Jacob and James decided to wait up for Mil. Since it wasn't a school night, Alex let them since she was too exhausted herself to wait. David had gone to pick her up and it was ten till midnight when they walked through the door. David came in first, looking the angriest Jacob had ever seen him. Mil came in next, swaying from side to side with a hurt look on her face.

"What happened?!?" James asked standing up. Jacob followed his brothers example and they stared at Mil in horror.

"Oh, a 'friend' gave her some beer and she got carried away." David said, not even wanting to look at his daughter. "I never expected you to do something like this Mil! Getting drunk at a party is not okay! We expect James and Jacob to do something stupid like this, but not you! Just look at the example you're setting for your little sister!" David glared at Mil, and she said nothing. James and Jacob looked at each other when David said they expected them to do something like getting drunk. It stung a little, but Jacob could see David was mad and didn't quite know what he was saying. Jacob had gotten drunk in the past, several times, and after the fifth time, he promised himself he would never drink again, and he had stuck to that promise, never even glancing at alcohol. He could see though that James was confused, since he had never even tasted alcohol before, and had no desire to after hearing crazy stories from other people. Jacob knew James liked to be in control of his own mind at all times.

    David let out a frestrated growl and turned to the twins.

"Make sure she gets to bed." He said before slamming the door to his own room behind him. James and Jacob took Mil by the arms and tried to steady her as she tried to go up the stairs, but she couldn't do it. Jacob finally gave up and carried her up the stairs in bridal stance. James following behind him. James would have carried her himself, seeing he was stronger then Jacob, by a lot, but since he had broken his arm so recently, the doctors still didn't want him to put a ton of pressure on it. So that left Jacob to carry their sister up the stairs. They put her in bed and she was already passed out by the time they shut the door.

"I knew it wasn't a good idea." James scolded himself. "Hattie is one of those seniors you don't want to mess with. of coarse there was going to be alcohol at her party!" He kicked the leg of his bed before falling down onto the mattress. Jacob sat down on his own, staring at him hands. They did see it coming, so why didn't they stop her on her way out? He blamed himself for it all, even though he knew it wasn't his fault. He laid down and stared at the roof. He needed to speak to Mil when she woke the next afternoon. He knew she wouldn't be up at their usual time of five.

***

Mil slept until eleven that morning. Joseph had to do all of her chores, plus his, which he wasn't to happy about. Jacob knocked on her door that afternoon and opened it up to see her squinting on her bed and holding her head in her hands. Jacob walked quickly too the window and shut the blinds.

"Thanks." She mumbled. He sat down on her bed next to her and she winced as it jostled the mattress, making her hear hurt even more. "How could I be that stupid? I promised myself I would never drink. But Tommy was there, and Lacy handed me a beer. I drank without thinking about it." She said. Jacob said nothing.

"Sometimes people do stupid things." He said. She glared at him.

"Thanks."She said sarcastically. "Like you're one to talk. You've probably gotten drunk a ton of times." She froze and went pale, carefully looking up at Jacob to see if he was offended."I'm sorry, I didn't mean it....like that." She said. Jacob waved her off.

"Don't be sorry, you're right. I have been drunk a ton of times. In fact, i was practically raised on alcohol. My nanny used to put beer and occasionally vodka in my bottles and sippy cups to get me to shut up. it'd make me pass out for several hours while she hung out with her boyfriend on the couch. When my dad and step mon found out, they were furious and she was fired on the spot. Of coarse after that, Hayley started to do it too since it worked so effectively to shut me up. Never tell mom that, by the way." He said. Mil stared at him in horror.

"Isn't that bad for your brain? Especially during the time of brain development?" She asked. He shrugged.

"I seem alright. I fail a few classes occasionally, but I always make up for it during summer school." He said. She shook her head.

"That is just horrible." She said. He shrugged again.

"Well, I promised my self two years ago I'd never drink again, and I haven't even thought about taking a drink." He said. She let out a deep sigh and laid back down with a moan.

"I will never drink again either, I heard hangovers were bad, but didn't expect this!" She said wincing. He smiled a bit.

"Eat something. It'll help." He kissed her forehead and left her in her room while he prepared to go to church.

***

Monday wasn't a good day in general, and that day, it got ten times worse. The second Mil stepped inside the school, people were whispering all around her and occasionally pointing in her direction. James and Jacob diverted peoples attention from their sister by pranking the P.E. teacher. Jacob sprayed him with some spray on glue and he yelled at him while James set up the trap behind them. When he turned around, he slipped on some olive oil they put on the gym floor, he slipped and fell straight into the pile of feathers James had set out. The feathers stuck to his clothes and he was walking around the rest of the day dropping colorful feathers everywhere. It brought attention towards the twins and away from Mil, which she much appreciated. Even though it costed them both three days in detention, it was worth it all.

    At lunch though, it all started back up again when Nikki came over and smiled at Mil.

"How's that hangover? Was seeing Tommy too much for you poor little freshmen to handle?" She teased. Mil turned beet red and the twins stood up to defend their sister.

"Nikki! Shut up! First you lie telling the whole school I'm cheating on Brook, then you tease my sister? If you say another word against my family or friends, I will find a way to make your life miserable." Jacob snapped. She rolled her eyes and scoffed as she walked away. Jacob sat down and let out a deep frustrated breath. Brook looped her arms around his waist and kissed his on his cheek.

"If you want to get her to stop, you have to hit her where she is weakest." Brook said. He rose an eyebrow questioningly.

"And that would be...?" He asked.

"Nikki is the caption of the cheer squad. She's only reason I got kicked off the squad. so you have to somehow hit her where her leadership skills are. embarress her at a football game or somehing." She said. he nodded a bit.

"Alright, but how do I do that?" He asked. She gave him an evil grin.

"Do you play football?"

***

   Alex was thrilled of the idea of Both James and Jacob trying out for football that year. they both already had gear so Jacob only needed a Jersey. James had been playing for their highschool since he was a freshmen. He had always played defends because that was where he was comfortable, even though the coach wanted him for quarterback every year. Jacob had been playing since he was a freshmen too, and they both started football at an early age, so they were used to it all. Jacob had always played quarterback. He was realty hoping to not play football this year, and go for track since running was one of his favorite things too do. But he gave in when Brook told him he would have plenty of opportunitys to run on the football feild. Tryouts were in a few weeks, so luckily Jacob didn't have to worry about it until then.

    Alex only had three months left until her due date. Alex and David refused to tell them the name of their brother, and said they would have to wait. James simply told Jacob how they did that every single time. Tuesday, they found out another huge surprise. Ginny and Shawn came over for dinner and told the family that Ginny was pregnant. They had yet to find out the gender of the baby, but everyone was excited. They were soon going to have their brother, and a niece or nephew.

***

Mil sat miserable in her Spanish class. She had gotten credit for the Spanish she took back in middle school, so she had been put straight into the second class, and sadly, this class was the only class that Nikki was in. Normally Juniors wouldn't be in the same classes as freshmen, but Nikki had decided not to get her two years of second language in until sophomore and junior years, so Mil was stuck with her since it was an elective class. She sat at he desk, waiting for another miserable class period. Her friend Daniella had been trying to teach her Spanish since she had grown up in Mexico while her dad was doing business down there, but Mil couldn't learn as well as she could. Even Daniellas brother Shawn, Ginny's husband, had tried with no success.

"Those brothers of yours are going to get you into serious trouble one day if you don't stop telling them your problems, Maxwell." She knew that voice from anywhere, Nikki. Their teacher has assigned Nikki and Mil to sit right next to each other.

    class was about to start, and their teacher had yet to show up. Right before the bell rang though, a substitute teacher slipped. Mil felt like crying out for joy when she saw that their substitute was Shawn, her very own brother-in-law. He set his bag down on the desk and scanned the class that was staring back at him in wonder. His eyes fell on Mil and he gave her a small grin.

"Hi Mil, I didn't know you'd be in this class?" He said. she nodded, smiling at him. With Shawn here to stick up for her, there was no way Nikki would be able to tease her like she had the past few weeks.

"Hello everyone, My name is Mister Johnson, and I'll be your sub for the next few months while your teacher is away. She sadly in a car crash last Night and will need several months to heal." He said. Again, Mil felt like screaming for joy. their usual teacher never notcied how Nikki was picking on. But Shawn will, and she could tell him to keep her away from her. Shawn was only twenty five years old, and was very handsome is Mils opinion. She had known him since she was little and tthey had always gotten along great. When she found out he was going to marry Mils sister, she was very happy that he would be technically her brother. Now he was her Sub? Could school get any better?

    Shawn set them out to speaking to one another in Spanish, making basic conversation. She was suppose to be working with Nikki, but since Nikki hated her, she turned around ans joined a group of her friends. Mil stood and came over to Shawns desk as he was looking over the seating chart. he looked up at her as he caught sing of her and smiled.

"Why are you here? I thought you taught Spanish at UNR?" UNR was the Univercity in Reno. Alex had wanted Mils older brother Peter to attend there since it was close to home, but he was accepted into one in Idaho. Shawn nodded slightly.

"I quit and your superintendent gave me a job as your sub while your teacher is gone. He said she might be out the rest of the year, which it great for me, I'm sad to say, since now I can work closer to home and be closer to Ginny during her pregnancy." He said. She nodded.

"Good, I'm glad you're here too." She said. He smiled a bit.

"If you have problems at school, Mil, I'll always be here for you." He said. She smiled and thanked him before heading back to her seat. Finally something good will come out of Spanish class!