When the ball landed in the lake, Erik was flustered at first and kicked himself for his stupid mistake. It then shocked him to see that the pretty rich girl was heading into the freezing lake to fetch the ball herself. Without a second thought he quickly tried to go and get the ball before she could get any further into the water, However, they reached the ball about the same time as they had both waded out far enough that the water was waist deep. Liona had grabbed the ball with a laugh as her friends teased her about swimming in this cold water. By the time that she had gotten out of the water, the white shirt of her uniform had absorbed a lot more water and became a window to her undergarments. Seeing her choice of bra was like a shock to his system. It was brightly colored and had a leopard pattern that was easily visible from where he stood in the lake. Her beauty only became more evident as she stood there for a moment talking to him in her see through shirt, that she hadn't even realized was showing off her bra. He couldn't take his eyes off her and despite the cold water, his body reacted. He couldn't and wouldn't dare to leave the water right now. If he did, he was sure to be accused of indecency toward a rich girl.
Thankfully she left pretty quickly and once she had gone, he felt safe enough to leave the water now that he was no longer reacting to that beautiful girl. He got out of the lake and proceeded to apologize profusely to the girl's friends and the little boy, for kicking the ball into the lake. This was the first time he had ever felt like this towards a girl. Most girls just ignored him or mocked him for being poor, but this rich girl hadn't even blinked twice at his obvious shabby clothing or his poorly cut hair that his mom shaved for him every couple of months. It was the oddest thing, but he didn't have time to dwell on it. It was well into evening now and he was freezing as he made his way back to his siblings once the girls had left.
"Hey, don't you think those girls were weird?" Nikki asked him.
"Yeah, a little. I mean what kind of rich girl willingly goes after a ball? Don't they just cut their losses and go out and buy new things of whatever they lost? But that one girl, the leader, didn't think twice about getting that soccer ball from the lake." Erik said as they ushered their little sisters toward their new home.
Once they got back to the trailer, his mom took one look at him and told him to go get a shower. That meant he had to dig through the boxes his mom had unloaded from the car to find whatever bathroom items they had. Nobody got their own bathroom items except for a toothbrush. The rest they shared. That meant that the dollar store shampoo that smelled like wisteria was the scent of the month until it came to the next bottle they would buy for them all to use. Expensive things like body wash were out of the question so bar soap was what they all used for everything from washing their hands to their bodies.
Once he found the bath items, he quickly found the box that had their clothes in it. He didn't have a lot of clothes, so he wasn't picky about what he grabbed to wear. Mastering the art of saving hot water, he was lathered, washed, and rinsed in less than 5 minutes then he was done. Likely he and Nikki would have to help their youngest sisters with a bath after playing at the park today since some of his sisters had grass stains on them after playing so much.
"Erik, help me set up the bunk beds while Nikki bathes your younger sisters. I want those beds done before dinner so that directly afterward the younger ones can go to bed. I have a long day tomorrow enrolling you all in the local public school as well as you and Nikki need to find jobs that you can alternate your schedules so one of you is home to watch your sisters and baby brother. Money will be tight while we settle in this month, but once I get my first paycheck from my job, I'll be able to afford a little leeway for the school supplies that you might need that we are low on." Julie laid out the plans as she and her son worked efficiently on setting up the three bunk beds that had all come from thrift stores as more kids had been born.
Her deadbeat husband only came crawling back when he wanted money or sex and somehow, he always found her and forced her into heat so she got pregnant each time she had managed to save a little. He then took off with the money, leaving her high and dry with another baby to raise. If it hadn't been for charities and her perseverance, she would have lost her mind years ago from the stress. She was a resourceful woman and could always find a deal. Things on sale and couponing, allowed food on the table, and when she had been unable to work, she had relied on her two oldest for help. She really wanted them to finish their education, but it just wasn't feasible when there was no one to watch over the babies.
Daycare was way beyond her budget, even if both of her oldest children contributed from part-time jobs. It was hard enough to put food on the table, and she often worked a full-time job during the week and a part-time job during the weekend just to afford rent and utilities. There were times she had to look the other way when food or much needed diapers or formula somehow showed up in the house when they were having a particularly hard month. She knew her eldest was stealing, but she couldn't bring herself to reprimand him when he felt guilty enough as it is when he did it. And she knew that he only did this when they were particularly desperate for them.
Sometimes it meant that they packed up and moved to a new town when the authorities started to get a little too suspicious of Erik or their living situation. She did her best to support her family on her meager budget. Her children were her priority so despite the struggle, they were at least fed, clothed, and most of the time, they attended school and had school supplies. They may not have the latest gadgets or trendiest clothes, but they were at least clean and had access to the public library in whatever city they resided where they could do things like homework or study for school. Although this city was going to be challenging since they lived out in the boondocks, and she didn't know if this city had public transportation or if the school district would even send a school bus out this far.
"Hey Mom? Do you want me to cook? You look tired." Erik saw the worry and fatigue in his mom's face as they worked on the bunk beds.
"No, that's alright. I need you to be well rested tomorrow. It's going to be a long day for all of us. I just wished that we still had that bike that we used to have two or three moves ago. It would give you transportation when I have the van." His mom sighed.
Erik wished he still had that bike too, but he hadn't been stupid enough to get it back from the gang that stole it from them in the first place. He wanted nothing to do with that organization. They had ties to his father somehow and he didn't want to get involved. He was determined to try his best to support his mom and sisters the best he could, but shortly after that bike had been stolen, his dad had shown up again and left his mom pregnant with Emily. Then their last move he found them again and his mom had Tyler.
It was really hard to not hate his father when all he did was take from them and the only thing he gave in return were more burdens on his mom. Her last three pregnancies had really left a toll on her, and she was increasingly having complications with every birth. Not to mention outstanding hospital bills for those births. He didn't think a single one of those had ever been paid, but it's not like they could afford to put any kind of money into paying that debt when they barely kept a roof over their head.
"It's okay, Mom. Nikki and I can walk. It's only five miles into town. It's not like it's very far. It will just mean that we get up earlier if we have morning jobs. I promise to find a job quickly so that I can help out more. Nikki can stay with the youngest if I get two jobs. That will be better than us both trying to work out schedules between school and work. If I'm lucky, I might be able to get three if one of them is a morning job."