[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/8zftaW3.png[/img]

[img]https://i.imgur.com/bYn4r5V.gif[/img]
[sub]A [@GhostMami] & [@Hey Im Jordan] Collab
Featuring: Sean, Selena, Alistair & Amanda Sterling
Location: Sunshine Diner
Time: Friday Evening[/sub][/center][hr][hr]
[indent]Sean was sitting behind the wheel of the [url=https://i.imgur.com/mDyem72.png]Sterling family car[/url], with his twin sister beside him, and their two younger siblings loaded in the backseat. The set of Sterling kids were on their way to a deliciously greasy, and oh so filling meal at the Sunshine Diner. [color=a5a5a5][b]“This is… a nice car. Everything back home is so nice… I forgot about it.”[/b][/color] Sean commented, glancing over at Selena as he kept driving forward, his hands wrapped around the shiny leather steering wheel. [color=a5a5a5][b]“It’s good to be a Sterling, huh? Don’t knock your last name, kids.”[/b][/color] He added, looking in the rearview mirror at his younger siblings.

[color=6973ff][b]“What about when Ma goes crazy?”[/b][/color] Alistair asked, and Sean raised an eyebrow in the mirror, while Alistair looked out of the window sideyed, adding. [color=6973ff][b]“Like she surely will… when she finds out… that me and Mandy are missing… because no one told her.”[/b][/color]

[color=a5a5a5][b]“You were supposed to tell her!”[/b][/color]

[color=6973ff][b]“Yeah, but… I… I did not.”[/b][/color]

Selena rolled her eyes. The twins were nothing but trouble, at all times. Always a nuisance. [color=ffb5fd][b]“I’ll text her.”[/b][/color] She said, pulling out her phone and tapping away at the screen with ease.

[color=b9ff69][b]“Nooo funnnnn!!!”[/b][/color] Mandy whined from the backseat. [color=b9ff69][b]“You’re so [i]BORING[/i]!”[/b][/color]

[color=ffb5fd][b]“I am [i]not[/i] boring.”[/b][/color] Selena snapped back, glaring in the rearview mirror. Why on earth did she let Sean convince her to take the kids? He was pampered with all of his time away from them, he still thought they were cute, or sweet, or whatever it was that he thought. That’s only because he didn’t live with [i]this[/i], all the time, twenty four-freakin’-seven.

[color=6973ff][b]“Sometimes it’s fun to see her go crazy, don’t you think, Sel?”[/b][/color] Alistair asked, unbuckling his seatbelt to lean forward over the passenger’s seat and peer down at Selena’s cell phone, causing his older brother to glance over at the face that was now in between Selena and himself.

Oh man, Sean was going to have to bring the hammer down. These kids were crazy, weren’t they? He didn’t think it was going to be this bad! They behaved when he was hanging out with them back at the house! [color=a5a5a5][b]“Hey! Sit your ass back down, boy!”[/b][/color] Sean snapped, which made Alistair freeze and do nothing other than blink, until Sean took a hand and put it on his kid brother’s chest and shoved him back into the seat, [color=a5a5a5][b]“And I’d better hear that seat belt buckle.”[/b][/color]

[i]Click.[/i]

Mandy looked over at Alistair and giggled at his scolding, sticking her tongue out at him. Selena looked absolutely smug, a small smile on her lips as she peered out the window. Their mother replied to her text, saying that it would have been nice to know that before she had the chef start preparing dinner, but she was glad that they were all getting along. If only she knew…

[color=b9ff69][b]“Is this place going to have waffles? I want a whole stack of waffles. With chocolate chips! And whipped cream! And lots of syrup!”[/b][/color]

[color=ffb5fd][b]“I think the last thing you need is [i]that[/i] much sugar, but yes… they have waffles.”[/b][/color] Selena responded without taking her eyes from the passing city streets.

[color=b9ff69][b]“Who [i]cares[/i] about sugar! Mom’s not here to bitch, and Friday night means no bedtime!”[/b][/color] Mandy exclaimed and went to high five her twin brother because A) no bedtime and B) she just used a swear!

[i]Slap![/i]

Her brother connected the high five and Sean’s hands tightened just a bit on the steering wheel. He didn’t have too much of a problem with the kids swearing; it would be kind of hypocritical, Sean had spent most of his time growing up at the academy swearing up a storm. He wasn’t going to complain about [i]that[/i], but… [color=a5a5a5][b]“Respect our mother. She does a lot for us. You’re making me sound like dad… Behave, guys.”[/b][/color] Sean muttered, before he added, [color=a5a5a5][b]“I don’t mind if you swear when you’re hanging out with me, but be respectful at least. Now… that being said, you can have as much sugar as you want.”[/b][/color]

[color=6973ff][b]“...whoa.”[/b][/color] Alistair muttered, thinking about all the whipped cream he could pile onto his food. Maybe they’d even have caramel filled French toast!

[color=b9ff69][b]“YESSS!”[/b][/color] Mandy exclaimed with excitement.

Selena turned to look at her twin as if he had just committed the most egregious sin. He basically did, he just didn’t know it yet. [color=ffb5fd][b]“Oh… [i]lovely[/i],”[/b][/color] she remarked sarcastically as the g-wagon pulled in to the parking lot of the Sunshine Diner. As the Sterlings all one by one stepped out of the vehicle, Sel turned to address her younger siblings before they entered. [color=ffb5fd][b]“You two seriously need to behave in here. This diner often serves celebrities, and they [i]will[/i] kick you out if you are… well… yourselves. Contain your impish nature for an hour, and you can eat whatever you want, like Sean said.”[/b][/color]

Mandy nodded when Selena was looking, but as soon as she turned her back, Mandy leaned over to whisper in Alistair’s ear. [sup][color=b9ff69][b]“Okay, [i]mommm[/i].”[/b][/color][/sup] She mocked with a stifled snicker.

While Alistair stifled a giggle as they followed their older siblings into the diner, Sean glanced over at Selena and offered a word of advice. [color=a5a5a5][b]“Sel… maybe try talking to them more like… like they’re kids, y’know? ‘Impish nature?’ You sound like a grandmother. Just talk naturally to them, and they’ll be good.”[/b][/color] He suggested.

Was her brother seriously patronizing her about how to handle the twins? She knew [i]exactly[/i] how to deal with them, she wasn’t the one who spent months at a time in another country away from them. Narrowing her eyes, Sel got a bit snippy. [color=ffb5fd][b]“No, they won’t. And secondly, I shouldn’t have to dumb down my vocabulary to speak with them, they’re ten years old now. They’re Sterlings too, it’s about time they learn to speak with grace.”[/b][/color] At that, Selena cleared her throat as they approached the hostess station, a bright smile now adorning her face. Picture perfect to the outside world, as always.

Sean glanced over at Selena and shook his head. If that was how she wanted to handle it… Without another word, he walked up to the podium and looked at the hostess, [color=a5a5a5][b]“table for four?”[/b][/color] With a nod, the hostess led them off to a booth, and Sean led the way to the booth.

[color=6973ff][b]“I wanna sit on Sean’s side!”[/b][/color] Alistair declared, [i]calmly[/i] shuffling his way beside his older brother.

[color=b9ff69][b]“No mee!”[/b][/color] Mandy called out, shoving passed her older siblings and squeezing her way into the booth at the same time as Alistair.

[color=ffb5fd][b]“Looks like you’ll be sitting on each others’ side.”[/b][/color] Selena replied simply as she gracefully took the inner seat on the opposite side of the booth, leaving the seat next to her open. [color=ffb5fd][b]“You might as well sit here Sean, or they’ll fight the whole time.”[/b][/color] The hostess who was seating them chuckled quietly at the show the Sterlings were putting on.

Sean looked at Sel and nodded his agreement after a few seconds of contemplation. He took his seat beside his older sister, and the youngest brother let out a drawn out, over the top sigh. [color=6973ff][b]“That’s not fair…”[/b][/color] Alistair muttered, and Sean shrugged his shoulders. [color=6973ff][b]“I [i]always[/i] have to sit with Mandy! And Sel always gets to sit with Sean. You guys are twins. You were in a belly together!”[/b][/color] Alistair didn’t have a big grasp on how pregnancy worked… but he knew [i]that[/i] much!

[color=a5a5a5][b]“Who cares? I’m [i]right[/i] here. It doesn’t matter that much. Plus, I’m letting you guys get whatever you want…”[/b][/color] Sean said, shaking his head. He didn’t fully understand why the kids were the way that they were, but… whatever.

[b]“While I get you guys some menus, can I get you something to drink? Maybe something for the kids to color—”[/b] The hostess was speaking now, but was cut off before she could finish.

[color=6973ff][b]“[i]No![/i] We’re not [i]babies.[/i]”[/b][/color] Alistair protested with an annoyed huff. Mandy gasped in an equal amount of offense. They were ten! Two [i]whole[/i] numbers, they didn’t need coloring books!

[color=ffb5fd][b]“Alistair!”[/b][/color] Selena scolded her brother in a curt whisper. [color=ffb5fd][b]“Sorry about that,”[/b][/color] Sel said to the hostess now, smiling apologetically. [color=ffb5fd][b]“I’ll have an iced tea, unsweetened, please.”[/b][/color]

[color=b9ff69][b]“I’ll have hot cocoa, please.”[/b][/color] Mandy requested in her best attempt at politeness. It wasn’t half-bad. [color=b9ff69][b]“With whipped cream and cinnamon on top. Thank you!”[/b][/color]

Alistair was putting on a bad show. From unbuckling his seatbelt in a moving vehicle, to snapping at the hostess. It was a combination of Selena’s scolding, and Sean’s hard gaze that made him uncomfortable enough to straighten up and look between Selena and Sean, deciding that he could test the ‘you can have whatever you want’ theory. [color=6973ff][b]“...can I have a cookies n’ cream milkshake, please? With whipped cream and Oreos on it.”[/b][/color] He looked up at the hostess, but noted that her eyes were instead focused on Sean, and Alistair’s gaze followed hers… and Sean nodded! [color=6973ff][b]“Thank you!”[/b][/color] A whole milkshake! What a lucky ducky. That’s what dad would say.

Sean looked at the hostess and thought for a moment. [color=a5a5a5][b]“I’d like the hot cocoa as well. And… can you bring me one of those coloring things?”[/b][/color] He asked, and when Alistair looked like he was going to protest, Sean silenced it by raising a hand and adding, [color=a5a5a5][b]“Calm down, turbo. It’s for me. I like to color.”[/b][/color]

Wait. Sean liked to color?! This changed things. Alistair had a somewhat confused look on his face as he glanced between Sean, Selena, and Mandy alike, wondering what to say next. Did they color now too? He was only ten, he wasn’t supposed to think about stuff like this.

Young Alistair was interrupted from his thoughts by frantic jabbing in his ribs. Mandy was poking him, stunned in silence, looking like she’d seen a ghost. If his eyes were to follow her gaze, he would see a very familiar face — one of the stars of their favorite tween tv shows. [color=b9ff69][b]“Is that…?”[/b][/color] She asked in a ghost of a whisper. It was Blake Milton, the male lead in the latest hit tv show about super-powered high-schoolers trying to secretly live their double lives. Alistair idolized Blake’s character, while Mandy’s bedroom wall boasted posters of him with heart stickers all over them. To say the kids were starstruck was an understatement.

The waitress returned with their beverages and Selena took a smug sip of her iced tea before saying, [color=ffb5fd][b]“I [i]told[/i] you celebrities came here.”[/b][/color] Maybe now they would finally behave and she might be able to enjoy this little family meal with her brother.[/indent]