“At four-forty. Maria will cover the last two hours of my shift so I can pick the three of them up.”
“Do you want me to go with you?”
“Sure, baby.”
They returned to the living room and retook their seats. Jalen watched the girls more than the movie as they spoke the parts almost word for word and acted out the scenes. She wasn’t surprised. Her little sisters were big fans of Disney movies, and they seldom went a day in their house without watching at least one.
The movie ended, and Omari, Nathan, and Alynn skipped down the hall to play in their bedroom while Landon asked Jalen if she could use her laptop to take her test. Jalen logged into the account since it timed out and told Landon to sit at the dining room table. She could see her from where she sat.
“You want to watch another movie?” Jalen asked.
“Are you going to act it out and sing along?” Rohan teased, and Landon snickered from the table.
She playfully rolled her eyes. “I’m going to leave that to our three little professionals.” She handed him the remote and asked him to choose something. She didn’t mind what they watched, and she knew he wouldn’t pick anything too gory because he knew she wasn’t a fan.
Rohan chose a comedy, and they adjusted the volume so it wasn’t too loud, and Landon could concentrate.
They weren’t even half an hour into the movie when Landon squealed in excitement and bounded over with the laptop in her hand. She spun the screen around and showed it to them.
“I passed with a perfect score!”
“Good job!” Jalen responded with a smile while Rohan held out his fist for her to bump. “Be sure to download the certificate, and I’ll make an appointment for us to pick it up next Tuesday since I’ll be off.”
“I have to wait that long?” Landon inquired, a bit bummed.
“It’s the first day off I have that they’ll be open. They open at nine and close at four-thirty. I’ll be at work during those times.”Jalen was getting off early that coming Tuesday, but it was at four-fifteen, which wouldn’t give them enough time to get it.
“Can’t Rohan take me?” Landon asked hopefully.
Jalen shook her head. “It has to be your parent or legal guardian. I have to take the paperwork with us.”
Landon nodded. “Okay, I can wait. I’m just excited I’ll get to learn to drive.” She placed the laptop back on the end table. “I’m going to call Vega and Kodi and let them know I passed,” she informed before going down the hall.
“She’s excited about the prospect of driving,” Rohan stated as they turned their attention back toward the movie.
Jalen nodded. “She is, but I think it’s more so because she wants to be able to take the other three places if I can’t when Kodi goes off to college. I feel like she wants to step in, which is fine, but I also want her to be a teenager. It took Kodi a while to figure out how to split her time, and I don’t want Landon thinking she has to be responsible for them at every turn.”
“I think she’ll manage it. You’re raising smart kids. She’ll be able to balance being a teenager with being a big sister, who may have more responsibilities than other older siblings. She’s seen you and Kodi do it for years,” he responded. “On top of that, I’ll be here to help and, not to toot my own horn, but I’m pretty good at this big brother, dad thing.”
Jalen laughed as she laid her head against his shoulder. Her focus returned to the movie, but she couldn’t deny it. He was, and she couldn’t have found a better boyfriend if she’d made him herself.
36
Summer flew by, and this day snuck up on Jalen sooner than she thought it would as they pulled in front of the dorm that Kodi would stay in. They’d made the ten-hour drive the day before, and today her little sister was officially moving in.
It wasn’t as if she hadn’t known the day was approaching. They’d flown out at the end of July for freshman orientation and to choose her classes for the first semester. Jalen just thought she’d be more prepared than she found herself to be.
“Jalen,” Landon called from the middle seat, where she sat with the twins. They’d laid down her third row to pack Kodi’s things. The excess was placed in the trunk and backseat of the car Vega drove beside Mikal, who’d ridden with him and Kodi. “Are you going to cry?”
Rohan chuckled from the driver’s seat, and Jalen glared at him momentarily before turning to Landon. “No, I’m not going to cry.”
“Just making sure,” Landon responded as they opened their doors to get out.
She hadn’t wanted to bring the rest of her siblings when they brought Kodi to school. It was a long drive, and she thought it would be best for them to stay with Vivian, but Kodi requestedthat they be there. Stating it would help her move in go faster. However, Jalen knew the twins would just follow them all around and possibly get in the way. She was sure Kodi knew it too but wanted them all there.
It was eight-thirty on a Saturday morning. Kodi had wanted to move in as early as she could, so they’d all woken up early that morning and left the hotel.
“Should we start unloading?” Kodi asked as they all gathered between Jalen and Vega’s vehicles.
