【ＯＮＥ　－　ＲＯＵＴＩＮＥ】

     MADISON HAD A ROUTINE SHE ALWAYS FOLLOWED. She'd got into this routine from the age of ten, and had stuck to it ever since. It wasn't a routine most people her age followed, but she'd accepted she wasn't going to be like most teenagers years ago. Most teenagers would sleep in until the last possible minute, before dragging themselves out of bed to face the day. Madison, however, was up the second her alarm started at 06:15. By 06:30, she was showered and dressed in her Mystic Grill uniform, and making her way out of her room to start preparing everything else. It never used to be so strict, but it adpated over time as she got older and circumstances changed. Benjamin's bedroom door was closed as she passed it, his red and white KEEP OUT sign hanging from the door handle. Charity's door was ajar, allowing Madison to glance inside as she walked past, to see her younger sister passed out on top of the covers. Like usual, wearing the light pink silk pyjama's she'd managed to find for herself at a thrift store. 

   Madison knew she wouldn't hear a peep from either of her siblings until 07:15. The two always got up as late as possible on a weekday, before they had to start getting ready for school. Summer was over, and the summer had been kind to the Carter siblings. Madison had started her job bartending and waitressing at the Grill, which was finally bringing a steady wage home. It was enough to cover all the important bills, and to keep food on the table. Which, compared to how they'd had to live in the past, was a huge success. Benjamin had managed to keep himself out of trouble, after his parole officer made it clear one more violation would land him back in juvie. Out of trouble didn't mean he'd transformed into a model citzen overnight, it just meant he was more cautious and careful over what he did, coming up with new ways to not get himself caught. Charity had spent her summer dog walking in the neighborhood, all the money she earned she put away into the battered coffee can under the skin, which all the siblings put their spare change or extra earnings into. It was their emergency fund, a failsafe in case the worst case scenario was to ever happen.

   A fund they hadn't needed to dip into all summer, fortunately.

   The time between 06:30 and 07:15, Madison had to herself, and she used it wisely. First a cup of coffee to help wake herself up, then she'd lay out the cereal box, milk, juice, bowls, and spoons on the table. Following breakfast, she prepped both Ben and Charity's lunches for school, putting them into their backpacks which were dumped messily by the front door. After that, she sat the kitchen counter, making a start on her second cup of coffee and going through the letters to see which company needed a mandatory payment from them next. The important ones were stuck to the fridge with magnets, while the rest were shoved in the old wicker basket on top of the microwave, left to be dealt with another day. When 07:15 finally hit, Madison glanced over her shoulder as she started to hear he sound of movement. The door slamming signalled Charity was awake, locking herself in the bathroom before Benjamin had even had chance to shut off his alarm.

   Ten minutes later, the usual chaos ensued. "CHARITY! QUIT HOGGING THE BATHROOM!" Benjamin yelled, slamming his hands against the door impatiently.

   "JUST BECAUSE YOU'RE OKAY GOING OUT LOOKING LIKE YOU JUST GOT DRAGGED THROUGH A HEDGE, DOESN'T MEAN I AM!" Charity shouted back, before turning on the shower onto full blast, drowning out her brothers irritated yells.

   "GOD DAMNIT." Another hit sounded against the door, before Benjamin appeared in the kitchen, not looking far off of Charity's description. His hair sticking out all over the place, wearing the same clothes he'd been wearing yesterday. He gave Madison a serious look. "We need another bathroom."

   "And I need a new phone and bank account that doesn't cry when I open it." She answered. "We can't always get what we want."

   "I'm serious." Ben rolled his eyes. "She does this every morning."

   "So am I." Madison defended, holding her phone up. "The battery should not be held in place by duct tape." He looked at her in annoyance, and Madison simply smiled back at him, making him roll his eyes. Charity joined them five minutes later, showered and dressed for the day, a look of innocence plastered across her face as she locked eyes with Benjamin. Ben said nothing, as walked by and brushed her shoulder as he went, the sound of the bathroom door slamming moments later.  "Stop it."

   Charity gave her a look of confusion. "Stop what?"

   "Antagonizing him." Madison said knowingly. "The last thing we need is for him to go back today hot headed."

   "It's not my fault he has the patients of a peanut." Charity rolled her eyes.

   "Chairty." Madison warned, giving her a look. "You know what will happen if he flips out." Charity once again rolled her eyes, but nodded, which was enough for Madison not to push it any further. Her eyes then scanned her sister up and down, her eyes narrowing on the bottom of her outfit. "What are you wearing?"

   "Uh, a skirt." Charity answered, giving her a look. "What does it look like?"

   "A detention waiting to happen?" Madison shot back, not attempting to hide her frown at the denim skirt that came up way too high on her.

   "Well, you won't have to do the detention, so it's fine." Charity gave her a tight smile, before turning on her heel and walking toward the door.

   "Charity!" Madison sighed, pushing to her feet to follow after her. The youngest Carter girl made no attempt to stop, grabbing her bag and quickly making her way out of the front door. "Charity!" Madison shouted, standing in the open doorway in disbelief. Chairty turned around and gave her older sister a wave, before running off down the street, leaving Madison watching her go in disbelief. Before she could move again, Benjamin brushed past his sister, cramming a handful of cereal into his mouth as he walked out. "Bye to you too, then!" Madison called out, scoffing as he shot her a grin over his shoulder, before disappearing the same way Charity fled in.

   Despite it all, none of this surprised Madison in the slightest. As over the years, it had all became a part of the usual routine.

＊  ＊  ＊  ＊  ＊   ＊   ＊  ＊   ＊  ＊

     BAG SLUNG HAPZARDLY OVER ONE SHOULDER, BENJANIM CARTER WALKED ACROSS THE BLACK TOP TOWARD THE BUILDING, A EARPHONE HANGING FROM ONE EAR. He felt the stares on him as he walked past, the music drowning out the whispers, but he still knew that they were happening. After last year, a lot of people were surprised he wasn't expelled along with his most recent juvie sentence. While in the end, Benjamin knew he was in the wrong, he didn't regret what he'd done for a second. People in small towns were quick to pass judgement, and hearing the comments a couple of senior jocks were making about his sisters, it was another to set him off. The fight that broke out got resolved by teachers, but the damage done to their cars once the final bell rang was what got him arrested. If it wasn't for the angry parents demanding an example be made out of him, Ben probably could have just gotten off with a warning or community service. But, luck was never really on the side of the Carter family. It took some hard work by Madison, but she convinced the school to welcome him back for his junior year, promising he wouldn't cause anymore trouble for them. 

   Ben said he'd keep the promise, but as wandered toward the stoner pit that morning, he knew people were probably getting the wrong impression. His eyes narrowed on Vicki Donovan, who he spotted stood by the trash cans with Jeremy Gilbert, dropping two white pills into her palm. "Don't take more than two in a six hour window." He heard Jeremy warn.

   "Mine." Ben muttered, taking the lit cigerette from between Jeremy's fingers. He placed it between his lips, taking a drag as he raised a brow at Vicki. "What's the pills?"

   The Donovan girl shrugged, her usual smirk tugging at her lips. "Fun." She answered, before swallowing them dry.

   Jeremy's eyes were set on the Carter boy, raising a brow at him. "Where's Charity?"

   "Do I look like her keeper?" Ben shot back, rolling his eyes. "I don't know. Inside, probably."

   "I was only asking." Jeremy held his hands up. "Don't need to a be a dick."

   Ben didn't bite to it, simply taking another drag of the cigerette, before tossing it to the floor and stamping it out. His eyes glanced up and locked with Vicki, who was watching him with her head tilted, a conflicted look in eyes. Her lips parted as she went to say something, but they closed quickly as Tyler Lockwood appeared, heading straight for her. "Hey, Vicki. I knew I'd find you with the crackheads."

   Instantly, Benjamin's mood turned sour, not that it was great to begin with. He stuck a finger up at the Lockwood by, who walked around like he was untouchable. A perk of being the Mayor's son, who likely could do no wrong in the eyes of his parents. Vicki wrapped her arms around Tyler's neck, pressing her lips to his to distract from the gesture as she muttered. "Hey."

   Tyler's smirk grew as he kissed her back, his eyes flickering back to Benjamin then to Jeremy. "Hey, Pete Wentz called. He wants his nail polish back."

   Jeremy looked unfazed. "Pete Wentz, huh? How old school T.R.L. of you. Carson Daly fan?"

   Tyler's smirk dipped into a frown, ignoring Benjamin's snickers as he took a dangerous step toward the Gilbert boy. Ben quickly shoved himself between the two, giving Tyler a look to try again, but Vicki quickly intervened before he could. "Oh, Ty, be nice." She said calmly, kicking her foot into Ben's leg as she pulled Tyler away. "That's Elena's little brother." Jeremy looked away, biting his lip to not say anything. 

   Benjamin knew the feeling. People walking on eggshells around you, treating you differently. It happened after each time he got arrested, people acting like he might explode at any moment. Jeremy's pain was different. The death of Miranda and Grayson Gilbert had rocked the whole town, the couple were very well respected within the community. Ever since, people had been treating Jeremy and Elena as if they were made of glass, ready to shatter and fall to pieces. Ben knew Charity had helped Jeremy deal with the feeling, or at least, not deal with it. Numbing the pain with getting high, distracting him with any means possible. On his own though, it was clear to anyone around him it was harder to deal with.

   "I know who he is." Tyler shrugged. "I'll still kick his ass."

   "Go inside." Vicki encouraged, as Jeremy walked away without another word. "I'll catch up." Tyler kissed her once more, and didn't spare Benjamin as he made his way inside the building. "Really, Ben?" She hissed when he was gone.

   "He was asking for it." Ben scoffed. "Literally."

   "He's not worth it!" Vicki shoved his shoulders. "Let Jeremy fight his own battles."

   "If he's not worth it, then why are you sleeping with him?" Ben shot back, making her look at him in disbelief. "Come on, Vick. You're better than that." He softened his look. "You deserve better than that."

   "Like who?" The Donovan girl asked, a defensive tone to her voice. "Like you?"

   "That's not what I meant."

   "Then what did you mean, Ben?" Vicki snapped. "Whatever we had, it's done. So move on, alright? I have." With those words hanging in the air, Vicki turned and walked away, slamming the door to the school shut behind her.

   Benjamin stared at where she once stood for a moment, before his foot slammed into the trash can multiple times, everyone close by quickly walking away. With a heavy sigh, his foot now stinging from how hard he'd attacked the metal can, he took a deep breath and walked away from the stoner pit with a scowl.

＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊

     "FUCK."

   The words came tumbling from Charity Carter's lips, as her eyes stared at the object resting flat in her shaking palms. Nerves weren't usually something that bothered her, any comments comments thrown at her rolled off her like water. Calm, collected, confident. That was the way Charity to come across to people, not that it worked. Yet, as she sat in the locked stall in the girls bathroom, she was anything but those three words. She was scared-- no, scratch that, she was terrified. Her stomach churned, threatening to throw up the literal nothing she had left in her stomach. She'd already emptied her breakfast into the trashcan outside when she got to school, making sure not to get any of it on her clothes as she did so. 

   "Fuck, fuck, fuck!" Charity cursed, throwing the object into her bag, no longer wanting to look at it. 

   "Everything okay in there?" A voice called, as the bathroom door opened with it's usual squeak.

   "Fine." Charity called back calmly. "Just out of toliet paper." It was silent a moment, before a lump of toliet paper was pushed underneath the door for the stall. "Oh, thanks." 

   "No problem." The voice chirped back, before she heard the bathroom door sqeuak open and shut once again.

   Once she was sure she was alone, Charity flushed before she unlocked the stall and stepped out of it, looking at her relfection in the mirror. Flinging her back onto the counter, she turned on the tap and began to wash her hands, a million thoughts running through her head. One thought that kept coming back to her, was that she wanted to do something that would stop her thinking, though that probably wasn't a smart idea anymore. Then again, she was pretty sure her mom smoked throughout all her pregnancies, and each of her babies turned out okay. Yeah, they had issues, but who didn't? There was nothing life threateningly wrong with them, which was enough justifcation in Charity's head. 

   As she grabbed her bag, she glanced at the white stick that now laid inside it, with two little pink lines barely visible inside the dark bag. Shaking her head, she quickly zipped it shut and flung the bag onto her shoulder, and made her way out in the crowded hallway.

   Calm, collected, confident. She repeated the mantra inside her head, forcing a smile onto her lips. "Hey." A hand wrapped around her wrist, turning to face the opposite direction. And the force smile dropped. "Why didn't you meet me outside?"

   "I was busy." She brushed, pulling her hand from Jeremy's grip. "Did you bring some?"

   Jeremy lifted his jacket slightly, revealing the pastic baggie tucked away in his inside pocket, before he closed it one again. "Now or later?"

   "Now." Charity nodded instantly, before guilt racked across her face. "No, later." She shook her head, taking a step back. "I, uh, I've gotta go do something."

   Jeremy furrowed his brow in confusion. "What?"

   "Nothing." She snapped, which only confused him even more. SHe huffed out a sigh, running her fingers through her hair. "I'll see you later, okay?" She mumbled, and quickly disappeared down the hallway, making sure Jeremy didn't follow her. 

Okay, so this isn't all of the pilot. I wanted the first chapter to be a small introduction to each of the Carter children, and I kinda loved the way I wrote this? Going into each of their different perspectives was really fun, and I'm probably going to be doing that consistantly for this book, though the main focus is going to be on Madison. I'll wrap up the pilot in chapter two, though that will probably end up being a lot longer than this chapter. 

I hope you all enjoyed!