~A/N: Well hello! This is another fic I wrote, and it's almost finished, I have to finish the last chapter. Okay, so yeah, the beginning is slow, and some parts of the ficcie might be cheesy to you, but that's because this whole plotline, well most of it, is based off a play that my friends January and Caitlin wrote, and it was performed. So thus it is not completely all my work, but I did tweak it here and there, like adding a fourth character, and changing little things about the people. So yeah, enjoy, and please review. I'm always open to constructive criticism. That being said, NO FLAMES! I am a deeply sensitive person (hears MK snort and roll her eyes in the background) and I much prefer to find out how I can improve, rather than how much I suck. Thank you! R+R please!~

Chapter 1- Mornings: Marian and Jack

One day she was going to smash that alarm clock to pieces, grind it up in a blender, and dump it outside among her mother's precious roses. Yawning widely and none too gracefully, Marian James sat up, the first thing her eyes seeing was her poster of Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn. So what if he was already married and had a kid? She could still appreciate his good looks, right?

Grabbing the first top and pants she could grab out of her closet, Marian flung open her door, and sprinted down to the bathroom. It was almost a necessary morning exercise, for if she didn't, she'd lose bathroom rights to "the brats".

She made it just as Teresa, Ceara, and Richard opened their bedroom doors. With a triumphant smile tossed over one shoulder, Marian opened the door to the bathroom and shut it in their faces.

Life was okay, if you excluded her siblings, neglectful parents, and lack of attention given to her. Their favorite child by far was Richard, no mistaking that. Her mother had even created a theme song titled "My boy's a genius" to show how much she loved her little boy.

Marian was a pretty girl, with red hair the color of a roaring fire, blue eyes, a pert turned up nose, more freckles than she knew what to do with, and certainly enough to go around, and Irish skin that burned like there was no tomorrow.

Red hair that was still wet from the shower was deftly braided, and out the bathroom door she strolled, down the stairs, and past her parents in the kitchen.

" Morning!" She called as cheerily as she could as she opened the refrigerator. There, of course, was no major response from either. Her father, Richard Sr., still sat reading the paper and sipping occasionally at his coffee in hand. All he did to acknowledge her was lift his mug in ceremonious greeting. Her mother, Catrina, remained at the kitchen counter carefully cutting the crusts off Richard jr.'s PB+J sandwich. Marian sighed, pouring herself a glass of orange juice.

You could call her president of the unloved club. Marian could remember when her mother 'forgot' to pick her up until 4:15 since Ceara had togo to a soccer game, and her mother didn't want to hit traffic through picking Marian up and make Ceara late. Funny thing though, they lived less than ten minutes away from the school, and even in traffic, it would take little time.

" Good Morning!"

Marian pursed her lips. The prince of the household had obviously won the WWF match for the bathroom, and was now gracing the room with his presence. And he was choking up the available air with the grandiose scale of Richard's ego.

" Richard!" Her mother greeted loudly, running over to him and giving him a loud kiss. Marian almost gagged. " Did you sleep well? Did you have enough pillows? I'm sure Marian will give you some of hers if that's ever a problem."

" I'm fine mom." Six-year-old Richard smiled. " Mornin' Dad."

" Mornin' Jr." Her dad looked up from his languid perusing. The fluffiness of the moment annoyed the hell out of Marian, and she finished off her bagel. She was the oldest, whatever happened to favoring the oldest? In medieval times, they left everything to the eldest. Well, eldest male, but still.

" I'm off to school." Marian stated. " See you."

Still no response other than her father's grunt and acknowledging nod. Rolling her eyes once more, she grabbed the car keys from the basket of keys hanging on a nail next to the door, and hefted her heavy backpack. Waltzing out the door she breathed in the fresh morning air.

" Why can't I have normal parents?" She sighed deeply.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Jack

Another day dawned in Jack Manning's life. The expensive clock on his bedside table told him so. He was rich, good-looking, and captain of the football team, what more could he ask for? Well, a girlfriend, but he wasn't looking for one at the moment. All the girls wanted him too, with his dark brown hair and eyes that never seemed to lack warmth, muscular frame, and athletic talent. One look, and Jack sent all the girls reeling, fanning themselves so much that their hands were blurs.

Jack went through his drawers of designer clothes, putting together a tasteful ensemble. He had become quite good at following trends, and his parents' money made sure he got the best. Jack didn't necessarily want all of that, but he wasn't going to turn down the money his parents gave him in allowance before they ran off to some other meeting or spa.

Checking his phone, Jack saw that he had two messages. He would check them after breakfast, since he didn't have the time right then. Plus he had a math test in a few days, and he still didn't understand the material, so he would have to study for that.

Sliding down the meticulously polished banister, he entered the kitchen, wondering what he would fix for himself. Jack had become a person that could run the household really well. He could cook, clean, even sew, and look after kids. A lot of countless hours with nothing to do ended up with the development of new skills.

He yawned as he set the frying pan on the stove, checking the clock to make sure he still had a lot of time. Senior year wasn't too bad, and playing football at the varsity level was fun.

Five minutes to when he was supposed to be leaving for school, Jack decided he would listen to those two messages. The first was from Cyndi Fields, the head cheerleader who was always talking to him, showing off at practices, and writing him notes during class. It was really annoying since he didn't like Cyndi-in that way.

" Hey Jack, it's Cyndi. I'm calling cause I thought you were like, so like, incredibly good at practice yesterday, and I was like wondering if we could grab a bite of something like that sometime? Okay, gotta go! See you in school!" It ended with a loud kissing noise on the other end. Jack rolled his eyes. Cyndi was getting really annoying. The second message was from Larry Greyson, a co-worker and kid from school that Jack had been hanging out with.

" Ah, hey, it's your man Larry! I had an awesome time hanging with you yesterday after work. Maybe we could do it again sometime soon? Oh, and by the way, I can definitely help you with your math homework. See ya' later! Peace and Love man!"

Jack allowed himself a small smile. He had enjoyed that too. The thought struck him as a bit unsettling.

" Why can't I be normal?" He groaned, shaking his head and running a hand through his hair.

~A/N: So what did you think? I'd really like to know. Marian is the character I added, and she is completely based off my friend MK. You should read her stuff, it's really good, if only she would update -hint hint MK-. Her penname is OutlawEris, right here on FP. (holds hand out to MK for money for advertising. JK!) Aight, so click the silver button and review! I promise things will clear themselves up, since right now I'm trying to introduce the characters, and set the idea of what their problems are. All the best!~