Chapter 3

       Justin sighed as he dropped his English notebook on the coffee table before leaning back into the couch. We had been trying to work on this assignment for a long time now but Justin was really struggling with it. It was the only class he struggled in but it was enough to make or break his position on the hockey team.

       All players had to at least be passing their classes to stay on the team. They can have all C minuses and still play. But the moment they had an F, they were suspended until they could pass.

       Which really sucked for Justin because while he was a smart student, he started learning English when he was thirteen. All the essays and literary devices really got to him.

       "I'm so close to just giving up in English class," Justin said.

       "Come on, we're close to finishing the assignment," I said. "There are only a few questions left."

       "Questions that I don't even understand," Justin said, grabbing the notebook again to look at the questions. "What's a... Yeah, I'm not going to try pronouncing that one."

       "What question is it?" I asked.

       "Seventeen," Justin said.

       I looked down at my own notebook to see what the literary device in the question was. "You haven't learned what an onomatopoeia is in your other English classes?"

       "I don't know, maybe?" Justin said. "I don't really remember any literary devices in English class. So... What is an onomomo?"

       "It's the formation of a word by imitation of a sound associated with its name," I said.

       Justin gave me a weird look. "You were speaking English just then, right? Because I have no idea what you just said."

       "Okay so... Onomatopoeia is basically word sounds," I said. "Like boom, sizzle, honk. And the sound effects made from those words still sound like the original word."

       "See, that made more sense," Justin said. "You should have just said that to begin with. I'm just learning here, Lark. Go easy on me."

       "Sorry," I said. 

       "Meh, it's okay," Justin said. "Let's just get this assignment done and over with before I contemplate actually giving up in my English class."

       It still took a while but we finally finished the assignment. As soon as we did, Justin once again placed his notebook on the coffee table and leaned back into the couch. 

       "So how's the school's newspaper article about me going?" Justin asked.

       I rolled my eyes and leaned back into the couch as well. "It's not just about you, Justin. It's about the team."

       "And I'm on the team and I scored the winning goal," Justin said. "So really, it should be written about me."

       "Not happening," I said. "I need to be impartial while writing the article."

       "I know," Justin said. "And I wouldn't want to be the main focus of the article anyway. It was a team effort and if Dalton didn't get the puck when he did, I wouldn't have been able to score."

       "So in other words, you should write the article about me," Dalton said as he walked into the living room with a bowl of chips before forcing his way into the spot between me and Justin on the couch. "Don't mind me just acting as a chaperone."

       I grabbed one of the throw pillows before shoving it in Dalton's face. He pulled it away and just ate his chips, completely unbothered. He was a tough person to get angry.

       "Dalton!" Mom called from the kitchen. "You better not be bothering Lark and Justin!"

       "I'm not!" Dalton called back. "I just want to spend some quality time with my twin sister! Justin is the one who's trying to take her from me!"

       "We've literally been doing our homework the whole time we got home from school," Justin said.

       "Right, 'homework'," Dalton said, using finger quotes to emphasis his disbelief on what we were doing. "I know you, Justin. I know you don't like doing your homework as soon as you get home from school."

       I sighed. "Dalton, you know I tutor Justin in English and I can't do it later because we have that youth activity tonight."

       "Excuses, excuses," Dalton said. I was hoping he would move from his spot but he didn't. He just stayed where he was, eating his chips as if he wasn't really bothering me and Justin.

       Justin was also someone that was tough to anger. In fact, I didn't think I had ever seen him angry. Annoyed, sure, but that was normally from his siblings, and what siblings didn't annoy each other? At least he never yelled at them or anything.

       So he easily found a solution to Dalton bothering us; he just simply stood up and sat down on the other side of me.

       Dalton immediately glared at Justin. "I can kick you off of the ice hockey team."

       "Do it," Justin said.

       Dalton was silent for a bit before saying, "You're lucky I'm a very generous guy. I'll give you one more chance but if you cross me again, you'll be sorry."

       "Okay, but how did I cross you in the first place?" Justin asked. 

       "Tone down that sass before I kick you out of the house," Dalton said.

       "You can't kick Justin out," I said.

       "Uh, yes I can," Dalton said. "I'm the man of the house."

       "Your dad lives with you," Justin said. "I'm pretty sure he's the man of the house, not yet."

       "I'm done with your attitude," Dalton said, standing up from the couch. "This is why my sister doesn't talk to me anymore."

       I raised an eyebrow. "We hang out all the time, Dalton. And talk. And if it makes you feel better, I sometimes tell you things before I tell them to Justin."

       "Sometimes isn't all the time," Dalton said before heading back into the kitchen.

       I didn't know how I put up with my brother at times.

       "So back to our conversation," Justin said. "How is the article coming along?"

       "Good, I think," I said. "I haven't written anything for the newspaper in a while so I am struggling a bit but I'll get there. I have until Thursday to turn it in so that gives me enough time."

       "Well, I'm definitely not a writer but I do know ice hockey and I was in the game so if you need help, I'll be more than willing to," Justin said.

       I smiled and kissed his cheek. "I know."

_____________

i missed justin and lark. shame on me for taking a month to update :(

(i say as i don't take longer with my other books)(rip vigor)

anyway i've been wanting to cast this book for a while now so if you have any suggestions for any of the characters, pls tell me.

oh but not for justin and lark because i already have their cast

AND their gifable. here's a gif of both of them:

my dudes why is he getting all the hype now? i've been hyping this man up since all his appearances on disney channel (austin and ally, jessie, shake it up, how to build a better boy)

(also no shade or anything but he was the better jesus in the fosters)