A/N: Here is the story me and xXFan-FanXx are co writing so you can find the same story on her profile so anyone who reviews telling me i'm stealing it is wrong!! lol. Please review when you're done reading! it makes us feel warm and fuzzy on the inside to know that people care!

"KayKay!" Sophia, my two year old sister, cried happily as I entered her room. She stretched her small arms high into the air. "Up!" I smiled and lifted her out of her crib. Her tiny hand immediately latched onto a clump of my curly blond hair. Wincing slightly as she tugged on it I settled her onto my hip and walked across the hallway to the room belonging to my four year old twin brothers, Landon and Logan.

After knocking loudly on the door I opened it and stared into the room, focusing on the two racecar beds pushed up against the far wall. Two brunette heads of hair peeked out from under the covers on each bed. "Five more minutes? Please Lynnie?" They pleaded, staring up at me with dark hazel eyes.

"Not a chance." I flicked the light switch on and pulled Sophia's hand out of my hair in one movement. "Get dressed and march your little behinds down to the kitchen. We're making cookies for Mommy's birthday today, remember?"

That statement got the two boys to shoot out of bed and run right into each other as they raced to their closet. Chuckling slightly I shook my head and headed towards the kitchen with Sophia's hand entangled in my hair again.

As I set Soph down on the counter I noticed a note posted on the refrigerator door. Kaylynn, I will be working late tonight. Make sure Sophia is in bed by seven. The twins can stay up until eight if they behave. Don't wait up for me, Mom.

Angrily, I crumpled the note in my fist and threw it into the garbage can. It always seemed like the woman cared more about work than her own children. As I started to slam the ingredients for the cookies on the counter my stepfather, Steven, came thundering down the stairs.

"Daddy!" Sophia shrieked, a large smile stretching across her face, brown eyes shining. Steven smiled at his daughter but I could see the pain that Sophia's loud, high pitched squeal had caused him. The man was definitely hung over. He ran his large fingers through the small girl's light brown curls and went straight to the basement where he spent his days watching television and drinking.

Just as I finished laying out what we needed to make the cake Landon and Logan came rushing into the room. I couldn't help but laugh as soon as I saw them. Landon's dark blue shirt was on backwards and Logan had one arm coming through where his head was supposed to go, stretching the neckline.

With their clothes fixed and tiny aprons on, I started reading the directions from the cookbook. Finally the batter was ready. Yes it had taken nearly an hour and yes all four of us looked like ghosts with flour all over our faces but the dough was done. I gave Sophia the measuring cups to play with as I poured the batter into the cake pan.

After setting the timer I washed my hands in the sink and went to see what was taking Landon and Logan so long in the bathroom. As soon as I opened the bathroom and took a single step inside I knew why. Water covered everything, including the ceiling I found out as some dripped onto my head.

Landon and Logan looked up at me with a practiced innocence shining in their eyes. It took all I had not to yell at them. A few deep breaths later I felt my anger start to ebb away. Stepping around the puddles of water I grabbed three large bath towels from the linen closet. I turned to give two of them to the twins and nearly tripped over Sophia.

"Soph help." She said, grabbing for one of the towels. Her tiny fingers grasped a corner of the bottom towel and pulled, causing all three to tumble to the floor. In surprise, Sophia fell backwards and started to wail. "Wet!"

Groaning I picked the crying two year old up and told the twins to start cleaning up. In Sophia's room I picked out a new outfit for her and as I was removing her wet clothes there was a loud crash coming from the bathroom followed by lots of yelling.

I quickly dressed my younger sister and ran to the bathroom. Landon and Logan were wrestling around on the ground, the contents of the linen closet in a heap beside them. "Stop it, both of you!" I yelled, pulling them apart. Dragging them from the bathroom down the hall to their room I locked the door and said, "You'll both stay in there until I get the bathroom cleaned up."

With a clean, dry bathroom and a cooling cake I returned to the twins' room and found them sitting silently on their separate beds. "We're sorry Lynnie!" They rushed over to me and attached themselves to my legs as soon as they saw me in the doorway, nearly knocking me to the ground.

The rest of the day passed quickly without any more mishaps and as soon as Steven came up from the basement for another beer, already clearly drunk, I sent the twins to my room to watch television and put a sleeping Sophia in her crib.

As for myself I unplugged my laptop and turned it on, keeping an eye on my brothers as I waited for everything to load.

A good thing I did to, as soon as a commercial break started they began to fight, for the second time that day. I dumped my laptop on my bed and broke them apart. "That's it. In your room, no desert."

"But Lynnie…" They whined, eyes pleading.

"No. Now!" I pointed to my doorway and the two of them trudged to their room mumbling about how unfair I was being.

A ding sounded from my computer and I turned around to see my Instant Messenger flashing orange. I pulled it up and noticed that my best friend Aimee had just signed on.

SparkyBubbles: Hey, how r u?

Angel3: Exhausted, it's been a long day. U?

SparkyBubbles: Bored. R u free to hang tomorrow?

Angel3: No, my mom has work again.

SparkyBubbles: Is there any day of the week she doesn't work?

Angel3: Um, I think she has this Monday off.

SparkyBubbles: No matter, if u can't come to me I'll just come to u.

Angel3: Would you come over tomorrow? It would b so awesome if you could. L & L are always so much easier to deal with when you're over.

SparkyBubbles: Of course I'll come over. U no I love your brothers. They're so adorable. I'll b over as soon as I wake up.

Angel3: So I should b expecting you around noon?

SparkyBubbles: LOL

SparkyBubbles: I'll b sure to wake up earlier than that tomorrow.

I heard Sophia start crying and told Aimee that I had to go and I'd see her tomorrow before rushing down the hall to my sister's room. Soph was standing up clutching the bars of her crib. Lifting her out, I handed her the doll lying on the floor a few feet away.

Once I got her settled down and returned to my room I realized that I was almost falling asleep on my feet. I turned off my light and settled in between the covers.

Morning came much too early for my liking and I stumbled out of bed and into the kitchen for some breakfast just in time to see my mom getting ready to walk out the door. "Morning." I mumbled sleepily, rubbing my tired eyes.

My mother was a slender woman with thin black hair and tired, dark green eyes. Ever since my father died my mother has needed to work to keep our family afloat. Even after she remarried Steven and had three kids with him she's gone more than she's home. Sometimes I wonder if she even comes home at night. Most nights I lay in bed, just waiting to hear her come through the front door.

Steven was almost the complete opposite of my mother. He was tall with a protruding beer belly. Thin brown hair covered his balding head and dark brown eyes seemed to stare right through you. From around noon until whatever time he passed out he was drunk. This was probably the main reason he was unemployed and my mother had to work from dawn until dusk and then some just to make sure that her kids had food and shelter.

"Good morning Kaylynn. You're hair is getting so long." She smiled and ran a hand through it. I smothered the urge to push her away. The woman that suddenly seemed like such a stranger to me checked her watch and sighed. "I have to get to work. I'll try to get off early tonight for my birthday."

"Your birthday was yesterday Mother." I told her, opening the pantry and retrieving my favorite breakfast cereal.

"Was it?" She walked over to the refrigerator door and checked the calendar. "So it was. I wondered why Steven had baked a cake."

I clenched my teeth and held the barrage of nasty comments back. Of course she thought that her loving husband had baked the cake. She was completely oblivious to his nasty drinking habits and complete neglect of his children. "Aren't you going to be late?" I choked out.

She straightened her business jacket and smiled down at me. "All the same I'll try to be home early tonight." After kissing the top of my head like I was a young child again instead of sixteen years old she walked out the door, heels clicking loudly against the hardwood flooring.

"Yeah right." I said to the front door.

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A/n: So review?? plz????