It all started that one day. The “Once Upon a Time life was amazing” type of day, for the rest of my family. I was just trying to get something to eat before they ran downstairs and started grabbing all the food like a pack of wolves. For Gabby this was normal but to other people she was a part of that scandalous family that had fourteen kids!

In this town most people only had a few kids but her parents wanted to prove them wrong. So far, having a big family wasn’t that great and she had to deal with all the embarrassment. Her siblings didn’t care what anyone else thought and they were popular for that sort of attitude. While I was embarrassed of my family, most people didn’t like me for that and so they made fun of me.

“Ugh! Mom, Tommy took all the fruit.” My oldest sister Vanessa snaps. “Well I need my fruit more than you do because I am younger!” My little brother Tommy says. “Well you could’ve saved some for someone else, Tommy! My other sister Audrey chimed in. “Yeah that was wrong Tommy, so please next time don’t do that.” Audrey’s twin sister Emma, piped up. Emma is very shy and doesn’t talk much but when she does she speaks with kindness and that’s why she’s my favorite sibling.

My Mom is about to leave when she says to us “Have a good day at school, love you!” And I watch as her car drives out of the driveway and down the street. Me and all my siblings wait outside for the bus. We all go to a school called Joy Private School which has an elementary, middle, and high school. We get on the bus and everyone stares at us like every other day. All my siblings are oblivious to the people staring at us and go sit with their friends and I go sit in the back by myself. I am used to this way of living but I am still a little envious of my siblings who are so popular.

“Nice to see you and your thirty siblings back in school,” A familiar voice snarls from behind me. I turn around and find Luna, one of the most annoying people who make fun of me standing against her locker giving me her usual side eye. “I don’t have thirty siblings Luna! What do you want?” I roll my eyes and wait for her reply. “I just like bothering you, it’s so fun! What are your siblings’ names again?” She adds with a sly smile. “Their names are Vanessa, Chandler, Audrey, Emma, Eliza, John, Lana, Erik, Daniel, Grace, Tommy, Alex, and Stephanie.”

“Wow, it must be so nice to be the only one with no friends while your siblings are the most popular in school,” she says with a smirk like she had said something profound. “Shut up Luna. Just because you don’t have any family doesn’t mean you have to go picking on someone who actually does!” Says another familiar voice. And it was James!

James, my only friend that had left me seven years ago. He looked about the same with his brown hair, blue eyes, and shy smile. “James!” I call out and run to strangle-hug him. James and I were friends since we were four years old but when we were seven he and his family moved to some town down south and now he is back! My only friend. “How are you? Are you staying?”

He chuckled. “Wow that’s an overwhelmed look you are giving me, and don’t worry I am staying!” He says with a grin. “Wow, what a beautiful reunion!” Luna says. Me and James ignore her and walk away.

When I go into my house and see that no one is home I call “Mom! Vanessa?” I go upstairs and see my sister’s door is open. “Vanessa?!” I called. Then I see a journal on her bed. Curiosity takes over and I open it and start to read. “I don’t know what to do, my Mom and Dad told me that Gabby and all my siblings younger than her are adopted, but they told me not to tell any of the younger siblings because then the news might get out and there and there would be more family scorn. I don’t know what to do?!” As I read this I am so overwhelmed I have to sit down. Then emotion comes over me and I start to cry.

I cry and cry for hours and think my parents have been lying to me my whole life? and what would happen if my other sibling found out? All of a sudden I hear someone knocking on the door. “Who is it?” I ask. “It’s James!” I run to the door and open it. “Hey James, what’s up?”

“Are you okay, can I come in?” He asks, sounding concerned. I sniffled “Yes I am fine.” It doesn’t sound convincing but I don’t have the energy to sound convincing. “Gabby, I know you. What happened?” I take a deep breath and explain to him what happened. “Woah, I am so sorry Gabby.” He pulled me into a hug and I sunk into it. I don’t realize I am crying again until we pull out of the hug and my eyes are wet and there are tears on his jacket.

“You’re just going to tell your family that you know that you and your younger siblings are adopted and they will learn to live with it.” So I told my family what I figured out and they all took it fairly well. My siblings freaked out a bit but now we are okay. The rest of the town found out but there was no scorn, surprisingly. I became a more happy person and made more friends. Me and my siblings grew closer. I guess being part of a big family is pretty good after all that.