Hey everybody. I know its been a very very very very long time since i've updated. Truth is, i gave up on this story. But I've decided to pick it back up and i promise you won't have to go this long without and update again. Keep reading there are still alot of surprises left.

Disclaimer: Nothing to do with cheaper by the dozen belongs to me. But Blaise, Rusty, and Sid? Yeah. They're all mine.

A special thanks to the people who kept reading and reviewing. Especially MariaMomentz who inspired me to pick this story up again. Not enough from me. Enjoy, and keep reviewing.

Warning : For underrage drinking in this chapter. And probably a few more to come.

Three days later, and things were worse. Jake couldn't sleep, he hadn't eaten, he had dark circles under his eyes that never seemed to fade. Now everyone was noticing the changes in their relative. Henry decided it was his turn to try and snap him out of...whatever he needed snapping out of..

"Um..Jake?" Henry walked over to his room mates bed, where Jake was sitting lifelessly staring out the window at nothing. He didn't answer, so Henry tried again.

"Jake?"

"Yes?" Jake answered impatiently, not turning away from the window.

"Are you.. Um. Are you stoned?"

"WHAT?" Henry flinched. Jake hadn't meant to snap, but he was appalled at the thought that his brother suspected that he was on drugs.

"Well. It's just that you never do anything anymore. You're always locked up in your room, our room, and I'm tired of walking on eggshells around you".

"I'm not stoned, Henry, and I am oh so sorry if i'm inconviencing you in any way," Jake scoffed.

"Forget it! I was just trying to get THROUGH to you! You're so damn selfish, can't you see the toll you're taking on this family? Everyone's worried, and yet you don't give a shit. If I could move out I would!" Henry yelled.

"WHY CAN'T YOU, huh? Go. I don't need you. I don't need ANYBODY, and just in case you were wondering, asking someone if they're on DRUGS, is NOT a good way to, how'd you put it, oh 'get through'to somebody."

Henry stormed out of the room, leaving Jake by himself again, he was getting quite used it. He could hear Henry having a fit downstairs, explaining to their parents how unreasonable he was being. Suddenly an earthquake erupted, or it felt like one anyway.

"Thats it! Family meeting!... NOW!" Their dad, Tom, roared.

Jake didn't move. He didn't feel like part of the family anymore, and he didn't feel like getting yelled at today.

"THAT MEANS YOU TOO JAKE! LIKE IT OR NOT YOU ARE STILL PART OF THIS FAMILY, AND YOU WILL ATTEND FAMILY MEETINGS!" came the angry voice from downstairs once more.

Jake sighed, but drug himself off his bed and downstairs, where the rest of the Baker clan was waiting, seemingly annoyed, for his arrival.

"Sit", his father said sternly. Jake plopped down on the couch next to Mike.

"Now, what happened with you and Jake? he asked Henry.

"Well, I was trying to figure out what's wrong with Jake.." He started.

"YOU ASKED ME IF I WAS ON DRUGS!" Jake screamed.

"And.." Tom asked. "Are you?"

"WHAT IS WITH THIS FAMILY? IM NOT HAPPY, THEREFORE I MUST BE A FUCKING STONER? DONT YOU KNOW ME BETTER THAN THAT?"

Of course not, Jake thought to himself, they don't know anything about me, they never did.

"Watch your mouth, young man!" Tom scolded.

"Whatever."

There was an awkward silence. The silence was threatening, waiting for someone to break it. That someone was Henry.

"I don't want to share a room with him anymore." He said quietly, but stern.

"Maybe you could move in with Mike." Tom suggested.

Kate spoke up for the first time, "I don't think that would be such a good idea" she said.

Everyone looked at her, urging her to continue.

"I don't think we should let Jake alone, he's alone too much as it is, and it just can't be healthy."

"Jesus Christ", Jake groaned.

"Henry can have my room," Mike said. "I'll move in with Jake."

"My own room? Alright!"

"I don't see any problem with that arrangement" Tom said. "Kate?"

"I think that would probably be best."

"So it's settled. Mike,Henry,start packing."

Mike and Henry quickly ran upstairs to gather their things, and move into their new rooms. The rest of the kids filed out, all of them except Jake. As he got up to leave, Kate pointed to the couch firmly, obviously ordering him to take his seat once again.

"Jake..", she started.

"Save it." he interrupted.

Before any sort of arguement could form, Jake took off upstairs. Mike was moving his things into what was his and Henry's room just 10 minutes earlier. He didn't really mind, except for Henry didn't pay much attention to him. He knew Mike would be keeping a close eye on him, and even though he was convinced no body truly loved him, he liked that Mike atleast pretended to care. But he also knew that this meant he couldn't get away with alot of things he could while sharing a room with Henry. No matter how hard he tried to not give a shit about anybody, that little kid seemed to swarm into his thoughts. It made him remember that there might be one person who he loved, his younger brother, who had always been there for him. He constantly beat himself up about not being a better big brother to him. He was supposed to be looking out for him, and he wasn't. He would promise himself that he'd stop being a jerk to Mike, and then he would break it. He didn't want to bring Mike into his slump, but he couldn't find it in him to bring himself out of it either. Jake's thoughts were interrupted by the screeches of a bed being dragged across the wooden floor. Henry huffed and puffed as he pushed it across the hall and into Mike's room. Jake knew that Mike couldn't move his own bed, and that Henry would be too consumed in making plans for his new room to help him. So he waited for Mike to ask him for help, and wasn't let down.

"Hey Jake? Can you help me with this?" Mike called from his former bedroom.

"Yeah, just a sec", he answered.

"Thanks!" He sounded surprised.

Jake hopped off his bed and moved Mike's bed into his room. The rest of the day went by rather fast. He couldn't believe that Henry and Mike managed to switch rooms completely by nightfall. So far, he was pleased with his new room mate, and Mike liked it better than being in a room by himself. He enjoyed the company, even if their wasn't much talking going on.

That night not much was said. Mike had gone to sleep early, so even if Jake wanted to talk to him, he couldn't. It was Monday morning, and Jake was currently contemplating every excuse on the planet to convince his parents to let him stay home from school, but eventually decided he should just suck it up and get out of bed. He quickly got dressed and ran downstairs, but instead of stopping at the breakfast table like the rest of his family,he grabbed his skateboard and headed to school. He got there just as the bell was ringing, he knew he should've gotten a ride with the other kids. Since driving was much faster than skateboarding, his siblings got to school before him. As he walked into his first class and every head in the room turned to see who was late, he could tell it was going to be a very long day. By the time the last bell rang, Jake was fed up with the world. There was two pop quizzes which he undeniably failed, he tripped and fell on his face in the lunch hall, and he realized he'd forgotten to do his math homework, which led to him receiving a lecture in front of the entire class. He hated attention, and unfortunately his day had been full of it.

As he made he way outside of the school he was stopped by a group of kids he recognized as the 'rebels'.

"Jake,right?"

"Um, yes?"

"Follow us"

"Oh.. uh.. okay" Jake said hesitantly.

Jake followed the kids behind the school grounds, to their hangout. Their 'hangout' was a rotting oak tree with car seats placed under it. But it was comfortable, and they seemed to accept him. The kid who Jake assumed to be the leader of the group sat down first. He wore baggy jeans with chains hanging from them, a plaid shirt with the sleeves cut off, and a sleeveless grey hoodie over it. He had red hair, which he had spiked, and a ring through his lip, he was rather intimidating, but Jake felt like he was welcomed into the group. "The name's Rusty" said the red head "That's Blaise" he said pointing at the tall, shaggy black haired boy standing behind Jake. Blaise looked like as if he walked off the cover of a Rolling Stone magazine, with black eyeliner and combat boots, he easily stood at 5 ft 11. "And the short punk to my right," Rusty continued, gesturing to a skinny spikey haired blonde sitting next him, is Sid." Sid smirked, and even though he was the shortest, Jake felt that he was more menacing than the other two put together, but both he and Blaise knew their place, and they bowed to Rusty.

"We usually hang out until sun down" Rusty spoke up again.

"Oh i'm not so sure i should stay that late" Jake said.

"Come on, kid. It's no big deal. Unless you're afraid you'll get in trouble"

Blaise and Sid snickered at this. Blaise smiled a toothy grin at him as he layed down, and sprawled himself amongst the grass.

"It's not that. My parents are paranoid. They have so many kids, everytime one is gone for too long, they think they've lost them" he said. Although if it was me, i'm not so sure they'd care , he mentally added to himself.

"Atleast they care" Sid grunted.

"No, No they don't."

"Yeah, well, join the club" Rusty sighed as he took a flask out of one of the pockets of his hoodie. He flipped the lid and took a long drink, "Our club", he added handing the flask to Jake.

Jake knew he should refuse, he knew the right thing to do would be to just walk away from these trouble makers, but he was starting to feel like maybe these were the people he belonged with, if he belonged anywhere. He mentally weighed his options, and decided that there was no real harm that could come of it. In fact, it might do him some good to loosen up a bit, he thought. What the hell, he thought. Jake reached out and grabbed the flask, bringing it to his lips. As he gulped the shockingly strong, bitter spicy liquid, he correctly guessed the poison in question was Vodka. The intensity of the taste shocked him, but he liked the rush he got afterwards. He brought the cold metal head of the bottle to his mouth once more, tipping his head back and letting the alcohol slide down his throat.

"Save some for the rest of us" Blaise said. Not threatening or meanly, but like he was a part of the group. An equal.

"Sorry" Jake said, even though he knew he was lying.

Sid pulled a cigarette from the pack in his pants pocket,bring it to his lips, and lighting it, offering to the rest of them. Rusty and Blaise quickly took one, and once again Jake questioned himself. Or, atleast, he would have, had he not have been hazy from drinking, and pissed off from living. He took the cigarette and brought it to his mouth, Sid holding out the lighter to light it for him, he held back a cough. As he took a drag of the long skinny smoke in his hand, he noticed he liked this breaking the rules business, alot. The four of them stayed under the tree, drinking and smoking, until about 7 when the sun started to sink. Right as they were about to part Rusty stopped him.

"We're going to the park at Finley tonight. 1'o clock. Be there, okay?"

"You mean, sneak out?"

Rusty didn't answer him, instead breaking into a cheeky smirk. Oh right, duh. Jake thought.

"Yeah, i'll be there."

"Sweet. See ya" Rusty said patting him on the back.

As Jake staggered into his house, he was stopped by his sister Sarah.

"Where the heck have you been?" she asked angrily.

"What's it to you?" Jake replied.

"MOM WAS WORRIED SICK JACOB!"

"Oh yeah, i'm sure she was heartbroken" he said sarcasticly "calm down, i'm a little late, thats it!" She might have believed him, if he hadnt tripped over his own feet precisely at that moment.

"Oh my god. That is certainly NOT it! Are you .. Jake! You're drunk!"

"No I'm not, not that it's any of your business." Jake sneered.

"Just because i've never been drunk, doesn't mean i don't know what it looks like" Sarah said. She had turned into quite the goody goody. Sure, she had gone through an adolescent phase of jokes and pranks, but nothing seriously troubling. Never alcohol. Never staying out late. And now that phase was over, leaving nothing but a tom boy with an uptight attitude. The sister that Jake was once close to, was now much more like a stranger.

"ARE YOU LISTENING TO ME?"

An annoying stranger.

"Get out of my way, Sarah" Jake pushed by her and climbed the staircase, which seemed taller than it was this morning, and flopped into his bed. He wouldn't go to sleep. He couldn't if he was going to sneak out. How he was going to do this he had no idea, but he had to. He wanted to.

Well there you go. There's the 6th chapter. Chapter 7 will be up soon. Reviews would be LOVELY. Much love.