Here's a good chapter! Please keep reviewing and enjoying this story! I hope y'all are enjoying this story.

~Soldier78~

Hidden Talents

Ch.6: Grandma Vortex

Dylan stuck out her tongue as she investigated a problem with her bike. She heard the back door open but didn't bother to look up.

"Hey Squirt." Her dad called, placing his hand on her baseball cap, on backwards, and gave it an affectionate shake.

"Hey Dad." Dylan said as she removed her hand from her bike chain, her hands covered in blacken grease. Jimmy noticed her sky blue eyes glaring at the metal contraption.

"Bike problem?"

"Yeah, it's this stupid chain." Dylan said, grunting as she worked.

"You want me to look at it?" Jimmy offered.

"Nah, I think I got it." Dylan said. "Thanks though, Dad."

It had been at least three weeks since the incident in the Neutron lab. Since then, Dylan and her father had forgiven each other however, Dylan refrained from asking her Dad for further help with science. She placed more effort into physics but still however, struggled.

"Well okay, I just came out to tell you that we're having dinner at your mother's parents tonight." Dylan heard him say. Dylan's eyes widened a bit and her lips fell into a distressed frown.

"Aw man, really?" She whined, her shoulders dropped in utter defeat. "Do I have to go?"

Jimmy gave a light chuckle.

"I know you don't have the greatest relationship with your grandparents but-"

"I'm fine with Grandpa, but Grandma…"

Jimmy could cringe at the mention of Mrs. Vortex from her daughter's mouth. The way his daughter spoke of her, it was out of venom and uncertainty. Cindy was also concerned for the failing relationship between grandmother and grandchild, she spoke to Jimmy about several times, trying to dissect and diagnose the root of the issue. There were three possibilities. A) She was still upset that her only daughter decided to marry the boy genius who was known for faulty inventions and destroying the town. B) Dylan was not turning out like her driven daughter or C) She was just naturally bitter and cruel, Dylan seemed to like that option the best.

"Sorry S quirt, but you'll get through it. You always do." Jimmy said. Dylan rolled her eyes and sighed in defeat, she glanced distantly at her bike. Her blue eyes turning from sky to ice at the mention of tonight.

"Fine." She said. Jimmy gave her a pat on the shoulder and walked away. However, he did stop and looked over his shoulder.

"Oh and Dylan?"

"Yeah Dad?"

"Behave."

Dylan rolled her eyes good-naturedly at her paranoid father.

"I always do, Dad."

Jimmy only shook his head, heckling as he walked into his house, letting Dylan return to her repair project.

Dylan hated wearing her khaki pants. They showed her ankles and she hated the unwanted breeze. They also made her look a lot more feminine than she wanted. She also had to leave behind her trademark baseball cap, so the top of her head felt naked except for the mop of her hair.

Dylan grumbled under her breath as the family of four approached the door of the Vortex residence. Upon the knock that Isaac wanted to perform eagerly, it was Mr. Vortex who answered the door.

"Well if it isn't my favorite Neutrons." He greeted with a large grin.

"Hi Grampa!" Isaac greeted with his little jump. Mr. Vortex laughed and picked up the boy.

"Hello Isaac, my you're getting big!" He informed with a hearty laugh, hoisting their son in the air. Isaac giggled and the parents only smiled, Dylan felt a bit of grin form. The grandpa looked at his granddaughter and gave her a fervent smile. "And hello, and you must be my granddaughter."

Dylan laughed and gave him a one arm hug.

"Hey Gramp." She said, using her pet name for her grandparent. Grandpa Vortex smiled and welcomed the family inside. Dylan glanced over her shoulder at her parents, Cindy remained impassive, looking about the old house that she grew up in while Jimmy gave his daughter a empathetic smile, Dylan faked her own grin when her grandma entered the foyer.

"Ah, if it isn't my Cindy." Sasha Vortex proclaimed in her deep, tenor voice. Dylan always tried to refrain from cracking up when she heard that unmistakable voice. Sasha gave her daughter a hug and looked at Jimmy. "And her darling husband."

"Good evening, Mrs. Vortex." Dylan wondered why Jimmy didn't call her 'mom.'

"And if it isn't my darling grandchildren."

Isaac of course, was oblivious to his grandmother's sardonic voice and gave her a hug.

"Hi Gram."

Dylan couldn't help but share a chuckle with her dad when she saw the look on Sasha's face, she was not impressed…it should've disturbed the parents but something didn't make it so.

At the dinner table, the family sat down. Dylan was sitting next to her brother and her grandmother. Jimmy sat next to his wife who sat across from her mother and Mr. Vortex sat at the head of the table. Sasha kept giving her granddaughter glances waywardly, studying her posture (which was pathetic and all slouchy). Dylan seemed to enjoy the hearty meal, shoveling it in her mouth, getting occasional glares from her mother. Sasha politely set down her fork and looked at her granddaughter.

"So Dylan, how is your academics coming along?" Sasha inquired. Dylan's eyes slightly widened in her usual comical way and she swallowed, she placed her spoon back on the table and looked nervously at the table cloth.

"Well…um…good." Dylan answered. "I'm passing my classes."

"I see…and has there been anything interesting happen to you?" Sasha added. Dylan cleared her throat.

"Um…define interesting." Dylan requested.

"Any accomplishments?"

Cindy looked up at her daughter with a nervous look. Dylan seemed to be a little downcast as she bit her lip, her white teeth showing. Dylan got herself together, shaking her shoulders a bit and looked her grandmother in the eye.

"I can dunk at the park's court." Dylan said. "I also beat the newest game from the Battleground franchise."

Sasha seemed bewildered at the Neutron daughter's response. It was just as pathetic as her posture, lazy and very disappointing but she kept her disdain hidden as she feigned a look of 'awkward approval' Dylan named.

"That is…most interesting." Sasha said, sardonically and Dylan could tell by the tone of her voice that it was seething and she winced, feeling a bit defeated for not giving the proper answer. Cindy could see the look of guilt in her daughter's face and felt sympathetic for her, a usual feeling when they visited her parents. If only Dylan had the will to be so accomplished, Sasha wouldn't ride on her as much. Dylan didn't deserve the scorn, she wasn't that bad of a child. Perhaps, she could have a nice, long talk to her mother. There was an awkward silence until Mr. Vortex broke it with the clear of his throat.

"So, you still love sports, don't you?" Mr. Vortex asked his granddaughter. Dylan's dreadful face changed to a brilliant grin, lighting up her face and bringing out her cerulean eyes.

"Yep, every day I play some basketball with Joey Estevez."

"Have you considered joining the school team?"

"Mom won't let me due to grades."

There was a mumble coming from Sasha that Dylan overheard clearly but she ignored it.

"You have a favorite sport?"

"It's always a toss-up between basketball and baseball, I don't do that softball junk." Dylan said with a dismissive wave.

"So who do you think could take the pennant, Astros or Rangers?"

"It's definitely going to be the Sox." Dylan informed with her confident grin.

Jimmy gave his traditional slanted grin at his daughter's excitement at the talk of sports. It was all the sudden when the Vortex patriarch and the Neutron offspring got into a long, debatable conversation about the MLB. It was nice that Dylan could get along with at least one Vortex, Jimmy seemed to have more respect from Mr. Vortex than from Sasha. Cindy only put a hand on her forehead in exasperation as Dylan debated with her father about batting averages. Dylan bragged about her infatuation with the White Sox, confident that they would end up beating the Tigers for the ultimate clinch.

The Neutron/Vortex males and Dylan were in the living room, watching one of the baseball games. Dylan sat on the couch next to her grandfather, boasting about how this next hit would be a home run. Cindy occasionally glanced into the foyer, seeing Dylan placing a bet with her dear father. Even though she was a bit peeved at Dylan's obsession of sports and not anything school related, she actually found fondness in the way Dylan interacted with her grandfather. She had a cool, overzealous grin on her face, just as lopsided as her husband's when he discovered a new scientific theory.

She paid attention to the dish she was just drying and setting in the rack. Her mother was doing all the cleaning.

"So your daughter seems to have a strange infatuation with sports." Sasha commented. "How did that happen?"

"She just turned on the TV and got sort of, hooked, I guess." Cindy answered, remembering the early days when Dylan would flip on the TV and watch ESPN instead of cartoons. "I kind of blame Sheen Estevez's influence on her when she went over to their house to play with Joey."

"Hmm…" Sasha hummed, nonchalantly. She scrubbed the china thoroughly and handed it over to her daughter. "I have a question for you Cynthia…has Dylan shown any sort of…academic potential?"

"Academic potential?"

"Has she accomplished anything, Cynthia?" Sasha rephrased, instantly, looking at her daughter with one hand on her hip.

"She's passing her classes, Mom." Cindy answered without looking her in the eyes. "She works really hard."

"Any AP courses?"

"…No."

"Honors?"

"She's in only one." Cindy answered, honestly. "But she's doing really well."

There was a burst of laughter coming from the foyer, Cindy, using her motherly instincts, knew the musical laugh of her daughter. She rarely giggled, most of her laughs were guffaws.

"I don't know where you went wrong, Cynthia." Her mother chastised with an ashamed expression.

"Pardon?" Cindy asked, completely shocked at her accusation.

"It's obvious that Dylan is struggling and showing absolutely no competition or driven attitudes." Cindy heard her say.

"Yeah but she's-"

"I would expect more from a Neutron, especially more from a Vortex." Sasha accused with a wagging finger. She sighed and dropped her hand. "I do not understand, I raised you to be competitive and I expected you'd do the same for your children. Maybe I should've seen this coming when you married the boy genius who destroyed the town nearly every week."

"Are you calling my husband a failure?" Cindy accused back.

"The least I would expect is your daughter inheriting your husband's intellect." Sasha retorted. Cindy only gave a glare at her mother, completely taken aback for the bashful behavior towards the grandchild.

"Mother, I know you don't like Jimmy but you can't just…think that my daughter is completely worthless. I know she's not…"

"She hasn't accomplished anything, Cynthia. By the time you were her age, you were already a master at seven different martial arts and up at the top of your class." Mrs. Vortex reprimanded.

What they didn't know was that behind the white painted wall, Dylan hid. Her ear pricked at the call of her name and her mother's voice. She could hear the harsh tone of her grandma and the desperate voice of her mother.

"Worthless?" Dylan mouthed to herself in confusion and instant hurt which she tucked away inwardly, her disdained eyes fell upon the hardwood floor as she processed the disappointment and the bitterness. Dylan released a sigh and walked away.

Cindy could hear the scuffle of her daughter's feet. Even without the shoes, her stomps could be heard and Cindy could tell it was Dylan by her shadow.

"Oh no…"

To be continued.

Please, click that button.