Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!
"Caleb, fix it!" Hanna groaned, hiding her head under the pillows.
Caleb reached for the alarm clock on the nightstand, struggling to find the snooze button.
"Got it." He mumbled as he turned the alarm off.
They lay quietly in their bed, peacefully drifting back to sleep. As they were finally getting back to sleep, their bedroom door creaked open, revealing a very small girl standing on the other side. She quietly walked to her parent's bed, dragging her Minnie Mouse blanket behind her.
"Mommy?" She asked quietly, her soft brown eyes staring intently at Hanna's sleeping form.
When Hanna didn't reply, the little girl lifted herself up onto the bed, grunting as she went along. She crawled over Hanna's sprawled limbs, and sat down beside Caleb.
"Daddy.." She said a little louder this time.
She patiently tapped his shoulder, bringing him out of his slumber.
"Hmm? Oh, good morning Hadley." He yawned, pulling his daughter down to lay next to him.
"Daddy, I can't go to school today. Tummy hurts." Hadley said in her best fake sick voice.
Caleb felt his daughter's forehead, feeling for a temperature. Hadley wasn't one to complain over small things such has her stomach hurting.
"Really? You don't feel like you have a temperature."
"It's true, dada. I simply cannot go." Hadley replied, throwing her arms up dramatically.
Their soft voices brought Hanna out of her peaceful sleep. She slowly opened her eyes to find Hadley cuddled up next to Caleb.
"Oh, crap! Come on Hadley we have to get you ready to go to school!" Hanna said rather loudly.
"Mommy said a bad word!"
"Did not!"
Caleb laughed at the mother/daughter duo. It was typical for Hadley to call Hanna out on saying swear words.
'Babe, she says her stomach hurts and she 'simply cannot go' to school." Caleb dramatically mocked his daughter's movements as he spoke.
Hadley simply nodded, displaying the best sick face she could possibly make.
"Well does she have a temperature?"
"No, I don't think so anyway."
"Well then she's fine. You know how she works." Hanna said, trying to let Caleb in on the fact that their daughter was faking.
"No, it's true!" Hadley whined, sticking her bottom lip out.
Caleb kissed Hadley's forehead in an effort to calm her down. Everyone knew that when Hadley's bottom lip stuck out, she was very close to crying.
"Go get ready with mommy so you can go to school, and if you get sick at school, I'll come get you. Alright?"
Hadley nodded, reaching her small arms out to Hanna. Hanna picked her up and kissed her forehead. After they made sure that they had Hadley's blanket, Hanna began to carry Hadley back to her room.
"Hadley, stop squirming and let me do your hair!" Hanna warned the wiggling little girl.
Hadley stuck her tongue out at her mother, looking at her through the mirror.
"Hey, watch it little girl!" Hanna laughed.
Hanna finished the headband braid that she was currently performing on her daughter's sandy blonde hair. She began to spray hairspray on Hadley's natural curls, but Hadley screamed and bolted out of the room.
"Hadley, get back here!"
"I can't, no I'm not doing that, I'm sorry!" Hadley squealed as she stood in place on the couch.
Hanna laughed, placing the hairspray back on the shelf.
"Are you ready to go to school now?"
Hadley quickly wiped the smile from her face and her whole body tensed up. She had been going to kindergarten for three days now, but she hated it.
"No, I need to say bye to daddy." She said quietly, jumping down from the couch and running to her parent's bedroom.
"Daddy, you gotta help me!" She cried, running to Caleb's side.
Caleb sat up in bed, turning to meet Hadley's gaze.
"What is it?"
"I can't go daddy, I just can't. I hate kindergarten and I hate teachers and I really hate stinky Seth Holder!" She screamed, crossing her arms over her chest.
Caleb suppressed a laugh at her last comment; she was always talking about how much she couldn't stand that poor kid.
"I'm sorry baby, but you have to go to school. I had to go, mommy had to go, and now it's your turn. You'll be alright."
"You don't get it!" She scoffed, climbing onto the bed.
"Well, explain it to me."
"I hate it!" She screamed like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"But why do you hate it?"
"A'cause."
Hadley looked down at her hands, picking at her little fingernails.
Caleb pulled Hadley onto his lap, rubbing small circles on her back.
"Will you tell me why?" He whispered.
"They don't like me, daddy. No one ever talks to me."
Caleb sighed heavily; he didn't think that a kid with such a strong personality would ever think so harshly about herself.
"They just don't know you, baby. Go in today and try talking to them. I'm sure they will all love you by the end of the day."
Hadley shook her head, grabbing onto her father's hand and tracing her small fingers over his wedding ring.
"I can't. I just want to stay home with you and mommy forever."
"Come on Hadley, you don't want to be late." Hanna said as she walked in.
As soon as she looked up to see Caleb holding Hadley, she knew something was wrong.
"What's wrong, baby?" She asked, setting Hadley's Minnie Mouse backpack next to the bedroom door.
"I don't want to go! They don't like me!" Hadley screamed in response, her hands immediately flying up to cover her face.
Hanna sat down next to them on the bed, lovingly stroking Hadley's hair.
"They do too, they're just afraid to talk to you. Just like you're afraid to talk to them."
Hadley sniffled, her hands still covering her face. Caleb gently pulled her hands away, finding tears streaming down her face.
"Hey, it's alright. Sometimes it takes time to make friends. I bet they're all just as scared as you are." He said soothingly, running the pad of his thumb over her tears.
Hadley shrugged in response, leaning into her father's embrace. She reached out and held onto Hanna's hand, tracing her fingers around the outline of her hand.
"Just give it one more shot, Hadley. I know they'll love you."
Hadley brought her gaze from the floor, looking up at her mother's eyes.
"You go with me." Hadley stated; a small hint of fear hiding in her voice.
"I'll go with you, and I'll stay until you make a friend. But only if you promise to try talking to them."
Hadley half smiled, nodding her head.
"Promise."
Hadley held out her small pinky, waiting for Hanna to interlock her pinky with it.
Once the pinky promise was fulfilled, Hadley turned around to face her father. She kissed his cheek and hugged his neck, holding on as tight as she could.
"I love you, daddy. I see you after kindergarten."
"I love you too, Hadley. I know you'll do great." Caleb smiled, hugging her back.
Hadley pulled away, turning to take her mother's hand.
"Okay, we can go now." She said shakily.
Hanna nodded, helping the small girl get down from the bed.
Thank you for reading! I don't plan on adding anymore to this, but if enough people want me to, I will consider it.
-Cassidy