The Only Exception

I was really hoping everybody forgot about me and just left me at home. I was there hiding underneath my blanket silently afraid to even breathe when someone burst the door open without knocking and jumped on my bed. I then sighed and cursed myself for being ticklish because I knew the twins. They would tickle me until I open my eyes. As expected they tickle the hell out of me until I was down on the floor.

“How did we wake you up?” Josh asked innocently and grinned at a job well done. “Why must I be cursed with having you two as brothers?” I said dramatically while throwing my arms in the air. “The right word is blessed my dear.” Nate said as the both of them went out of my room happily. I stood up and walked up to my window and looked out and what a surprised it was raining. I took my towel and when I turned the knob I found out it was locked. My thought was what the hell?

“Excuse me?” I said pounding on the door. “This is my bathroom!” I said screaming so the other side of the door can hear me clearly. “This is my bathroom too. We have to share remember?” the guy whom I assume was Luke answered. Then everything start flooding back; the argument with Emily and Will about who deserves to have their own bathroom. I lose the fight since no one was willing to back off and Emily just had to cry.

The house has eight rooms altogether. One master bedroom which is of course my parents’ then five bedrooms with connected bathroom and two rooms with an interconnect bathroom. Gabe and Nat without a fight got their own bathroom since they are both eighteen somehow that was a reason for them to win at everything. Dad clearly said that we need to listen to them and we were never actually brave enough to say no to Gabe without any kind of reasons because truth be told Gabe is not scary or hot-tempered. We just listen to him like a lost puppy. He has that effect on people.

Nat is just too nice for us to argue with and she’s too lovable and the least annoying. She got her own bathroom. The twins shared a room so it was fair for them to get their own bathroom. It was supposed to be mine and Will we are older than Luke and Emily so we are supposed to win. I actually told my mum that Will and Luke should share since they are both guys and girls needs privacy. Will’s answer-“Privacy my ass” and quickly changed it to “Privacy my leg” after he saw the look on my mother’s face.

Dad thought it was fair for me and Will to get our own bathrooms but Emily just won’t back off. She then went inside the bathroom downstairs slammed the door closed and cried her eyes out. Mum was a sucker for that so she convinced me to let Emily have the room since well Will was being Will. Stubborn is an understatement for Will. I was then left in a room with a toilet that connects my room to Luke’s. I was sure that my door would be locked at all times because you can never trust the twins to not go inside my room through Luke’s room and just annoy the hell out of me.

When Luke was done he unlocked the door and let me used it. I was happy to finally be able to get myself ready for the first day of school at La Push High. I still can laugh at how ridiculous the name sound. Then there is Forks High. What is next Spoon High? I’ve got some lame jokes up my sleeve and I never intended to use them in public unlike the twins. I turned the shower on waiting for hot water to cascade upon me but got a surprised visit from cold waters. I shrieked at how cold it is and showered quickly and got the hell out of there to dry myself. I was shivering when I was putting my clothes on and for the first time in a long time I felt like killing Luke.

I stomped down the stairs dramatically and the wooden stairs helped me with the sound effect. Mum greets me when I went inside the kitchen to eat breakfast. Dad was eating while mum was making some more pancakes and the rest of them were fighting for syrup. It wasn’t like it’s the last bottle in the house. I rolled my eyes at their antics.

“Morning everyone.” I said as I open the fridge to get some orange juice and found that there was none. I closed it and took the carton of orange juice on the island counter and shook it lightly. There was none left and I just stood there dumbfounded. Cold shower and no orange juice. I was beyond annoyed now. It’s not like I’m not a morning person I just hate waking up early. There is a great difference there.

“Thanks for the orange juice guys.” I said sarcastically, hoping that they would feel sorry for what they have done but clearly there are not human enough to feel sorry. They ignored me and dad just smiled at me. A smile doesn’t help dad! I then sat down and dawned in all of Luke’s orange juice before he could say anything I put down the glass and took his plate of untouched pancakes because he was waiting for the syrup.

“Hey that’s mine.” He said trying to take the plate from me but I quickly took the pancake in my hand and licked it all over.

“Take it if you want.” I said smirking and pushing the plates towards him. The twins signaled me to give them both high fives and so I gave them high fives. Emily, Luke and Nat groaned in disgust at me while Gabe laughed at me.

“Dad! Ellie is disgusting.” Luke whined pushing the plates towards me.

“Ellie please behaves yourself. You are a lady do you know that? Behave like one.” Dad said getting up from the table and hugged mum from behind. He whispered some things making mum giggled and she turned around and they kissed. It was beyond disgusting.

“You call me disgusting. Look at them.” I said groaning with the rest of my siblings.

“Go get a room dad.” Nate added as the rest of us agreed. They broke off and chuckled at our disgusted faces. “When you are married you’ll understand.” Dad said making all of us gag.

“Like Ellie would ever get married.” Josh said groaning in disgust. I then make a face and threw my licked pancakes towards him and it ended on his face. “Food fights!” Nate screamed as everyone was ready to throw their foods when my mum smacked Nate’s head as my father smacked Josh’s head.

“No food fight allowed in the kitchen!” Dad said sternly making all of us squirmed at his loud voice as he looked at all of us and added. “Or anywhere in the house and Josh apologize.”

I looked at him with triumph. “I’m sorry Liz.” He said pouting and then dad smiled. “Alright kids. I’m going to work. Wish me luck.” He said grinning and went out of the kitchen. We then continue eating and mum sat next to Josh and ate with us.

Dad then came back in and looked at each one of us with a warning look. “I don’t want to hear any of you getting into any kind of trouble on the first day of school.” He said and he was about to leave when he came back in as if he knew what all of us were thinking. “I don’t even want to hear you make any kind of trouble after your first day. Please don’t behave like some group of baboons let loose from the zoo.” We all looked at him and laughed at him and nodded our heads in understanding. We may understand what he said but really it never sticks in our head for more than one hour.

*

Will had the same class as me and we are lab partners. How utterly comforting? Will may be good with numbers but believe me when I say Chemistry is his worse subjects. We were supposed to be excused from doing the experiment because were new and how glad was I to hear that. We were just supposed to look at what the other groups are doing, meaning being in someone elses group first. “Hey, Ellie.” Will nudged me with his elbow and I looked at him from my text book. “What?”

“Let’s go to the bathroom.”

“Go yourself you idiot.” I said flipping the pages as the teacher walks around.

“Oh come on. Let’s go.” He told me as he raised his eyes suggestively. Yes I know that might be creepy for you guys but believe me Will does shit to make people run away from him.

“What you want to make out with me or something?” I asked him irritated with him. The two girls standing on my left looked at the both of us weirdly.

“You might want to say that louder, someone in France might not hear you.” He said rolling his eyes. “What else can we do together? Come on I missed you last night. Dad was practically waiting in the hallway. I couldn’t sneak in.” The tube of purple liquid on the girl hands crashed on the table making Will snickered. He’s beyond disgusting and childish but hey I love him for that.

“People might hear you. Then what should we do after that? We need to keep the relationship a secret. You know that.” I said as I slowly moved my hand to touch Will’s and what do you know. The experiment next to us went ‘boom’. We both looked at them as their experiment was ruined. We both laughed uncontrollably and I let go of his hand. That was awesome.

The teacher quickly attends to them as the teacher told us to go to the front to look at the other student’s experiment. We then went to the front this time the victim was a guy and a girl. The girl was saying something when the guy was rolling his eyes. We thought the guy had enough on his plates with the annoying and bossy girl that we thought that we should not bother him.

“Liz.”

“What?”

“Look.” He said pointing at a picture he draws. It was a picture of a monkey holding a bouquet of roses and he grinned at me like an idiot, not that he's not an idiot. “Miss and Mister Greene, would you please take a look at the experiment; if we’re not bothering you that are.” Mrs. Price told us annoyed with us talking.

“No not at all Mrs. Price.” Will said smiling sweetly at Mrs. Price who nodded her head and continued her walk around the class. “Hey what are you doing dude?” Will ask the guy who was sitting beside him. He just shrugged his head. “I don’t know asked her.”

The girl smiled at us and started talking as Will looked at me with his well-would-you-look-at-that expression. The three of us didn’t listen to her at all and continued doodling on some parchment of paper, when Mrs. Price took the piece of paper and scrunched it. “I don’t think you want to go and see the principal the first day of your class.”

“Oh. We’ve met him just now Mrs. Price. Thanks for the offer though.” Will answered smiling and the look on Mrs. Price face was priceless and that was when I went into fit of laughter. You get it Price priceless?

“Is something funny Miss Greene?”

“Not at all Mrs. Price. “ I answered her with a grin.

“Go back to work.” She said sternly. We both just smiled trying to contain our laughter. That’s what the school did wrong. You cannot put the Greene’s in one room and not expect some noise or expect any work to be done. We live for the noise.

“Mr. Greene would you tell me what this is?” she said finally reading the piece of doodle paper.

“Boobs.” He answered indifferently as I tried to contain my laughter.
“Yes I know that.”

“You do?” and the rest of the class laughed at that. I just could not stand against temptation and said: “Oh burned.”

“Both of you to the principal! Now!” She screamed at the both of us. We just looked at each other as the rest of the class had a smile plastered on their faces; we grabbed our bags and books and went out the room, and I accidentally stumbled against a student who was standing near Mrs. Price and the tube of liquid in his hands spilled on Mrs. Price blouse. I stared at her who stared at her clothes and I stared at Will who stared at me and we both did what we do best. We run towards the principal office. Surprisingly, we weren’t lost, well I guess the principal office no matter where, is so easy to find.

We went inside the office laughing when we were both awed in shocked. There in the office sat the twins, Gabe and Nat. Of all people that can get in trouble Nat did? In our old school we were used to meeting the twins in the principal office and Gabe once in a while or even Emily and Luke, but Nat. I was taken off guard by that and when we all looked at each other and we burst out laughing.

“I guess we don’t have to tell dad about this.” Josh said raising his hands on the air. The woman behind the counter eyes us threateningly us and we just laughed silently. I took a sit next to the Josh and Will did the same. “Who was here first?” Will asked leaning on chair.

“Gabe and I came here together.” Nat said laughing at how funny this is to her but seriously it gets funnier when every time we come to the principal we must run into each other. It’s like fate.

“What are you guys here for?” I asked trying to make conversation.

“Gabe accidentally ‘threw’ his calculus book and it hit the guy next to me and I cursed at the teacher.” Nat said surprisingly happy.

“Why are you so happy?” Gabe asked her.

“I’ve never cursed a teacher before not even behind their back.” She said giggling like a giddy school girl. We all just stared at her.

“You are weird.” Josh said.

“We cursed at a teacher millions of times. In front, behind, beside, opposite; you name it.” Nate added as we all laughed at that.

“What are you both here for?” I asked the twins knowing the both of them must be in the same class because if they were separated they are actually behaved people.

“You know same old same old.” Josh said

“Surprisingly, it’s against the school rules to start a food fight.” Nate said sounding sincerely surprised.

“Food fights? It’s not recess yet.” Will said making Gabe and Nat laughed.

“Well, in History class.” Josh continued grinning at us sheepishly as Will and I laughed.

“Same old same old huh?” Will said making the woman behind the counter sigh. What’s up with her? She’s going to see us a lot so she’s supposed to be bonding with us.

“What are you guys here for?” Gabe asked curiously. We then started telling him and Josh and Nate laughed.

“We did teach you good didn’t we?” Nate said high fiving Will while I high fived Josh. We were then once again silenced by the woman behind the counter. “At least we’re not all in here. If so dad would be going nuts.” Gabe said sighing in relief.

“I’m so upset with you. None of your siblings are in trouble and now you’re in here? Out off all of them, you guys. I was thinking it was the twins but even the twins are.” A voice came from the principal office as he walked outside. Dad. We are so doomed.

“Behaving themselves.” Dad said surprised by the crowd. Then Emily and Luke who has a scratch on his cheek came out from the principal office and the both of them laughed along with us and we just stared at our dad waiting for the laughter that would never come out.

“Please tell me that you came here because the teacher wanted the principal to congratulate you for being good in something; anything.” He said closing his eyes in hope that when he opened his eyes we’re all not here. When he opened his eyes we all sat there grinning. “Well looked like we have a full house today.” The principal said laughing. “I thought your last principal was being over dramatic when he told me that I was going to see a lot of you guys that we can become best friends, but I guess it was not over-dramatic huh?” the principal said. At least we’ve got ourselves a good old man.

“What are you here for?” Gabe asked Luke.

“He picked a fight with a boy next to him and Emily threw a chair towards the poor boy's friends.” Dad said sighing tiredly. “So why don’t I come inside again.”

“I didn’t pick a fight. He was touching Emily and was being rude towards her. Making sexual innuendos at her; what was I supposed to do? Laughed along?” Luke said angrily.

“And I would not throw the chair if his other friends didn’t come and butt in. It was unfair.”
“Yeah dad, we Greene’s stick together.” Josh and Nate said in unison. Dad then sighed again and the principal laughed. “You don’t have to stay Mr. Greene. I called for Luke because he was fighting and we need to speak to one of the parents if their children got involved in a fight, but I’m sure the rest of you weren’t fighting seeing no one got a black eye or any scratches.”

The principal said nicely towards dad who shook his head.” No I’m here anyway so why not settle it all.”The principal smiled. “Come in then and let’s talk about how you guys should stick for each other in a nicer way.” The principal said ushering us inside as our father glared at us and we just gave him a grin.