sit on one of the high stools while Steph took a seat on another one, both of them grabbing a menu. Written down were all the things a diner should have—burgers, fries, nuggets, onion rings, wraps, pancakes, eggs with bacon and toast, ice cream, soda, milkshakes, etc. Only that under every item had been written to ask for the continents and different types from the waiters.

“Small towns,” Nate sighed, making Steph snigger at the stupidity while scratching her nose.

“It’s just like very retro. Look at the design. I’m already in love with this place.”

“Why are the colors so bright?” Jimmy asked as six-year-olds did, questioning everything.

“Because it’s retro and neon,” Nate answered easily and smiled at the dark-skinned man who appeared from the kitchen. “Hi.”

“Hello, what can I get you, kids?”

“We’re not sure,” Steph spoke up. “We need a lunch to go for seven people.”

“You’re new in town?” the man asked, all three of the kids nodding. “I’m Bob Tart.”

“Oh, you own this place?” Nate asked in surprise.

He nodded proudly. “I do. Many generations of Tart’s have owned it, my father gave it to me.”

“That’s amazing,” Steph said. “I love the design.”

“Thank you,” he smiled, pleasantly surprised by that. “Are you Cory’s kids? You boys look a lot like him.”

“We are,” Nate said. “We just moved here.”

“Oh, I heard a big family was coming,” he smiled excitedly. “Send greetings to your father. He’ll know who I am.”

“He said you make the best food he’s ever tasted,” Steph said.

The man chuckled. “The town is very keen on my food, yes. So, what can I get to you? Do all those seven people eat meat?”

“They do,” Nate said. “But one is four, and the other is six,” he said, pointing at Jimmy. “So, we need something smaller for a few of them.”

Steph rolled her eyes at the confusion her brother always knew how to make. “What do you recommend?”

“Well… If you want a proper lunch, people here usually get burgers and fries, and onion rings if they’re extra hungry. And everybody loves the milkshakes.”

“Which types of burgers do you have?” Nathan asked.

Bob explained everything, so they ended up getting three original American burgers, and four cheeseburgers, a lot of fries, a few portions of onion rings, and different sodas for everybody. “Oh, and one Vanilla milkshake just to drink here, please,” Steph added in the end when the bell behind them again.

“I want one too,” Ricky said.

“We’ll share,” Steph told him.

“You guys are already my best costumers.”

“Offended,” they heard someone say, making both of the teenagers look at the two boys who had just entered. One of them was their new ginger neighbor. Andre? She didn’t remember.

“Why so?” Nate asked with a smirk, looking at the other boy who had commented on Bob’s words.

“Boys, your usual to go?” Bob asked.

“Yeah, thanks, Bob,” the dark-haired boy said. Steph observed the white beanie on his head, which oddly remembered her of a crown. She looked at the flannel tied around his hips, the black jeans, the white tank top, the suspenders hanging low on his hips, and his arms. She was already getting a loner kid vibe from him.

“Steph,” she heard her name being said multiple times in a row, pulling her out of her fantasies.

“Sorry,” she frowned. “What?” She met her twin’s eyes, who just sighed and shook his head.

“Can you not daydream when we’re outside? You’re gonna get hit by a car or something.”

“What did you want?”

“They’re giving us a ride home.”

Steph’s eyes moved onto the mysterious guy’s face who she was sure had already told everybody his name, which made it awkward for her to ask it again. His deep blueish-green eyes looked so deep when she met them. She couldn’t pull hers away either. Until his mouth shaped a lazy smirk, making her eyes fall on his lips instead.

“What? Too scared to ride with strangers?” the boy asked, his words dripping in sarcasm.

“Actually, no,” Steph said, straightening herself on the stool, and meeting his eyes again. “I just prefer to walk and that’s exactly what I’m going to do.”

“Stephie,” Nate sighed, not getting his sister’s attention.

“Steph, I’m tired,” Ricky whined.

“You can go with whoever you’d like. But I’ll walk.”

“Why?” the redhead whose name she still didn’t remember, asked. “I’m going home anyway. It wouldn’t be a trouble.”

“She doesn’t get into strangers’ cars, Mason,” his friend said and smirked slyly when he met her curious green eyes again. “Smart girl.”

“You can walk. Just don’t get hit by a car in that dreaming state,” Nathan said easily.

While Steph rolled her eyes, Bob came out of the kitchen with a milkshake. The waiters were working, but he simply placed the drink in front of Steph, “Here you go.” And hurried back into the kitchen with a smile on his face.

“I wanna taste,” Ricky said immediately.

“Here,” the girl said, pushing it in front of him as the little boy sat up better, Nate’s hand on his back just in case he fell, which wouldn’t have been the first time.

“Mmm,” the boy said, the straw between his lips.

“Good?” Steph asked as she grabbed another straw from a cup on the counter and poked it into the drink, through the thick cover of whipped cream. The boy nodded eagerly.

“Dude, I wanna taste that too,” Nathan said, moving the drink away.

“I was drinking that,” the six-year-old argued. “That’s so unfair,” he huffed as Steph tasted it now.

“Amazing,” she said, passing it on to her twin brother.

“You guys just share stuff like that? I could never share my food,” Mason said.

“When you live with six siblings, you kind of have to,” Steph said.

“Then why are your parents having another kid?”

“They can’t stop mating,” Nate said, making Steph snigger as she drank the milkshake before placing it back in front of their little brother “We were angry when we found out, but now Steph’s actually okay with it because she finds it cool that they’re having a girl.”

“I don’t find it cool. I just find it better than having a seventh brother. You guys are really horrible.”

They talked until all their food was there, and all the boys left. She ordered another vanilla milkshake for herself and sat in the diner for a while, just thinking. When she finally left half an hour later, she started walking towards her home, down the same streets as before. Until she turned the first corner and saw the beanie-wearing boy walking towards the same direction she was. He was about twenty feet in front of her, but he was walking really slowly, so she slowed down as well, hoping he wouldn’t see her.

She coughed quietly a few minutes later, making the boy’s head whip around, looking surprised. Steph slowed her steps even more as she felt his eyes burning into her, holding her head down just in case. The boy just smirked to himself and stopped walking, waiting for her to reach him. She did a few moments later.

“Hey,” he said.

“Hi,” Steph answered normally and kept walking, his feet moving again, too. “Thought you went with them.”

“Nope.”

She waited for him to continue, but when he didn’t, she looked up at him in confusion instead. “Not that I’d have to explain myself to you, but I forgot my jacket into Mason’s car. So, I’m going to get it.”

The blonde girl nodded and lowered her head again as they crossed another street. She felt selfish and dumb thinking for thinking that maybe he had waited for her. They walked in a comfortably awkward silence for a few minutes, until Cole spoke up again. “I’m Cole, by the way. Thought you might have not heard it while daydreaming.”

“I did hear you.”

He chuckled once. “Right. Of course, you did.” Sarcasm, again.

She raised her head when they stopped because of the red color on the broken traffic light. “Where do you live? Somewhere near?”

“No. Southside.”

“Is that far?” she asked, not having any idea if he talked about the South of the town or some other kind of town.

“Just about fifteen minutes. I was almost at home when I remembered.”

Steph nodded quietly. “How do you know Mason? Do you go to the same school?”

“Yeah. And our fathers are friends, so we’ve kind of been too ever since we were in diapers.”

She smiled at that a little and looked up at him, the height difference leaving her in shock for a moment. The top of her head barely reached his nose. “Do you have any siblings, Cole?”

He smiled at the way she said her name, but it turned bitter as he lied to the pretty blonde girl next to him. “No. No, I don’t.”