DEVINE,
chapter one

CHARLOTTE DUNPHY  laid in her bedroom, flicking through the pages of her newest magazine. It was early in the morning and she had already gotten ready for the day, her brunette hair was curled perfectly and her makeup was placed on too perfection. Her phone was on the side of her bed, continuously pinging as she groaned, picking it up as she silenced it.

Her mother - Claire - was downstairs busy making their breakfast and once it was all done she yelled up the stairs. "Kids! Breakfast! Kids!"

Charlotte tossed the fashion magazine onto the end of her bed as she got up, she had been gifted the luck of having her own bedroom, considering she was the oldest child of the Dunphy's. The two year age gap between her and her sister - Haley - was constantly brought up in arguments.

She rushed into the kitchen, high fiving her father - Phil - as he messed around with whatever was in his hands. Charlotte took her seat at the table, watching as Haley walked inside with her phone in her hands, "Why are you guys yelling at us when we're way upstairs? Just text me."

"All right, that's not gonna happen." Claire commented before her eyes landed on what Haley was wearing. "And, wow, you're not wearing that outfit."

"What's wrong with it?" Haley inquired, brushing her fingers through her curled hair as she glanced over at Charlotte who was busy eating her cereal. "Charlotte said she liked it."

"I lied." Charlotte announced bluntly.

"Honey, do you have anything to say to your daughter about her skirt?" Claire looked at Phil, though it was no use considering he was practically useless when it came too punishing their children.

Phil looked up from his own phone, in a way, Haley was more like Phil than she was compared too Claire. "Sorry. Yeah, that looks really cute, sweetheart."

Haley was handed her yellow plate of food as she grinned. "Thanks."

"No, it's way too short." Claire shook her head. She was more of the strict parent and didn't let their children get away with a lot of thing, though Phil, was on more of the lenient side and let them get away with a lot of things. "People know you're a girl. You don't need to prove it to them."

Alex walked through the doors, her glasses perched upon her nose as her hair swung behind her. "Luke got his head stuck in the banister again."

The announcement wasn't unpredictable, he was always doing stupid things and it was either up to Phil or Claire to fix the issue. Phil walked off as he said. "I got it. Where's the baby oil?" 

"It's in our bedside...I don't know. Find it." Claire shrugged, turning around as she walked into the fridge as she groaned. "Come on!"

___

"I was out of control growing up. There, I said it." Claire announced as she sat on the couch with Phil, "I just don't want my kids to make the same bad mistake I made. If Haley or Charlotte never wake up on a beach in Florida half-naked, I've done my job."

"Our job." Phil smiled, looking over at her.

Claire's eye brows furrowed as she then nodded hesitantly. "Right. I've done our job."

___

With Luke's head stuck in the banister, Charlotte snickered as she walked past them both, heading up to her room when her dad stopped her. "Charlie, can you go and get us some more baby oil?"

"Hm. Sounds tempting, but I'm gonna have to pass." Charlie thought for a moment with a grin, shaking her head as she headed up the stairs, stopping when she heard Haley announce some news.

"I'm having a friend over today." She informed their parents, not leaving much room for an argument.

"Who?" Claire inquired, the only people who had ever been over at the Dunphy house were their relatives and also the kids closest friends.

"You don't know him." Haley sang, walking past her mom who was holding the laundry basket.

Claire's eyes widened as she made eye contact with Phil. "Him? Him? Him?"

Luke grinned at her, the knowing look on his face caused Charlotte to already tell that Luke was about to wind Haley up, "Oooh. A boy. Are you gonna kiss him?"

"Shut up." Haley huffed, rolling her eyes in annoyance.

"Easy. Easy." Phil calmed the four down as they all started arguing, Alex standing up for Haley as Charlotte laughed at the sight of them all arguing with one another.

Claire - who was always the one stopping the arguments from continuing - stepped in. "Luke, Alex, why don't you take it outside, okay?"

"And do what?" Alex questioned, furrowing her eyebrows.

"Fight in the sun." Phil chuckled at his own joke. "It'll be a nice change."

Just before Haley could continue on walking upstairs too get away from her family, Claire stopped her. "Haley. Who's the boy?"

Charlotte, who already knew exactly who the boy was considering that her and Haley often gossiped about that sort of stuff snickered too herself as Haley responded. "His name is Dylan. You know, I might as well just tell him not to come because you guys are just gonna embarrass me again."

Claire glanced back at Phil who was watching the interaction play out. "Sweetie, hang on a second. You're fifteen, and it's the first time you've had a boy over. I mean, I'm bound to be a little surprised but I'm not gonna embarrass you."

"I better go charge the camcorder." Phil announced, stepping off the stairs just as Haley groaned loudly, rushing upstairs too her bedroom. "I'm kidding. Come on. Who are you talking to?"

___

Charlotte walked into the living room, her legs laid out on the couch as she scrolled through the channels on the television. For the past hour or two, whilst everyone had been doing their own things in the house, she had spent the hour in peace, relishing in the silence when she heard Alex and Luke rushing into the kitchen, shouting for their mom.

"Mom! Dad!" Alex yelled out to them, holding onto her arm.

"What happened?" Claire asked, sighing too herself, there wasn't a day that went by that something wasn't happening in the Dunphy household.

Charlotte groaned, pausing what she was currently watching before turning around, watching the whole interaction play out. Alex yelled back, "Luke just shot me!"

Luke instantly looked worried as he glanced over at Charlotte who gave him a reassuring thumbs up. "I didn't mean to."

"Are you okay?" Claire asked, worry lacing her tone as she checked Alex's arm.

Alex rolled her eyes. "No, the little bitch shot me."

Phil laughed whilst Claire - of course - was the one to warn her about her language. Luke then tried to come up with some excuses as he then said. "They're only plastic BBs. It was an accident."

"What did I tell you would happen if you got him a gun?" Claire crossed her arms, glaring at her husband who stood nervously. "Deal with this."

Phil pointed a finger over at Luke. "Buddy, uncool."

"That's it? No, no, no, no." Claire shook her head as Charlotte continued watching them. "The agreement was that if he shoots someone, you shoot him."

"We were serious about that?" Phil questioned in a smaller voice.

Claire lowered her voice too as she spoke to her husband. "Yes, we were. And now you have to follow through."

Luke pretended to cry, putting on the worst cry-face possible. "I'm so sorry."

"Liar." Claire scoffed, just as Luke quickly stopped the tears. "Go."

"He's got a birthday party." Phil reasoned, trying to get out of shooting his own son.

Charlotte zoned out by the time they had started organizing when too plan Luke getting shot with his own BB gun, and soon enough, the oldest Dunphy daughter was sitting in her bedroom, looking out of her window as she waited for her best friend too appear.