iGrow Up

That Monday marked the beginning of a very hectic week at Ridgeway High. It wasn't, of course, hectic for the entire school, just four sophomore girls in particular. The Puckett sisters were busy planning their Halloween costume party, Megan was paranoid over the birth of her new sibling, and Bridget Xi was nervous and panicky over her impending stage debut.

For the past twelve weeks, she'd been rehearsing one of her girlfriend's favorite plays. The Seattle Community Theatre was putting on Jesus Christ Superstar, under the direction of acclaimed New York actor Kurt Hummel, who had taken a year's sabbatical from his own career to relocate to the West Coast. Bridget was nervous as all-get-out that morning, standing at Melanie's locker.

"OhmyGod… our first performance is this weekend and I don't know if I'm good enough… Kurt says…"

Melanie interrupted her with a sigh and a gentle flick of her finger. It was the sort of thing she'd do to her sister, but this made sense. Her finger grazed Bridget's dainty little nose and the petite Korean girl immediately stopped talking.

"What was that for?"

"Just hush a second… You'll do just fine… and besides, my aunt knows him… they're friends… sort of… You know you can do this… just chill…"

Bridget blushed. She knew she was going just the slightest bit manic.

"Sorry… I just…"

Melanie ducked in close and snuck a peck onto the pretty girl's cheek.

"It's okay… you'll do fine… just chill…"

Bridget flushed a delightfully adorable shade of raspberry. Melanie smiled and continued talking.

"Oh, and honey?"

Bridget giggled.

"Yeah?"

Melanie decided to sneak another kiss.

"Relax… I love you…"

Before Bridget could form an articulate response, the moment was broken by the galumphing of Megan Marx. That redhead sure knew how to ruin a moment.

"'Sup, Nerds?"

Melanie muttered under her breath.

"What's that?"

"I said Good Morning…"
"Sure ya did, Kiddo… anyway, where's your sister? I gotta run, since it looks like my mom's ready to pop, and I could use a ride to the hospital."

Melanie could see the flaw in the fighter's logic, but handled it delicately. She didn't want to get shoved in her locker like a wadded-up set of gym clothes.

"She's in the bathroom… Even twins have to go sometime… Megan… Mr. Gibson's not gonna let you just go…"

It was the last thing in the world that Melanie expected, but she saw it anyway. Megan Marx began to crumble from the inside. The pretty blonde saw Megan's bottom lip begin to quiver. She knew that Megan wasn't always a killing machine. Something had broken inside of her. She was terrified of missing the birth of her only sibling. Melanie reacted the only way she knew how – with care and precision.

"Megan, look… don't cry… it'll be okay, I promise… Let me call my mom…"

Megan Marx fought back tears. All of their childhood, she'd done nothing but tease, taunt, and generally torment this girl, solely for the sport of it. She didn't entirely understand, but she allowed the thin blonde girl to hold her anyway, not thinking about who might see. She muttered into Melanie's shoulder.

"Why are you being so good to me?"

Melanie kept her voice quiet in an attempt to shield Megan's public persona.

"Because you love my sister…"

Melanie looked over to Bridget. She didn't need to say a word. With a gentle nod, Melanie dispatched her dainty little girlfriend to the ladies' room in search of her big, strong twin sister. It was time to go.

ACROSS TOWN, IL TERRAZZO CARMINE…

Sam Puckett's cell phone skittered across her desk. The Caller ID said that it was her youngest daughter. This scared Sam beyond words. It was barely eight A.M..

"What's the matter, Kiddo? Are you alright? Do I need to break somebody's head?"

Melanie reassured her Mama that all was well, more or less. She explained the situation quickly and allowed Sam to speak.

"Fine… all four of you… I'll be right there…"

Sam told Melanie she loved her and to be waiting for her. She ended the call and immediately began another. The phone rang quickly. She knew she had to jump through hoops first.

"Yeah, it's Sam Puckett… NO, you will NOT put me on hold… I need to talk to him NOW…"

The line rang again, finally going through to her intended party.

"It's Sam, you little shirtless potato… I have to pick up my kids…and their… yeah… just no questions asked, okay? Look… You and Tasha will eat for free for a month… Fine… be there in twenty minutes…"

A SHORT WHILE LATER…

Sam Puckett's van pulled away from Ridgeway High School, four teenage girls in tow. Reaching for her phone, she instinctively called Carly's cell.

"Hey, Cupcake, it's me… yeah, I just picked up the kids from school… Shelby's about to… ya know… Think you can meet us there?"

There was a brief moment of silence before Sam spoke again.

"I love you too, Carls… just breathe…"

This wasn't nearly as bad as usual, but Carly had gotten just whipped up enough to need a little gentle encouragement. This was what Sam was for. This was always what Sam was for.

"Are you sure you'll be okay, Cupcake? You're sure? Okay, then I'll see you soon… Drive safe… I love you…"

On the other end of the line, Carly's breathing subsided. She grabbed her car keys and headed for the door.

MEANWHILE, AT SEATTLE UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER…

Megan ran to Wendy as soon as she saw her. The two embraced fiercely, emotion taking over.

"Mom… is everything… I mean…"

Wendy smiled slightly, chuckling.

"You didn't miss anything… but… Mama did threaten to cause people bodily harm if they didn't give her drugs…"

Megan knew that childbirth was a painful proposition, but she still looked confused, as though something didn't entirely compute inside her brain. Wendy shrugged it off.

"Nevermind… just come here…"

Wendy held her daughter close. She wanted to savor a few minutes together while she could.

MEANWHILE, DOWN THE HALL…

Bridget Xi paced the floor nervously musically muttering to herself.

"Honey, what's the matter?"

"…Sleep and I shall soothe you, calm you and anoint you… myrrh for your hot forehead, don't you know Everything's alright, yes, Everything's fine, and I want you to sleep well tonight… let the world turn without you tonight…"

It took Melanie Puckett a moment to realize that Bridget was singing to herself – from her opening number as Mary Magdalene in the Community Theater's production of Jesus Christ Superstar , on which the curtain was to go up in a few short days' time. The blonde snaked her arm around the other girl's tiny shoulders.

"You'll do fine…"

It was at this moment that Melanie saw her two other favorite people coming down the hallway – Auntie Melanie, trailed by half a step by her Uncle Freddie. The two blonde women embraced, giving each other the dainty, gentle kiss on the cheek that family reserved for family and that women of a certain pedigree reserved solely for each other.

"I missed you…"

Melanie was winded. She and Freddie had quite literally come running.

"I missed you too, Love… this business… it's brutal…"

Melanie glanced over to the tiny Korean girl. Bridget had been her student recently, taking private voice lessons from the famous musician. Mythical Melanie smiled, leaned close, and planted a gentle kiss on Bridget Xi's forehead.

"Why, hello, Dear… Butterflies?"

Carly's youngest jumped in, shooting her aunt a serious look.

"Just a touch…"

Bridget blushed, feeling the heat of embarrassment creep in. She was caught between her girlfriend and the woman who was most recently her teacher. She was embarrassed, and didn't know what to say. She wanted to sink into the floor. Melanie Benson touched the little Asian girl gently. No one could say that Sam Puckett's older sister was anything but compassionate.

"They're just butterflies… unless it's something else…"

Bridget knew exactly what Melanie Benson could see in her. She was emotionally spent. She held herself together. There was nothing in the world, so far as she was concerned, worse than having her girlfriend and her famous aunt watch her fall to pieces like this – all in public, no less. She could bend, but she wasn't about to break. Not today. Not after what had gone on in her home. She wouldn't give her mother the satisfaction of ruining her moment.

Bridget stuffed her sadness down deep into the pit of her stomach. This ended here. She let her head loll gently onto Melanie Puckett's shoulder. She was warm and safe again. The quiet little blonde made everything better again. Bridget smiled. She felt more like herself again.

"Come on… we can't miss all the fun…"

Melanie smiled. It was good to have her girlfriend back.

A SHORT WHILE LATER…

Megan Marx wanted to be in the room, but she just couldn't – not right now. She paced, followed on her heels by Carly and Sam's oldest.

"Sweety, it's… come on… everything's perfectly okay… this is perfectly normal…"

Their conversation was cut off by Wendy Marx cursing a blue streak at Shelby. That too was normal.

Megan shot Ashley Puckett a serious look.

"Ash, I'm serious as a heart attack here… if you ever do that to me… I swear… I'm breakin' your hand…"

Ashley smirked. She knew Megan was all talk, just like her own Mama.

"Sure, Honey… sure you will…"