I moved a hand through my hair the following morning, getting nervous about picking up my mate. I hated that I wasn't able to see her last night but had a feeling it was because her parents did not want her to hang out with me for whatever reason.

Did I look fine? I asked and pursed my lips in annoyance before I moved away from the mirror to make sure that I looked presentable for her and make her fall in love with me.

Damn, I sound like a girl. I pursed my lips in annoyance before I moved my hand through my hair and made it messy. Stop.

"Hurry up, TJ," my sister yelled from my bedroom door after she knocked on my door. "The Price train is about to leave without you."

I rolled my eyes and scowled. "That's funny because I am the one that is driving us," I said before I fixed my hair again but moved it to the other side before I growled and tried again. "It's not leaving until I am leaving."

"Ya, well, we still have to pick up your girlfriend, so let's get a move on. Don't tell me you were trying to impress your mate."

I rolled my eyes again but didn't say a word because she told me not to tell her.

"Well?" my sister asked, and I had a feeling that she raised an eyebrow. "What are you doing?"

Still, I didn't say a word, and my sister groaned and banged her head against the door a couple of times.

"Are you trying to impress your mate?" she asked. She sighed, and I had a feeling that she shook her head. "You can answer the question if you are," she added as if she knew that I wouldn't unless she said something differently.

"Yes," I said and nodded. "I-I'm trying to impress my mate. I'm not sure if I am looking good enough or not for her."

"Can I come in and see?" my sister asked, and I had a feeling that she raised an eyebrow.

"You can," I said and moved my hand through my hair again, messing everything up to try and do something else. I growled annoyed before I grabbed a brush and started to brush my hair.

My sister walked into my room and leaned against the bathroom door, watching me brush my hair and trying to style it in a different way. "Well, don't you look sharp," she teased, and I growled softly. "Your hair looks fine, TJ. Stop messing with it."

"I can't," I said and scowled. "I don't want to look homeless."

"Well, it is a good thing that you don't look homeless with your hair done either way," she said sarcastically. She grabbed my brush from my hand when I went to change my hairstyle again, and I growled and narrowed my eyes, annoyed.

"Mel!" I exclaimed with a yelp when she smacked me with it. I glared and narrowed my eyes while I looked at her. "What the fuck?"

"That's for growling at me, Mister," she scolded, and I scowled and narrowed my eyes while I looked at her. "Now, sit on the toilet." She pointed at the toilet, and I slowly blinked, annoyed but didn't do what she told me to do.

"Why?' I asked and raised an eyebrow.

"You will know when I get done," she replied while she dipped her head closer to her chest. "Now, sit."

I held back an eye roll but did what she told me to do and sat on the toilet, turning away from her.

"She's attracted to you no matter what you look like, TJ," she said while she started to mess with my hair. "You don't have to be someone that you are not."

I wrinkled my nose and pursed my lips but didn't say a word. My whole body was tense, but I trusted my sister enough to know that she would make sure that I would look good.

"Do you think anything will happen while we are at school?" Melody asked while she finished working on my hair. "Or... what?" She raised an eyebrow in question.

I sighed and was about to shake my head, but my sister smacked my shoulder with the brush. "Ow, Mel," I said and rubbed my shoulder. "What was that for?"

"That was for starting to move your head," she said. "Now, don't move. I am not done."

I rolled my eyes but did what I was told to do and stopped moving. "How long do you think you will be?" I asked.

"Not long," she replied, "and if you mess it up, then I will beat your ass in training after school." She narrowed her eyes teasingly, and I rolled my eyes and bit back a small scoff.

"Or you'll try," I said, and she snorted and rolled her eyes. "Now, are you almost done?" I asked and raised an eyebrow. "We have school s-" I flinched when my sister smacked me with my brush again. "Ow, Mel, what was that for?"

"That was for you being stupid," she said and finished brushing my hair. "I don't know why you are acting like this because of some girl. You normally just brush your fingers through your hair and be done with it."

"Well, this isn't some girl," I retorted, "and I'm not the only one that spends hours on my hair." I gave her a pointed look, and she shrugged while she grinned.

"Yes, Dad spends hours on his hair too," she said, and I bit back a small snort but rolled my eyes. She gave me a pointed look. "He does," she said, defending her answer.

"But so do you," I said. "I think Mom is the only one that spends the least amount of time on her hair."

Mel laughed and patted my shoulder with my brush, nodding because she agreed with me. "There," she said. "I am done. Let's go and collect the rest of our siblings and then go to school."

"After we pick up my mate." I stood and looked at myself in the mirror but didn't mess with it because she was staring at me with a hard look in her eyes.

She chuckled and nodded, relaxing. "Yes," she said, "after we pick up your lovely mate." She looked at me and winked. "Who knows, maybe she will give you a kiss on your lips."

My cheeks turned red while I walked out of my bathroom, and my sister followed me after she placed my brush on my vanity bathroom. "Shut up, Mel," I said, and she burst out laughing. "Just shut up."

***

I drove my van to Serenity's house and parked it about a few hundred feet away. My heart pounded hard in my chest, and my mouth went dry while I waited for her to appear, praying that she didn't go to school already.

"How long are we going to wait for her to come out?" Julius asked. "I don't want to be late for school because of her."

"Would you shut up?" Mel asked and narrowed her eyes while she scowled and looked at him. "She is his mate and your future Luna. She can take as long as sh-"

A window to what I assumed was Serenity's room opened, and she stopped talking when I nudged her shoulder and looked out the window. A bag was tossed out of the window and onto the ground, and a head appeared.

"Is she crawling out of her window to go to school?" Mel asked, sounding shocked while we watched her look around before her head disappeared into her room again.

"I would assume so," I said. "I don't know why, but she is."

Serenity got out of the bedroom and closed the window. She looked around again, her eyes wide before she picked up her bag and started to walk towards us as if she knew we were that way.

"Oh, thank Goddess," I said and breathed a sigh of relief. "She's coming this way."

My sister gave me a weird look and shook her head. She didn't say a word while she watched Serenity pick up her pace when she saw my van and me inside it.

Serenity breathed a sigh of relief and opened the van door. "Hi," she said before she looked in and saw the rest of my siblings. "Hi," she said again while she bit her lip and looked at me with wide eyes.

"I drop everyone off since the schools are so close together," I said and shrugged, feeling bashful and nervous. "Are you ok with them being in here?"

She hesitated before she shrugged and got into the car. She didn't say a word while she closed the door, and I backed up the van to go the other way.

"Why are you backing up?" Julius asked. "You know that you can drive forward right?"

I rolled my eyes and scowled but didn't respond while I went a different way to school and not past Serenity's house.

"TJ, why are y-"

"Would you shut up?" Mel asked, interrupting him. She narrowed her eyes and scowled. "Use your thick brain, Julius. Why would he be going a different way than in front of a house?"

"They wouldn't try anything anyway," Serenity said softly, her voice barely above a whisper, but I could tell that she didn't believe what she said. "I mean, what could they do?"

I bit back a small sigh and shook my head before I cleared my throat and tapped my finger against my steering wheel. "I don't know," I admitted before I cleared my throat again. "Your parents don't like ours for some reason, and I do not know why."

Serenity pressed her lips into a thin line and slowly nodded. She didn't say a word, and a look of pain flashed through her eyes.

Mel cleared her throat and shifted in her seat. "So, besides that, are you ready to go to school?" she asked and raised an eyebrow while she cocked her head and studied her. "Are you excited?"

Serenity shrugged and grimaced while she pressed her lips into a thin line. "A bit," she admitted before she cleared her throat and shifted in her seat. "I am nervous."

My sister nodded and pressed her lips into a thin line. "Understandable," she said. "Don't worry, you are going to be fine. You have me and TJ to watch your back." She winked, and my mate's cheeks went red.

"Shut up," I said, my cheeks turning red too, and my sister grinned. I cleared my throat and tapped on my steering wheel. "But she is right, I will watch your back."

My mate breathed a sigh of relief and nodded before she cleared her throat and shifted in her seat. "Are you going to take me home?" she asked and raised an eyebrow while she cocked her head, and I nodded in confirmation.

"I will," I confirmed. "However, we are going to have to wait for my other siblings to get done."

"Uh, we are done before you," Julius said and gave me the side eye, "so you don't have to wait for us."

"I do too," I said and nodded before I cleared my throat. "You are one of the ones that like to stay behind and chit chat for some reason."

My brother shrugged and didn't say a word. He moved a hand through his hair before he shook his head and huffed.

Mel bit back a snort and rolled her eyes. She didn't say a word, looking unamused while Serenity looked between us with wide eyes.

"Do you mind if you have to wait for a bit?" I asked, changing the subject, and Serenity shook her head and cleared her throat.

"I don't," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "I don't mind if we have to wait for them."

I breathed a sigh of relief and nodded. "Good," I said with another nod before I cleared my throat and tapped on the steering wheel some more. "We are going to have to do something, though," I added, my mind going somewhere else after school lets out for us and then how her parents would react if she was late home.

"We can also do a split pick up and take home with everyone," Mel said while she looked at me. She understood why I was so nervous and did not want her to get into trouble with her parents for "hanging" out with us.

"You don't have to do that, TJ," Serenity said and shook her head. She cleared her throat and shifted in her seat. There was a look of guilt on her face, and my heart broke slightly because I didn't want her to feel guilty.

"It'll be fine," I said and silenced my little brother with a look before I looked at Serenity again. "We are used to this anyway. If someone has a problem, then they can take the bus."

"Or the others that drive back to the houses," Mel said. "You aren't going to be stranded."

Julius didn't say a word and rolled his eyes. He pressed his lips into a thin line before he shook his head.

Her eyes were wide while she looked between the two of us. "Are you sure?" Serenity asked softly, her voice barely above a whisper, and I slowly nodded.

"Course," I said. "We'll be fine, and we'll make sure that you stay fine. Promise."

And with that, we rode the rest of the way to school in silence, with Serenity breathing a sigh of relief because we would help her get home and stay safe and sound.