Chapter 29

A hand shook my shoulder. "Adrian, get up."

I groaned and burrowed deeper into my blankets, refusing to move.

"Adrian."

"No."

"Yes."

"I don't have to go to school. Let me sleep," I muttered, my voice muffled by my pillow.

Elijah sighed. "You don't have school, but you're still getting up. We're taking the boys, then going food shopping."

I cracked one eye open. "Why do I have to go?"

"Because you're suspended, not on holiday," Elijah said like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"But why food shopping? That has nothing to do with me being suspended," I argued, rolling onto my back to glare at him.

"Because," Elijah said, crossing his arms, "if I leave you home alone, you'll just sulk in your room all day. And you're the fussiest eater out of all of us, so you might as well come and pick out your own food."

"I wouldn't sulk," I grumbled, though we both knew I probably would.

Elijah gave me a look. "Adrian. Up. Now."

I groaned dramatically, flopping back down. "No. I live here now."

Elijah sighed like he had expected this. "Fine. You asked for it."

Before I could react, he leaned down and scooped me up off the bed.

"Elijah!" I yelped, scrambling to wrap my arms around his neck so I didn't fall.

"Told you to get up," he said, completely unfazed as he carried me toward the door.

"Put me down!" I tried to wriggle free, but I was still half-asleep, and Elijah was way stronger than me.

"Nope. You had your chance."

I groaned, burying my face in his shoulder, too tired to fight anymore.

"Wow. You're really letting him carry you downstairs like a baby?" Miles' voice called from the kitchen as we reached the bottom of the stairs.

"Shut up," I mumbled, still clinging to Elijah as he stepped into the kitchen.

Miles smirked. "Awww, does the little baby bunny need his big brother to carry him everywhere?"

"I hope he drops you," Alex added.

"You're all the worst," I muttered, but I didn't let go of Elijah until he finally sat me down in a chair at the table.

Across from me, Henry sat hunched over his cereal, headphones on, completely ignoring all of us. Typical.

"You awake now?" Elijah asked, ruffling my hair before moving to grab a coffee.

"No."

"Too bad."

I slumped against the table, groaning dramatically.

This was not how I wanted to start my morning.

By the time we were all in the hallway grabbing our shoes and jackets, I was feeling a little more awake, though still annoyed that I had to leave the house.

Elijah jingled the car keys. "Alright, let's go. Everyone in the car."

As soon as we stepped outside, I made a beeline for the front passenger seat. If I had to be dragged out of bed at this hour, at least I could ride in the front.

But just as I reached for the handle, Henry shoved past me and plopped down in the seat. "Oldest gets the front, kid."

"What?! That's not a rule!" I protested, glaring at him.

"It is now," Henry smirked, buckling his seatbelt like he owned the car.

"Elijah!" I turned to my second-oldest brother for backup.

"Not my problem," Elijah said, completely unbothered as he climbed into the driver's seat.

"This is so unfair!" I huffed, but before I could stomp off to the back seat, I looked down and froze.

My joggers. My light grey joggers. Were now covered in dirt and slush from where Henry had shoved me back.

I stared in horror.

"Henry! You got my joggers dirty!"

"Oh no, not the joggers," Alex said, fake gasping.

Miles snickered. "The tragedy."

"I hate all of you," I grumbled, furiously brushing at the dirt like that would magically fix them.

"Adrian, get in the car," Elijah said, already starting the engine.

"But—"

"Now."

I let out an exaggerated groan, stomping around to the back seat and throwing myself in. "I hope you all have the worst day at college."

"Awww, someone's grumpy," Miles teased as he buckled in.

"At least we're not the ones who got suspended," Alex added, smirking.

"Yeah, yeah," I muttered, pulling my hood up and sinking into my seat.

The drive to their college wasn't long, but I made sure to be as annoying as possible while I had the chance.

"Must suck to have to go to college while I get the whole day off," I said, stretching dramatically.

"You mean while you're suspended," Henry corrected.

"Semantics," I shrugged.

"Suspended," Miles repeated.

"Not a holiday," Alex added.

"Still a day off," I shot back.

"Not really," Elijah said, glancing at me through the rearview mirror. "Because after we finish shopping, you're doing chores for the rest of the day."

I sat up straight. "Wait, what?"

"You didn't think you were just gonna sit around and do nothing, did you?" Elijah said, smirking slightly. "No school means more time to help around the house."

Miles and Alex burst out laughing. "This just keeps getting better," Miles grinned.

"Karma at its finest," Alex added.

I slumped back down in my seat. "I hate this family."

"No, you don't," Elijah said, pulling up to the front of their college building. "Alright, everyone out."

The twins and Henry climbed out, grabbing their bags.

"Have fun doing chores, Bunny!" Alex called over his shoulder.

"Think of us while you scrub the floors!" Miles added.

"You're all the worst!" I shouted back as they disappeared inside.

Elijah just shook his head, amused, as he pulled away from the curb.

"Come on, let's get this shopping over with."

The supermarket was too bright, too busy, and way too cold. I shoved my hands into my hoodie pocket as I trailed behind Elijah, already regretting everything.

"Remind me again why I had to come?" I muttered, kicking at a loose tile on the floor as we walked through the automatic doors.

"Because you're not on holiday," Elijah reminded me for the hundredth time.

"Still feels like a holiday," I said under my breath.

Elijah shot me a look but didn't comment. Instead, he pulled a shopping list from his pocket and grabbed a trolley. "Alright, let's get this done quickly. We need—"

"Can we get cinnamon rolls?" I interrupted, eyeing the bakery section as we passed.

"No," Elijah said flatly.

"Why not?"

"Because we have plenty of food at home, and I'm not getting you sugar-filled junk."

"What why?" I pointed out.

"Because I said so."

I groaned dramatically. This was already shaping up to be the worst shopping trip ever.

Elijah ignored me as he steered the trolley into the produce section. "Alright, we need—"

"Can we get strawberries?"

"We have some at home," Elijah said.

*"No, we don't."

*"Yes, we do."

"They're old, though."

"They were bought three days ago."

"Exactly. That's ancient."

Elijah gave me a long, tired look before sighing and tossing a box of strawberries into the trolley. "There. Happy?"

I grinned. "Extremely."

I continued to complain the whole way through the fruit and veg section, making a face at every single green vegetable Elijah added to the trolley.

"Why do we need so much broccoli?"

"Because it's healthy."

"Yeah, but no one actually likes it."

"I do."

"That's a lie."

Elijah gave me a warning look, but I just huffed, sulking as we moved on.

The rest of the shopping trip was just as miserable.

"Do we really need carrots?"

"Yes."

"What about mushrooms? No one eats those."

"I eat them."

"Yeah, but you're weird."

"Adrian."

"Fine."

The worst part was when we had to get things for dinner.

"Were not having lasagna again, are we?" I groaned as he picked up a pack of pasta sheets.

"Yes."

"But it takes forever to make."

"Good thing you're helping Easton make it, then," Elijah said cheerfully, tossing the box into the trolley.

"You're actually evil."

"I know."

Eventually, I got bored of following Elijah around and started lagging behind. Then, when we reached the frozen section, I saw the sweets aisle just a little ways down.

Perfect.

I glanced at Elijah, who was too busy comparing brands of frozen chicken, and quietly slipped away.

The sweets aisle was heaven. Shelves upon shelves of chocolates, fizzy laces, and bags of colorful sweets lined the aisle, and for the first time since stepping into this miserable store, I actually enjoyed myself.

"Alright, which one of you is coming home with me?" I murmured to the shelves, eyeing the selection.

I was just about to grab a bag of sour gummies when I heard the voice.

"Adrian Jones."

Oh.

Crap.

Slowly, I turned around to see Elijah standing at the end of the aisle, arms crossed, eyes narrowed.

"Uh. Hey." I gave him my best innocent smile.

"What did I say about wandering off?"

"Technically, you didn't say anything about wandering off—"

"Adrian."

I sighed. "Sorry."

"Get back over here."

"But—"

"Now."

Grumbling, I trudged back toward him, stuffing my hands into my hoodie pocket.

"You're such a pain," Elijah muttered, grabbing the trolley.

"You love me."

"Jury's still out."

I smirked, but before I could celebrate my victory, Elijah suddenly grabbed me by the waist and—

"Wait, what are you—? Elijah! Put me down!"

He plopped me straight into the trolley, right in the little kid seat at the front, and took hold of the handle like it was the most normal thing in the world.

My face burned. "This is so embarrassing!"

"Act like a kid, get treated like one," Elijah said smugly.

"I hate you."

"No, you don't."

"Yes, I do."

"No, you don't."

I scowled, crossing my arms as he wheeled me toward the checkout.

By the time we reached the conveyor belt, I had fully accepted my fate. There was no way to get out of the trolley without drawing even more attention to myself, so I just sat there, sulking.

Elijah, on the other hand, looked completely unbothered as he loaded up our items.

Then, as if to make my life slightly less miserable, he finally caved.

"Alright," he said, glancing at the sweets shelf beside the register. "Pick something."

I perked up immediately. "Really?"

"Yes, but—" he gave me a pointed look. "You only get to eat them after you finish your chores."

"What?! That's not fair!"

"Complain, and you get nothing."

I shut up real fast.

After some serious consideration because picking sweets is a serious matter, I grabbed a bag of strawberry laces and dropped them onto the conveyor belt.

Elijah paid, and after finally letting me out of the trolley (which I definitely did not almost trip getting out of), we loaded up the car and headed home.

"See? That wasn't so bad," Elijah said as we pulled out of the parking lot.

I shot him a glare. "You put me in a trolley."

"And you survived."

I groaned, flopping against the seat.

This suspension sucked.

The car ride home was mostly quiet, except for the occasional sigh from me as I dramatically slumped against the seat.

"I still can't believe you put me in a trolley," I muttered, glaring out the window.

"I can't believe you wandered off like a toddler," Elijah shot back, smirking slightly.

"I was looking at the sweets!"

"And I found you in the sweets aisle. Funny how that works."

I huffed, crossing my arms. "You act like I got lost in the woods. It was literally the next aisle over."

"Still shouldn't have wandered off."

I groaned, knowing I wasn't going to win this argument. Instead, I focused on the bag of strawberry laces in my lap. I wanted to open them now, but I already knew Elijah would snatch them away in an instant.

The drive wasn't long, and soon enough, we were pulling into the driveway.

"Alright, let's get these bags inside," Elijah said as he put the car in park.

"Can't we just leave them here and survive off whatever's already in the fridge?" I tried.

Elijah gave me a deadpan look. "Nice try. Start grabbing bags."

Sighing dramatically, I grabbed a few of the lighter bags while Elijah carried most of them. It wasn't fair,  he was way stronger than me, and I had offered to just carry the sweets.

Once inside, we set everything down on the kitchen counters. Elijah immediately started unpacking, putting things away with the efficiency of someone who had been doing this for years.

I, on the other hand, just kind of stood there, debating whether or not I should pretend to be helpful.

Elijah must've noticed, because he tossed a bag of apples at me. "Put those in the fruit bowl."

I barely caught them. "I hate apples."

"That's not my problem."

Rolling my eyes, I reluctantly placed the apples in the fruit bowl before leaning against the counter.

"Are we done now?" I asked hopefully.

Elijah shut the fridge door and turned to face me. "Not even close."

My stomach dropped.

"Adrian," Elijah said in a voice that immediately made me regret everything. "It's time for chores."

I groaned. "You promised suspension wasn't a holiday, but you didn't say it was forced labor!"

"What did you think it was?" Elijah asked, raising an eyebrow.

"A nice break! A time to relax!"

Elijah actually laughed at that. "You're hilarious. Now, let's get to work."

I scowled. "I hate this."

"And yet, here we are," Elijah said cheerfully.

I flopped against the counter. This was going to be the worst day ever.

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Word count: 2121

Hey Guys Thanks for reading this story so please be nice and kind. I am sorry if there are any spelling mistakes or bad grammar.

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More chapters will be coming out soon.

*EMMA HETHRON*