With a yawn Teresa Lisbon sat up from the small bed she had been sleeping on, she stretched her arms over her head before falling backwards onto the soft blankets.
"First day of school" she said, a small frown on her face, she had to admit, she was exited too, this year was her last year, her youngest brother's were in grade eight, so even they would be going to high school this year.
With a tinge of sadness she almost wished Patrick were here, she remembered how much fun they had had in elementary school, but he had been forced to move just after grade 2, and Teresa hadn't seen her best friend since. The fact that Teresa didn't have a computer, and even if she did wouldn't know how to use it didn't help, she couldn't even e-mail him.
With a shrug she banished the thoughts and sat up on her bed, she looked over at her small alarm clock and sighed. It was already seven thirty, and if she wanted to catch the bus she had to be ready in twenty minutes, not to mention her brother's needed to get ready too. Ever since her mom had died five year's ago Teresa had been helping take care of them. Her father didn't help her, but he didn't hinder her either. Most of the time he was just out at friends, having decided his kids were old enough to fend for themselves.
Teresa jumped up from her bed and walked over to her dresser and pulled out the clothes she would need for school. Since she didn't have time to shower anymore she put her hair up in a messy bun before going across the hall into her oldest brother's room.
"Peter!" Teresa yelled into the room, the body of the fifteen year old boy groaned before sitting up tiredly.
"Time to get up" Teresa called again, walking over and shaking him awake.
"Tess, you seriously suck" he said tiredly, Teresa studied his messy brown hair and identical emerald eyes as he shoed her out of his room so he could get dressed.
"Tyler, Darien, get your butts up!" she called into the next room along the hallway, two more teenage boys looked up at her angrily, Tyler and Darien were Twins, identical Twins, even though they were thirteen they had, unlike most twins, stayed looked completely the same. The only way Teresa could even Tell them apart was because Darien had there father's blue eyes, and Tyler had their mother's green.
"Tess, your killing us" they said at the same time, there voices in sync.
"Next call's water!" she yelled into the hallway, as she made her way downstairs to go and make some sort of breakfast. Her father collected welfare, which was their only source of income, it was enough to live on…even if they didn't always get the best food, at least they had some.
She quickly popped some toast into the toaster before walking over to the fried to look for something to drink. Finding nothing, she went over to the cupboard and pulled out a five cent packet of cool-aid and poured a little bit in her cup to make some juice.
Just as she finished eating her breakfast her brother's all came down stairs still in their pajama's.
"Eat, and then get dressed" she told them firmly, as they all grabbed random things to eat. Teresa watched them with a little bit of anger towards her father. It was hard feeding three teenage boys, and if only her father would go back to work they could be rid of the almost persistent gnawing hunger at not having enough to eat everyday.
Teresa sighed and turned around, looking for something they could all share for lunch. The only thing she could find were some home-baked cookies she had made herself so she put what remained of them into baggies for her brother's.
"I'll get dad to give me some money for food tonight" Teresa told them as she handed them their snacks.
They all nodded, knowing full well that she probably wouldn't be able to get any. But to keep the hopeful atmosphere there, they didn't state their thoughts.
All of her brother's went upstairs to get dressed and within a few seconds the bus had pulled up at the end of their drive way.
"Bus!" Teresa yelled, grabbing her shoulder bag and running out to get on the school bus.
She stepped up the steps and nodded high to the driver as she went to take her regular seat. But before she could get there a voice interrupted her.
"Teresa?" it said, Teresa knew the voice sounded vaguely familiar. Within a second she knew, the voice was deeper than it used to be, but she would know that voice anywhere.
"Patrick!" she gasped, turning to where the voice was to see the him, beaming at her happily.
Teresa studied him for a second, his hair was still its blind color, his eye's seemed almost more mischievous, if that was possible, the fact that he had definitely gotten hot didn't get unnoticed, but it did get banished.
"I haven't seen you in so long, what brings you back?" she asked, immediately sitting beside him in the seat.
"We moved back into out old house, my mom and dad broke up so now I live with my mom and she likes it here better" Patrick explained, still grinning.
"Sorry they broke up" Teresa said, Patrick dismissed it with a shrug.
"But, I hope stuff gets better for you" Patrick said, still studying her.
"What do you mean?" Teresa asked, confused, nobody knew about her dad and her brothers, I mean they knew her mom died but that was about it.
"Well, your hungry, your tired, your obviously becoming a second parent, you can't afford new things" he stated.
"How?" she asked, obviously Patrick was even smarter than when she seen him last.\
"Your hand is on your stomach, a sign of hunger, your tired because I can see it in your eyes, your probably a second parent because your mom died recently, you didn't even have time to shower which probably means that you were taking care of someone else, your cloth's aren't new, neither are your brothers-" he cut himself off in order to take another breath.
"Patrick!" Teresa said, he breathed out and looked at her questioningly "Shut up" she added.
"You only said that because your tired" he teased "You were always annoyed with me in school, but you missed me"
"Smart ass" Teresa muttered as her brother's got on the bus and looked at the boy she was sitting with confusedly.
Teresa wasn't sure if she was so glad he was back anymore.