Chapter One -
An Embarrassing Decision
Reagan Holt forgot to turn on her alarm clock yesterday.
When the Holt family planed ahead, you had to get there on time or they would leave for their destination without you. On usual days,Reagan had to turn on her alarm clock, make sure it worked, and check for any stupid pranks that her siblings might try to play on heras well. The Holt kids were only fifteen and eleven. But they'd developed the instincts of seasoned,military soldiers.
Arriving at her room that night before, Reagan was so tired she could barely stand from the military training her father arranged and collapsed on her bed. She coincidentally forgot to turn on her alarm clock. So the next day, she was on the couch, frustrated, as her own family wouldn't even wake her up. No, they 'just happened' to be too impatient and excited; they decided to leave her.
I was excited too, Reagan thought. We all were. But now I know I wasn't excited enough to even try to turn on my alarm clock. Were they really more excited than I was? Why did they just leave? Well I shouldn't ask, they do this to everyone. Now I know how it feels. And I don't like it one bit. WillI be like that when I'm older?
That day was the day when the Holt children got to register for their own classes. Reagan was planning on signing up for Jujitsu classes, but now she would have to see her own siblings rub it in her face when they got home. Reagan would either have to wait till her parents would drive again, or see if they'll be willing to let Hamilton walk her where she wanted to go.
Reagan slumped down on the couch and pressed the 'on' button on the remote in her hands. Just then, the TV turned on. Reagan heard some soft music and put all her attention towards the TV. She groaned at the site of girls dancing to music she never heard of.
Who likes ballet? Reagan wondered. Oh wait, the Janus do. Why would anyone like dancing in a pink puffy tutu? That's just a disgrace to the Holt family name.
Reagan picked up the remote and tried flip the channel, but it didn't react. She scowled and tried again. Soon enough, she started pressing the buttons like crazy. Reagan growled and crossed her arms. She was watching TV with anger written all over her face. It certainly did not match the way the girls were dancing to the soft music, moving gracefully to the swan lake.
After half an hour or so, Reagan's expression had turned very dreamy, a small smile crawling up her face. She wouldn't have ever expected herself to be falling over ballet – on second thought, no one would expect it. She thought the way it was choreographed was wonderful and the challenging dance moves were unbelievable – altogether just... beautiful.
Maybe I should take ballet. Reagan wondered, it's not that bad. And there is some challenge in it… like, the splits and stuff. Those are hard.
"That's an accomplishment." Reagan said to herself.
She realized her decision and quickly made a comeback, what am I saying? Of course I don't want to take ballet! That's Janus stuff! A Holt never does what our relative's do.
"Yep, Janus stuff!"
But it looks so fun, Reagan thought, and who would figure it out anyway? A Holt does what she wants. And I want to take ballet.
"It's a free country."
Do you want to be the laughing stock of the school? Reagan fought back with her own thoughts; you don't want to humiliate yourself in front of everybody, do you? You're one of the last people on earth to take ballet!
Reagan was getting a headache. She sighed and went back to watching her program; she was going to decide later.
"Hurry up and choose one already!" Hamilton yelled into Madison's ear, who was choosing between taking soccer or ice hockey. It had taken her over 30 minutes to narrow it down to the two of them. "Okay! What's your problem, dude? I'm almost done."
"Then finish FASTER! Arnold could finish faster than you." Hamilton rolled his eyes; he couldn't take it anymore. It just took about 3 minutes to choose his program and make his parents enroll himself to parkour.
"Fine, I'm going to choose ice hockey. Happy?" Madison asked, obviously annoyed by all the rush. She grabbed the pen on her right and printed her name sloppily down on the paper, - including her phone number, and address – and then handed the pen to her mother so she could approve by signing her name.
"Finally!" Hamilton said, throwing his hands in the air dramatically.
Madison folded her arms and rolled her eyes, "Gosh…"
Mary-Todd Holt stepped up beside them, "Okay, that's enough guys."
Eisenhower Holt came back from the restrooms and was searching his pockets with a confused look. "Sugarcakes, do you know where the car keys are?" Eisenhower Holt asked without even looking up once.
"Yes, hug-muffin, I have them." Mary-Todd shoved her hand in her pocket and began searching for the car keys, after a minute, she pulled out a key with a remote dangling from the key ring, and handed it to Eisenhower.
"Fall in, troops!" Eisenhower said. Several people nearby turned around, a confused look on their faces. None of them noticed this, except Mary-Todd, who didn't seem to mind very much. She thought it was cute that her husband was using military terms to talk with each other.
Once they got to the car, they drove off to the direction of their house.
"DONUTS!" Hamilton called out from the backseat as the car passed the donut store. The van lurched to the right, receiving honks and cuss words from the drivers around them, and then skidded to a stop on the shoulder of the road.
The ballet program was really long. Reagan had already gotten up three times to get a snack during the commercials. Her main indulgement wasto get different kinds of chocolate bars from the secret stash of 3–month-year-old Halloween candy she and Madison had created to keep away from Hamilton and their father. But this time, she brought in a bowl of nacho-covered cheese and a large coke bottle.
"Isn't this great Arnold?" Reagan asked the pit bull who accompanied her. Arnold whimpered, almost like he was asking Reagan for permissionto leave the room.
"Don't worry, I thought it was terrible at first too, but then you get, uh, use to it… I mean you'll like it."
Arnold growled, showing he disagreed. Reagan rolled her eyes but then continued watching her wonderful program. She drank out of her cup of coke and then shoved three nachos in her mouth all at once.
"Rawf" Arnold said, suddenly drooling. He was looking at the bowl of nachos Reagan had placed on the table. Reagan raised an eyebrow and then followed his glance toward the bowl. She smiled and dipped her hand in the bowl, giving Arnold a hand full of cheesy nachos. Reagan then rubbed her hands on her purple jogging pants. She was having the best day ever; that is up until she saw her family's van being parked in the driveway.
Reagan bolted up and started searching for the TV remote. After a few seconds, her family was already getting out of the car. She panicked and then saw a glimpse of the remote under the big pit bull. She tried to push him off and when she did, her family was headed towards the front door with an enormous box of donuts in Madison's arms. Just as they came in, Reagan was able to close the TV and jump on the couch like nothing happened.
"Reagan we brought donuts!" Madison sang.
"But I have cheese nachos." Reagan sang, sticking her tongue out at her. It looked as if Reagan was really calm, but actually, she was trying the best she could, to hide the panic inside of her.
"Troops! Bring the nachos and the donuts to the kitchen, we're having a lunch time feast!" Eisenhower said with a grin.
Soon, the entire Holt family cried with joy, except Arnold, who didn't seem to know what they were talking about.
The Holt family was munching down on donuts and nacho covered cheese. While the Holts were eating,Reagan and Mary-Todd Holt didn't make such a big mess compared to Eisenhower, Madison, and Hamilton...Reagan poked at her vanilla dip donut. This was her third one so far; but she didn't feel like eating anymore.
"Are you gonna eat that?" Hamilton asked between mouthfuls.
Reagan shook her head and passed the plate to her brother, who graciously stuffed the food into his mouth.
"What's wrong Reagan?" Mary-Todd asked after she heard Hamilton's question.
"Nothing really, I just can't choose the class I want to take." Reagan said. A white lie won't hurt. Will it? She thought.
"Oh yeah! You didn't come with us because you slept in." Madison laughed spitting saliva-coverednacho chunks on the table, "I signed up for Ice Hockey."
"Yeah and she took forever. I really mean that too." Hamilton said.
"If you didn't rush me, I might have decided faster!" Madison said, leaning over the table.
"It was because of you that we got here before sundown!" Hamilton shot back, leaning forward as well.
"Who said I was going to take that long?" Madison said, standing up from her chair to lean in even closer.
"I did!" Hamilton leaned in for the last time until their faces were inches away from each other. Madison's eyes narrowed and then a smile appeared on her face. Next thing he knew, Hamilton was whipping nacho cheese off his face. "MADISON!" Hamilton yelled, "DID YOU SEE THAT DAD?"
Eisenhower looked up, a Honey Cruller donut in one hand and a Boston Cream in the other. "What happened again?"
Hamilton sighed and took a handful of nachos, "So did you decided what class you're taking, Reagan?"
Reagan looked up in surprise and quickly answered "No."
"You better choose one already because tomorrow I'm taking you to the sign up sheets at, err, that place where you sign up for stuff..."
"Yeah Reagan, what do you want to sign up for?" Madison asked.
"What are you signing up for?" Eisenhower asked her suspiciously. "A Holt always tells his family first. And I'm the leader. So what is it you wanted to tell us again, and give us a real answer."
All the questions were swirling in Reagan's mind and she didn't know what to say. Lie or tell the truth? But if she lied, then it would be difficult for her to keep the secret, and if she told the truth, her siblings would never be able to stop laughing. Nor would they ever let her hear the end of it. Reagan was thinking about taking ballet during the whole conversation, debating against her own thoughts. It was ridiculous, but it was the only way.
When Reagan snapped back to reality, she realized they were all still asking questions. She couldn't take this anymore, why couldn't she just be left alone?
"STOP IT!" Reagan yelled, finally able to make her family stop talking, "I don't know yet and that's final!"
Reagan stomped up the stairs and slammed the door on her room, leaving her family astonished. Reagan could have sworn her sister asked why she had been angry but she really didn't care at the moment. All she could think of was the fact that she had watched the ballet channel and actually liked it. She didn't know that it would get her into this much trouble. Now she was stuck in this mess, with no way out.
I'm going to take ballet. Whether my family likes it or not.
AUTHOR'S NOTE
BETAED BY: Lapulta
Did this chapter move on too quickly? Because it really seemed like it to me. Plus, I thought there was some words and sentences out of place and the subjects were changing too quickly. What do you think? And I SERIOUSLY want the truth. Even though I could notice it was jumpy myself, I don't seem to know how to make a story like this become less jumpy.
Oh my gosh! Kara actually finally updated after one month of writer's block and lazy disease! Yeah... It took me that long. Why am I slow at almost everything, okay not almost everything but I'm a slow reader. I have been very motivated to update all three of my stories now. Don't worry you 5 people that actually read my other stories, - 'On The Verge of Silence' and 'Airbending Secret' - I'm still here and I'll update as soon as possible, starting with Airbending Secret. You're welcome Summer... if you're actually reading this.