SENIORS

CHAPTER ONE

Lying silently on the bed, listening to the gentle music humming through the air. A photo album flipped open before. I could hear my brothers downstairs in the basement, music blaring. Our mother didn't mind as long as it got turned down at six when we had dinner. Dad normally arrived home just before dinner, breathing heavily. It was something we liked to do all the time, a family thing. See my dad's a Professor Cale Connor at University of Massachusetts, teaching Ancient History and culture. My mum Cassandra, a partime teacher as a private kindergarten not far from us. They both were brilliant teachers, it was interesting that they ended up together. My mum is tall, long black hair and beautiful green eyes, to me she always seemed perfect. My dad is not your typical geek, for starters, his taller than mum, broader, yes he wears glasses, has brown eyes and brown hair, but he played sports in school, getting into college with a soccer scholarship. They've been together for over twenty years, it's amazing this day in age with the divorce rate of this country but you can see they love each other. Theirs seven of us to prove they loved each other, but it does better not dwell on it for obvious reasons that you don't want to know what your parents get up to. Gross. Unfortunately I am the only girl in my family, of boys go figure, must be a karmic debt I am repaying. The oldest is Calvin, twenty one at West Point Academy at the moment, he wanted to join the Air Force ever since I can remember. Than Colt who is at College now with Dad, but he is doing veterinary science. Than Collin who just began college a few months ago with dad, doing Forensic Science, Corin and Me were thought to be last until Callum and Cameron decided to join us. There are two sets of twins in out family but we took that gene off my dad, because he has a twin who also teaches at the college but Civil Law. Corin and I are one third the way through our senior's years at Westbrook High School. It's strange now when I think of it, we all so extremely well at school, some of the highest grades in the school but every one of my brothers are or have been leaders in our school. Jocks some may call them, I don't see why though, they maintain good grades to stay on the team. Always Captains I guess it runs in their family. We all had darkish brown hair, yet my older brother inherited my mum's eyes and breathtaking beauty and me I am happy that I resemble my dad, long brown hair, dark brown eyes. We're all fairly tall, but unfortunately I am the shortest. My younger brothers got a mixture of both parents, brown hair, emerald eyes, tall, and like their brothers future heartbreakers. My dad has this stupid tradition running in our family since, Great-Great granddad Clarence came over from Ireland, that all children of the Connor's had to have a name starting with C, so here my family are, and we all start with C. I guess your wondering how we cope with such a large family but for us we wouldn't have it any other way. We live in a old historical house my granddad Clarence built when he arrive about a hundred years ago. It's three stories, with six bedroom and one more if you included the attic dad and Calvin set up when he lived here still. One of the benefits of being an only girl was my own room, which I thoroughly loved. When Calvin moved out the rooms changed around again, except mine. Colt got the attic, the others all had a room to themselves. Calvin usually got the basement when he returns on his leave, to the others disappointment.

I glanced up hearing my phone ring loudly beside me bed, yawning I picked it up after the third of fourth ring.

'Charlie,' a soft voice exclaimed into my ears. I grinned recognizing Emily's voice.

'Hiya Emily,' I replied sitting up, not interested. I've known Emily since diapers, we did everything together, best friends since I can remember. She's completely opposite to me, tall, honey brown hair, fiery temper when provoked (We'll that's not much different from me), bluey gray eyes, freckles. My brothers call her a geek, but they have enough bruised from now since childhood to stop calling her it. They call me geek to because the other I inherited from my dad was that I need glasses when reading to my chagrin but I got over it in freshman years and don't give a damn anymore.

'I was wondering is it still ok for tonight?' she asked. 'Mum's just making me check up before school'

'Over course,' I replied. 'Hurry up, can't be late,'

'Coming now?' she laughed.

'Come on,' I pleaded, glancing out the window to see my brother's friend pull up in his black BMW behind. 'Don't leave me to their mercy.'

'Alright coming over right now, see ya soon, oh by the way Vincent is driving us,' she chuckled hanging up on me, quickly I hung the phone up and grabbed the pack at the end of bed, rushing down the stairs. Mum stood at the stove, she smiled as I rushed in, quickly she placed a ham and cheese bagel with fresh orange juice in front of me. Uncaringly I scoffed it down before my twin came looking to eat, because if he did he would always steal my food.

'Slow down,' a deep voice laughed behind me. I glanced up to see the honourary eighth member to our family smiling at me from the door. Alex's walked into the room grinning.

'Good morning Mrs. Connor,' he greeted warmly. I watched him as he talked warmly with my mother before I heard the beeping of a car out the front.

'Who's that?' Corin grumbled, messing his hair up, I laughed as he glared at the front door.

'It's only Emily,' I chuckled walking to the door.

'Geek,' he muttered darkly, his face darkening upon hearing hear name. Opening the door so I could run quickly.

'Her brother's back from College,' I grinned. 'His taking us to school,'

Quickly I bolted from the house ignoring the shout of outrage and bolted to the revving Mercedes. Emily knew me to well and opened the door so I could fly in as my brothers and Alex came running out the door. I opened the window grinning at them as we drove of laughing hysterically.

'Hey Vincent,' I greeted sitting back smiling brightly at Emily's older brother. He was the same age as Collin, and a drama geek, but most girls considered him a hot drama geek. Ukk, never thought of him like that, he was one of my few close friends before he left.

'Morning Charlie,' he chuckled, concentrating on the road. 'Still overprotective I see,'

'My guard dog's more like it,' I grumbled. 'They still hold the grudge of when you took me as your date to the Winter Dance.'

'I though they were going to pulverize me when I picked you up,' he replied smiling.

'Emily did you finish off all your assignments?' I asked my best friend.

'Yeah, had to parents checking to make sure,' she replied turning around to face me. 'I heard over the grape line Alex and Corin dumped the latest chicks, is it true?' she asked.

'I wouldn't know Em,' I sighed. 'They change girls too quickly for me to remember them all the time, but they always have blonde in common.'

Em was a co-editor for our school paper and handle the gossip column, she everyone's business and was discreet in what she showed and did not.