The Carter Household – 7:45 PM

Serena groaned, stretching her aching arms as she leaned back in her chair. Finally. The last goddamn application form was done.

For hours, she had been buried under a mountain of paperwork, filling out forms, triple-checking every damn detail. College applications were a bitch.

But at least now she could—

"SERENA!"

She barely had a second to react before a ten-year-old missile came crashing into her.

Leo grinned up at her, eyes sparkling with excitement. "Are you done? Can we watch something now? I found this really cool documentary about—"

Serena ruffled his hair, laughing. "You and your weird-ass obsession with documentaries."

Leo huffed. "They're educational."

"And boring."

"They are not!"

Before Serena could argue further, the front door opened, and their mother walked in. Olivia looked exhausted, heels in one hand, rubbing her temples with the other.

Serena frowned. "Rough day?"

Olivia groaned, dropping her handbag on the counter. "You have no fucking idea."

Margaret, Serena's grandmother, tsked from her chair in the living room. "Language, Olivia."

"Sorry, Mom," Olivia muttered half-heartedly before flopping onto the couch. "My boss is an idiot. But! Good news. There's a company party the day after tomorrow, and the whole family is invited."

Leo perked up immediately. "A party?"

"Yes, a party. Fancy, expensive, and probably filled with a bunch of rich snobs pretending to like each other," Olivia said, rubbing her temples again. "But the food's gonna be amazing."

"FREE FOOD!" Leo exclaimed.

Margaret smiled. "Oh, that sounds lovely! It's been ages since we all went out together."

William, Serena's grandfather, hummed in agreement. "We should go. It'll be good for all of us."

Serena, on the other hand, was not sold.

She glanced at her mom. "Do we have to?"

Olivia gave her a look. "Yes, Serena. We have to. It's my job. If I don't show up, they'll probably fire me or, worse, make me work overtime."

Serena groaned. "Fine."

Leo beamed. "Can I wear a suit?"

Olivia chuckled. "You'll look adorable."

"I'll look like a boss."

Serena snorted. "You'll look like a penguin."

Leo gasped dramatically. "Take that back!"

"Never."

"Mom!"

"Serena, stop bullying your brother," Olivia sighed.

Serena just smirked and ruffled Leo's hair again, dodging when he tried to swat her hand away.

8:30 PM – Dinner Chaos

Dinner at the Carter house was never peaceful.

Between Leo's non-stop talking, Margaret and William's random nostalgic stories, and Olivia's venting about work, Serena felt like she was in the middle of a goddamn circus.

"—and then Karen from HR had the audacity to say I 'lacked enthusiasm.' Lacked enthusiasm?! I carried that entire goddamn meeting on my back!" Olivia ranted, aggressively cutting her steak.

Margaret sighed. "Olivia, dear, maybe you should be less... harsh at work."

Olivia scoffed. "Harsh?! Mom, these people treat 'thank you' like it costs them a kidney."

William chuckled. "Sounds like your boss is an idiot."

Olivia pointed her knife at him. "He is."

Serena was about to comment when—

CRASH.

Leo froze, eyes wide as he stared at the shattered plate on the floor.

Margaret gasped. "Leo!"

"Shit," Leo whispered, guilty as hell.

Serena sighed. "It's fine. I'll clean it up."

Leo looked at her like she was a saint. "You're the best, Serena."

"I know."

Margaret sighed but didn't scold him. William just shook his head, muttering something about how Leo took after Olivia in clumsiness.

Same old chaos. Same old Carter household.

9:30 PM – Late-Night Conversations

Later that night, after everything was cleaned up and Leo was tucked into bed, Serena sat with her mother in the living room, sipping tea.

"You sure about this party?" Serena asked.

Olivia gave a tired smile. "It's just one night. We'll survive."

Serena sighed, leaning back. "I guess."

Olivia glanced at her. "You've been stressed."

Serena hesitated before nodding. "College applications are a pain in the ass."

Olivia chuckled. "Yeah, they are. But you'll get in. I know it."

Serena looked down at her tea. "Yeah... maybe."

Olivia reached over, squeezing her hand. "You're gonna do great, sweetheart. I'm proud of you."

Serena felt warmth spread through her chest.

No matter how chaotic things got—she had a family who loved her.

And for now, that was enough.

A/N
What are your thoughts about Serena's family?