The Leap [✔]

Chapter Four

 Friends

sharing everything

being dubbed as double trouble

no matter the problem

having each others back

if we get off the beaten track

like a straight line that will not bend

friends stick together until the end.

Chapter Four

***

"Let's go, everyone in the van!" I hear my dad yell up the stairs.

I sigh. I don't want to go to the basketball game but my mom convinced me otherwise after I got home from school.

"Emma! Come on, we can't be late," my mom says, peering into my bedroom. She sees me still sitting on my unmade bed and sighs, walking over to me. Sitting down on the bed beside me, she wraps her arms around my shoulders.

"It will be alright," she tries to reassure me. "If you don't want to stay once we get there, you can go outside." My mom kisses me on the forehead and stands up, leaving the room again and calling for Joey.

I nod, standing up and following her out.

Downstairs is chaos and deciding where everyone is sitting is catastrophic. Quinn refuses to sit next to me, so that leaves me in the way way back between the twins.

"Every one ready to get this show on the road?" my dad asks from the driver's seat, eyeing my brothers and me in the rear view mirror. He gets a few yeahs and hums in response and begins the drive to the school.

An enthusiastic bunch, we are.

My oldest brothers, Jude, Logan, and Owen are meeting us there, and everyone but Daniel will be at the game. That's how we usually have to travel, with two cars.

The school parking lot is half full when we arrive. My parents park in a spot near the front and we begin to pile out.

Quinn gets out of the van, and I follow him. He doesn't look behind him and begins to slam the door shut in my face. I catch it in time.

"Asshole," I mutter. Quinn turns around, glaring at me.

"What did you just say?" he asks, spitting his words out. I open my mouth to spit out an insult but my dad stands between us, holding out his hands.

"Do not start a fight right now," he says in a hushed, serious tone. "I want you both to be on your best behaviour."

Quinn rolls his eyes and walks away, right into Jude but shoves past him.

My dad follows him and I see my mom talking to the principal.

"You going to be okay?" Jude asks, staring at me.

I nod. "I think so," I say. My brother looks uncertain but doesn't say anything more because my mom starts rounding everyone up.

"We're going to go in now. They have seats for us," she says, lifting Joey up into her arms.

The principal leads us into the gymnasium, and I follow at the back of my family. Jude walks beside me.

Entering the gymnasium is like stepping up onto a stage. Everyone is staring.