“Okay,” Omari responded. She enjoyed not only eating the homemade ice cream but making it too.
“Good.” Jalen nodded before beckoning Mikal to come with her. “You can read your comic in the living room.”
“I don’t want to bother you while you study either.”
“You can have the bedroom,” Kodi said as she stepped out. “I’ll study in the living room. I heard all the screaming, so you definitely deserve a break.” Jalen watched as Kodi pulled one of Mikal’s curls before letting it go. “We need to wash your hair tonight,” she then stated before taking her study materials to the living room.
“Fine,” Mikal responded despondently.
She wasn’t a big fan of getting her hair washed. Her hair was extremely thick and naturally curly. It often took them hours to wash, condition, comb through, moisturize, and twist it up. Not to mention that Mikal was very tender-headed. Though Kodi’s gentle touch made it better.
Jalen returned to the dining room table and continued to study. She had a test coming up, and it was crucial that she pass. Not that she doubted her ability and knowledge, it was simply that it would put her one step closer to her goal. Especially if she could be one of the top scorers.
In her next semester, she could start her clinical rotation. A top score would ensure she was chosen for one of the twenty-five spots that were offered, and she wouldn’t have to wait. Especially since there were currently over eighty people in the program. It would be a substantial increase in pay for her once she was a board-certified RN, and she could move them into something bigger where her sisters could each have their own room.
Jalen had just finished placing everything they would need to build their own tacos on the table. While she’d beenmaking ice cream for dessert later with the twins, Kodi had browned the ground beef, while Mikal had taken out bowls to place the vegetables, cheese, sour cream, salsa, and anything else any of them could want on their tacos.
Going down the hall, Jalen went to get Landon. While the rest of them had been in the kitchen, her little sister had opted to stay in her bedroom, sending Mikal back with the message, “Just get me when it’s ready.”
Knocking on the closed bedroom door, Jalen heard Landon call her in. When she opened the door, she found the teenager lying on her back, phone to her ear. Furrowing her brow, Jalen glanced at the clock on the table between the two beds even though she knew what time it was.
Landon had been on the phone for going on five hours now, and she would bet probably even longer than that.
“Hey, time to eat,” Jalen told her.
“I’ll eat later.”
Jalen had been at the dining room table for over five hours, and she hadn’t seen Landon since they’d had breakfast that morning. So, she knew that her little sister was more than likely hungry. Landon was also very well aware of Jalen’s rule about their eating together. Especially since she was often at work or school during dinnertime.
“Not later, now. Everyone is waiting.” She turned to walk out of the room but stopped as Landon spoke.
“I’m going to eat later,” the teenager told her with a slight huff.
Jalen turned, approaching the teenager. “Hang up the phone. It’s time for dinner.”
“I’m still talking.”
Jalen’s eyebrow twitched. She slid the phone from her little sister’s hand and spoke into it. “She’ll call you back nextweekend.” With that, she hung up the phone and turned, leaving the room and going down the hall, her little sister on her heels.
“What was that for?”
“It’s time for dinner.”
“I was having a conversation,” Landon said, raising her voice a bit.
“And now it’s over for you for the next week,” Jalen retorted, turning to look at her.
“You’re grounding me?”
“Yes.”
“Because I don’t want to eat dinner? That’s unfair, you can’t do that!”
“Lower your voice, and yes, I can.”
“You aren’t my mom,” Landon spoke, and Jalen leaned back slightly, feeling as if she’d gotten slapped.
“Woah, back up,” Kodi said, coming from the kitchen into the living room. “You need to apologize.”
