[u][b]Eaglecrest High - 4:20 PM[/b][/u]

Marcus tapped his foot impatiently as he sat there with Sophie. He thought he might get used to waiting for a car after all these years, but it never got any less annoying. All his friends either had people to pick them up immediately, or had their own cars, or could just plain walk home. His mom's house was too far away to walk to, and she was so paranoid she refused to let them use the bus. Having long since exhausted any form of mobile entertainment he had, he was forced to just wait it out with his sister, who was sub-par company at best. Eventually, sweet deliverance arrived; Lucrecia was finally there, in the family car. [b]"Finally..."[/b] He muttered, already making his way over.

[b]"Hey guys, how was your day?"[/b] This was the question Lucrecia greeted them both with when they arrived. [b]"How do you think?"[/b] Marcus replied curtly. He had told her how much he detested the school experience enough times for her to get the picture. As she started the car up, she asked another question. [b]"Well, did anything new happen to put you in such a foul mood?"[/b]

[b]"I was just trying to get to my next class and happened to nudge Mr. Saunders lightly on the way out. So he feels the need to stop me and give me a lecture on how I should've got down on my knees and opened the way for him. I have classes to get to, why do I need to stop for some asshole's power trip?"[/b]

[b]"I see."[/b] Lucrecia knew better than to encourage Marcus' ranting with a more significant response. [b]"And how about you, Sophie?"[/b] Sophie had been spending her time in the car so far staring down at her shoes. She only looked up when Lucrecia spoke to her. [b]"I-I'm fine."[/b] She replied, but almost in a whisper. [b]"Jesus, Sophie, SPEAK UP."[/b] Marcus exclaimed exasperatedly. [b]"This is why everyone thinks you're a lonely little freak."[/b]

[b]"Don't talk to your sister like that."[/b] Lucreica told him flatly. Marcus' first impulse was to argue, but he had learnt through experience not to bother arguing with Lucrecia other something like this. They spent a few minutes of travel time in silence after that. Eventually, Marcus' impatience got the better of him. [b]"I want my own car."[/b] He stated. He tended to voice his opinions spontaneously like this a lot. [b]"You could start by getting a license."[/b] Lucrecia answered, partly to be genuinely helpful, but also to re-iterate that getting a car wasn't something she could really do for him.

[b]"How can I get a license when no one can take me where I need to go? Everyone's busy."[/b] 

[b]"It can't be helped. You'll just have to hope someone has some free time eventually."[/b]

[b]"Yeah, whatever."[/b] Lucrecia's answers had hardly satisfied Marcus, but he didn't feel like complaining anymore than he already had. After Lucrecia picked up Eliza, their youngest sibling, from elementary school, the family would finally make their way home.

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[u][b]De Luca Residence - 7:33 PM[/b][/u]

Lucrecia always took a sliver of amusement from the fact that the five people typically found living in the "De Luca" household were all named Granton. This was of course due to them all being born before their parents split up and ended up living in two different homes. Not that it ever felt like Mr. or Mrs. De Luca actually lived in the house, since they both worked until so late at night it was only a short while before most of the Grantons were sound asleep. But they paid for the house and kept the fridge stocked with food, so they had every right to be the name everyone heard when they rang the answering machine. 

Still, it was Lucrecia that kept this middle-class household from turning into a complete pig-sty. With Elliot, her older brother, already in the workforce, she was the only Granton child that cared to clean up for themselves, and everyone else by proxy. She didn't complain though, as she had taken it upon herself to do so a long time ago. The only time she planned to stop was when she finally graduated and moved away. But that wasn't today, and it probably wouldn't be for some time. For now, she was just going to enjoy the brief moments of free time she enjoyed outside of her responsibilities...