I walked into our house just in time to be pelted in the face with a pillow. It took me a second to figure out who threw it. Luke⦠of course. "Luke!" I screamed, I had a long day and didn't feel like getting into it with him. "Whad ya do that for? You could've broken a lamp or something."
"Yeah well, I didn't. And even if I did it would've been worth seein' your face when I nailed ya!"
"Yeah, yeah, whatever." I responded a bit more annoyed than I meant to. I had a lot to get done tonight, and I didn't need Luke bugging me. So, I chose to ignore him, anyway, I'd get him back come dinner. It's my night to cook which means he has to do dishes. And he HATES dishes.
"Hey Luke, Matt. What do ya'll want for dinner?" I asked.
They both responded in unison "Pizza Cupcakes!"
"All right. Sounds good to me." Pizza cupcakes were about the only thing I can make besides mac'n cheese that won't A.) kill someone, or B.) burn the house down. Not the mention all of my brothers seemed to enjoy it pretty well, and they are a cinch to make! All I have to do was put some dough in a cupcake pan, put in some sauce and cheese and then bake it. While I was working on dinner, the rest of the crew came in. I guess we would have five here tonight, Luke, Matt, Bull, and Me. Mark, Jessie, and John must be working.
I'd guess I better do some explaining as to who all the guys are, right? Well in a way they are all my brothers. But, John, and Matt are my actual brothers. Jessie, Bull, Mark, and Luke are what some might call adopted. See, my parents both died in a car crash when I was 10. John was 18 then so he was able to take care of both Matt, and I. John was doing an apprenticeship to become a doctor at the time, so we had a little extra money, and the state was pleased with how John was handling everything. But anyway, one particularly caring cop was talking to a 16 yr. old boy one night about being out in the streets late at night. As it turns out he didn't have a home, or a family anymore, and he wandered in from Saltville, a surrounding town of Glade. The cop knew John, and dropped the boy off at our house to stay for a while. Well, a "while" has turned into five years. That's how Bull got here, and man is he great! Most of the boys got here in the same way, just under a little different circumstances. Take Luke for example, he just got fed up with getting beaten at home, and just ran away. His parents never came looking, and he never went back. Although, I don't think we will be getting any more guys any time soon. The cops know we have a lot on our plate right now, with 6 guys plus me living under one roof with only 2 bedrooms, and 2 bathrooms, I don't know if we can fit any more in. And I'm certainly not complaining, I am the only girl in the entire house! Anymore testosterone and I might explode!
"Hey Mary? Is something burning?" Matt asked.
"Crap! The cupcakes!" I completely forgot about the cupcakes I had in the oven!
"Need some help in there, or are you going to single handedly burn the house down?" Bull commented.
"Yeah, please don't burn the house down. We deal with fires all day and I'd rather not come home to one made by my little sis." Matt added. I forgot to add that most of us work at the fire station. That's one of the few requirements John makes if someone wants to live here. You either work at the fire station, or in the health clinic. Luke, Matt, Mark, and I work in the station, and John, Jessie, and Bull work at the clinic.
"Everything's fine, and would be even better without the wise cracks from the peanut gallery!" I responded playfully. I pulled out the pizza cupcakes from the oven, and was surprised to see that just a few were only slightly burnt. I set them out on the table with a hot pad, and called the guys over for dinner. They came running like a pack of hungry wolves.
"Hey, for being burnt these are pretty good Mar."
"Thanks Bull, but the correct term is 'added flavor', and don't worry I don't charge extra for extra flavor."
Bull Just laughed, and started on his third cupcake. Bull may seem like a strange name, but it's really a nickname. His real name is Jonah, and John came up with the nickname. Bull likes to say it's because he is so strong, and tough, but really it's just because everything he says is, well, bull. I don't remember the last time I heard something serious, or true come out of his mouth. Even though he's pretty easy going, he wouldn't look it. He's about 6'2", 21 years old, and has muscular broad shoulders. His dark brown hair is always greased back, but his green eyes always dance with laughter, and joy. To most people he looks hard, and almost untouchable, but he is quite the opposite. Bull is just easy going, and care free. I guess that's why some many people like him at the clinic. He is especially great with the kids. Most of the kids are shocked that a doctor can be so funny, and easy going.
John on the other hand is quite the opposite. I never know what to expect with him, one minute he is joking around, and wrestling with the guys, and me. The next he is yelling at us to clean up, or get our acts together. And it seems to me that all of his emotions are targeted towards me especially, I can never please him! If I bring home a B he wants to know why, if I bring home an A it has to stay there or else. We used to get along pretty well before mom, and dad died. I know he had to do lot of growing up to do, and real fast at that, but I mean come on! I do feel bad for him though, he's only 23, but looks about 27, and acts about 45. His looks don't help his strict aura either, he is about 6'4" with crew cut blonde hair, and hard brown eyes. Not to mention he looks like he could tackle a grizzly with one hand tied behind his back.
Matt is my other actual brother, and he is great! Matt's about 5'11" with brownish blondish hair, and deep blue eyes. I love him to pieces! We have the same shift at the station, so I see a lot of him. He actually has a really neat job. It's a relatively new position, called a paramedic. Paramedics are the first responders to any emergency involving an injury, but they can also be a firefighter. So, if someone has a heart attack, or if they are stuck in a tree with vertigo, Matt can help them. He is really great at his job too. Nothing can phase him, I mean nothing! He is always cool, and level headed no matter the situation. Matt always gets the job done right too. I got a bad burn on my arm when I was cooking one day, and he fixed it up no problem! Didn't even hesitate to do anything, he just did it.
The next guy is Luke. Luke is what most people would call "easy on the eyes". He's got a long greased back brown hair, and is prouder than punch about it. I mean that guys spends at least half of his life in front of the mirror. Although, I'll give some credit, whatever he does to his hair makes his ice blue eyes just stand out. When he's mad at me they feel like daggers, but when he is happy they are amazing. Overall, he's pretty cool, but he has it out for me, and I have it out for him. That's how it's been, and how it always will be. We don't hate each other, or anything, but we know which buttons to push for sure. I think our "rivalry" if you will, is partly due to Matt. He and Matt are pretty close friends, and sometimes Luke thinks I get in the way of their friendship I guess. Maybe I do, I don't know. But for the love of peat he doesn't have to treat me like a child. He's only one year older than me!
Mark is 17 and athletic. He has the build of a football player, with the agility of a hurdler. Mark's 6 foot even, he has a hard set jaw line, and mouse brown hair. His eyes are a hazel color, and he has tan skin year round. We are pretty good friends, and in school most of our classes are together, even though he is 16. One thing I will never understand about him though is his personality, he is always so stressed out about school, or athletics, but when it comes to his job at the station, he is calm and easy going. It's like he is a completely different person, I just don't get it.
Jessi on the other hand is always stressed out about stuff, it could be school work, his job at the clinic, or even the weather. I think he is a bit OCD which may account for some of it, but I don't know. Even his looks made him appear more stressed. Jessi is 6'1" and skinny, with red hair and brown eyes that always search around the room in fear. And whenever he sits down, heck, even when he is standing, he has to be moving. He could be shaking his leg, playing with his hands, or tapping his fingers, but something has to be moving.
I think in more ways than I'd like to admit, I look like John. The only major difference is my hair color. I have mid back length curly brown hair with blonde highlights. I swear my hair turns almost blonde in the summer, and a dark brown in the winter. In terms of height I am the shortest one at 5'4". I guess John and Matt got my share of the height.
As we started to finished up dinner the phone rang. Luke got up and answered it. Obviously I was curious and tried to listen in, but I didn't get much.
