Chapter 1

I woke up to the sound of my brothers' voices drifting up from downstairs. Which was weird because It was Saturday morning, and they usually slept in well except Elijah and Easton who always got up early. From the sound of it they were already all wide awake and probably causing some sort of chaos in the kitchen.

My bed was so warm and comfortable, but just as I was about to go back to sleep my stomach was growling, so I reluctantly threw off the covers and headed downstairs.

As I reached the bottom step, the usual scene unfolded in front of me all five of my older brothers gathered around the kitchen table, laughing and joking with each other. The teasing began the moment they noticed me.

"Look who finally decided to join us!" Miles called out as soon as he saw me. His smirk was all too familiar.

"Yeah, we thought you might sleep through the whole weekend," Alex added, grinning.

I rolled my eyes and headed for the fridge, trying to ignore them. "Morning to you too," I muttered, but before I could grab anything, Elijah looked up from his newspaper and gave me that annoyingly responsible look he always had.

"Don't forget, school starts on Monday," he said, like I could possibly forget with all of them constantly reminding me. "It's the last weekend of the holidays, so you'd better make sure you're ready."

I sighed, my stomach sinking at the thought. "Yeah, I know, Elijah. You've only told me about fifty times."

Easton chimed in from across the table. "Speaking of which, do you have everything you need for school? Or do we need to go shopping again?"

I hesitated, thinking about my beat-up old backpack that was practically falling apart at the seams but he really did not want to go to a busy mall. But he finnlay described after thinking for a bit that he really needed it.

"Actually... I could use a new backpack. The one I have is barely holding together."

"Of course it is," Henry said, grinning. "It's probably older than you are."

"Alright then," Elijah said, standing up and stretching. "Looks like we're all going to the mall today."

The twins exchanged a look, clearly excited by the prospect of causing trouble at the mall, while Henry just shrugged and went back to his phone. Easton looked pleased, probably because he liked any excuse to get out of the house.

Before I could move to make myself some breakfast, Elijah stepped in front of me. "I'll get your breakfast, Adrian," he said, heading for the stove. "You're not allowed near the kitchen after what happened last time."

The twins burst out laughing, and I felt my face heat up in embarrassment.

"It was one time!" I protested, but I knew it was no use. A couple of months ago, I'd accidentally put a metal bowl in the microwave and nearly set the whole kitchen on fire. My brothers never let me live it down.

"One time was all it took baby boy," Miles said, still laughing and smirking at the nickname he used as he knew I hated it.

"Yeah, you're banned from anything that involves heat, sharp objects, or basically any kitchen equipment," Alex added, smirking.

I slumped into a chair at the table, trying to ignore their laughter.

"Boys leave him alone" Elijah said, frowning at the twins to get them to leave me alone. "Here bunny" Elijah said as he handed me a plate of scrambled eggs and toast, and I muttered a thanks, even though I still felt like an idiot and didn't want to eat.

Miles and Alex both smirked at me at the use of Elijah's use of the nickname that they all call me as when I was younger and had a massive obsession with bunnies. Everything I had had to have a bunny on it which my brothers never let me live down.

"So, we're going to the mall after breakfast, right?" Easton asked, looking around the table.

"Yup, everyone get ready," Elijah said, finishing his coffee.

"And Bunny, try not to destroy anything before we leave," Henry said, smirking at him.

"Very funny," I grumbled, shoveling eggs into my mouth as the rest of them snickered. I could already tell it was going to be one of those days.

But at least I'd get a new backpack out of it and hope for some sweets. And maybe, just maybe, I'd survive the mall without any more incidents. Though with my brothers, nothing was guaranteed.

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I was pacing around my room, my heart racing as I tried to figure out what to wear. My brothers were all downstairs, waiting to go to the mall, but I couldn't focus. The thought of how busy it would be, how many people would be there, and how everyone always seemed to stare at us whenever we were all together made my stomach twist in knots. With five loud older brothers, we never went anywhere unnoticed, and the attention always made me feel like I was under a spotlight.

I rifled through my closet, pulling out shirt after shirt, but nothing felt right. I wanted to look good, but not like I was trying too hard. The more I thought about it, the more anxious I got. I was already taking too long, and I could imagine Miles and Alex getting impatient, probably planning new ways to tease me the moment I showed up.

Just as I was about to give up, there was a knock on my door. Easton stepped in, his expression softening when he saw the mess of clothes scattered around my room.

"Hey Bunny, what's going on?" he asked, concern lacing his voice. "Why are you taking so long?"

"I... I just can't figure out what to wear," I admitted, feeling embarrassed. "And, I don't know, I'm just not looking forward to going. It's going to be crowded, and everyone's going to be staring at us like they always do."

Easton nodded, understanding. "Yeah, I get it. It can be a bit much sometimes." He walked over to my closet, glancing through the clothes I hadn't already thrown on the floor. "But it's just the mall. We'll be in and out before you know it."

He pulled out a simple gray hoodie and a pair of jeans, holding them up for me. "Here, this'll work. And if you're not feeling any of your clothes, we can pick up some new stuff at the mall. No big deal."

I took the clothes from him, relieved that he'd helped me make a decision. "Thanks," I said, quickly changing into the outfit he'd picked.

"No problem," Easton said with a reassuring smile. "Just try to relax. We're all in this together, right?"

I nodded, feeling a little better as he headed back downstairs. I followed soon after, still a bit nervous but at least more prepared. When I got to the front door, my brothers were all waiting, their eyes on me as I sat down on the bench to put on my shoes.

Elijah, always the practical one, noticed me fumbling with my laces. "Here, let me help. It'll be quicker," he said, kneeling down to tie them for me.

Before I could protest, he was already lacing them up. Miles and Alex, of course, didn't miss the chance to pounce.

"Aww, how cute," Miles teased, leaning against the wall with a grin. "Little Addy still needs help with his shoes" he cooed.

"Such a baby," Alex added, nudging Henry, who just chuckled.

I felt my face burn with embarrassment, but I kept my mouth shut, knowing that anything I said would only make it worse. Elijah finished tying my shoes and gave me a pat on the shoulder, not seeming to notice or care about the teasing as he loved to baby me.

"There you go, all set," he said, standing up and grabbing his keys. "Let's get going."

I stood up, trying to ignore the lingering smirks from the twins and Henry as I grabbed my jacket from Easton. My heart was still racing, and I wasn't looking forward to the crowd or the stares we'd probably get, but at least I knew my brothers, annoying as they were, would be with me the whole time.

As we headed out the door, Elijah led the way, and I fell into step behind him, taking a deep breath to steady my nerves.

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Word count:1436

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.

Thanks for reading my first chapter and please vote and leave a comment.

More chapters will be coming out soon.

*EMMA HETHRON*