We didn't talk about what happened when Flynn and the kids asked. Jonas went upstairs to shower and then go to sleep, and no one bothered him. After pizza, Elliott and Flynn left for a party- not Giano's, of corse. I didn't mind their leaving, since having Flynn around always seems to make the younger ones much more hyper.
Addison came home, an extraordinary smile on her face, one I wouldn't dare to break by telling her what happened to Jonas. She couldn't stop gushing about Mike. He was sweet to her, bought her frozen yogurt, pulled out her chair. I decided I approved of this Mike character.
The next morning, I go into Jonas' room to check on him. He is still sound asleep, so I decide to let him sleep for as long as he wants. Downstairs, I pull out a bowl and pour Cheerios into it, planning on serving Jonas when he does wake up.
I will be nice to him, at first. Once I am sure he is no longer in pain, I will put down my foot. He lied to me. He should've told me where he was going. And he should've told me about Darren, even if it were embarrassing. I'm in charge of him and making sure he is safe.
"Hey," Elliott mumbles when he walks into the kitchen, backpack slung over one shoulder.
"Hey."
I watch as he opens the refrigerator, pulls out a carton of orange juice, and lifts the carton near his lips. Before he does the dreaded act, he glances over at me and sighs in annoyance. He sets down the carton and goes through the cabinets to find a glass before pouring the orange juice into it.
"Happy?" he asks, taking a sip of his juice.
I smile. "So civilized these days."
He sets the glass near the sink and walks to the back door. With a half wave, he leaves the house grumbling, "adios."
"Hasta luego," I say to an empty kitchen.
In the few minutes I have to myself before everyone wakes up, I sprawl out on the couch with a box of Apple Jacks and watch some good old-fashion reality TV. I settle for whatever is on at the moment. The Real Housewives of Atlanta. Jackpot.
After an episode and a half, Ethan comes downstairs. I quickly shut off the TV and hide any evidence of the Apple Jacks.
"Beth woke me up," he mumbles and rubs his eyes. "She crying a lot."
I nod. "Okay, go into the kitchen and decide what you want for breakfast. I'll be down in a second."
Upstairs, Beth's crying pierces my ears. The girls have woken up as well. I can hear them in the bathroom fighting over the sink. Once in Beth's room, I lift her from the crib and rock her gently. The stench of her used diaper hits me pretty hard. I'm getting pretty good at changing these diapers though, I must say. Today could've been a record.
With Beth in my arms, I walk back downstairs and set her in the highchair by the kitchen table. She bangs on the tray in excitement when I bring the box of Cheerios near her. Just like her older brother.
"You want the waffles, Ethan?" I ask.
He nods and claps his hands together in excitement. "Waffles!"
I pop them in the toaster and help Ethan onto one of the kitchen chairs. "What do you want to do today, buddy? It's your last day before you and the twins start going to camp on the weekdays."
"I wanna go swimming!"
"We haven't been to the pool yet," I say. "I'm sure the twins will be excited to go."
Bethany hits her tray again, giggling with a bit of drool on her chin. I get a towel to wipe of the spit and help her eat her Cheerios. She tugs on my hair gently. "Baba."
"Baba," I repeat in a baby voice and poke her cheek lightly.
Ethan stares at me like I'm insane. I don't have time to explain to him the idea of baby talk because his waffles pop out of the toaster in that instant. Using one of the plastic kiddy plates, I hand Ethan his waffles.
"Waffles!"
Addison comes walking downstairs in a t-shirt and workout shorts. "I'm going to go on a quick run. I'll be back soon."
"Is there a reason you curled your hair and put on makeup to go on this run?" I ask, a knowing smile on my face.
She blushes. "So I like to look good for the neighborhood.. What's the big deal?"
I roll my eyes. "Yeah, just say hi to Mike for me, would you?"
"Ivy," she whines and pouts her lip.
I make a face, sticking my tongue out and shutting my eyes. Addison goes out the front door and disappears from my watch. Turning back to the table, I stop Ethan before he throws one of his waffles at Bethany. His arm was in mid-throw.
"E, why would you do that?"
"She giving me weird look," he says with a pout.
"She probably wants to eat you," I joke.
His eyes widen in horror. "What?" he squeaks out. "I gotta get outta here!" He leaves the table in a hurry, his feet pattering across the floor.
I laugh lightly, continuing to help Beth eat her breakfast. "Baba."
"Mawawa," she spits out in a giggle. "Gooba!"
"Gooba is baby talk for Jonas is my favorite sibling," Jonas says, popping into the kitchen. He still has scabs on his face from last night, but he was able to wash off the blood.
"How'd you sleep?"
"Fine," he answers simply and walks to the table to take the Cheerios away from Bethany.
I stand up to get him a bowl, sliding it over to him on the table before sitting back down. "That's good."
He nods and eats his cereal. I notice that every once in awhile he'll look over at me as if he's waiting for me to say something. I don't say anything, still focusing on Beth. Once he's finished, he takes his bowl to the sink and keeps watching me out of the corner of his eye. It almost becomes a little amusing.
"Alright, Ivy," he sighs. "I'm ready."
"For what?" I ask, lifting up Bethany into my arms.
"For the talk you've been writing out in your head all night," he answers. "The one where you say I should've told you about the bullying and going to the bowling alley and I could've gotten killed last night and blah blah blah."
I nod. "Oh, right."
"So?" he says and holds his hands out on either side of his body. "My body is ready."
I snort and go into the family room to put Beth in her playpen. Jonas follows close behind. Ethan is on the couch, a blanket over his head.
I rip the blanket off of him, smiling internally when he hisses intensely. "Go play with your sisters upstairs for a little bit, okay? I'll get you guys in a few minutes to go to the pool."
He nods and stumbles his way upstairs. I take a seat on the couch, and Jonas mimics me as he sits on the opposite couch.
"Since you already told yourself the first part of my speech," I pause, "let's cut to the part where you explain everything to me."
Jonas purses his lip, glancing down at the carpet. "This kid Darren has been picking on me all summer."
"Why?"
"I don't know," he mumbles. "I'm cute and tossable."
I give him a flat look. "Jo."
"Ives," he mimics my use of the nickname, "this isn't a big deal. I can take care of myself. I'm not a child."
"You are a child, Jonas!" I raise my voice. "You're only thirteen! I am responsible for you whether you like it or not!"
"Well, it's your fault this happened to me!" he fights back. "It's not so cool to be a thirteen-year old with a babysitter, Ivy!"
I open my mouth to respond, thrown off from his response. "That's why Darren bullied you? Because you have a nanny?"
"Duh!" he cries as if I should've known all along. "So, if you really want to make this better, you'll just leave me alone!"
I let out a frustrated sigh, rubbing my forehead and trying to figure out the best way to respond to this. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because!" he answers defensively.
"That's not a good enough answer," I say.
"I-I don't know why I didn't tell you, okay? I just wanted to handle it myself. I wanted to prove to everyone that I was mature."
I roll my eyes. "You're not mature, Jonas. What you did last night was so dumb. Fighting back? I don't even know what you were thinking. You could've gotten seriously hurt."
"Newsflash, I did get seriously hurt!" he snaps. "And Darren isn't going to stop. It's just going to get worse."
"Darren isn't going to hurt you anymore," I promise.
"If not Darren, some other jerk is going to come along and beat me up!" he cries, his hand shaking. "I'm scared to leave the house, Ivy. I-I'm actually scared. So, you know what, I guess they were right. I am a wuss." He stands up from the couch, leaving me with just Bethany in the family room.
I shut my eyes momentarily, my heart aching for the boy. All I want to do is help him, but I have no idea how I can. I can call all the mothers in the world, yet I won't ever be able to keep Jonas protected from the words people say to him. Kids are mean; that's just what they are.
Sighing, I stand up from the couch and look out the window to see where the loud commotion is coming from. There's a moving truck outside, workmen bringing furniture into the house across the street.
I just hope this doesn't mean I have more kids to watch over the summer.
~~
I'm pretty sure my sunburn is so severe that I should go to the hospital. Normally, I'm pretty good about applying sunscreen. Today was different. I'm guessing-- wild guess-- it had something to do with the fact Ethan started running around the pool without his swim trunks on, or when Rosie nearly drowned, and there was the time Crystal's freaked out on the high-dive because apparently she's afraid of heights. Why would you go on the high-dive if you're afraid of heights? That's all I want to know, Crystal.
As I apply the aloe to my stinging skin, Elliott walks into my room and jumps back in shock when he sees me. I look to see what he holds in his hands: my foundation.
"What is with this family and stealing my makeup?" I ask and take the bottle from his hands.
He clicks his tongue on the roof of his mouth, trying to think of a quick response. "Addison's skin tone doesn't match mine."
I raise my eyebrows skeptically. "Do you mind letting me know what you were using it for?"
"I just needed to..uh..even my skin tone?" he tries awkwardly. Sensing my disbelief in that answer, he sighs. "I had some cuts I wanted to cover on my back. Flynn would make a big deal about it and I didn't want to deal with it. That's all."
"What happened?"
"I fell," he answers.
I nod, noticing his fidgeting. "Okay."
"Sorry I didn't ask," he apologizes shortly before turning to leave. "But I guess it's not even your shade anymore, Strawberry Shortcake."
I look down at my burnt skin and roll my eyes, not giving him the pleasure of my finding his joke amusing. "Funny, Cream Puff."
"Cream Puff?"
"Because you're pale," I explain, sighing when he gives me a weird look. "Well, it's better than Strawberry Shortcake!"
"Right." He gives me a half-smile before leaving, drumming his fingers on my wall.
"Hey, just let me know the next time you need my mascara to make those eyelashes longer," I say after Elliott leaves. I hear a short laugh in the hallway, which lets me know he heard the joke.
My heart beat is erratic, annoyingly enough. It's like throughout the whole conversation I was worried about saying the wrong thing or embarrassing myself. I'm telling you, it's those eyes of his. Or is it the hair? I can't forget to mention the shoulders on that boy! I always seem to lose my breath after a simple conversation with him like some stupid girl. I'm more mature than this, I assure you.
Just get your act together, Ivy.
I stand up from my bed and knock gently on Jonas' door. He grumbles a response, saying I'm not allowed to come in. I don't listen and open the door anyway.
"Hey," I breathe and lean against his doorframe.
He is sitting on the floor with his back against the bed. "I don't want to talk anymore."
"I know," I say softly and move to sit next to him on the floor. "I just want you to listen right now."
He looks at me intently, waiting for me to continue.
I sigh, "I've never met anyone quite like you before, Jonas. You're different. You're funny and sweet and pretty strange, which is a good thing." I wrap my arm around his shoulder. "I'm sorry that the guys are picking on you because of me. You're not a wuss. If anyone should be called any names, it's that buttface Darren."
"He is a buttface," Jonas mumbles with a small smile.
"The biggest buttface I know!" I laugh. "And a guy like that shouldn't make you feel small or any less than what you are. You're better than him and any other kid who picks on you."
He looks down at his hands, playing with the hem of his orange shirt.
"Listen, I can't promise you that these kids are going to stop because kids are mean. That's what they are. They're big fat buttfaces like Darren. But no matter what they say or do to you, Jonas, it doesn't change who you are." I squeeze his shoulder gently. "I haven't known you very long, but I know that who you are is someone so special and loving. Please remember that."
He nods, wiping under his eye. "Thanks, Ivy."
"So, what do you say about a game of whatever you want with the whole family? If you go set it up, I'll be down in a second."
Jonas gets up and runs downstairs. I stand up from the floor, my heart lifted by Jonas' smile. I go to pick up Bethany from her crib to bring her downstairs to the family room. The kids have already gathered on the couches. Jonas is in search of a certain game in one of the cabinets, making a mess of the room.
After he finds the game, Hedbanz, we end up splitting into three teams. Jonas and Rose, Addison and Crystal, and Ethan and I. We ask Elliott if he wants to play, but he declines since he already has plans with Flynn to play beach volleyball. He also makes the point that Bethany would cost him the game by being unable to speak full-sentences.
"Am I a household object?"
"Yes," Ethan answers.
The other kids give him a crazy look. "E, that is not a household object."
"Yes it is," he defends.
Crystal smacks her forehead. "He'll never learn. Ethan, a household object is something used in the house."
"I know."
"You don't know," Jonas fights. "I'm sorry, E, but that is not a household object."
"You're not a household object!" Ethan screams at Jonas in frustration, covering his eyes with his hands.
"Right, I'm not. And neither is Ivy. She's something that goes in the water," Addison hints.
I pat the crying Ethan's back gently. "Am I a submarine?"
Ethan nods in excitement and claps his hands together. "Yeah!"
"Okay," I sigh. "Not a household object, bud."
He pouts and crosses his arms over his chest.
The doorbell rings, and I get up to answer it. A shockingly beautiful girl around my age stands on the porch with a plate of cookies. A younger boy dressed in all-jean material is standing next to her.
"Hello," I say and wave awkwardly.
"Hi," the girl speaks first. "My name is Nora. This is my brother Jett. We're the new neighbors."
"We bring cookies," Jett says and takes the cookies from his sister to hand to me. "And we come in peace."
I smile. "Good to know. Thank you for the cookies. Did you make them for the whole neighborhood?"
"No. So, my aunt said this was a family of eight and I was just thinking that it would be fun to get to know you guys," Nora explains. "I've always wanted a big family. Are you the oldest?"
"I'm actually just nannying for this family," I admit. "The oldest is my age though, eighteen."
"You're nannying for an eighteen-year old?" Jett asks in bewilderment.
"And his six other siblings," I say with a short laugh.
"Cool!" Jett exclaims.
Rose appears at my side, tugging on my arm. "I need someone who actually knows how to give hints to play."
Nora smiles at rose in delight. "Hi there. I'm Nora. And you're my favorite fall vegetable."
Rose gives Nora a look before tilting her head to look up in my face. "Just hurry back, Ivy."
"Ivy," Nora repeats. "That is such a unique name. I love that."
"Thanks," I say slowly. "Uh, I should get back to the game before Rosie loses her mind."
"Oh! Yes! I'm sorry for intruding," Nora apologizes quickly. "Jett and I just wanted to say hi. Have a nice night!"
"Yeah, you too," I reply and close the door gently.
I carry the plate of cookies over to the living room. The kids jump at the cookies, eating them so quickly I'm worried they might get sick. I try one for myself, shocked at how delicious it tastes. I'll have to ask Nora for the recipe one day.
With chocolate all over his face, Ethan asks, "am I a household object?"
"Yeah."
He taps his chin, pondering what he could possibly be. His face lights up when he is sure he knows the answer. "Am I an elephant?"
~~
AN:
I don't know with this ending but wow wow two brand new characters! Nora & Jett. Will they cause drama? i mean..
I want to try and make a schedule for updates but I honestly don't know if that'll work out. I'd like to try and do an update a week, but that might get difficult. I'll try it. I don't know how to pick specific days, but... I'm thinking Thursdays/Fridays?
strawberry shortcake & cream puff for life #Iviott #Ellivy #youguysmakeupashipname
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