Chapter Two - Mallory
963 words, today.
I am SO behind goal.
Chapter Two - Mallory
I know that as a member of the BSC, I'm supposed to like kids. And I do. Usually. Like, today? Jamie and Lucy were adorable. Not that they aren't always. But today more than usual. In preschool, Jamie's been learning how to spell a few simple words, and he decided he'd try to teach Lucy. Lucy can't even talk, but she loved the attention. Overall, just another great day at the Newtons'.
But, all good things must end. And eventually, Mrs. Newton came home, and I had to go back home.
Anyone want to trade?
Mrs. Newton paid me, and Jamie and Lucy said goodbye. (Well, Jamie did. Lucy waved her cute little baby arm and Jamie said "Mallory! Mallory! Lucy says bye!") And my first thought was to offer to watch them while Mrs. Newton made dinner. For free. But that's not professional, and it's not like I was going into a war zone. I was just going home.
Granted, the two bear more than a passing resemblance lately. But still.
When I got home, Mary Anne and Kristy were still watching my brothers and sisters. Mary Anne was watching the living room, where Nicky, Vanessa, and Byron were doing homework. In a low voice, she told me that the only way to get the kids under control was to separate the triplets and have all the kids do homework. Margo, Claire, Adam, and Jordan were upstairs with Kristy.
Okay.
"Mal," Vanessa said, "do you want to hear my new poem?"
"That's homework?" I asked skeptically.
She shrugged. "I finished my math homework, so I figured I deserved a break."
I glanced at Mary Anne and let her take over. "Okay, Vanessa, you can read it, but then go back to homework, okay?"
Vanessa smiled gratefully. "It's an epic. I'm modeling it after The Jabberwocky. That's a poem by Mr. Lewis Caroll."
"Let's hear it," I said.
Vanessa cleared her throat. "Twas noontime and the-"
"Mary Anne!" Nicky said. "I don't understand this question.
"What subject is it in?" she asked him.
"History."
"Mary Anne!" Vanessa protested. "You're supposed to be listening to me!"
"It's okay, Vanessa," I said. "They'll listen later. I'm here now, though."
She nodded, mollified. "Twas noontime and the triplets three/did whine and whimper in the-"
Byron slammed his textbook closed. "Vanessa-"
"Hey!" Mary Anne said, looking up from Nicky's homework sheet. "Vanessa, no teasing your brother. Byron, try to be quieter, okay? And guys, leave Mal alone. She's not baby-sitting."
I smiled gratefully at Mary Anne. One of the rules in my house is that if I'm not the official baby-sitter, I can sneak off and not be bothered by the rest of my family. Then I made my stealthy escape upstairs. As I left, I could hear Byron complaining that Mal didn't have to do her homework.
Actually, though, I did. I was working on some of my science homework when a shrill shriek startled me. This was not helped by the fact that Jordan and Adam barreled into my room, then slammed the door shut and held it closed.
I raised an eyebrow. "Hi, guys."
"Oh, you're home?"
"I missed you too, Jordan." I rolled my eyes. "Why are you barricading yourselves into my room?"
"Byron came into ours," Adam explained.
"That's his room, too."
"We're not studying with a wuss," Jordan said.
"Don't call your brother a wuss," I said automatically.
"He won't-"
"I know," I said. "We all know. Because you haven't stopped talking about it. What's the big deal if he doesn't want to play football with you? It's not like you stop being brothers just because he decides he doesn't want to play a stupid game."
"It's not a stupid game!" Adam protested. "It's football. It's important."
"I don't play football, and I'm still your sister," I pointed out.
"Yeah," said Jordan. "But you're a girl."
"I noticed that." I rolled my eyes. "But just because he doesn't want to play doesn't mean that he is too."
"All boys like football, Mallory," Adam said.
I sighed. And then inspiration struck. "Did I tell you guys about the new Short Takes class at school?"
"No." Jordan was trying to look uninterested, but he watched me like he wanted to hear.
"It's all about discrimination," I told him. "And about people who are different, and that not being bad."
"Yeah, we know," Adam said. "Race doesn't matter." He sounded bored, like we'd been through this before. Well, we had. Mom and Dad are big on it.
Jordan nodded in agreement. "Claudia's Japanese, and Becca and Jessi are black."
"And your brother doesn't want to play football all the time," I said.
"It's not the same thing," Jordan muttered, but he sounded less sure than he had before.
"Come on. You guys don't need to play football together all the time."
"I guess..." Adam sighed.
"Now, I have a science project. And I bet that if you guys aren't going to be slaughtering each other, Mary Anne and Kristy would even be willing to play some games with you before Mom and Dad get home."
"We're not babies," Adam reminded me for the billionth time.
"Yeah, but Kristy could still probably help your football technique," I pointed out.
"Kristy doesn't do football," scoffed Jordan. "She does softball."
"How do you know?" I asked, silently praying that I was right.
Adam and Jordan exchanged a glance, and then they opened the door and bolted downstairs. I could hear them shouting for Kristy as they left. Vanessa was still reading her poem. Claire and Margo sounded like they were jockeying for Mary Anne's attention.
I closed my door and turned back to my homework.
Just another Thursday afternoon in the Pike house.
I am SO behind goal.
Chapter Two - Mallory
I know that as a member of the BSC, I'm supposed to like kids. And I do. Usually. Like, today? Jamie and Lucy were adorable. Not that they aren't always. But today more than usual. In preschool, Jamie's been learning how to spell a few simple words, and he decided he'd try to teach Lucy. Lucy can't even talk, but she loved the attention. Overall, just another great day at the Newtons'.
But, all good things must end. And eventually, Mrs. Newton came home, and I had to go back home.
Anyone want to trade?
Mrs. Newton paid me, and Jamie and Lucy said goodbye. (Well, Jamie did. Lucy waved her cute little baby arm and Jamie said "Mallory! Mallory! Lucy says bye!") And my first thought was to offer to watch them while Mrs. Newton made dinner. For free. But that's not professional, and it's not like I was going into a war zone. I was just going home.
Granted, the two bear more than a passing resemblance lately. But still.
When I got home, Mary Anne and Kristy were still watching my brothers and sisters. Mary Anne was watching the living room, where Nicky, Vanessa, and Byron were doing homework. In a low voice, she told me that the only way to get the kids under control was to separate the triplets and have all the kids do homework. Margo, Claire, Adam, and Jordan were upstairs with Kristy.
Okay.
"Mal," Vanessa said, "do you want to hear my new poem?"
"That's homework?" I asked skeptically.
She shrugged. "I finished my math homework, so I figured I deserved a break."
I glanced at Mary Anne and let her take over. "Okay, Vanessa, you can read it, but then go back to homework, okay?"
Vanessa smiled gratefully. "It's an epic. I'm modeling it after The Jabberwocky. That's a poem by Mr. Lewis Caroll."
"Let's hear it," I said.
Vanessa cleared her throat. "Twas noontime and the-"
"Mary Anne!" Nicky said. "I don't understand this question.
"What subject is it in?" she asked him.
"History."
"Mary Anne!" Vanessa protested. "You're supposed to be listening to me!"
"It's okay, Vanessa," I said. "They'll listen later. I'm here now, though."
She nodded, mollified. "Twas noontime and the triplets three/did whine and whimper in the-"
Byron slammed his textbook closed. "Vanessa-"
"Hey!" Mary Anne said, looking up from Nicky's homework sheet. "Vanessa, no teasing your brother. Byron, try to be quieter, okay? And guys, leave Mal alone. She's not baby-sitting."
I smiled gratefully at Mary Anne. One of the rules in my house is that if I'm not the official baby-sitter, I can sneak off and not be bothered by the rest of my family. Then I made my stealthy escape upstairs. As I left, I could hear Byron complaining that Mal didn't have to do her homework.
Actually, though, I did. I was working on some of my science homework when a shrill shriek startled me. This was not helped by the fact that Jordan and Adam barreled into my room, then slammed the door shut and held it closed.
I raised an eyebrow. "Hi, guys."
"Oh, you're home?"
"I missed you too, Jordan." I rolled my eyes. "Why are you barricading yourselves into my room?"
"Byron came into ours," Adam explained.
"That's his room, too."
"We're not studying with a wuss," Jordan said.
"Don't call your brother a wuss," I said automatically.
"He won't-"
"I know," I said. "We all know. Because you haven't stopped talking about it. What's the big deal if he doesn't want to play football with you? It's not like you stop being brothers just because he decides he doesn't want to play a stupid game."
"It's not a stupid game!" Adam protested. "It's football. It's important."
"I don't play football, and I'm still your sister," I pointed out.
"Yeah," said Jordan. "But you're a girl."
"I noticed that." I rolled my eyes. "But just because he doesn't want to play doesn't mean that he is too."
"All boys like football, Mallory," Adam said.
I sighed. And then inspiration struck. "Did I tell you guys about the new Short Takes class at school?"
"No." Jordan was trying to look uninterested, but he watched me like he wanted to hear.
"It's all about discrimination," I told him. "And about people who are different, and that not being bad."
"Yeah, we know," Adam said. "Race doesn't matter." He sounded bored, like we'd been through this before. Well, we had. Mom and Dad are big on it.
Jordan nodded in agreement. "Claudia's Japanese, and Becca and Jessi are black."
"And your brother doesn't want to play football all the time," I said.
"It's not the same thing," Jordan muttered, but he sounded less sure than he had before.
"Come on. You guys don't need to play football together all the time."
"I guess..." Adam sighed.
"Now, I have a science project. And I bet that if you guys aren't going to be slaughtering each other, Mary Anne and Kristy would even be willing to play some games with you before Mom and Dad get home."
"We're not babies," Adam reminded me for the billionth time.
"Yeah, but Kristy could still probably help your football technique," I pointed out.
"Kristy doesn't do football," scoffed Jordan. "She does softball."
"How do you know?" I asked, silently praying that I was right.
Adam and Jordan exchanged a glance, and then they opened the door and bolted downstairs. I could hear them shouting for Kristy as they left. Vanessa was still reading her poem. Claire and Margo sounded like they were jockeying for Mary Anne's attention.
I closed my door and turned back to my homework.
Just another Thursday afternoon in the Pike house.