April 2nd 2022

Chapter 92
Our Growth Into Titles

With August well under way, it was really no surprise that the end of summer was getting to feel like sitting at the top of a peak on a rollercoaster track. In no time, they would zoom on down and find themselves crossing into the 'true' start of the new year, at least as it felt in the Friar house: the start of the school year. Oh, it wasn't over yet, they still had a few weeks ahead of them, but barely enough that now they couldn't ignore that the shift was on its way… or that, as a household, they were looking forward to it. For Maya, it meant getting back to her students, meeting the new freshmen. For Lucas, it was the return of the after school program and the arrival of their new exchange campers. And for Marianne, it meant getting back both the green group and preschool… and she had missed those with a comical passion.

Before the month would bow out in favor of September, they still had loads to think about. The summer campers at Sullivan Stables would have their now traditional end of summer camping trip – not behind the Friar house this time – before eventually heading on home. Both TXNY and We Are Sisters would be making the most of what time they had left before school began – as teachers or students – for several of them. Maya would have to see to her newest load of diaries, and Marianne looked forward to getting new school clothes for the fall. Lucas would be seeing to the departure of the summer campers, picking up the new XCs as they arrived and settled in, even as he would see to the film crews who were back in full form now that season two of Katy's series had started production… There was the Babineaux party coming, of course, and then there were the birthdays… so many birthdays…

Nellie and Gracie Hunter, the soon to be high school freshmen, were turning fifteen today, as mind blowing as that sounded to their parents, and their older sister and brother-in-law… Two days from now, Megan Orlando would be turning a year old, and five days after that, Giulia Choi would be six. Three days after that, it would be Kacey, Remy, and Lucy Friar's turn to have their first birthday, three days ahead of Tori Friar celebrating her third birthday. Suddenly, it felt like they had themselves a club. The August Girls… They kind of loved that, at least those of them old enough to comprehend, and it was a safe assumption that those who were not yet would love it within a year or two.

It went along the same line then that five birth dates in the span of just under two weeks could have been remedied with some kind of mega party for all eight of the birthday girls, but they couldn't, and they wouldn't, not anytime soon. Maybe someday they'd want to do something like that, and if they did then that was what they'd do. For now, it was five different parties to either host or attend, and here was the first of those. Maya and Lucas were on their way to the Hunter Hart house with the girls now, for the family dinner/party. The twins had benefited from the summer and the lack of school to receive their schoolmates earlier that same day for their party. As the Friars pulled up to the house, it was immediately clear that this first party had not cleared out just yet. There was still music playing loud enough to be heard out in the minivan as they came.

"What do we do?" Lucas wondered, looking from Maya to the backseat, where four of their girls sat in their seats. Ella and Tori were also on their way, separately, as Ella had been working earlier. Maya took out her phone and texted her mother.

A few minutes later, they were making their way around the house, there to find Shawn, Katy, Tanner, and Angela, sitting by the garden. Marianne bolted over to her grandfather and was happily received. The triplets were just as happily taken by their grandmother and great grandparents. The birthday girls promised that they would have the house cleared – save for those who would be expected to stick around for the dinner – in the next hour at the most.

They had plenty to discuss as they waited. The big subject these days, other than all those birthdays, and the birthday girls' upcoming high school start, was definitely Cara and Mateo and their baby. It had only been a few days since they'd let the secret out to the families on either side. They wished they could have told everyone in person, but then Cara had some of her immediate family out in Arizona, while Mateo had some of his down in Mexico. So, not unlike when Maya and Lucas had shared the news about the triplets, they had resorted to some video chats, making the day of some very surprised but elated future grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins… Every time they'd shared the story of their honeymoon and the discovery, it had become funnier.

Now that it was out in the open, they could share how they'd been covertly getting Cara and Mateo on track, answering whatever questions they had about what they should or shouldn't do at this early stage of the pregnancy, what they might need to get their hands on… Mateo was just as he'd been back on the honeymoon, with that singular focus toward giving his wife whatever she needed. He was usually that way, which should be extremely helpful in the months to come… months and years… but underneath all that, oh, they could see that paternal instinct kicking in, thinking of that tiny thing that would grow into their child, making sure that both it and Cara would be alright. As for the future mother, she seemed to be trying to emulate Mateo's calm and collected thing, but oh, she was definitely… painting just a bit outside the lines. She wanted to do everything right, and she was clearly concerned that she'd mess something up. Whenever she'd come to her with those big eyes, Maya would settle the matter by picking up one of the triplets and placing her in her aunt's lap. Within a minute, she'd get the message. She'd always been so good, with her nieces, with her younger siblings… And this would be her child. She would be alright.

The other big news was all of a day old. Just the previous morning, Dylan had come calling to the Friar house, for what his friends assumed to be more birthday party prep for their daughters. Instead, he turned to his fellow teacher and told her about the call he'd received early that morning. The boys' basketball coach had resigned at the end of the previous year. Neither of them had been aware of this until that day, but in the meantime, the school had been considering his replacement… and now, they had decided. They had offered the position to Dylan. Naturally, he had accepted. How could he not? Basketball had always had such an important place in his life, as a player, as a coach… He would continue to teach gym, taking on the boys' team on top of his classes.

Everyone was excited for him, of course, but none more than his friends, especially those who'd played along with him, either on his team or the girls'. They still attended a lot of the games, at least those of them who were Austin local. The group out in Houston would try and make it down whenever they could and if they went, then so would the others. Sitting in the stands together, it would take them back to their own high school days, cheering their friends on. Now that Dylan would be out there, coaching the boys, oh… They were definitely going to have to try even harder, especially his first game. There were already texts going around between them, thinking of a way to surprise him. Maybe they'd pull out their jerseys… make some signs… If they could get some of their old teammates out here that day, that'd be even better.

"The music's stopped," Angela noted. They looked to the house, and she was right. Now, they could hear the kids inside and it sounded as though everyone was saying goodbye. Looking around the house, they could see some of them walking off up the street.

"Should we go in there, or… give them a few?" Shawn asked the others. He turned to his granddaughter to see what she thought they should do. Marianne shrugged. "Fine, five more minutes," he told her, squeezing her into a hug that made her laugh. "Oh, gotta call Cory, let him know they can come over. You want to say hi?" he asked, keeping one arm around her while taking out his phone. MJ and Haley were out at the Matthews house while their sisters had their party with their friends.

After five minutes had gone by, and then nearer to ten, when they could still hear the kids inside, they were left with a dilemma. They wanted to know how much longer it would be before the girls and their friends were done seeing off those who weren't sticking around, but they didn't want to go and 'intrude.' Maya was eventually elected to be the one least at risk of embarrassing anyone, so she went into the house in search of her sisters.

"Maya!" Gracie beamed when she saw her big sister. She hurried over to hug her, seeing her for the first time. Maya hugged her back, feeling those great 'how are you fifteen already?' feelings as she pulled back and kissed her on the cheek.

"Everybody gone?" she finally asked, looking around. All that were left, presently stood by the table with the snacks and picking at what was left of the great big bowls, were Desi Russell and the Davis twins.

"Yeah, looks like…" Gracie looked, too. Maya saw her notice that Nellie wasn't in the room, and the look that came on her face then suggested that she had a pretty good idea where her twin could be, and she didn't want to show it. "Are MJ and Haley back yet?" Maya gave her a look. Gracie… With a small shrug and a smile, she finally explained. "Anton wanted to give her his present. They went upstairs a couple minutes ago."

They'd been dating for nearly two years. In many ways, everyone had gotten over the age thing, they trusted them both to make the right choices. But… But they would be lying if they said that the notion of the freshly fifteen-year-old Nellie and her seventeen-year-old boyfriend… Trust them… In her head, those words were being challenged with thoughts she didn't want to be thinking, of Ella, of Nika…

"I can go get them?" Gracie offered.

"Yeah, good thinking, go on," Maya breathed out, and Gracie hurried off.

Thirty seconds later, Nellie came bounding down the stairs, just ahead of her sister and her boyfriend, right into her big sister's arms with enough momentum that she nearly knocked her off her feet.

"Hey!" Maya laughed, hugging her back. "Happy birthday, sunny girl," she told her, kissing her cheek. Nellie thanked her before pulling back to show her the new necklace she was wearing in tandem with the chain that held her locket and her twin's old locket. The new pendant was in the shape of a galloping horse. Anton had just given it to her. "It's beautiful," Maya smiled back at the birthday girl. Nellie nodded, turning to look at her boyfriend. Anton just looked happy to see how happy she was. "Alright, come on," Maya let out a breath, taking hold of one each of the twins around their shoulders. "Let's get out there, yeah?"

TO BE CONTINUED


See you tomorrow! - mooners