Tonight I was currently over at Cooper's house. It was the one thing that I never really got to do. "I was thinking, that we could watch a movie." He said to me and I smiled at him.

"Like a horror movie." I said to him with a smile and I was hoping he'd agree to it. Although scary movies weren't really his thing. He still watched them for me. What a great boyfriend.

"As long as it's nothing too scary, I'll watch it." He said to me and I smiled at him before kissing him on the lips. The last time I checked the conjuring wasn't that bad. Once the movie had started I was thinking about how messed up my Monday was about to be. "What's that thought that you've got?" He asked me and I looked at him.

"Mom's got a friend coming around Monday and I have to be there. I'm not looking forward to it." I said to him and he looked at me as he sat up.

"Maybe it'll be better than what you think." He said to me and hopefully it was. We then started to watch the conjuring together. When it came around to Monday. This was definitely going to fill me with dread.

Pink sweater

I was hoping that today everything would get well. This was going to be a day of all good things I could tell. I was meeting Mom's friend. So I knew things couldn't be better. When I woke up I instantly put my best look on. I felt like I needed to impress. "Mama!" I heard Anna-Kat shout as I went downstairs. But then I realized I still hadn't finished with my makeup so I ran back up to fix it.

"Are you guys ready? I have to drop you off and meet my friend for breakfast." Mom said to us and I looked at her.

"I was hoping I could go as well." I said to her and she smiled at me. Like she wanted me to go.

"I'd be ready, but they've been hogging the bathroom!" Oliver said and that definitely wasn't the best thing to say to us.

"You're the one hogging the bathroom with your long showers!" Taylor shouted at him and I looked at him. 

"You take at least an hour, which is more than us." I said to him and he looked at the two of us.

"I don't take long showers! For skin this smooth, it takes as long as it takes." Oliver said to us both and I looked at him. Meaning all the hours he takes in the shower.

"Okay, guys, let's take a breath. Oliver, your showers are quite long. I mean, there's just not that much to clean." Mom said to him as I went back to fix my makeup look today. I was going to Cooper's after meeting mom's friend so I had to look my best.

"Let's pivot to another topic, shall we?" Oliver asked her and I didn't even want to know what that would be.

"Fine. I am in a good mood, so I'm gonna make you a deal. If you three stop fighting for the rest of the day, I'll give you each 40 bucks." Mom said and we all looked at each other.

"I couldn't have asked for better siblings." I said to them all with a smile. I wanted the 40 bucks and I was willing to play along.

"I love and cherish these moments we have together." Oliver said to us very seriously.

"I am blessed to have you as my siblings." Taylor said to us with the same tone.

"Did you medicate the kids without clearing it with me? Actually, don't answer. I don't want to know." Dad said to us as we got back to what we were doing.

"I need the room." Anna-Kat said to us all. But I kind of ignored her. Once we made it to school, it turned out that our day was going the way I wanted it to. No school.

"It's Teacher Planning Day again? Why didn't any of you say something?" Mom asked us, I had completely forgotten if I'm honest.

"Guys are we raising ourselves?" Oliver asked us and I looked at him.

"Last time I checked we had parents." I said to him with a smile, I saw Mom's face. She wasn't impressed.

"Nope!" Taylor said answering Oliver's question.

"It's because you're the mom." Oliver said to us and I was now going to meet Mom's friend. We then made our merry way to the breakfast place mom was always at.

"Hey, honey. School's canceled because of stupid made-up 'Teacher Planning Day.'" Mom said as she was currently on the phone to dad. Hopefully he wasn't looking after us today.

"Way to knock down public-school teachers. Those folks have been riding high too long." Dad said to her, I couldn't tell if he was agreeing with her or not.

"Teacher Planning Day is the worst, Greg. But I'm making the best of it. Im bringing the kids with me to meet Ashley. How is your first day of Tenure going?" Mom asked him, hopefully it was going well.

"Well, since you asked, my new corner office isn't quite what I pictured." He said and now he was sounding like this was the worst decision he'd made.

"What's wrong with it?" Mom asked him.

"It's small, and three different janitors have come in looking for plungers. Im pretty sure, 48 hours ago, this was a supply closet." Dad said to us and that wasn't sounding too good at all.

"Can't you just ask for a new office?" Mom asked and surely he could.

"It doesn't work that way. Office space goes by seniority, so I have to wait till somebody dies, which could take a while. Professor Bailey is 76, but last year, he competed on 'American Ninja Warrior.' He made it up the warped wall and everything." Dad said to us and I was low-key impressed by that.

"What about your new assistant? Bossing someone around must be fun." Mom said to him and he hummed in response.

"I feel like I've already failed to establish boundaries." He said to us and I was hoping he could get that sorted out soon.

"Okay, honey, calm down. The kids and I will swing by to cheer up after my breakfast with Ashley." Mom said to him and I was thinking I might have to delay my date with Coop. When we got to the meeting spot I was sat at a table with Oliver and Taylor.

"Sugar for your coffee?" Oliver asked Taylor before handing the sugar to her. "Jam for your toast?" He asked me while passing me the jam.

"Thanks, bro. Our bond will truly last a lifetime." Taylor said to him with a smile.

"Thanks Oliver, I hope you all know. I'm glad that I have you as siblings and no one else." I said to them before Anna-Kat walked over to us.

"These are my little angels- -Taylor, Oliver, Y/n and Anna-Kat." Mom said as she walked over to us. Oliver pulled out a chair for them.

"Morning." Anna-Kat said to us.

"It's lovely to meet you." I said to her with a smile.

"Pleased to meet you." Oliver said while standing up to look at her.

"Madame." Taylor said while bowing her head down at Ashley.

"Katie, you have a beautiful family, and so polite. What's your secret?" Ashley asked her with a smile, if only she'd seen us this morning.

"Lots of love. Not money." She said while looking at Oliver, Taylor and I. For us it was the money.

"Mama, I can't get this open." Anna-Kat said while passing the other jar of jam to Mom.

"No problem, honey. Now try." Mom said as she took Anna-Kat's rubber band out and wrapped it around the jar. Anna-Kat then opened it. "The rubber band helps you grip." Mom said making her smile.

"Another life-hack! This lady." Anna-Kat said while looking at Ashley.

"Oh, my God. She's so cute, she just made my IUD fall out." Ashley said making herself and Mom chuckle.

"Do you have kids?" Mom asked her, she seemed like she did earlier.

"No, no, I never settled down. I'm always traveling for work. It's all your fault, you know. When you left the company, I started climbing the ladder and I never stopped. I have a boat that I never go out on. Pier fees are killing me. And- -Ohh!" Ashley said before she knocked the juice on the table down. Proceeding to spill it all over her suit. "Oh, come on! I just brought this suit! Gah!" She said before going to get a cloth. Mom handed her a napkin and she began to wipe her clothes. I don't think it was coming out the suit. Let's just say we ended up going to see Dad.

"Hi!" Mom said to Dad and his assistant.

"We have guests!" His assistant said to us all with a smile.

"I knew yin were in a bad mood, so we brought you some unsalted nuts." Mom said while shaking the container with a smile. Dad definitely needed them.

"Because they're your favorite, and your happiness is important to us." Oliver said to Dad with a smile.

"And when your not happy, we're not happy." I said to him with a smile. Anna-Kat bummed in response.

"How much are you paying them?" Dad asked, crap our cover had been blown.

"We're up to $60." Mom said to him, we were ignoring that though.

"What is he doing?" Taylor asked as she was Dad's assistant with T-Rex arms.

"He's in a highly competitive charades league. He likes to practice in his free time." Dad said to us and he started to his.

"'Jurassic Park'!" Anna-Kat shouted, guessing the charade.

"Nailed it! You know, I used to be lonely. Now I have all of you. My new family. Now I have a place to go for Christmas!" His assistant said to us and that definitely wasn't going to happen. Mom hummed in response. I started looking around the office.

"I need some air." Dad said before him and Mom left the room to talk. Dad's assistant was still doing charades with us.

"'Precious: based on the novel 'push' by Sapphire.'" Anna-Kat got out.

"Yes! I'm so good!" He shouted, I mean not really. Only Anna-Kat was getting them.

"We need to find a way to lift your Dad's spirits." Mom said to us and I was up for that.

"I'm I'm." Anna-Kat said to her.

"Taylor? Y/n? Oliver?" Mom asked us.

"How much?" Oliver asked her.

"How much? You want to get paid to help your father? He the greatest man I have ever known. When you get a chance to help him, you seize the opportunity. I had a chance like that once and I let it slip away. Oakland. Summer of '98. Black smoke fills my childhood bedroom. And where there's smoke...there's fire. 'Grant! Your stepfather's trapped upstairs!' 'I'm on it!' But the flames. There's flames everywhere! 'Mama, I can't! The flames are in the way! Mama, the flames are stopping me!'" Grant said telling us his traumatic past. God, I kinda felt bad for him.

"Inspirational story, Grant, but I got this. Taylor, Y/n, Oliver, I should have never gone easy on you two. You are gonna stop being selfish and help me cheer him up. Come on. Let's go." Mom said and we started thinking of a plan. Let's just say we made Dad's office fill bigger than what it was. We waited for Grants signal. And when it happened, Dad walked into his newly transformed office.

"Wow, it looks so much better in here." Dad said to us with a smile on his face.

"I printed some family pictures online and made a collage." Taylor said with a smile.

"I managed to find some flowers that will make the place smell nicer than before." I said with a smile to him.

"I convinced Grant to put his desk in the hallway." Oliver said to him and the office was definitely a lot bigger now.

"Ca-caw!" Grant made out and I could tell that annoyed Mom.

"He's already in here!" Mom shouted at him. Yeah, she was annoyed.

"And I lit a vanilla candle to offset that pukey moppy smell." Anna-Kat said and it was a nice smelling candle I will say.

"So, what do you think?" Mom asked him with a smile on her face.

"I love it. But I'm not sure this small office can fit so much joy." Dad said and he seemed incredibly happy over this.

"I hear a lot of love in there!" Grant shouted at us all.

"And Grant helped, too." Mom said, like that didn't seem realistic at all.

"Would it be a huge mistake to invite him for dinner?" Dad asked us, I'd be at Lilli's that night.

"Yes, definitely." Mom said in a whisper, it would not be a good night.

"Guys, my ears are burning! Ha! Oh, my God, I sound just like my dad!" Grant got out. Let's just say that Grant did get invited over to our family day.

Blue sweater

I was feeling awful. I must've eaten something the night before. Something was not sitting right with me at all. If anything, I was hoping that I wouldn't be throwing up at all. I have no idea what it was. "Mama!" I heard Anna-Kat shout, I couldn't do with hearing her shouting today. I then went to bathroom. I had to try and make myself look better.

"Why aren't you guys ready?! You're gonna make me late! I have to meet my friend for breakfast!" Mom said to us all as I was doing my makeup in the mirror. I definitely wouldn't be going to Cooper's today.

"I'd be ready, but they've been hogging the bathroom!" Oliver said to her and I looked at him.

"Says you!" I said to him after he'd been hogging the room all morning.

"You're the one hogging the bathroom with your long showers." Taylor said before we realized that Mom had just left.

"That was weird, I don't like it." I said to them all as she had just left.

"Mom didn't say anything. She just left." Taylor said as she was just as confused as me.

"Maybe she's finally leaving us to go to Mexico to become a surf instructor, like she always threatens." Oliver said to us, Mom had her escape plan all sorted when you think about it. But this wasn't that time. When she returned I saw two sets of handcuffs in her hand. I didn't even want to know why she had them.

"You three picked the wrong day for this crap! I am forcing you to get along. The rest of the morning, you are attacked at the wrist." Mom said as she handcuffed me to Taylor. Taylor's other hand was handcuffed to Oliver. I'm so glad I wasn't in her position.

"I don't want them in my selfies!" Taylor shouted at us. I didn't want to be in them at all.

"Yeah, and why do you have handcuffs in your bedroom?" Oliver asked and I shook my head at him.

"Please don't answer that." I said to her.

'It's from a costume party. Don't worry about it." Mom said to us, that was before Dad walked in.

'Hey, guys, what's going on? Why are the kids wearing our handcuffs? I mean handcuffs." Dad said and the only thing I wanted to do was shudder. But I couldn't because I was attached to Taylor.

"Dad, I think they're called ham-cuffs. Yeah, ham-cuffs." Taylor said and I shook my head at her stupidness. I was stuck with this all day.

"Hand-cuffs." Oliver and I said to her after we both gave each other the same look.

"Right. Ham-cuffs." Taylor said to us.

"Ugh!" Mom got out. When she was attempting to drop us off at school, it was actually Teacher Planning Day. No school, yay, just what I wanted. I witnessed Mom got out the car and slam the door. "What are you doing this to me?! I have an important breakfast! I can't be stuck with my kids today! Ugh!" Mom shouted before she threw her keys at the sign. Smashing a small part of it.

"Our mom is turning into the hulk, everyone hide." I said getting a laugh from Taylor.

"Please don't tell me the handcuff keys were on that key chain." Oliver said while poking his head out the window. I never thought of that.

"Oh, it was." Mom said with a chuckle, this was just pure evil.

"You're happy about that?" Oliver asked her, of course she was.

"Yes! At least now we're all miserable!" Mom shouted at us, I couldn't believe what I was witnessing. Let's just say we had to get a taxi. Mom couldn't find the keys. "Greg, I'm having the worst day. How can I make Ashley think things are awesome if I'm dragging around these for life-killers? Also, I lost my keys. And to top it all off, our cabbie is stopping at yellow lights like a total wuss! You thought you could stay quiet and keep out of this tornado? Well, you were wrong. How's your first day of tenure going?" She said to Dad I was hoping that this journey would be over soon. "They give you a horn for a reason! Hey, Prius, get in the bike lane, where you belong!" Mom shouted at the cabbie before the Prius driver. She even honked his horn. God, I hate this day.

"Taylor, stop it!" Oliver shouted at her.

"Taylor, I swear to god you better stop!" I said to her, my day was just getting worse and worse.

"No, you stop it!" Taylor said to him. All I wanted to do was drink my coffee and eat my toast. But no, it's never that simple when your an Otto. "Mom, tell Oliver and Y/n to stop it." Taylor said to Mom as she had her coffee mug in hand.

"What are you fighting about now?" Mom asked us.

"I want to drink my coffee but Oliver won't budge." Taylor said to her and I looked at Mom.

'Taylor, use your other hand." Mom said to her and I looked at Taylor. I wasn't going to budge either.

"Oh! Why didn't you tell me that?" Taylor shouted while looking at Oliver.

"Cut it out!" Oliver shouted at her, I was so glad that I wasn't being yet that is.

"Okay, fine. You can have it. I promise I won't jerk my hand this time." Taylor said as he took the piece of food he wanted. That was before Taylor smacked it away. "Bitch." She said to him whilst looking at his face.

"That was a good one." I said to her with a smile. Now I couldn't be mad exactly.

"Hide the handcuffs or die." Mom said to us as a lady appeared and that's what we did. We then started eating and drinking like normal. "Well...Honestly, Ash, life is great." Mom said to us, she was currently caught on her chair.

"But earlier you said you hate your horrible, stupid life." Anna-Kat said while turning around, this was going to be a long meeting.

"She's playing Opposite Day right now." Mom said to her and I was dreading this even more.

"No, I'm not." Anna-Kat said while shaking her head. She wasn't making it any better for herself.

"The girl's consistent." Mom said to her.

"So, are those your other three?" I heard Ashley ask, yeah. We were the other three.

"I have to go to the bathroom." Oliver said as he started to stand up.

"Hold it." I said to him and he didn't listen. He was already pulling us.

"Hey!" He shouted at us seeming as we didn't live.

"We're not watching you pee!" Taylor shouted at him, I didn't want to be traumatized.

"It's either pee in there or pee out here. Your choice!" Oliver said before yanking Taylor. Meaning I got pulled as well. Taylor collided with a tray which the contents went all over me.

"Mom, he's trying to make me watch him pee!" Taylor said to her and I looked at her.

"Tell him that we're not doing that." I said to her, Oliver started to pick up what was on the floor. We then sat back at the table. Let's just say the day ended shortly after that.

"I knew you were in a bad mood, so I brought you People Magazine's Crossword Puzzle Book. It always helps your self-esteem." Dad said as he passed the book over to her.

"Damn right it does. I could do it in ink." Mom said to him as we all walked in.

"What happened here?" Dad asked Mom while seeing the stain in her clothes.

"Can't. You've got the kids. I'm going upstairs to imagine our children area 27-foot catamaran." Mom said before she left us all to fend for ourselves downstairs.

"It seems only fair that the person who has the handcuff on their right hands loses their thumb. Anna-Kat, chop-chop." Oliver said to us and I was definitely not going to lose a thumb. That wasn't for me.

"On it." She said to us and I was not liking this.

"No one's losing their thumb, Anna-Kat. Okay, Mom's having a bad day and so am I. But I'm not allowed to have my bad day until I first fix her bad day. And you're gonna help me." Dad said to us and I looked down at my hand. Still in a cuff.

"How are we supposed to do that with these things on?" Taylor asked him.

"I don't know if you can tell, but we can't do anything at the moment." I said to him and he looked at Anna-Kat.

"Anna-Kat, I need to borrow a bobby pin." Dad said before he just took it from her hair.

"Yeah- -hey!" She shouted at him.

"That's it. There we go." Dad said as he got them off of us all. It felt nice to have my hand back.

"Wow, Dad. Where's you learn to do that?" Oliver asked and I didn't want to know that.

"I figured it out one night when your Mom and I...YouTube." Dad said and I wasn't believing that at all. Let's just say we did some research on Ashley, turns out she isn't who she says she is. "Katie." I heard Dad say as we started going upstairs.

"Go away. I'm wallowing." Mom said as we started our run in.

"Ashley Clark's life is a fraud!" Taylor said to her.

"Don't believe anything she told you." I said to her and she looked confused.

"Stewart and Kingston's, Ashley kept bragging how awesome her life was. So much so, it seemed suspicious." Oliver said as we all gathered around her on the bed.

"So we took a deep dive into her social media and found this." Taylor said showing her the picture of Ashley sitting alone. No lovers to be found.

"You come in here just to show me her perfect fruit salad? It's all berries and mango. None of that honeydew garbage." Mom said and it wasn't about the salad.

"No. Look across from Ashley Clark's food. There's no other place setting." Taylor said while pointing it out.

"There's hundreds of pics just like this. In all of them, she's eating alone." Oliver said to her and I looked at her.

"No lovers at all." I said to her and it was something that mom was starting to see.

"She is? Let me see that." Mom said while taking Taylor's phone to look.

"And she's on four different dating sites." Taylor said to her, that had to be enough for her.

"All active." Oliver said to her.

"She's found no one." I said to her.

"No. Are you sure?" Mom asked and I saw a smile appear on her face.

"We went on one of those background-check sites and found more good news. She was arrested for public intoxication in '08." Anna-Kat said and I could tell that mom was feeling a lot better.

"So, doesn't the fact that Ashley regrets her life choices make you feel better?" Oliver asked and I was hoping that they would.

"A little. But not as much as the fact that you guys rallied to cheer me up." Mom said to us all and I was glad that she was feeling better.

"So, you're in a better mood?" Dad asked her and I smiled. Maybe this day could get turned around.

"Yes." Mom said as she put her arms on the four of us.

"Great. Now I can wallow." Dad said as he sat on the bed with a sigh. "This bed is bigger than my office." He said to us and that just sounded bad. Let's just say that later on Mom invited Ashley over to out front yard fun.

Back to normal

And just like that my Monday was changed completely, who would've thought that.