How to Love

Larissa's POV

I stood in front of the full body mirror, making sure everything is in place, I took a deep breathe to calm my nerves. My sisters and best girlfriends wait around me telling me how beautiful I look, or how he won't be able to take his eyes off of me. I turn to see my girls smile and walk towards my sister, Alaine, who hugs me and starts to tear up. "No Crying until after the wedding" Gena said from behind me. I sniffled, and let out a chuckle, "Okay, we are ready" The girls walked out the door one by one hugging me on the way out, leaving me on my own before the man who introduced me to soon to be husband came in to escort me.

I wring my hands as I wait for him, seconds later a knock on the door disrupted my thoughts, "Come In" I said, a head poked inside before he let himself in the room, and the first thing he does is hug me, and look down on me. His piercing blue eyes look deep into my light brown eyes, "Are you ready?" he smiles. And with one last breathe before I leave this room for the last time, "More than ready" I smile widely knowing that this is the beginning of my new life. Outside at the entrance of the church waited the girls with their groomsmen, by their arms and ready to start. Jimmy placed my veil over my head, "You look beautiful" he whispered as the wedding march began. "Matt's lucky to have found someone like you" I smile, "It's all thanks to you" I say to him. My eyes glazed with tears as I try my hardest not to let them fall, "You don't know how much you've changed my life Jimmy, and the fact that you agreed to walk me down the aisle, has made it more special" I look up at Jimmy as we get ready to walk as soon as the last couple walks down.

His beautiful blue eyes were glazed with tears, but his face has the largest grin known to man. "You don't know how much that means to me, you're like my little sister, and god knows you needed me" I giggle. The wedding planner signals us to walk, and as I took a step towards the man I love, family and friends looked at me in awe. Although everyone's eyes are on me, my eyes are on the man waiting for me at the end of the aisle. His hazel burned into my brown ones with such intensity I almost ran to him.

I look back on everything we went through to get to where we are now, the ups and downs of every relationship. The lies, the secrets, the hiding, and the gossip, but our love for each other conquered it. And to this day I will never forget not only the day that I met Jimmy, but the moment that Jimmy introduced me to Matt.

And it all began in New York.

It was summer in New York City and I was out the door of our school next to my best friend Allison. "So what are you doing for the summer?" she asked, "I don't know, what about you?" I said. "Well, my parents are taking me to a trip down to Florida" she said excitedly, "That's great" I said half-heartedly. Allison looked at me and sighed, "I know I'm leaving for the summer, but we can call and stuff and before you know it I'll be back before school starts" she said. I smiled, she always knew how to make things right, "You're right and it's not like you're moving there permanently" "Exactly". We parted ways as we walked home since she lived the opposite way of where I lived. I walked the three steps that led to my house door, "Hello?!" I yelled.

"In the kitchen" I heard my mother yell back. I walked into the kitchen where my mother yelled from and saw that the whole family was there; Damien, Alaine, Broderick, Zahra, Valentino, and Darien. I furrowed my eyebrows, "So what's going on?" I trailed off, Mom and Dad stood there, my dad with his arm around her waist, with the largest smile I have ever seen. My mother had one of her hands on top of my fathers' and her face also showed a smile. "We have amazing news!" my mom said, "So what is it?" Damien asked curiously. "Your mom is pregnant!" my dad said with a proud smile on his face.

My jaw dropped as well as Damien since both of us kind of got the responsibility to take care of them while mom and dad worked. "No Way, more siblings" Damien said a little outraged that they decided to add more to the now struggling family. "Geez, mom 7 kids isn't enough" I said, jokingly.

My parents chuckled, "Yes, well, we thought that 7 was for quitters". I rolled my eyes and laughed.

One Year Later

So now here we are up to 8 kids in the house and family, and things have gotten a little tense. My dad ended up working two jobs, and my mom is working double shifts in the hospital, while Damien and I took care of the family. I didn't mind a bit, my friend Allison used to tell me that I always had that motherly instinct, oh and Allison's Parents decided that living in Florida would be best for their family so now I am friendless in New York.

Damien and I were able to get everyone to bed by ten, Damien and I on the other hand had homework to finish so we stayed in the living room to get it done. By the time it was 1 in the morning, Damien was done within two hours and I was about finished with some of the AP Homework when the door opened and in came my dad, tired as ever. "Hey dad" I said softly, "Hey honey" he replied tiredly, "Why don't you go to bed and I'll wait for mom" He nodded indicating that he heard me. An hour later, m my mom walks in with tears streaking down her face. I quickly eave everything on the table and run towards my mom, "What's wrong?" I asked worriedly. She sniffled and looked up at me, "Is your father home?" she asks, I nod, "Yeah, He's been sleeping for an hour now"

My mother the walks out the door, "Follow me" she says over her shoulder. I follow her outside towards the steps. We sit down on the steps of our house and look out towards New York City; we lived in Queens so we got an amazing view. "I'm pregnant" she whispered low enough where I could hear. "What, but you and dad been together together, since Skylar" That's when she broke down, "I know, but I was lonely and one of my coworkers was there and..." she trailed off since it was obvious what had happened. I gasped, "Mom! How could you?" I stated pacing back and forth, and I ran my hand through my hair. "So what now, you're having an affair?" "No, it was a one-time thing" I sighed. "What are you going to do?" My mother looked away and said, "Your father can never know about this, for all he knows this baby is his. Please promise me you won't say anything"

I bite my lip; I know what my mom did was wrong, but what was I supposed to do. If I told my dad he would leave the family and we would struggle even more. If I didn't then I would hold the burden of knowing that my mother cheated on my dad and now there was a kid on the way. "Do you love dad" she looked me straight in the eyes, "I do, with all my life and heart". "Okay, I won't tell dad" and with that my mother let out a breathe of relief.

Three Years Later

"Push!" The doctor yelled. Well, here we were again. After that fiasco that happened three years ago, my dad still doesn't know that one of his kids isn't his. And now, well, Mom and Dad are having twins and soon after my dad is getting a vasectomy. Finally, right?

So now here we are waiting for my mom to stop screaming obscenities at my father for knocking her up.

So our lives didn't change much just that our parents are working more than ever, and instead of going to college I ended up helping my parents out with the kids. In other words I became a stay at home mom, with the exception of being a mom. And with the twins it made it harder, but Damien and Alaine helped when they could. We all had a routine I would take care of the twins and make dinner, and when the ones from school came home they would eat, do their homework, and then they each do their chores and when they are done they watch TV and head to bed.

Everything was going fine when my dad burst in excited as ever, "Dad, I thought you were working late" My father seeing my confused face picked me up and twirled me around, I squeaked in surprise while my siblings looked over their plates of food at my dad like he was crazy. Once he put me back on my feet, he said, "I quit my job" while trying to regain my balance Damien practically yelled, "Why?" my father’s face then contorted into the biggest smile known to man. "Because I won the Lottery!" He screamed.

"No Way" I whisper, "Our life is going to get better" He said.

Two and a Half Years Later

Oh, how I wished that was true, but all we got was publicity and fame, and the only people who basked in it were our parents. So our parents quit their jobs, moved us to the Upper East Side and soon money and social status became our parents only concern. It was the super lotto so it ended up being like 5 Billion dollars; after taxes.

So most of our nights consisted of our parents attending the rick folk parties, while we stayed at home. Of course, since I had taken the mother role, I decided that Friday nights would be game nights. Damien and Alaine weren't thrilled about how our parents had become so snobby and stuck up and so they resorted into not acknowledging our parents in any way, shape or form. While as the younger ones tried so hard to catch our parent’s attention only to get shooed away and called out the wrong name. And myself, well I kept my mother role and put my life on hold for my family.

Well anyways, we were playing WHO? Well the ones who could play, when the doorbell rang. I looked at Damien and Alaine in confusion since our parents weren't due until 2 or 3 in the morning. I walked over to the door and opened it to see two officers at the hallway. "Um, is there a Larissa Hernandez?" "That would be me" I said, "How can I help you?" The officer on the right spoke, "May we come in?" I nod and open the door wide enough for them to come in. I walked over to the Alaine and said, "Why don't you get them to bed" Alaine nods and quickly got the kids to their bedrooms.

I turned towards the officer and asked, "Can I get you something to drink?" "No, thank you" he said, "You may want to sit down for what we are about to tell you" I look over to Damien and Alaine who came back when she was done. "Why don't you go to bed as well?" "Why?" Damien asked.

I sighed, "Damien don’t' start with me. Just go" Alaine and Damien left, with such hesitation from Damien. "So what is it that you have to tell me" the officer looked down, "I'm sorry to inform you, but it seems that your parents were victims of a mugging gone wrong" I gasp, "Are they okay? Are they in the hospital?" Neither of them looked me in the eye and at that moment I knew, "They're dead" he said. "No!" I whipped my head around to see Alaine and Damien standing there by the kitchen door, Damien holding Alaine; they were eavesdropping. Tears sprang from my eyes, and although our parents weren't there for the most part, I knew that Damien and Alaine regret what they did to them.

With that said, the officers left our home, before they left they told us that everything the money, the house belonged to me since I was the oldest. And for my siblings I had two choices adopt the ones under 17 as my own or leave them for adoption. I couldn't bear to be without them so I adopted them and figured out it was time for out new start. We didn’t want to stay in New York due to the fact that it held many good and bad memories, so we decided to move to the opposite of what was New York and that was California, we weren’t for sure where in California so I let my brothers pick, and it was decided that Huntington Beach, Orange County.