Taion

"Miss Joyce-" She had hugged me before I could even mumble 'Hi,' and Emma was already wrapped around my leg, screaming about why I hadn't called her earlier and whatnot. Mr. Bassam wasn't there. Neither was Mona. 

"Both at work," Miss Joyce had explained, pulling me into the kitchen and pulling a half eaten ice cream cake from the fridge. I glance at the time flashing on the stove as she placed the sweet on the counter and started to pull out the nice square plates we always ate on. It was three forty seven in the afternoon. Mr. Barakat wouldn't be back until around six. Mona would be back later, seeing as she'd recently acquired a job at a nearby Social Services Department. 

"Awesome! Cake!" Alex had just walked in after me, his hands full with a cardboard box: a mix of dirty cloths that had accumulated of the last leg of tour. Miss Joyce turned to hug and kiss him on the cheek. 

"Yes, yes. I care for my boys. Where is my son? And the other two adopted kids?"

"I love how you just ignore your favorite son and ask about the others. Harsh!" Alex is smiling good naturedly and winks at me when Miss Joyce gets all flustered. "Awe, I'm just jokin' Mrs. B." Jack walks in singing the Hannah Montana theme song from the top of his lungs, and carrying three suitcases. One of which was mine. "Kinda."

I laugh and make a grab at the box of dirty clothes and Alex doesn't object as I take it. I bet he barely even notices that it's out of his hands, but I don't care. "Mind if I wash these?" I ask, and she turns around, her hair flying. 

"You know better than to ask me questions like that, Phoenix. Of course you can!" She turns back around as she cuts a new slice of cake and slides it on the plate. "You know where the detergent is." 

I shuffle the box to a more secure position before walking into the garage where the washer and dryer were located. I didn't bother sorting the clothes, just dumping them in the washer; I never sorted clothes, even though Rian always objected when I offered to wash clothes on tour. I was in the middle of dumping a cup of laundry soap into the mix when Rian joins me. 

I glance at him as he sits on the dryer, kicking his feet back and forth. "Alex and Zack are looking for you." I shut the lid to the washer and turned the knobs  to START and LARGE LOAD. "Please tell me your not really washing clothes." I give a shy smile before nodding once as I hear the water crash into the load of clothes. 

"Yeah. Like Alex or Jack would've done it." 

He takes this into consideration and rolls his head to the side as if contemplating the situation. "Yes, but that also means no bleeding clothes staining whites." I just grin and pick up the empty box. 

"Your clothes will be fine." 

"You better hope. For your sake." I can't tell if he's joking of not. That's how Rian is, but my conscious is telling me it's a joke and he isn't really upset about the whole ordeal. "Now c'mon. They wanted you." 

He jumps off the dryer, touches my shoulder as a means to pull me inside. "Ya know what about?" 

"Something about school, maybe? Not sure. They wanted to discuss your  classes." He looks over his shoulder at me, almost tripping as Cricket darts through his legs. She pounces on me, almost knocking me down, but I stablished myself by placing a flat hand on the hallway. My previous unspoken thought -about to have been spoken- Why is Zack going to be present, then?- was knocked away with the dog. 

"Whoa, Cricket," I laugh as I pat her head, scratch behind her ears. She viciously licks my hand as a 'thanks', but I wipe the slobber on my jeans. "Why are you inside, hmm? Not like I don't love you an' all, but you know the rules. Your supposed to be in the back yard, love." She just whines and nudges my hand with her head as if saying, "Shut up and pet me," I comply to her wishes. 

Cricket follows me like a shadow as I walk down the hallway and toward the kitchen. All the guys and Emma are in there along with Miss Joyce. Emma is sitting on Alex's lap and he's whispering things in her ear that make her laugh. I just stand in the doorway, observing the sight and smiling. I used to think Emma would never be truly happy again when we were at the Children's Home. It was nice to see her smiling. 

Alex catches my eye. "Envy! C'mere. We gotta figure out this school stuff." You only said 'stuff' because Emma is in your lap, I think. Any other day you would've said 'shit'. He wraps his arms around Emma, holding her close as he stands up slightly to slide his chair over with his foot before sitting back down and readjusting her. She laughs, burying her face into his shoulder and he smiles and pokes her in the side, murmuring, "Your acting silly, babe." She shakes her head in protest and I just smile at them, standing in the new space in-between the chairs that he's just created; the other three chairs are taken by Rian, Jack, and Zack. The Barakats, I think, need to get a bigger dining suit. 

Miss Joyce frowns. "One of you boys get up so Envy can sit. He's the one filling out papers." Zack gets up, immediately , but I shake my head and hold up hands as if to stop him. 

"No, no. I'm fine. Really. Sit back down, Zack." But he doesn't. Instead he's got this sly smile on his face and reaches over to grab me before sitting down, pulling me into his lap. The action happens so quickly, that by the time I've processed it, Miss Joyce already has her camera out, taking a photo, because "It's such a cute moment with you and Emma both in someone's lap." I struggle to get off of him as soon as the photo is taken, because, hello? I am sixteen, about to turn seventeen in a few weeks and I was not sitting in someone's lap. 

Zack obviously disagreed with my whole endeavor to escape him because his arms wrapped around my waist in the same manner as Alex was doing to Emma. "Lemme go, Zack," I strain against his grip -which is worthless- because his muscles are just to strong and constricting for my smaller form. "Bitc-" I start to say, but am cut off by a stern glance from Rian. He flicks his glance to a wide eyed Emma. I aptly shut my mouth and glare at Zack who only smiles softly.  

Alex pushes a sheet across the table. "Okay, so this," I glance at the sheet and pull it in closer, glaring one last time at Zack as I get comfortable. "Is your admissions information. You'll need to take it to the office tomorrow." 

I blink, reading the capital lettering that spelled out Dulaney High School. I shake my head. "This isn't my school. Not the one that-" 

Alex cuts me off, looking at me. "We know. We all agreed to the...mutual decision of having you transferred." 

"Trans...ferred?" The word stuck in my throat and I tried not to think about how Zack was attempting to make me feel better by rubbing circles on the small of my back. 

"Hey," He leans close and whispers in my ear, "It's not that bad." The whisper isnt private; the kitchen is silent except for the water occasionally turning on and back ground music of the television. 

"We went there!" Jack chirps in excitedly and takes a bite of cake. Cricket has found camp by his chair and is whining softly for food of some sort. He eventually, like me, gives in and slips her a chunk of the sweetened bread; he saves the ice cream portion for himself. 

"But, God, don't tell the teachers that." Rian moans and holds his head in his hands. "We were part of too many antics and you tell them your with us and you'll forever be on their hate list. Remember that, Phoenix." 

I feel Zack's chest rumble into a laugh behind me and I smile along with the others. It's almost as if I'm sharing a private joke. It feels as if I'm about to be initiated completely and totally into the band by going to their high school. As much as I hate it -I won't see the others again- It makes me feel closer to the band. My family.  

Alex wrecks the laughter by voicing his thoughts. His motives. "We're doing this so you don't get caught up in the wrong crowd again."

Anger. I can feel it rising- its flushing through my veins because Avery, Adrian, and Marcy we're not part of the "wrong crowd", nor could I ever see them being. Avery was to innocent. Marcy to dramatic. Adrian to stylish. For them to be sucked up into something like that would mean intimate death for their characteristics they so much cherished. It was one party. 

But I don't say anything. As much as I know that Alex trusts me again, I highly doubt anyone of them would believe me if I tried to convince them of this after the whole Rian-and-Jack-picking-me-up -drunk incident. 

"I start tomorrow, then?" I glance at the paper, slide it over, and look at the academics guide along with my past transcript. "And this is what I need?" I trace the three items listed in the margin of the transcript. Alex's scrawny handwriting: one math, one english, one science. The only three classes that are standing in my way of graduation. 

"Si!" Jack answers, bluntly, in a horrid Spanish accent. 

"And yeah. Those are all you need." Alex fills in. He smiles as he feeds Emma a piece of cake. Zack pinches my side and I can practically hear his smile in my ear, see the way his eyes scrunch up in amusement. I swat at his hand inconspicuously, trying not to draw too much attention.

"How'd you get my transcripts? We've been here all of five minutes." I watch out of the corner of my eye as Cricket is led back outside by Miss Joyce, but not before she receives a doggie treat. She gobbles it up before sprinting back to her favorite spot under a tree. 

"Flyzik was able to get them faxed from your school in NY. Simple. He talked to your old guidance councilor and they determined the classes you'd need to graduate before relaying the information back to me. Via text message." Alex grins and waves his phone in the air before pulling it out of Emma's reach. 

"Flyzik?" I knew he was the manager, but in all of the months I'd spent with the band, I'd never met him. He was always busy, and most of the time followed behind in another van or bus. 

"Yep." Alex slips his phone in his pocket and Zack leans in to whisper, "You'll meet him before we leave." I only nod and return my attention back to the academics. 

"Okay..." I flip through the pages of courses offered at the high school and quickly shut it. "Block schedule, right? Let's make this easy then. English 4, Precal, and AP Biology. I can get early dismissal for my last block and come home each day." 

I look up at them. Rian looks satisfied, Alex is nodding, and Jack....Jack is stuffing his face. "What about your next semester?" Rian speaks up, rubbing his chin. 

I bit my lip and reach up to tug at my hair, but both Alex and Zack notice this. Alex swats at my hand and Zack pinches my side, both demanding, "Stop." I exhale loudly, feeling antsy that I can't give into the nervous composition. I settle on chewing awkwardly on my thumb before (or course) Zack pinches my again and whispers, "If you keep eating your fingernails, you won't want any dinner."

"So," I bite the inside of my lip, "I was thinking, maybe, graduate early and just go with you guys to the studio?" Alex opens his mouth, but before he can object, I rush. "And I'll be closer to you all and get to see you everyday and I'll be out of school, so that won't matter. Of course we'll have to come back for graduation, but-" 

"Dude," Jack is laughing, shaking his head. "Your rambling." 

I shut up, look down at my hands, and wait to feel my face heat up. Behind me, Zack is laughing, as well as Alex and Rian. My face, I know, turns a darker shade. "Sorry." I mumble. 

"Hey, 's okay." Rian says, "And I think-"

"It's a great idea." Alex is beaming. 

"That's..." I'm breathless. I didn't expect them to agree so easily. "That's amazing. Serious?" 

Alex shrugs. "Yeah. Why not? You'll get to travel more. See the works. It'll be like school. Besides," He smiles, but glances at Emma, kissing her cheek, "You'll be learning guitar. And Zack said something about bass, too?" 

I nod, still studying my hands. In front of me, Alex is reaching for the paper that goes to the admissions office tomorrow and begins filling out the information he already knows, occasionally asking a question in the midst of a new conversation that's bubbled up between the other three members. 

When he finishes, he pushes it to the middle of the table. Zack reaches around me to straighten the papers. Awkward, but I just sit still until he's done. "So tomorrow. It's Thursday. I'll pick you up, since it's your first day, but on days we are here," He motions to the band, "Everyones agreed to take turns picking you up until we get your license. Rian said he'd get you Mondays and Zack is getting you Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Me and Jack will pick you up the rest of the week. Easy to remember, right?" 

"Easy." I repeat. 

"Good." Alex smiles. "Were all dropping you off tomorrow, though." He gets up, holding Emma on his hip and drops his now empty plate in the sink. 

"Mutual decision?" 

"Yup!" Jack grins, hyped up on sugar, but already crashing. He yawns and I hold back a smile. It would be hard after the next two weeks; I would miss them.