"Rayland, would you like to answer the question on the board?" I was awoken by the gruff voice of my Algebra teacher. I shot up dazed, looking around the room filled with entertained eyes.

"Huh?" I rubbed the eye crust out of my eyes and looked up at the teacher, his dark brown eyes glaring at me. I hadn't gotten a wink of sleep after that hour lecture from Paul and that five hour nap.

"Oh sorry, I didn't realize I interrupted your nap time. Go back to sleep." He said sarcastically. Too tired to register clear satire in his voice, I put my head back down in my arms and mumbled a small 'thank you'.

Safe to say the teacher was not happy and I am currently sitting in the principal's office trying not to doze off. His lips were moving but I was too busy falling in and out of consciousness to hear what he was saying. Every time his lips stop moving, he looks at me expectantly for an answer. I respond with an 'okay' and a nod every time, hoping he doesn't catch that I'm not listening.

"So you want me to transfer Christian and all your classes?" That was enough to pull me out of my drowsy state and spring out of my comfy chair.

"Huh?" He laughed at me, shaking his head back and forth amused.

"Are you okay?" He asked seriously, his eyes showing genuine concern. I was surprised he even cared, my last principal was a pain on the ass.

"Yeah, I'm not even tired-," I couldn't even finish my sentence before I was cut off by my own yawn, he gave me a 'really' look. "Fine, I didn't get much sleep last night." I sighed, putting my face in my hands.

"Is there a reason why?" He questioned, his thick eyebrows raised.

"What are you, my therapist?" I scoffed. "Sorry, I'm just tired and I wanna go to sleep." He nodded and typed something on his computer.

"Do you want someone to take you home?" He asked, still looking at his computer.

"No." I rushed out, he looked surprised but he sent me out nonetheless.

"Rayland, is this class boring to you?"

"Rayland, are you okay honey?"

"Rayland, go to the office."

Is what I heard all day by various teachers. I was sent to the principal's office again before 5th period ended.

"It's been a while since I've seen you, Miss Brown," He said with faux amusement. I huffed and sat in the soft chair, my arms crossed and putting my head on his desk groaning. "Are you sure you don't want to go home?" His eyes almost begging for a yes.

"Can I call somebody to pick me up?" He smiled and nodded. I wasn't actually going to call, I was gonna act like I was talking to someone and walk.

After I faked the phone conversation for a few minutes, he let me go to 'wait' for the person to pick me up.

"When are you going to tell your family about us?" Alejandro whined on his boyfriend's shoulder. The secrecy of the relationship has created a rift between the two. This relationship has been going on for a year and a half and none of his siblings have a clue about their sexuality.

"I don't know babe." His boyfriend sighed, running his hands through Alejandro's thick curls. He started to grow irritated with the same answer he was given every time he asked the question. All of his family knew about his sexual orientation and accepted him with open arms and he knew his boyfriend's family would do the same.

"You give me the same answer every time. You won't even let me meet them as a friend, are you embarrassed of me?" He dreadfully asked, scared for the answer.

"What? No, of course not." He rushed out, Alejandro sighed in relief. "My brothers look up- I mean looked up to me and I don't want them to look at me differently." Alejandro now had a better understanding of where his love was coming from but he knew his brothers wouldn't look at him any different, especially after everything he's done for them.

"Babe, your family loves you more than I do, which I didn't know was possible." They both laughed. "But I know that they still look up to you, you made a mistake like everyone else in the world. The important thing is that you owned up to that mistake and tried to make it better." He knew about the rocky relationship between him and his stepsister.

"When did you become my therapist?" He laughed, Alejandro slowly joining in.

"Ever since I started loving you." He smiled lovingly at him.

"I love you too." He confessed, Alejandro responded with a kiss. This kiss was different than any other, it held passion and desirability. It wasn't soft and sweet but it wasn't hungry and forceful. It was just enough for both of them to zone out in each other's arms, not hearing the door open and slam shut.

"Oh hey Liam, hey Alejandro. I'm taking a nap." Rayland strolled through up the stairs. Liam and Alejandro immediately broke out of their kiss.

"You didn't tell me your new sister was Rayland." Alejandro whispered to him.

"You didn't tell me you knew her." He exclaimed. "Maybe she didn't notice." He shrugged. Soon after, Rayland did a double take back down the stairs.

"Wait, were you guys just kissing or am I just that tired?" She continuously wiped her eyes. Both of their eyes widened as she walked closer, still rubbing her eyes.

"Okay, okay. Just stop rubbing your eyes like that, you'll make them red." Liam sighed, Rayland slowly pulled her hands down from her eyes. She blinked a few times before finally realizing she wasn't dreaming.

"Alejandro, I'm so disappointed in you." She shook her head, shooting a disapproving look. Alejandro was confused however, Liam was scared that his family would react the same way.

"What are you upset, you already knew I was gay?" He questioned, she was the first to know about it and she gave him the courage to tell his family about it.

"You had the audacity to get a boyfriend and not even tell me?" She stretched out, Alejandro was taken aback by the question. He promised her she would be the first to know about if he ever got a boyfriend but in his defense, she was the first to know. "What happened to 'I promise you'll know as soon as I get one.' What happened to that?" She stood with her arms crossed and her foot tapping.

"That's what you're mad about? You were the first one to know though." He shrugged. She rolled her arms and walked back towards the stairs.

"Wait." Liam called out to her, she turned around to him with tired eyes.

"You don't care if I'm g-gay or not?" He stuttered, nervous for her reply. She laughed, shaking her head.

"As much as I dislike you, I would never judge you for your sexuality. Who cares if you like dicks instead of chicks?" Both of the boys laugh as she walks to her room.

"Do you think she's going to tell-" He was going to speak before his boyfriend cut him off.

"Before you start, she would never do that. Just give her a chance babe." He gave him a hug and a short peck before grabbing his jacket and walking out the door.

Maybe he misjudged her?

Maybe he should've given her a chance?

"Have you seen Ray?" Jaylen asked his brothers. They were getting ready to leave but none of them had seen her after lunch.

"You mean Rayland? No and even if I did, who the hell cares?" Jayden retorted. Jaylen rolled his eyes at his brother, walking towards the principal's office despite the protest heard behind him.

He knocked at the door which was followed by a loud 'come in'. He entered the dim office, the principal was busy typing on his computer.

"How may I help you Jaylen?" He shuts his laptop.

"What was Rayland Brown's sixth period?" Jaylen asked. Hugh furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. 'Why would he need to know?' He pondered.

"How is it any of your concern?" He questioned, folding his hands on top of his desk. Jaylen gulped and continued.

"She's my uh my s-sister." He stuttered out, the principal giving him a look showing he obviously didn't believe him. He didn't want to immediately kick him out in case he was actually telling the truth. He opened his computer and to his surprise, their names along with their brothers, were all listed under the same guardian.

"Okay, she left before physical education ended." He sighed. Jaylen was slightly worried about it. Even though he didn't see her as a sister didn't mean he didn't care about her at all. Him and his triplets agreed that they would treat her like shit when she got here but he never agreed with the idea, just never objected. Not like his opinion mattered to them anyway.

"Do you know why?" He asked, fiddling with the family ring in his finger. The darkened silver ring, engraved with the family name. Every blood-born Brown has gotten this exact ring when they turn sixteen. It showed you were worthy of the family name, worthy of being a Brown.

"She wasn't feeling well, had one of her brothers pick her up." He sighed, Jaylen was surprised nobody told him that she wasn't feeling well. He thanked him, waving and made his way out of his office.

"So where is she?" Jaxon asked, typing anxiously on his phone.

"Apparently one of our brothers picked her up and took her home because she wasn't feeling well." Jaylen shrugged. All of the brother's heads shot up at the news.

"Oh." Is all that came out of their mouths before making their way to the car and beginning the silent drive home.

-

Liam timidly knocked on his stepsisters door, anxious on her response. To his surprise, he heard a quiet 'come in' from the other side. He nervously stepped through the door, hanging his head low staring at the floor. Rayland was resting her back against the headboard, skimming through a book.

"If this is about you being gay, then I'm not going to tell anybody if that's what's you're worried about." She shrugged, unbothered.

"No, I want to apologize. When you first got here, I thought you were a bad influence on the boys. The attendance, the grades, the pills; it's no excuse but I thought I was doing what was best for them but I was hurting you in the process." He sighed, taking a seat in the office chair. Rayland looked at him with a blank face as he continued.

"I based you off of your past and didn't even give you a chance to explain. What I did was immature and wrong in every aspect. Now I realize I misjudged you and I am truly sorry." He finished, searching her face for any sign of reaction but there was none.

He turned to walk away but was stopped by her voice.

"Wait," He slowly turned around, wiping his eyes of any trace of tears. "Were you crying?" She asked slowly, getting up from her bed. He didn't respond, just stared at the floor.

"Look at me." She told him, he continued to look at the floor. "Look at me." She said with a more stern tone. Startled by her voice, he shot his head up.

"I forgive you." She sighed, he was about to interrupt when she cut him off with a look. "Obviously your actions were unjustified but I understand your reasoning. I would be cautious if some foreigner came into my family pretending to be my sister." She said this with a nonchalant tone but you could tell her own words were bothering her. She knew she would never be a part of this family but every time she gained a bit of hope, it bit her in the ass.

"Now come here you big baby." She opened her arms wide for him. He gladly accepted the embrace, welcoming the warm scent of vanilla that surrounded her.

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2000 Words

This is an early update for a thousand reads, there will be a chapter on Thursday still.

Q&A: Ask questions about any of the characters or even me.

Rayland:

Ryan:

Micheal:

Liam:

Jayden:

Jaxon:

Jaylen:

Blake:

Hayden:

Paul:

Linda:

Weston:

Matteo:

Myles:

Alexander:

Aria:

Christian:

Author:

Any thoughts?