California Lovin'

The house erupted in children screaming, laughing, talking, playing... The sound of little feet slapping the cold, hardwood floor was like small explosions as her head pounded. She made her way through the kitchen, careful not to walk into any running children as she kept her eyes closed and rubbed her temples in attempt to sooth her monstrous headache. She groaned as her head hit the chest of who she assumed was one of her older brothers. Feeling his arms wrap around her, she allowed herself to break down in his arms.
"Hey!" Every breathing creature in the room froze and looked at him... Well, everyone besides her. "Everyone under the age of eleven, outside now. Becky, Haze, can you go keep an eye on them and take the babies? Leave May and Mac here."
Hazel nodded as her and her sister began to grab the young ones from their high chairs, "Got it, Joel."
The house was soon silent, besides the hushed cries coming from her and the rushed footsteps coming down the carpeted stairs. A male voice asked, "What happened?"
A young girl spoke up from behind the boy on the stairs, "Everyone was being loud so Joel sent them out."
The boy looked back to her, "Thank you, Ruthie. But I meant what happened to Brooke?"
"Same as why you spend every second locked up in your room or out on the streets; she's tired of all of us invading her house. I mean, you are too... right, Seth?" She looked up at him with pained eyes.
Seth was now facing her, squatting down on the step below her. He was holding her sides and looking up into her eyes, "Ruthie..."
The crying girl exploded, turning to face Seth and Ruthie, "Shut up, Ruthie! You don't get it. You don't understand what's going on. Don't act like Seth and I even concern you, because I know none of us do. You don't care. You're the one locked up in your room every second of every damn day. Get over it! Yes, I'm tired of children running and screaming throughout my house at every hour of the day, but I've gotten over it. Yes, they drive me insane, but I'm getting used to it and I still love them with everything in me. Yes, I'm crying and having a breakdown, but it's not because of them. It's not anything you would know about. Seth doesn't even know. Tony doesn't even know. You wanna know who knows? Joel. He's the only one in this damn fucked up family that I tell things to. I don't even tell my best friend anything anymore. Don't act like you know what's going on."
Seth looked at Brooke in disbelief as Ruthie ran up the stairs in tears. He stood to his feet, in the middle of the stairs, facing Joel and Brooke, "Brooke!" He descended the stairs, standing in front of his sister now as tears poured down her face too, "We're all going through shit right now, but you can't just go off on the poor kid! She doesn't get how it works yet and she's got shit to deal with too. Don't be a bitch, sis."
Joel spoke up, "Dude, you don't even know what's going on. You don't see it, do you? Yeah, we all got problems and some of these kids got it worse than others. Ruthie being one of them. We know her parents died. We know she's haunted by the memory of finding them dead after coming home from school one day. We know what's wrong with the kid. And we've tried to help, but we can't help her if she won't let us. Brooke has tried day and night to get that kid to talk, to get her to let people in, but all that goes down is Ruthie pushes everyone away. It kills Brooke. And did you even bother to find out why Brooke is crying? Or why Brooke might've had a breakdown and took it out on Ruthie? Be a good big brother, and find out what's going on in your sibling's lives. Don't be an ass because you happened to witness the one time someone was mean to Ruthie. Maybe take an interest in someone other than yourself for once."
Brooke searched Seth's face through her blurred vision.
Seth blew up, "Be a good big brother? Man, you wouldn't know the definition of being a good big brother. Do you know how many tears I wiped from my little sisters' eyes. I've been there for Brooke and Serine and Max and I'll be there for May. But when have you been there for your siblings? Huh, Mr.I'magoodbigbrother? Tell me about one time you've been there for Will or Jake. Oh wait, you haven't been. Because when your mom was real sick, you didn't give a shit. You did you. You were out on the streets selling pot. You had nothing to do with those kids."
Joel got in Seth's face, anger coursing through his body, "You don't know shit, Seth. I was out on the streets to protect those kids. I was out selling drugs and shit to get money to support those kids. My mama could not provide for us. My mama was dying and my dad split. I stepped up and did whatever it took to make sure those kids would have food and clothes and a place to stay even after our mom died. I got a name out there and everyone knew not to mess with my little brothers because of who I was. I got them protection from the worst of the worst. And you wanna say I wasn't a good big brother? I didn't ask for your family to step in and take us. I didn't ask for shit from you. I had it taken care of."
Seth shoved Joel, "You had it taken care of? You would've died out there if my parents didn't take you in."
Joel shoved Seth back, "I wanna see you last one day out there."
"I don't need to last one day out there. I take care of my siblings. I have nothing to prove to you!"
Joel tackled Seth to the ground. The two started a full out brawl, only stopping once they heard a high pitched scream. They looked back, Joel still on top of Seth, as the two of them bled and bruised. They saw one of their younger sisters standing in the doorway to the house, holding one of the babies.
Seth asked, worry ringing through his voice, "Hazel, what's wrong?"
The girl was bent over from crying so hard. She shrieked, "Someone call an ambulance! Somebody!"

Notes

It'll make a little more sense the farther into it we get.