A/N: Okay guys! Here’s the first chapter to my new story, Too Many Boys! I really hope you guys like it. You’ll probably notice there is a huge difference between Kailea and Renae, personality-wise. Review it if you like it! And Kailea’s name is pronounced, Kay-Leah. Make sense? P

Chapter One: There Goes My Life

“Kailea Johnson?”

Most people are tired when they wake up at three o’clock in the morning to someone banging loudly on your front door. But when you see that it is a police officer, you are suddenly wide awake. Especially when a family member (or two) are missing from your home.

I still wasn’t fully awake as I stared at the police officer who was standing on my front porch. He was one of those fat ones who looked like he had one too many donuts while on shift and not much time chasing bad guys. A huge blonde and way too fury mustache caught my attention as soon as I opened the door just a moment before. He didn’t even look like an officer, despite the uniform and badge.

It took me a while to answer him. Though he was patient and silently waited for my answer, I could tell he needed an answer. “Um. Yes, sir. That’s me.”

“Can you please come with me? There has been an accident. Your parents are currently at Memorial Hospital and we would like to get you there as soon as possible,” he said. I looked at his little name tag which said, ‘Officer Horton’. I was reminded of that new Dr. Seuss movie, ‘Horton Hears a Who!’. I’m guessing that you’re sitting there thinking, ‘This girl is an idiot. Her parents are in a hospital!’ What the officer had told me didn’t exactly sink in right away.

“What?” I asked him, confused.

“Miss, is there an adult you know that could accompany you to the hospital? The doctors need some information and they can’t get a hold of your aunt or your grandfather,” he said, growing impatient with me. Finally, his words hit home.

“Sir, did you say my parents are in the hospital?”

“Yes. Is there an adult-“ he said before I interrupted him.

“Yes, sir. There is. You’ll take me to the hospital?” I asked him. Officer Horton nodded his head and I bolted past him to the house across the street. As soon as I reached the door my fist started pounding on it. My fist continued to hit the door until I could see a light shining inside, through the window.

A woman in her forties opened the door, with a fuzzy blue bath robe wrapped around her. Her dark brown hair was hanging loosely in a messy ponytail. Her eyes looked small, since she didn’t have her usual glasses on. She looked so tired until she could see the police car in front of my house and me standing there in my ducky pajamas and ducky slippers.

“Kailea? What’s wrong?” she asked me, panic in her voice.

“Mrs. Gordon, my parents are at the hospital. Please, can you come with me?” My voice was barely louder than a whisper. My heart was pounding in my chest. I had to see my parents. What if we were too late? What if they had… I couldn’t even think of the word.

“Mom? What’s going on? Is that Kailea?” I heard a tired male voice from behind Mrs. Gordon and recognized it as Aaron’s, my best friend’s voice.

“Aaron, go get my glasses. Hurry up,” Mrs. Gordon said without explaining herself. We waited quietly for a moment while Aaron ran upstairs and grabbed her glasses. As soon as he was back, Mrs. Gordon took her glasses, placed them on her nose, and went to talk to Officer Horton. Aaron went out onto the front porch and stood next to me.

His curly brown hair comforted me. I know, strange. But it did. I had seen that curly brown hair since I was a baby. And I could remember decorating it when I was seven and obsessed with those Barbie makeover giant doll heads that my mother wouldn’t buy me because she said I would have nightmares.

He didn’t ask what was going on. He simply stood there, close to me, comforting me like a best friend would. When Officer Horton and Mrs. Gordon beckoned me over to the car, Aaron gave me a long, hard hug before I went to them.

The ride to the hospital seemed like a dream. Like it wasn’t even happening. I kept telling myself my parents were both sleeping at home in their bed and I would wake up any minute. I would wake up to my dad making waffles and my mom doing laundry. I would give them both a hug and tell them that I loved them so much. It was just a dream. A nightmare. I would wake up so very soon.

But I never woke up from that nightmare.

I was living it.

We arrived at Memorial Hospital at three-thirty. Mrs. Gordon and I hurried to the emergency waiting area and were told by the lady behind the desk to sit and wait for a doctor to talk to us. We sat together, while I filled out a form with some of my parent’s information and my information, and waited for a long while for a doctor to appear for us.

Finally, at around five o’clock A.M., a doctor stepped into the emergency room waiting area. He looked around for a moment before asking the receptionist a question. The lady nodded her head towards us and I stood up immediately as the doctor made his way towards us.

“Are you Mr. and Mrs. Johnson’s daughter?” he asked me as soon as he reached Mrs. Gordon and I.

“Y-yes,” I answered shakily. I couldn’t read his expression. It was like a blank canvas. Like he didn’t want me to see what he was about tell me.

“I’m so sorry. Your parents were dead when paramedics arrived at the scene of the crash,” he said softly.

I felt as if I was just run over by a train. Like a giant piano was dropped onto my head; like in those cartoons where they try to kill each other. Like someone had ripped my stomach from inside me and tossed it into the garbage. My breathing became shallow as I stared at him with disbelief. Mrs. Gordon gasped and immediately started crying at the news. I stared at the doctor. He was joking. He had to be joking. My parents weren’t….dead. They were fine! They were about to come through those double doors to hold me in their arms and listen to me say, ‘I love you.’ They were alive…They had to be…

“Kailea?”

I was sitting with Aaron on the couch in my living room the day of my parent’s funeral. People had been going in and out the door saying how sorry they were, to me. Even some people I didn’t know came up to me. The service had been slow and very boring. I know, I know. I shouldn’t say something like that. But really, my mom would have wanted something more exciting. She wouldn’t have wanted everyone to wear black and cry over her. She would want everyone to wear bright colors to her funeral. She would have wanted some of the latest songs played that rappers…rap?

But that’s what happens when your aunt plans the funeral. Everyone wears black. Slow annoying music is played. White roses are placed on your parents graves. Nothing goes like it should.

“Kailea?”

I heard someone say my name again. I looked up, dropping the loose thread from my skirt that I had been playing with, to see my mom’s best friend from high school standing in my living room. Teresa Patterson and my mom met back in their freshman year of high school. Both of them loved bright colors and boys. You can’t forget their love of boys. Even after getting married and having a family, they stayed best friends.

The last time I had seen Teresa was when I was ten, at a barbeque. I had the hugest crush on her step son, Henry. Every time he walked into the room I was in, I blushed and ran out. He was fourteen at the time so he must have been about twenty or twenty-one.

I hated the next oldest, Jonathon, with a passion. Back when I was in the fourth grade, he pulled off the head of my favorite Barbie doll and put worms in my hamburger. Every time I saw Jonathon, I kicked him in the leg and then ran away when he threatened to beat me up. Of course he never did because I told his dad on him. John Patterson, the father, told me that was what boys did when they liked you. I steered clear of Jonathon for a long time.

I stood up from the couch and put on a polite smile. “Hello, Mrs. Patterson. Thanks for coming,” I said softly.

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world, honey,” she said, stepping forward to hug me. “I miss Ally all ready.”

“Me too,” I whispered, trying to hold back tears.

Mrs. Patterson stepped back from me and held me at arms length, getting a good look. She smiled and wiped at her eyes, smudging some of her mascara. “You look so much like her.”

“I do?” I asked. I didn’t think I had looked anything like my mom.

“Yeah. Well, back when she didn’t have wrinkles. I had always told her to use this moisturizer I have. It works miracles and you mother needed a miracle to deal with your father,” Mrs. Patterson told me with a laugh. “Oh, I loved your parents.”

“My mom sure did need a miracle to deal with my dad. He forgot about their anniversary this year. So he found some coupons to Burger King and took her out to dinner,” I told her, smiling.

“Oh dear. She told me about that,” Mrs. Patterson said. We were quiet for a moment, both of us thinking about all the good times. Finally, Mrs. Patterson spoke again. “Kailea? Did you know that I am your godmother? And that John is your godfather?”

That took me by surprise. “No, I didn’t,” I said simply.

“Well, it’s true. And your parents were my kids godparents,” Mrs. Patterson told me. “Did you know they left John and I full legal guardianship over you?”

“No, I didn’t know that either,” I said. “Does that mean I have to live with you or something?” I asked, glancing at Aaron who was pretending not to listen in. When he heard that he looked up and held my gaze for a moment.

“Well, if you would like to, then we would love to have you live with us. At least until you graduate and go off to college or whatever you want to do.”

Teresa Patterson was like my second mother. But so was Mrs. Gordon. Aaron was my best friend. I couldn’t leave him! Mrs. Patterson was watching me intently. I could tell she wanted me to live with her more than anything at that moment. She was just like my mom. I didn’t want to lose my mom and Mrs. Patterson within the same week. What if I refused and never saw her again? I didn’t think I could deal with that.

“Would I be able to visit Aaron?” I asked pointing to him.

“Of course, honey! I wouldn’t keep you away from your friends!” She said. And then in a much quieter voice she added, “Especially one so handsome looking. Are you two, together?”

I could feel my cheeks growing warm and I shook my head violently. “No. We’re just friends. Best friends, actually.”

“Oh, all right, then. So it’s settled? You will stay with us until you graduate?”

I glanced at Aaron one more time before turning my gaze to Mrs. Patterson. I nodded my head and said, “Yes, ma’am.”

Two days later I was sitting on my bed with Aaron, folding clothes I was taking with me, while we listened to Mrs. Patterson jabber away about how excited she is to have another girl in the house. Oh yeah. I forgot to mention that all TEN of her kids were male. So I would be the only seventeen year old teenage girl in a house with four teenage boys, a male college student, and five younger boys that probably would dig through my things.

My life was about to take a drastic change.

“We have two extra guest bedrooms. You can take one and we will decorate it however you like. Do you want to take your furniture you have in here? We can always go out and buy you some new things. We are going to have to go shopping together. We’ll have some quality girl time. We can get our hair and nails done. Oh this is going to be so much fun…”

And on she went.

Every once in a while, Aaron caught my eye and raised an eyebrow at me. It was as if he was asking me, ‘Do you really want to leave with her? She might make your brain explode.” To which I would shrug and go back to folding clothes while he put my collection of books into a box.

Eventually, Mrs. Patterson left the room to get something to drink.

“So, you really are leaving, aren’t you?” Aaron asked me when she left.

“Yeah, I guess I am,” I said putting the folded clothes into a suitcase.

We were quiet for a while before Aaron said, “You will come back to visit me, right?”

“Of course, Aaron. You’re my best friend. I’ll even leave you the address to their house so you can go visit me.”

“I guess I could find time in my busy schedule to visit you,” he said with a grin.

“What busy schedule? There’s still two weeks before school starts. So don’t give me that bologna,” I said ruffling his hair. Aaron gently pushed me backwards, not meaning to push me completely off the bed. But I fell off, shrieking like a mad woman, and landed with a thud on the floor. Aaron’s eyes were wide and he just stared at me. I stared back at him before grinning and then laughing. Soon we were both laughing and Aaron was helping me up off the floor.

“God, I’m gonna miss you, Kai,” he said looking out the window.

“I’m going to miss you, too,” I said quietly following his gaze to the small moving truck that had pulled into my driveway.

Later that evening, I sat on my front porch watching as Teresa instructed a man where my things should go in the moving truck. I watched as one by one, my dresser, desk, bookshelf, suitcases, and boxes all got loaded into the truck. Before long it was time to leave.

My aunt was going to sell the house for me as well as all the furniture inside. I was very reluctant in letting it go. I wished I could just stay at the house by myself. But that option would not be possible.

I watched as Aaron walked across the street towards me. When he made it to the porch, I stood up and went down the steps to meet him. We stood there, looking at each other, for a while before a tear escaped my eye and started rolling down my cheek. I didn’t want to cry. But my feelings always get the better of me. Aaron stepped forward and enveloped me in a hug, and the tears kept rolling.

He was my best friend in the entire world. And I was leaving him. Sure, we would get to see each other every once in a while, but I was going to miss him. I heard Mrs. Patterson call my name, and I lifted my head from Aaron’s chest to see her waving me over. When I looked up at Aaron, I found him watching me. With a small sigh, he leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on my forehead before letting go of me. We walked together to the truck and I gave him one last hug before getting inside.

“Tell your mom thanks. For everything,” I told him and he simply nodded. Mrs. Patterson started up the engine and we started to pull away from the house. I gave Aaron a small, sad wave. He lifted his hand to me and I watched him until the truck went around the corner.

There goes my life.

Here comes a new one.

About an hour later, we pulled into a half-circle driveway of the hugest house I have ever seen, in person. I knew that the Patterson’s had money, but I never knew exactly how much. At that moment I had a vague idea of how much.

The house was a two story, but it was very wide and long. The top floor had at least fifteen windows showing from the front of the house and the bottom had four big windows that let you see the dining room and living room from outside. I could see people running around inside through the first floor windows. Green shutters were on either side of all the windows. The double front doors were tall and had large stained glass windows in the centers. There was a huge wrap around porch along the first floor and a balcony from one the bedrooms upstairs. It was huge!

I climbed out of the truck, taking a box that was in the seat between Mrs. Patterson and I.

“Oh, honey. Don’t take that in. We’ll make the boys get your things,” Mrs. Patterson said to me.

“Um, that’s okay, Mrs. Patterson. I can take it in,” I said, keeping the box in my arms.

“Call me Teresa, Kailea. Mrs. Patterson makes me sound so old. And if you’re sure, you can take it in, I suppose,” she said as we walked up the porch steps.

As soon as the front door opened and I stepped inside, it was like I entered a war-zone. A little boy ran past the front door screaming at a slightly older boy to stop shooting nerf gun darts at him. The older one didn’t listen. As he ran past, he hugged Teresa, and then chased the smaller boy. Music was blaring from somewhere upstairs so loud it was hard to concentrate on everything going on around me. Another boy slid down the railing of the stairs and threw a soccer ball at a teenage boy around my age walked into the foyer.

Ooh, he’s kinda cute.

Okay, really cute.

Oh, God.

That’s Jonathon.

Kill me now.

Jonathon caught me staring. And he laughed. And then walked away.

I think I just died.

“Boys! Knock it off! Samuel, stop chasing Matthew! Jonathon get back in here! Perry, go pick up that ball!” Teresa jumped into action at once. She was yelling louder than I had ever heard someone yell. Louder than fan girls who see the Jonas Brothers! That’s pretty darn loud. I had only seen four of the Patterson boys and I already knew I would not be able to handle ten boys in the same house as me. “Derrick, Travis, Devon, Peter! Get down here! Travis turn that damn music off!”

At their mother’s voice, the boys stopped causing mayhem and the house was strangely silent. One by one, the boys appeared. Soon, eight boys were in the foyer, some standing up, some sitting on the stairs. I recognized the twins, Perry and Peter. They were huge trouble makers. I would have to look out for them. Teresa wasn’t done yelling. At least this time, it wasn’t quite so loud.

“John! Call in Henry! And bring Gregory in here!”

There were all staring!

Well…This is awkward.

Soon, three more people had joined us in the foyer: a man I recognized as John Patterson, Teresa’s husband. Henry, the oldest Patterson boy. (I blushed when I saw him. Oops.) And a two year old boy who must have been Gregory.

“Guys, this is Kailea. I know that only eight of you have met her. Perry and Peter, you might not recognize her, though. You two were four the last time we were together. Anyways. Kailea, this is the Patterson Gang! They look a lot different don’t they? There’s Henry, Jonathon, Derrick, Travis, Devon, Perry, Peter, Samuel, Matthew, and Gregory.” I don’t think she took a breath while saying all that.

“Um, hello…everyone,” I said, not wanting to repeat all ten names.

They kept staring. And none of them said anything.

All at once they left. All of them went off in different directions leaving Teresa, John and I in the foyer.

I was off to a great start.

A/N: Here it is! Thanks so much for reading! Review it if you get the chance! Tell me if you like it or hate it!