"Serena! Grandpa forgot his cane again!"

Leo's voice—loud, impatient, and way too energetic for seven in the morning—bounced off the walls of their small but crowded house.

Serena barely looked up from where she was stuffing a sandwich into a lunchbox. "Where?"

"Next to the TV!"

"Then why the hell are you yelling at me?" she called back, rolling her eyes.

"Because I'm eating!"

"God forbid you pause shoveling cereal into your mouth to do something useful," Serena muttered under her breath, but she was already grabbing the cane, jogging toward the front door.

The moment she stepped into the hallway, her grandfather, William Brooks, was halfway out the door, patting his pockets like he was searching for something.

"Grandpa!" Serena called out, waving the cane. "You forgetting something?"

He turned, eyes crinkling. "Ah, my little angel! What would I do without you?"

"Fall on your ass, probably," she teased, handing it over.

William chuckled, ruffling her hair. "Your mouth gets sharper every day. You get that from your mother."

"Olivia!" Margaret Brooks—Serena's grandmother—called from the kitchen, sounding one spilled cup of tea away from committing murder. "Tell that cleaner of yours if she throws away my tea cups one more time, I'll throw her out instead!"

"It was one cup, Grandma!" Serena called back. "And it was cracked anyway!"

Margaret huffed. "That's not the point! No respect for old things!"

Serena sighed, glancing at her grandfather, who just smirked knowingly. Every day. Every single goddamn day was like this.

She turned, heading back to the kitchen, mission: breakfast and peacekeeping.

"Leo, where's your bag?"

"Where I left it!"

"Wow, thanks, that's so helpful."

She ducked into the kitchen, where chaos was already in full swing.

Her mother, Olivia Carter, was dressed in a crisp blazer and heels, balancing a steaming cup of coffee in one hand while speed-typing an email with the other. Her phone was somehow lodged between her shoulder and cheek, and her expression screamed stressed but functioning.

"Yes, Mr. Callahan, I understand that, but if you'd just listen to me for one second—Leo, stop kicking the fridge!—no, not you, sir, I was talking to my son—what? No! Of course not! That would be—"

Serena swooped in like a trained professional, plucking the coffee from Olivia's hand before it could spill all over her white blouse.

"Mom," she said, setting the cup on the counter, "just breathe."

"Breathing is a luxury I can't afford right now, honey," Olivia sighed, briefly squeezing her shoulder in thanks before diving right back into Corporate Chaos™.

Meanwhile, their cook, Mrs. Patel, was currently locked in a war of death glares with Mrs. Williams, the cleaner.

"I swear to God, if you throw away my spice jars one more time—"

"Then stop leaving them open! You invite ants into the kitchen, woman!"

"For the last time, ants don't give a damn about cumin!"

Serena clapped her hands together loudly. "Alright, queens of the kitchen, let's take it down a notch, yeah?" She grabbed Mrs. Patel's spices from the counter and dramatically placed them in a cabinet. "Safe and sound. No ants. No fights. We good?"

Mrs. Patel muttered something in Gujarati under her breath but let it go. Mrs. Williams just huffed and went back to wiping the counters.

Crisis averted.

"Serena!" Leo yelled from the hallway again. "Where's my lunch?!"

"Where you left it!" she called back, a smirk on her lips.

A pause. Then, "...I hate you."

"Love you too, kid!"

She turned back to Olivia, who was now throwing files into her briefcase with controlled panic.

"Mom, your lunch." Serena held out the neatly packed container. "Eat it. Not just coffee today, okay?"

Olivia gave her a tired but grateful smile. "What would I do without you?"

"Fall on your ass, probably," Serena said, smirking.

"That's exactly what you said to Grandpa," Leo snorted, finally coming into the kitchen—hair messy, school bag hanging off one shoulder, shoelaces definitely untied.

Serena sighed, crouching down. "Leo, you gotta tie your damn shoes, man."

"That's what you're here for," he said, grinning cheekily.

She flicked his forehead. "And that's why I'm going to trip you one day."

"Rude!"

Olivia was already at the door. "Serena, we'll be back late! Can you handle dinner?"

Serena shot her a look. "When have I not handled dinner?"

"Good point. Love you!"

"Love you too!"

Leo grabbed his lunch from the counter and ran after her. "Bye, loser!"

"Bye, brat!"

And just like that, the house fell into semi-quiet.

Margaret sighed, settling into her chair. "Finally. Some peace."

Serena snorted, leaning against the counter. "Yeah, until Grandpa realizes he forgot his glasses too."

Right on cue—

"Serena!"

She groaned. "God damn it."

Two Hours Later

The house was finally empty.

Serena exhaled slowly, rubbing her temples. The morning rush always left her brain feeling like it had run ten marathons.

Now, she had a whole day ahead.

No more school. That was over. College applications were next.

She glanced at the thick stack of papers sitting on the kitchen table, her stomach twisting uncomfortably.

It wasn't that she didn't want to go. She did. But...

Would they be okay without her?

Could she really leave behind this crazy, loud, exhausting, wonderful mess of a family?

Serena sighed, shaking off the thought.

One thing at a time.

For now, she had a house to clean, a dinner to plan, and a life to figure out.

Just another day in the Carter household.

A/N:

Serena, our sunshine girl, keeping her chaotic family together like the queen she is. But life's about to throw her into a whole different level of chaos.

Next stop: The Morettis.

Hope you're ready.