School is finally over, now I can go home!
We hopped on the bus and the bus driver drove off.
After about 15 minutes in the loud bus full of bad, yelling students, we finally arrived home.  We hopped of the bus and walked towards our houses.
"Bye Ari! Bye Bri Bri! See you tomorrow!" Latoya yelled waving as they walked across the street to their house.

"Bye!" Sabrina and I shouted back.
We walked inside the house:

and found my mom in the kitchen cooking, my two brothers, Dylan and Trey on the couch playing video games on the living room flat- screen tv with their annoying friends, William and Chris.
William and Chris are really obnoxious and seem to hate me and my sister Sabrina. They would harass us and abuse us behind other's backs. They're mostly doing that to me!
I tried to tell my brothers, but they don't listen! Especially Dylan, Dylan hates me. He's the worst brother ever! I'd tell him something that happened to me and he doesn't care or listens to me, he wouldn't care if I died today, he wouldn't care if something serious happened to me. He doesn't really talk to us much, no "Hello" and no "Goodbye". And he's sixteen years old, a year older than Sabrina and two years older than me.

Trey is different, he's a cool, nice and a protective brother. He actually listens and cares what we say to him. He actually talks to us. My sister and I love him so much. It's sad that he's seventeen, by the time he's eighteen, he's moving out and when he moves out, we'll be stuck with Dylan, but I'm not really that worried because we have Mama too.

I walked towards the kitchen following the hot and delicious food and found her cooking fried chicken on the stove with macaroni on the other hot plate beside her cooking.

"Hey mama." I said.
She turned around and smiled at me.

"Hey sweetie." She smiled. "How was the first day of school?" She asked.

"It was kinda good." I replied. "Why are you cooking such a big meal?" I asked looking at the extra food in containers and some wrapped up in foil on the counter.

Mama smiled, "We're going to the Jackson's house to have dinner with the sisters and their parents."

I looked at her confused, "Why?" I asked.

"Because we got a surprise for you and Sabrina." She said flipping over a popping fried chicken.

"What surprise?" My eyes widened.

She smirked, "It's a surprise, I can't tell you." She giggled. "Now go on upstairs and wear something decent." She said opening the cabinet looking for sauce. "Do you have homework?" She asked.

"No ma'am." I said walking out of the kitchen.
I walked in the living room and Sabrina is watching the boys play their video game.

"Bri." I said excitedly.
She popped her head towards me.

"What?" She looked at me confused probably wondering why I'm excited.

"We have to get ready to go to the Jackson's, Mama said its a surprise." I said.

She got up slowly off the couch looking confused.

"Uh okay." She said in a confused tone walking towards the stairs behind her.

I quickly followed her so that the boys wouldn't say anything to me. Even though Trey is there with them, I always think that they're gonna say something mean to me or do something to me but they always do that when Trey is not there with them.

We walked upstairs and went into our rooms.
I walk inside my light pink room filled with a dozen of Jackson 5 posters on the wall and a few pictures of me on my nightstand.

Sabrina has the same room style as me, but her room is light purple. I totally like her room more because it's a little bigger than mine.
I went into my closet full of clothes and shoes and try to find something to wear. I mostly have blue jeans, black leggings and shorts, I barely have any skirts. I hate skirts, I'm not really a skirt person.
My phone vibrated in my hand and glowed, showing a text from Latoya.
"I heard you're coming over! 😁"

I chuckled putting a pair of blue jeans back on the rack and texting her back.

"Yeah my Mama said its a surprise. Do you know it?"

It took her a while to reply back because she texts really slow.

"My mama said so too. She won't tell me! 😫"

"Hopefully it's really surprising, I hope we go to the mall or something."

"No it's gotta be more surprising than the mall."

"Like what?"

"Like winning the lottery or something."

"Lol okay..."

I don't really pay attention to lotteries and I don't really care about them because I know none of us are gonna win money anyway...

"See ya when you get here."

I read the text and put my phone in my back pocket.

Hm... Let's just wear a simple plain dress.

I grabbed a black, short dress off the rack and held it in front of my body to see how it looks on me.

Hopefully this won't be too dressy for just going to eat dinner next door.
After that, I took a long hot shower.
* * * * * * * *
I smoothed my soft dress down looking full body mirror admiring the beautiful dress on me. I brushed my long black hair and brushed my bangs to the side.

Damn I look really good!

I walked out of my room and spotted William in front of the bathroom door knocking.
My heart skipped a pound and I felt my face get hot. His head popped towards me showing his thick perfectly- shaped and furrowed eyebrows and his lips pouted. His looked at me up and down as I stood there not knowing what to do. His face loosened and he smirked at me.

"Why you all dressed up for?" He mumbled.

I rolled my eyes walking towards the stairs. By the time I walked past him, I felt a violent pull on the back of my dress.

"I asked you a question!" William yelled in my face grabbing my arm.

I let out a big shaky sigh.

"None of your business!" I yelled back.

"You lucky you're a girl." He mumbled.

"Let me go." I said pushing his arm hoping he will let me go from his tight grip.

He snatched his hand away and pushed me back to where I was going.

"Get ya lil sexy ass out of here." He mumbled hitting my butt hard.

I quickly ran down the stairs disgusted at what he did. A seventeen year old treating a fourteen year old like that is wrong. I can't really do anything about it because no one will believe me. My mom doesn't even believe me, no one does except my sister because William and Chris does the same to her. I can't beat him up, he's really muscular and taller than me. If I try to, I'd be knocked the mess out of me in less than two seconds.

Sabrina is already dressed in a light pink sundress with light pink and gold shoes. She looks really pretty, that's why she's a model.

Oh yeah! I forgot to tell my mom about the tryouts for modeling and cheerleading.

"Bri. I forgot to tell mom about the modeling and cheer tryouts." I ran up to her.

Dylan looked up from his video game and looked straight at me.

He cringed, "Did you say modeling?" He asked.
I nodded my head slowly.

"Ha. You ain't gonna make it." He chuckled looking at the tv pressing buttons on his controller.

"Yes I am." I rolled my eyes.

"How? You ain't even pretty enough. You gotta be more like Sabrina to get in." He pointed at Sabrina.

Sabrina silently chuckled.

"Boy shut up, you don't even know about modeling dumbass." I snapped.

Mama walked in wearing a sundress and her keys in her hand.

"Hey, you watch your mouth lil girl." She told me. "Dylan, get up and get the food out the kitchen please." She said nicely. "And Trey, you too."

Dylan groaned and slammed the controller on the glass coffee table making it have a loud bell sound.

Mama looked at him in disbelief.

"Dylan, that is glass!" She yelled.

"Who the fuck cares!" He yelled in her face and walked in the kitchen. "You can always buy another one!" He yelled from the kitchen.

Mama closed her eyes and bit her lip. She's a really sensitive person and don't like arguing. She doesn't really do anything to Dylan if he do something bad, she's just keeps calm which makes me a little mad. Dylan needs a lot discipline. He yells and cuss out his own mom, who has cancer! Are you serious? She really need more respect than that because we don't know when her last day of living is.

Trey walked in holding a big rectangle container of cake and small containers on top of it and Dylan walked in with two containers in his hand.

"Let's go." Mama mumbled.

We walked out of the house and Mama locked the door. I turn to my right and found Katherine wearing a nice black dress and Latoya standing in the front porch wearing a orange sundress also.

Are we having a party or something?

Latoya finally realized that we were walking out of the house and her eyes brightened. She ran down three steps from the front porch and ran towards us holding her arms out.

"Sabrina and Ariel!!!" She screamed as her mom chuckled and shook her head.

Sabrina and I ran down towards her with our arms out.

"Latoyaa!!!" We both yelled as if we haven't seen her in 50 years.

I quickly ran in front of Sabrina so that I could hug my best friend first. Haha. I jumped in her arms and hugged her really tight and Sabrina joined the group hug.
I heard Mama walk behind us laughing.

"Haha, y'all are crazy." She shook her head walking past us.

We finally pulled back laughing.

"Omg let's go in. I finally know what the surprise is!" She yelled all hyper.

A million dollars?!
Beyonce?!

She grabbed both of our arms and ran towards the big Jackson's house.
"Now close your eyes and no peeking. It's kinda a mess right now but y'all gotta help us." She smiled brightly.

A mess?
Are we making something?

I closed my eyes making a confused face. I heard the door creek open and heard a few feminine voices talking inside. The smell of baked chocolate chip cookies rushed in my nostrils.

"Watch your step." I heard Latoya say.
We walked in and heard Latoya close the door.

"Now open your eyes." I can tell Latoya is smiling really big because of her enthusiastic voice.
I opened my eyes and saw a few balloons in the air and some on the floor and little Janet and Rebbie trying hang a big banner on the wall that says: " "Welcome Back!" in big bold and colorful letters.

Sabrina gasped, "Aww is this for us?" She asked.

Latoya chuckled and shook her head.

"No stupid." She playfully slapped her arm.

"It's for my brothers, they're coming back from tour!" She said excitedly.

Sabrina and I gasped surprised and covered our mouths.

We haven't seen the Jackson brothers in a year! I'm so excited to see them again! I've been watching them on tv perform and act. But I'm kinda scared to see them, I'm shy around them, they don't really talk to me much, they only talk to my sister. Probably cause she's pretty and she talks a lot.
I'm a big fan of Michael, but we don't really talk a lot, I heard he's a shy person too.

"Omg! When?!" Sabrina jumped up and down.

"Today!" Latoya yelled jumping up and down with her.

"Yaaaaaayyy!!!" They squealed jumping up and down like little girls.

I stood there not knowing whether I should jump and scream with them or just stand there and laugh at them.

"Hey, y'all gotta help us do some stuff." Rebbie said hanging the right side of the banner.

Good, something to do.

They finally stopped jumping and screaming and we walked towards struggling Rebbie trying to hand the banner up.

"What do you need help on?" I asked looking up at her.

"If one of y'all could get the cookies out the oven please and decorate the cake on the counter, all you have to do and draw welcome on the cake with icing." She said successfully putting the push pin into the wall, making the banner hang there crooked.

Rebbie, Janet, Latoya and Sabrina are wearing long sundresses and I'm the only one wearing a stupid short black dress that ain't got nothing to do with summer colors. It's just dark black. I look like I'm going to a funeral.
Even Mama and Katherine are wearing bright sundresses.

Did I miss something?

"Okay." We said together walking to the kitchen.

"Who wants to do the cake?" Latoya asked.

"I'll do it cause I'm an artist." Sabrina flipped her hair.

I chuckled, "Yeah right, you can't even draw a simple bird even if you have to trace it." I playfully slapped Sabrina arm.

Sabrina gasped and hit me back.

One day, I drew a pretty bird sitting on the tree and Sabrina stole my drawing and traced it over and it looked horrible. So every time she says she's good at drawing, I remind her of that day.

"I'll do the cake." I smiled at Latoya.

Latoya chuckled and shook her head.
"No, how about we all do it." She said.

"Sabrina is gonna make it uglier." I mumbled.

"Shut up. No I'm not." Sabrina hit my arm.

"Haha. Lemme just get the cookies out the oven." She said grabbing mittens off the counter.

Sabrina and I walked towards the big rectangle cake covered in white icing and icing bags beside it.

Latoya opened the oven, causing the heat to slap the back of my legs, and quickly put it carefully on the counter.
She's better at me doing that, I can't even take a simple thing out the oven, I'm too scared I might burn myself. And I can't stand heat coming in my face like that, it's too hot.
The familiar smell of warm, baked chocolate chip cookies rushed in my nostrils again, making my stomach growl a little.
She took the mittens off and smiled brightly making me laugh.

Her smile faded, "What?" She asked.

"You look retarded looking like that. Why you smiling?" I asked.

Latoya chuckled, "Sorry I just can't wait to see my brothers, I miss them."

"I do too."I agreed."But how about Joseph?
Don't you miss him too?" I asked.

Latoya frowned walking beside me. I looked down and her hands turned into fists.

"What's wrong?" Sabrina asked.

Latoya shook her head, "Oh uh- I just thought about stupid Kaitlyn and her lil friends. Ooh they get on my nerves." She sounded like she's lying but that is true what she said.

"They get on everybody's nerves." Sabrina mumbled. "Let's not even talk about them during this special event." Sabrina added grabbing a purple icing bag.

We heard the doorbell ring through the house.

I wonder who that is.

"Girls come in here!" I heard Katherine yell.
We rushed out of the kitchen and made our way to the living room and spot my mom and Trey sitting on the couch smiling brightly while Dylan sit there slouched on the couch frowning. Janet sitting on the floor playing with her dolls and Katherine smiling standing by the front door.
Katherine slowly opened the door and a few afros peeked through....