Welcome to my newest story! For those of you who are unaware, this is a continuation of "To the Moon and Back." It's not necessary that you read that first, but it might help you understand the family dynamics. Anyways, this will be written a lot different than the other story. I guess I would consider that one a trial run for my writing. I finally figured out how to make the story the best it can be, so I decided to create this one instead. A date will be placed at the top of each chapter as a reference for how old everyone is. Enjoy!
September 5, 2032
The front door slams closed and a tiny head of blonde hair shoots straight up the stairs without saying a word to the four people sat at the kitchen table.
"Someone's pissy today," Christina mummers as she tips her glass of wine back and looks over to Tris who does the same.
"Is she PMSing or something?" Will questions seriously as another door slams shut from the second floor.
As soon as the words leave his mouth and door opens and a loud voice pierces the house. "I am not PMSing, Will!"
"Looks like she's not PMSing," Tobias says, clearly amused by the whole situation. Living in a house with two girls meant he was well versed in the art of menstruation. "Why don't you come down here, Athena," he shouts.
For the second time, the door opens and light footsteps trudge down the stairs. Athena swings along the guardrail and crosses her arms in front of her chest as she walks into the kitchen. Her hair is tied up in a messy ponytail from practice and she's still wearing her running shoes.
"What's with the attitude, sister?" Tris asks as she assesses her daughter's body in an attempt to figure out what's wrong. She's usually extremely intuitive when it comes to Athena's emotions, but right now she's at a loss.
"I had a really shitty day," she responds as she slumps into the empty chair, pulling an apple from the bowl in the middle and taking a bite out of it. Juice dribbles down her chin and she uses the back of her hand to wipe it off. "I did bad on my physics test and my splits were off at practice."
"I feel you, girl. Those first world problems are just the worst," Christina smiles as she takes another sip of wine. When it came to her relationship with the Athena, the best way Christina could describe it was that she was more of a big sister than an aunt.
Athena gives Christina a death glare and chomps on her apple angrily. "You know you infuriate me more than half of the time."
Christina raises her glass. "It's my job."
Athena rolls her eyes and slumps even further into her chair when more footsteps race down the stairs, giggles echoing off the walls.
"Oh shit," Christina murmurs as she glances expectantly at the staircase. "Double Trouble's on its way down here. Drink while you can, everyone."
"Thea!" The two boys scream as they see their favorite person at the table with their parents. Zander shoves his brother out of the way and races over to Thea, climbing on top of her lap and grasping onto her ponytail.
Elijah looks like he's about to cry but Christina jumps in before his tears have a chance to fall. "Eli don't cry, dude. I promise you'll have a chance to tackle Thea too."
A huge smile graces his face and he climbs onto Athena's chair from the opposite side of his twin brother, causing her to fall off of the chair and onto the floor.
Despite the fact that she's being brutally tackled, Athena plays along with the boys, gently throwing them off of her acting like she's hurt when they come back and climb on top of her.
"You know your mom and I could give you one of those if you want." Tobias says as he watches his daughter being attacked. "Just say the words."
"First of all, that's disgusting," Athena says as Zander wraps his arm around her head. "Second of all, you two are a little too old for that now." Eli jumps off of the chair onto Thea's chest and she groans, pushing his feet off her neck. "And third, I think I have my hands full here."
The front door opens and all eyes turn towards the front of the house. Zeke and Shauna make their way in with their two children, Gavin and Sophie, and Thea's eyes widen. As soon as they see her, they sprint down the hallway, joining the pile of kids already on top of her.
Eight little hands are pulling at Thea and she is soon hidden under a pile of kids.
"Hey where'd Thea go?" Zeke jokes as he stares at the group of kids currently acting like they're playing a game of football with their big cousin.
All of the sudden, she sits up, clearly out of breath. She gently pushes her cousins off of her and stands up shakily, stumbling when Gavin grabs hold of her ankle. Her shoe slips off her her foot and Gavin cringes.
"These smell bad," he complains as he plugs his nose dramatically.
"Well, that's what happens when you run seven miles a day, kid," Thea responds as she grabs the shoe from him. "If you'll all excuse me, I need to go change because I have somewhere to be."
Tobias's eyes instantly darken. "And where would that be?"
Thea stands up straight and looks right into her father's eyes. Over the past few years she's learned that the best way to handle her dad's tough exterior is to mirror it. "I'm spending the night at Ellie's."
"The same Ellie who has a sister with an apartment downtown?" Tobias questions as he sets his beer down on the table, studying his daughter intently.
"Dad she's at UChicago studying to be a doctor. She's a good person." Thea counters.
"Are you spending the night at Ellie's house or her sister's apartment?" Tobias questions.
Thea stands there silent and Zeke and Will have to turn their heads to keep from laughing. Any standoff between their best friend and his daughter was amusing to them.
"I don't see how that's relevant," Thea states defensively.
"I think it's very relevant considering the last time you told us you were going to Ellie's you ended up spending most of the night with James."
Thea ducks her head as all of the adults at the table stare at her wide-eyed. Obviously, they weren't aware of this. She sighs when she hears Christina trying to hide her laughter behind her hand.
"Not gonna lie, your girl's got game," Christina says to Tobias and Tris. Tris shoots her a dirty look, but Tobias's eyes never leave his daughter's.
"Thea spent the night with a guy?" Zander asks his mom innocently. "Did they wrestle like you and dad do?"
At this, Christina can't hold back anymore and erupts into a fit of laughter, only pausing when Tobias looks like he's about to explode. He gets up from the table and stalks into the kitchen, Tris following close behind. Once they're out of the room, all attention is back on Thea who is standing with her head in her hands.
"So, we're all waiting. Did you guys wrestle or not?" Christina hiccups, the wine catching up to her.
Before Thea has a chance to respond, Tobias's voice booms from the kitchen. "She's fifteen, Christina! She better not be so much as touching any boys!"
"Well, I think this is my time to leave," Thea begins as she examines the kitchen for any sign of her parents. "It's been lovely chatting with all of you. I'll see you tomorrow."
With that, she sprints up the stairs, taking them two at a time. When she reaches her bedroom she locks the door behind her and sits down at her desk, pulling her phone out of her backpack. When she powers in on she sees she has texts from both Ellie and James. Recently, due to the fact her and James were becoming more than friends, her parents were adamant about them being alone together, meaning she often had to use Ellie as a cover to be with him alone.
The only positive was that both her and James ran cross country at their school, meaning they got to spend a lot of time together away from her parents. She rolls her eyes when she sees a text from James asking why she just can't tell her parents that they're a couple. If only it were that simple, she thinks.
She sends him a quick text saying that her dad would probably kill him if he knew what they were doing and smirks when he doesn't respond. She tosses her phone to the side and pulls her laptop out of her backpack, automatically pulling up maps.
Though she has the majority of the city memorized like the back of her hand, it's still difficult to find restaurants she's never been to before. She plugs in the address James sent her and smiles when she realizes it's only a fifteen minute walk, a steal considering she lives in Chicago. Once she's certain she has the path memorized, she shuts off her laptop and walks over to her closet in search of an outfit.
She searches through shirts and dresses, turning her nose at how casual all of her clothes are. She's never been much of a girly girl and it was never a problem growing up, but now that she's in high school she's realizing that she might need to step it up a little bit.
She finally settles on a pair of black jeans and a white sweater that falls off her shoulder. As she changes in front of the mirror she pauses to look at herself when she's wearing a sports bra and spandex. Ever since high school cross country, she's gotten even skinnier than she was as a child, something she never thought was possible.
She sighs and pulls on her clothes, running her fingers through her hair to smooth it out. Once it's seven, she quietly makes her way down the stairs, grimacing when she hears the voices of her entire family. Knowing they're going to ask where she's off to, she tries to sprint to the front door but is stopped by her dad who holds the door shut.
"Dad!" she cries as she grasps the door handle firmly.
"Where are you off to?" Tobias questions as he keeps his hand pressed against the door.
"I'm going out to dinner with James, but don't worry, I'll be back before curfew."
"What happened to spending the night at Ellie's?" He questions, already knowing the answer. She was just using it as a cover to hangout with James.
"Ellie's actually not feeling too well. She got sick at practice and thought she would be fine but she's not." Thea lies.
"Hm. You'll be back before eleven?" Tobias asks.
"I swear," Thea says as she nods her head furiously.
"How are you getting home? I don't want you walking through the middle of the city at night." Tobias questions.
"James will walk me. He lives down the street."
Perfect, Tobias thought. His daughter's male friend lives right next to her.
"Okay. Be safe. Be smart. Call me if you need anything. I love you," Tobias says like he does anytime his daughter goes anywhere. It's their phrase.
Thea smiles at her dad and hugs him tightly. He hugs her back and smiles. If there's anything he hates, it's fighting with his daughter. Thea lets go and smiles up at her dad as she heads out the door.
He sighs and closes it behind her, trailing at the window for a few moments to watch her walk down the street. A dark-haired boy joins her side and Thea throws her head back in laughter at something he said. Finally, Tobias leaves his spot at the window and joins his wife and friends in the kitchen.
He sits down and Zeke slides him a beer, which he cracks open swiftly and takes a sip of.
"The kid's all grown up," Zeke sighs as he glances over at his and Christina and Will's own kids making a mess of their family room. "Can you believe she'll be sixteen in less than a year?"
"Don't remind me," Tobias sighs. "She grew up way too fast."
"Meanwhile we're all stuck over here with actual kids," Will laughs as he points to the little ones tackling each other in the room over. Zander has Gavin in a headlock and Eli and Sophie are jumping from couch to couch, trying to avoid landing on the ground.
Tris chuckles. "That's what happens when have a kid when you're still a kid."
"So this James kid," Will begins as he narrows his eyes at Tris and Tobias. "Is he a good one?"
"They met last year. He moved from California and joined the cross country team and him and Thea totally hit it off. They were just friends until the summer," Tris explains. "From what I can tell he's very polite and respectful."
"What's his family like?" Zeke asks as he shoves a handful of pretzels in his mouth. Athena was all of their daughter and they all took it as their responsibility to look out for her.
Tobias groans but Tris slaps his chest lightly, signaling for him to be quiet. "Well, Tobias would say they're assholes. I say they're just a little bit old-fashioned."
Zeke looks amused and leans back into his chair, folding his arms across his chest. "Old fashioned? How is that going to mix with Thea whose mom was pregnant as a teenager, works in a tattoo parlor, and whose family consists of two black dudes and a Puerto Rican?"
"They're assholes," Tobias mumbles.
"James is a lot different from his parents," Tris explains as she slouches into her chair, absentmindedly pulling her sleeve down over the array of tattoos that line her left arm.
"He must be or I don't think Thea would have kept him around this long," Christina mutters as Elijah runs into the kitchen and throws himself on her lap.
"Mommy Zander already fell asleep," he pouts.
"Your brother is a smart dude, kid," Christina says as she runs her hands through his hair, combing it over to the side. "Go put a movie on."
His eyes sparkle and he look up at Tris and Tobias, hopeful that they'll let him rent one.
"Go ahead, Eli," Tris laughs as she watches him jump up and down. "Do you know how to work the remote?"
He nods his head yes and bolts out of the room, shouting about how they're allowed to rent a movie. Used to their kids interrupting things, the conversation immediately returns to where it was when Elijah leaves the room.
"He better be different than his parents. Next time he's over let me ask him how he feels about Black Lives Matter and then we'll decide what to do with him," Zeke says as he rolls his sleeves up.
"We don't need a cop scaring this boy, too," Tris says as she shakes her head. "Tobias is intimidating enough as it is."
The rest of the night is spent with the adults playing cards and drinking as the kids sleep in the family room. In the middle of Shauna dealing out the deck for the next round of poker, the front door opens and closes quietly. Soft footsteps make their way to the stairs, but before Thea can make it her mom's voice floats through the house.
"Come say hi, Athena," Tris says as she examines her cards. When her daughter walks into the kitchen she raises her eyebrows. Thea is wearing a jacket she didn't leave the house with and her lipstick is slightly smeared, as well as her hair being tangled at the ends.
The card game seems to be put on pause and all of the adults look her over, noticing the same things. Finally, Christina speaks up. "How was your night, Miss Thee McGee?"
Thea rolls her eyes at Christina's nickname for her but can't help but smile as she recounts her night. James had surprised her by walking with her to the restaurant and when she got there, he paid for her meal and everything. Once they were done eating, they had taken the long way home, stopping in Millenium Park. There, they sat a bench for a while talking. Well, talking and kissing.
"It was good," she says, trying to sound nonchalant. She doesn't need them knowing about the whole kissing part or she'll never hear the end of it.
"What did you guys do after dinner?" Her dad questions calmly, shuffling cards between his hands.
"Walked around the park and then came home," she answers as she grabs some pretzels from the middle of the table.
"That's all?" Shauna questions with a glint in her eye, causing Thea to roll her eyes.
"That's all," Thea confirms, shoving the pretzels in her mouth so she can't talk anymore.
"I think you might be missing some of your lipstick, babe," Christina smirks as she taps at her lips.
Instantly, Thea draws her hands to her mouth and wipes along the edges of her lips, trying desperately to clean them up. However, all it does is smudge them even more.
"And… I think it's time for the Pedrad's to leave," Zeke says uncomfortably. He and Shauna both rise from their spot at the table and make their way over to the family room to collect their sleeping kids.
Christina and Will follow suit, each of them picking up one of their sleeping boys. They all kiss Thea on the forehead as they walk out. When Christina pulls away, she wiggles her eyebrows at her niece, causing Thea to shake her head.
"Thanks for having us over tonight, Eaton's. Next Friday it's our house," Zeke says as he makes his way to the front door. Ever since Thea was one, it had been a tradition to meet at someone's house each Friday night. Usually everyone made it, but Uriah and Marlene's attendance was usually spotty.
Tobias walks past his daughter and opens the front door, saying goodbye to the families as they leave with their sleeping children. While they're all filling out the door, Thea bolts upstairs to her room, closing the door softly behind her.
She immediately sits down in front of the mirror and grins at her smudged lipstick, pulling out a makeup wipe to take it off. Before she does, she traces her finger along her lips, smiling at the memory of being with James.
A knock on her door startles her enough to make her jump, but she calms down when her mom pokes her head in the door.
"What's up?" Thea asks as she turns in her chair to face her mom. Tris takes this as an invitation to to come in and make herself comfortable on her daughter's bed.
"Now that everyone's gone I wanted to talk to you about tonight," Tris says as she watches her daughter braid her hair for bed. "I can do that for you."
She takes the brush from her daughter and runs it through her hair, sectioning it into three pieces. As she begins to twist them, she looks at her daughter expectantly.
"James took me to dinner and then we walked around the park. It was really nice," Thea says as she watches her mom braid her hair in the mirror.
"So are you two dating?" Tris asks innocently.
Thea remains silent, but Tris takes it as a yes. She finishes the braid and pats her daughter on the shoulders to signal that it's all done. Thea turns to face her mom and sighs, running her hand down the braid.
"I don't want dad to kill him," Thea says seriously as she looks her mom in the eyes. "He hardly even let me go out tonight."
"Don't worry about your dad. He'll come around. You know how he is with us. It's in his blood that he feels the need to protect us," Tris laughs.
"Yeah but I'm fifteen. I can take care of myself now."
"Just stab me in the heart, why don't you?" Tris jokes as she pouts at her daughter.
"Not that that!" Thea says. "I still need you guys. I'm just able to make more decisions for myself now."
"Yeah and I think he's having a hard time with that. He still sees you as his little five year old."
Thea rolls her eyes. "He still treats me like one."
"I'll talk to him," Tris promises as she gets up off of her daughter's bed and kisses her on the forehead. "Sleep tight, bug."
"Goodnight," Thea smiles softly as her mom shuts the door behind her on her way out. Thea sighs and gets up to turn her bedroom light off, realizing that she's completely drained. She shuffles over to her bed and falls into it, pulling the comforter up to her chin.
Before she goes to bed, she turns her phone on and feels butterflies in her stomach when she sees she has a text from James. She unlocks her phone with shaky fingers and pulls up his message, grinning from ear to ear when she realizes he wants to see her again tomorrow.
She quickly reponds, telling him to meet her at the park at noon and then powers her phone off before she can see his response. She sets her phone on her nightstand and turns over on her back, staring up at the ceiling. As she's pulled into sleep, she can't help but trace her fingers over her lips lightly, relishing in the feeling of his lips against hers.
Let me know how you like it :)
