"what's up, leather jacket."

i. Leather jacket.

              MARIANA STARED AROUND THE AIRPORT, Walking beside her sister, both with their luggage in tow, Mariana read the sign aloud. "Welcome to Colorado. I'm not feeling the welcome," she muttered, glancing over at her sister who shot her a judgmental look as they walked. The two continued together until they stood in front of another Colorado sign.

Mariana watched her sister talk on the phone with their uncle, deciding not to interject. "Fine," Jackie said into the phone before turning to Mariana, who avoided making eye contact with the approaching man. "Yep," Jackie continued on the call.

Mariana's gaze wandered, landing on a redhead entering the airport. "Jackie-"

"I think I see them," Jackie announced to their uncle. "I better go." She hung up and removed her headphones. "You should've said something," Jackie said quickly.

Mariana looked away from the approaching pair and glanced at her sister. "We were communicating telepathically. Couldn't you tell?" she joked, earning an eye roll from Jackie. They returned to quietly observing as Katherine and George approached.

"Jackie, Mariana," Katherine greeted warmly as she neared them. "Hi."

"Hi," Jackie replied with a bright smile.

"Hey," Mariana managed a small smile as Katherine approached. She sighed inwardly as she sized up the couple before Katherine pulled Jackie into a hug. Mariana reciprocated awkwardly when it was her turn.

"We're so glad you're here," Katherine said sincerely.

"Thanks, Katherine," Jackie said, exchanging a quick glance with her sister.

"So-uhm," Mariana turned, searching for her husband.

"Over here," he quickly replied from across the way. They shared a small chuckle.

"Thank you," Katherine said, patting George's shoulder. "Remember George?"

"Hi, George," Jackie greeted warmly.

"Hey," Mariana added, trying to sound casual.

"Hi, girls," George greeted as he joined them with their luggage.

"How was everything?" Katherine asked the girls. "Was the flight okay?"

"Yeah, it was fine," Jackie replied promptly, knowing Mariana's response would likely be a nod at best.

"Do you girls need anything before we head out? Maybe grab something to eat or coffee?" Katherine offered.

"I'm okay," Jackie reassured, then glanced at her sister, knowing her well enough to predict her answer. "We're okay," she corrected, speaking for both of them.

First greetings were always awkward for Mariana, especially when she struggled to initiate or sustain conversations without resorting to sarcasm or inadvertently coming off as rude. That's what she told herself was the reason why she found it difficult to converse casually with the Walters. She hadn't spent enough time with them to respond with sarcastic remarks or even a simple, potentially rude nod. It wasn't intentional rudeness; she just struggled to find the right words to flow naturally.

Now, they sat together in the backseat of the couple's car, each lost in their own world with headphones in. Mariana gently nudged her sister and raised her hand. Without a word needing to be spoken, the two girls performed their handshake, culminating in a small pinky promise. Unbeknownst to them, George noticed the gesture in the rearview mirror, and Katherine turned around to check on them.

After their brief exchange, the two girls settled back into silence, content in each other's company. Mariana leaned back in her seat, closing her eyes comfortably. The drive felt interminable until they finally arrived at the house. Mariana, who had almost dozed off, snapped awake at the sight of the large house before them.

As the car came to a stop, Mariana gathered her belongings, grabbed the door handle, and stepped onto the grass. She stood silently in front of the car, staring at the imposing house alongside her sister, each with their own expression. Jackie appeared nervous and out of place, while Mariana seemed more resigned, upset that they had reached the destination she had anticipated reaching eventually.

"Are you two okay?" Katherine asked, looking at the girls.

Their gazes shifted to Katherine. Jackie smiled and replied, "Fine."

"Absolutely," Mariana answered, her tone tinged with sarcasm that caught Jackie off guard. Jackie nudged her gently, sighing.

"Great. Let's get you guys inside. We'll introduce you to everybody," Katherine said, seemingly oblivious to the sarcasm, just before her phone rang. The girls walked away from the car and up the steps of the porch.

"I already hate this," Mariana muttered under her breath.

"Mari," Jackie warned quietly as they walked together. Just as they reached the porch, they turned their heads to see a boy approaching on a skateboard.

"Move!" he shouted abruptly and rudely. Startled, the two girls jumped out of the way, and Mariana scoffed.

"Seriously?" Mariana pointed at the boy skating past, Jackie immediately nudged her hand down at the sight of another boy sitting nearby.

"Hi, I'm Danny," he announced to the girls.

"Jackie," she replied, then nodded towards Mariana, "and Mariana." Jackie also responded for Mariana, who'd huffed at Danny before following Katherine into the house. Jackie soon followed suit.

"Well, did you take his vitals?" Katherine spoke into her phone as she let them inside. Following behind George, who carried their luggage, they encountered a boy, presumably Benny, darting down the hall.

"Whoa, whoa! Benny, stop running!" George called after the kid.

"I'm not running!" the boy declared. Near a side entrance, the girls paused at the sound of video game noises.

"Oh, hey guys," George said, halting with them to introduce them to more boys. "Guys, can you stop for a second?"

Leaning against the doorway beside her sister, Mariana in her leather jacket stood casually. One of the boys glanced their way, pausing the game, while the other looked up.

"This is Jackie and Mariana. Girls, meet Alex and Isaac," George introduced.

"What's up?" Isaac greeted with a grin. "Cool," he continued, nodding towards Mariana. "Leather jacket," he noted, using her clothing as a nickname rather than her name. Mariana narrowed her eyes playfully, offering a small, charming smile. Meanwhile, Alex's gaze shifted between the girls, unsure who to focus on first.

He stared until his father's voice broke the silence. "There's another bag in the truck if you could go grab it," George offered to Alex, snapping him out of his reverie.

"Yeah, sure thing," Alex replied, walking over to the girls. "Hi," he greeted, extending his hand.

Mariana shook it gently. "Sup."

"Hi." Jackie also said as he then offered his hand to her, briefly staring at her before turning back to Mariana. The girls then followed George as they continued inside.

"Straight ahead to the kitchen," George announced as they navigated through the bustling home. "I'll take these up to your rooms," he added.

"Thanks," Jackie and Mariana said in unison before joining Katherine, who offered them drinks. They accepted and proceeded into the kitchen.

Jackie stopped suddenly, feeling something underfoot. She pulled her foot back to find a toy car. Mariana watched as Jackie picked it up and set it aside on the stairs. "Lovely home," Mariana commented, walking over to stand beside her sister. Her gaze landed on a graduation photo of Katherine and her mom.

Mariana studied the picture for a moment before Katherine interrupted. "It's the worst timing-I told you Jackie and Mariana were coming today." Katherine gently touched Mariana's arm, drawing the girls' attention. "Okay. No, of course," Katherine continued on the phone. "Just tell her I'll be right there. Okay, thank you." She hung up and turned to the girls. "Girls, I'm so sorry. I have to go."

She glanced toward the kitchen, relieved to see her eldest son. "Oh, thank God. Will's here. Come on," she told the girls, leading them over to where Will was arranging utensils on the table. "Jackie, Mariana, this is Will. Will, meet Jackie and Mariana," Katherine introduced. "Will's our oldest, and he's the best."

"Jackie, Mariana, welcome," Will greeted with a smile, extending his hand, which they both shook.

"Hi," Jackie greeted politely.

"Hey," Mariana replied calmly.

"Honey, I have to go to the clinic. Can you take over and get the girls settled in? They've already met Danny, Isaac, Alex, and uh..."

"Benny," the sisters said simultaneously.

"Benny," Katherine confirmed with a smile, then turned to Will.

"Yes," Will agreed.

"I can't believe I'm being called in right now," Katherine said, visibly distraught as she hurried past the girls. "Okay, so-um-"

"What? You have to leave?" George asked, coming down the stairs.

"Yes," Katherine responded hurriedly. "But Will's going to take over."

"Great," George replied, looking at the three standing together.

"Girls, I'm so sorry," Katherine apologized. "I promise I'll be back as soon as I possibly can."

"We'll be fine," Mariana reassured with a nod, sensing Katherine's anxiety.

"Yeah, don't worry. Hope the dog's okay," Jackie added.

Katherine smiled gratefully at the two girls. "Thank you," she said with a brief wave before heading out the door.

"See ya," George called after Katherine. "And hey, I'm always around here somewhere," he assured the girls.

"Don't worry. If we need you, we'll look... around here... somewhere," Mariana blurted out, her eyes slightly widening at her own sarcastic tone.

To her surprise, George grinned and chuckled. "If you two need anything, call me, okay? I gotta get out to the orchard."

"Uncle George, wait for me!" Lee called out as he followed behind with his skateboard, nearly tripping over the girls again.

Jackie sighed, while Mariana turned to Will. "Does he always do that? Do I have to be on watch every time he's near?" Mariana asked.

Will chuckled with a smile, shaking his head as if uncertain. "So, the Tony Hawk wannabe is Lee," he remarked.

"Oh, really?" Mariana replied sarcastically.

"We've met," Jackie added as she set her cup down on the counter.

Will then led the girls to the next son's room, knocking before entering. "Nathan," he called out, with the girls following behind. "This is Jackie and Mariana."

Nathan rose from the floor with his guitar in hand, shaking theirs with his free hand. "Hi, it's nice to finally meet both of you."

"Thanks," Jackie responded with a smile. "You too."

"Come on," Will said, ushering them out of the room. They followed him through the back door, where punk music was playing. "Just so you guys know, I'm hard of hearing. So if I'm not looking at you or there's a lot of background noise, I won't understand. Just FYI," he explained.

"Okay, thank you," Jackie replied, and they continued following him. Mariana watched as two kids playfully sword-fought while another recorded them with a camera. She sighed and folded her arms at the chaotic scene.

Will turned off the music to introduce them. "Hey, everyone, this is Jackie and Mariana."

"Hello," Jackie waved.

Mariana put on her bravest smile. "Hey," she repeated herself for the hundredth time.

"Hey," one of the younger kids responded with a laugh.

"Oh, yes!" the filmmaker exclaimed, recording them.

"That's Parker over there, and that's Benny," Will introduced.

Mariana nodded and noticed someone emerging from the pool, shaking his wet blonde hair before lounging back, seemingly ignoring their presence. "Want to introduce yourselves?" Will asked.

"They'll figure it out," the blonde replied with a cocky grin, which caused Mariana's face to twist in annoyance.

"That's Cole," Will informed them. Another older boy rushed in, pointing the camera at the girls' faces.

"Oh my God-okay," Mariana moved away from the camera, looking at the boy with utter confusion.

"Uh, hi," Jackie said awkwardly as she watched the boy circle around them.

"Jordan, aspiring film director," Will introduced. "Leave her alone, Jordan. Come on."

Mariana's annoyance flashed in her eyes as she watched Jordan walk away, still recording them. "Great. So, there's boys everywhere," Mariana turned to Will, forcing a bright smile. Just then, a dog emerged from the pool, shaking off water onto everyone around it. Mariana pushed away, leaving her sister to take the brunt of the spray. "Seriously!" she groaned in annoyance, shaking her leather jacket.

"Albert, no!" Will called to the dog. "I am so sorry," he apologized to the girls, grabbing towels and handing them over.

"It's okay, we're fine," Jackie reassured.

"I am not fine," Mariana said, her frustration evident.

"She's fine! We're fine," Jackie quickly interjected, wiping herself dry.

Will glanced between them. "You know what? Come on, I'll show you guys to your rooms upstairs, alright?"

"Okay," Jackie responded.

"Hm," Mariana grunted, walking quickly ahead of the two.

"Hey, start taking the girls' stuff upstairs, okay?" Will instructed Cole. "Come on, Cole!"

"I heard you," Cole replied. They continued walking inside.

They walked inside with Will, both girls wiping themselves with the towels he'd offered, Mariana being extra cautious with her favorite jacket to ensure it wasn't damaged.

"I am so sorry," Will apologized again. "Try not to take it personally?" He asked, his eyes shifting between the girls before taking the lead and walking forward.

"Um, Will, how many of these kids are George and Katherine's?" Jackie asked, following behind him with her sister.

"I'm guessing only a small amount?" Mariana added with a slightly pleading tone.

"Oh. You didn't know. All of them. There's eight of us kids. Plus Lee and Isaac are cousins on Dad's side," Will explained.

"Our Uncle Richard said you had a big family, but I mean, I had-" Jackie stopped abruptly at the top of the stairs, causing the two girls to look around.

"You all live here as well?" Mariana's eyes widened as she looked at Will.

"Uh- No. I live in town with my fiancée, Hayley," he quickly clarified. "But everyone else, yeah."

"Great!" Mariana said brightly, trying hard to mask her annoyance, though Jackie noticed her quick shift in demeanor.

Will glanced between the girls and walked over to two doors side by side. "These are your rooms." He opened one of the doors that led to Jackie's room, revealing another door that Mariana presumed was hers.

Mariana turned to look around the room and noticed the connecting door. "Is that..?" She started before Will reached for the doorknob and opened it, revealing another room. The rooms were connected. Mariana nodded and looked around as Will set a bag down on the bed.

"It was my mom's art studio," he explained to the girls.

"Wow," Jackie said. The two girls continued to explore the rooms before the loud sound of boxes falling caught their attention. Mariana turned towards the door to see the same blonde boy-Cole? Cale?-she didn't care much about his name.

"Will, are you gonna help? There's a ton of stuff to bring up," Cole asked.

"Yeah, a lot of fragile stuff, by the way," Mariana quipped back almost immediately without hesitation, earning a nudge from Jackie.

"We can do it," Jackie assured.

"No, you two make yourselves at home, okay?" Will told the girls.

"Yeah. Don't worry about it, New York," Cole said with a grin before walking away. As he disappeared down the hall, Mariana mockingly echoed him with the same tone.

"Mari," Jackie said, "leave it."

"He should've left it," Mariana muttered before walking into her room, slowly taking it all in. She sat on the bed and sighed. "It's okay," she mumbled to herself, trying to adjust to this new chapter in her life. She soon walked back into her sister's room and sat on the bed beside her.

"Do you like it?" Jackie asked.

"The room? Sure," Mariana shrugged. They sat quietly for a moment before Mariana glanced over at Jackie to speak again. "I'm not used to my bed being on that side of the room."

Jackie laughed almost immediately at the comment, causing Mariana to join in. They shared a light moment of laughter, easing some of the tension of their new surroundings.

Mariana stood silently in her new room, the weight of the unfamiliar space pressing down on her as she unpacked. She couldn't quite bring herself to accept that this new "family" and life were permanent, even though, deep down, she knew they were. As she folded her clothes, gently tucking them into the drawers, she hummed a quiet tune—more for comfort than anything else.

A soft knock on the door interrupted her thoughts. "Mariana?" Katherine's voice filtered through the wood, carrying a warmth that made Mariana pause. She turned towards the door, her hands still on the fabric.

"Come in," Mariana called softly. Katherine stepped inside, her smile as gentle as the knock had been.

"I'm so sorry I had to leave you two alone today. Work's been a bit hectic..." Katherine began, her voice tinged with regret.

"It's fine," Mariana responded with a nod, her voice steady. "I understand." She set down the shirt in her hands and closed the drawer with a quiet thud as Katherine moved closer.

"I also heard about the pool incident," Katherine added her tone light with amusement. "Will mentioned it. Albert can be a bit... spirited."

A small, understanding smile tugged at Mariana's lips. "Yeah, it's okay. I get it," she replied, her eyes meeting Katherine's.

Silence settled between them for a moment, comfortable yet reflective. Katherine lowered herself onto the bed, and Mariana followed, sitting beside her cautiously. "Has everything else been okay?" Katherine asked, her voice soft and full of concern. "Are you and Jackie settling in alright? Do you like your room?"

Mariana nodded, though the motion was slow, almost hesitant. "Yeah, it's nice. Comfortable," she murmured, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear, her fingers fidgeting with one another. "Jackie's probably doing fine too. She's always been better at... these things."

Katherine's eyes softened with understanding. "That's okay, Mariana. Everyone adjusts differently," she said, a small chuckle escaping her lips. "You and Jackie are quite different, aren't you?"

Mariana sensed the kindness in Katherine's words, her understanding of the sharp edges that sometimes defined her, especially in contrast to Jackie's quieter nature. A faint smile appeared on Mariana's face as she met Katherine's gaze.

"Jackie's more like Mom than I am," Mariana admitted, her voice dropping to a whisper as she glanced down at her hands.

Katherine nodded thoughtfully. "You both have a lot of her in you, more than you realize," she said gently. "And you each carry that in your own way."

Mariana's eyes flickered with a hint of sadness as she sighed. "Maybe. But... sometimes I feel more like Albert, you know? A bit of a handful."

Katherine smiled warmly, her hand resting gently on Mariana's shoulder. "Everyone has their moments. But I promise, you're not too much to handle. And I'll do my best to help you feel at home here."

Mariana glanced up at Katherine, her guarded expression softening slightly as she returned the smile. Katherine gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze before standing up.

"I'll go check on Jackie now. Do you need any help unpacking?" Katherine offered, her tone kind and patient.

"No, I'm good," Mariana replied, shaking her head. "I can manage."

Katherine nodded, giving her one last smile before heading to the door. As she left, she quietly closed the door behind her, leaving Mariana alone once more.

Mariana stood up slowly, taking in the room around her. This was her new reality, her new "home." At least, for now.

✿

authors note: i started writing this chapter so long ago and never even finished it so my writing has changed a lot. i think the last time i updated it was april so yeah. and i didn't feel like going through and indenting the start of each paragraph so next chapter ill def have indents, so basically writing style different pretty much.

but i hope you guys enjoy <3