I had a life but school ate it.

I actually came home before midnight and you could see the surprise on my mom's face as she saw me walk through the door. She smiled and took out some chips and threw them at me which

I caught easily.

I looked at them and saw my favorite—Hot Cheetos with a shot of lemon. I smiled back at my mom and headed upstairs to my room shouting thanks.

My mom is cool, she doesn't approve of how I run my life but she only interferes when she feels it necessary. She had me when she was sixteen so right now she is thirty-three. Also, she doesn't know of the girls I knocked up because they all moved and never bugged me for child support or nothing. If she did know, she would explode.

I have her black hair and but she's tanner than me. Not Princess tan but browner than I am at least. She has dark brown eyes and is short compared with my 5' 10" height.

I love my mom to death, if it wasn't for her; I would've run away years ago.

My dad is impossible to live with; I don't know how my mom married a stick in the mud like him. I know the damn bastard loves me and I guess I love him back but the dude is always getting in the way of my damn fun!

At the top of the stairs I turn left as I walk to my room I hear a scream of anger that yells out, "Duncan stop right there!" Oh fuck, what did I do this time? When I hear a pair of small fast feet pounding down the hall behind me I relax.

"Put your hands up mister!" a small high childish voice said behind me. I could feel the wet point of the water gun pressed into my lower back. "Up against the wall!"

I smile and press my forehead against the wall and cross my hand behind my back as a pair of small soft hands place plastic handcuffs on my crossed wrists and say, "What did I do this time Officer Lexi?"

I turn my head to see my small 5 year-old sister smile up at me with her dark brown eyes shining like my mother's, with mom's dark hair tied in a small ponytail with a purple fuzzy hair band.

Her real name is Alexis but I call Lexi, just 'cause she likes it and my dad hates it. She won't answer me unless I call her Lexi and if I don't call her Lexi she calls me fucking Dunky for weeks as pay back.

Sometimes I think I taught my little sister revenge at too early an age.

Kids at school call her Alex 'cause she is so much like a boy and they mock her for it but thanks to me, Lexi can handle herself on that dangerous playground. Unfortunately, my parents, especially the old man, think I'm a horrible influence on her.

For instance, last year, Lexi got suspended for a week in pre-school for trying to teach her classmates how to say fuck and I got "grounded" for two months for teaching her the word. In my defense, I didn't know she was listening to my phone conversation and at least she didn't know the word meant.

Anyways at the moment, Lexi wants to be a cop like the rest of my insane family which gives my parents false hope 'cause with the way this little girl is going, she will definitely be a girl version of yours truly! I'm so proud of my little sis and I love her to death.

"You are under arrest for almost stepping and hurting Spike," Lexi replied. I laugh 'cause Spike is Lexi's imaginary dog. Apparently, Spike has a dog collar like mine, spiky hair, and is a ferocious three-headed dog like Cerberus but Spike has yellow hair, he is to my knees though, and he can tear me to pieces if I get on Lexi's bad side.

I say, "I'm so sorry Spike. Oh great powerfully doggie can you ever forgive me for almost stepping on you," I try to hide the laughter in my voice but Lexi buys it and unlocks her plastic handcuffs. I turn around to see Lexi petting Spike and I say, "Thank you Officer Lexi. Am I free to go?"

Lexi smiles and nods her head and runs off to her room but she yells back, "I made a friend today Duncan! I saved him from bullies who tried to get him to eat sand and he saved me from the bullies who were chasing me! He's my new best friend!"

I laugh and say, "Good to see that you're making friends that way Lexi. Did I tell you that's how Geoff and I became friends?" Which is true. We both saved each other's skins from some guys who wanted to beat us up when we were 7 but with each other's help, we were able to kick their butts. I got two black eyes and Geoff had bruises on his body for weeks but we stayed best friends all this time.

Lexi nods back and says, "Yeah! That's how I know he's gonna be my new best friend forever!" She nods her head one more time then disappears into her room.

I walk down to mine smiling like I haven't done all day. A smirk may be permanently attached to my face but it's only my little sister and Mom that can bring out a real smile at me.

I collapse on my bed and look around my messy black room covered with posters of hot chicks and my favorite bands before taking the black covers off the floor and pulling them over my head. I fall asleep remembering how I broke Harold's nose, how Lexi tried to arrest me, and the kiss I had with My Princess.

I'm still in bed when Maxwell when I hear a knock on the door. I run down and open the door to receive a crying five-year old in my arms. I sigh and hold him up with one hand to close the door and lock it.

Ayden crawls further into me and lays his brown head of hair on my right shoulder as I hold him up by his butt as his legs dangle on my side. With my other hand I rub his back as I carry him up to his room. I enter the baby blue room.

The reason I get out early of school is so I can be here to wait for my little brother when he gets off school at 3. He goes to school at around noon and gets out at 3 so I get out at 2 so I can be here. I see him with a black eye and I can already tell he has bruises forming on his sensitive skin. But I have to wait until he's ready for me to take care of those wounds.

His bed is on the far left with a window on the far right. A bookshelf is in the middle and his desk is on the right side of the door because the door swings open to the left. He has the new Xbox 360 live and the Kinect. My parents spoil us but him especially. I lay him down on the bed and lay down next to him.

"What happened?" I asked quietly.

Ayden didn't answer me until his crying subsided a little, then with his small quiet voice that erupted in hiccups at times he told me about his day at school.

"Well it started out ok I guess. I was left alone in the beginning of class so I got to read alone in my corner with the purple bean bag chair. Then during class I didn't raise my hand as often even though I knew the answers so the kids weren't as mean as yesterday.

But then recess came. And everyone started picking on me again. I tried staying inside you told me to but the teacher said I couldn't 'cause I had already stayed inside all week so she wouldn't let me today. She sent me outside and once she closed the classroom door, I got hit with a jelly ball, the big red one.

I started to run away but one of the boys, Freddy, tackled me to the ground then him and his friends dragged me to the sandbox and almost made shoved my head in the sand. But Alexis, she threw jelly balls at them and they dropped me and ran after her. I ran to the water station, that little sink filled with water and toys, and when Alexis ran past it I pushed the water station down and all the water and toys splashed onto the floor and the bullies all tripped and landed on their butts.

They got up, saw me, and tried to run after me but the bell rang and we all went inside. Then during naptime, I had to hide in my corner to avoid getting hit with the paper balls they made. Then it was snack time and they spilled my chocolate milk when I got it and then shoved me to the ground and snatched my cookies away.

Then school ended and I had to run all the way to the bus and sat right next to the bus driver but when I got off and ran here they followed and caught up with me and they pushed me in a sharp pokey bush and hit me in the tummy and my face and in my arms and kicked my legs, and left me there. I wouldn't move until I knew they were gone and I ran all the way here. Court why do they hate ME!"

My poor little brother cried in my arms as I rocked him in my arms. I carry him to the bathroom and gently took off his uniform and treated the wounds on his body. I can't stand what those bullies do to my little brother and kick my inner self for not waiting for Ayden by the bus stop like always! Stupid Russell made forget all about my little brother's bully problems and the fact that I should've been there to protect him.

Once I bandage Ayden all up I hold his hand as we walk down the stairs together and I make him a big cup of hot chocolate and hand him a plate of fresh baked cookies I made this week. Ayden lets out a small smile and slowly savors the sweets.

Once we both finish our snacks we head back upstairs and Ayden tugs at my hand and asks if I can play Kinect Animals with him today, I smile and say of course. We spend the rest of the night playing on his Xbox, watching Disney movies on my bed with him and Maxwell snuggled into my sides, and of course eating more sweets than healthy.

But my little brother is laughing and smiling again, if I can't protect him at school, I can always make him forget that school and the bullies here at home where he's loved and safe. Ayden is my responsibility, he's the one person in my life that makes me truly happy and carefree.

Ayden falls asleep at around nine after we finish watching Finding Nemo and I carry him to his bed. I tuck him in and kiss his forehead.

I sneak into my parents' room and look in my dad's suede shoebox he hides in the back of the closet away from Mom. He puts Ayden's dog nightlight here because he though Ayden is too big for a nightlight. But tonight he needs it so I take it and plug it into his nightstand near his bed and kiss Ayden's forehead one last time before slipping back into my room.

I clean up the popcorn, the candy, the empty juice boxes, and cups of hot chocolate from the floor, throw it away, wash the cups, and put them all away. I silently clean up my room and organize it before sitting down and finish up some Calculus homework making sure my lamp isn't too bright to disturb Ayden.

I turn to my laptop and turn it on. I log in to my email account and see that I have a 2 new emails. One from Gwen and the other from Heather demanding that tomorrow, which is Saturday, that I join them at the mall for a makeover that will destroy Russell's self-control.

Now, I don't think that's a good idea so I email them back that I have Ayden with me so they will have to keep it G-rated. They email back quickly, they are furious of course but accept.

Saved by the little brother. Thank you Ayden. I sign off and climb into bed. My hand finds Maxwell's head and pets him once before slowly slipping into unconsciousness. Russell's kiss, Trent's visit, and Ayden laugh all flash in my head before I finally fall asleep, ending this chaotic day once and for all.

In the other room Ayden, dreams about playing with the friend he unknowingly made today, the kid who saved him and who he saved in return. Alexis Russell has become Ayden Garcia's best friend whether he knew it or not. Alexis the defender and Ayden the little fire, they kept their friendship alive for the rest of their lives.

The next morning Courtney would wake up and step into the world that she had evaded for most of her life. Gwen and Heather would teach her how to be—a girl.

That's not to say that Courtney wasn't a girl but I mean a girl willing to show off her "assets." Courtney had never been good at choosing clothes that she though revealing, why do you think she wears a sweater vest for pities sake?

But now Courtney couldn't hide and tomorrow morning she would be at the mall with a five-year old by clinging to her hand and two vengeful teenage girls that would remake her like never before.

Also it may not help that Duncan the next morning was hitting the mall with Geoff and DJ and little Lexi and of course Lexi would run after Ayden, her new best friend. So next morning or rather afternoon, Duncan would be the first guy, apart from Ayden to see Courtney's new and far from approved look.

Oh, how jealous Trent would be when he found out that next Monday morning.