DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything related to "Meet the Robinsons" or "High School Story: Class Act," I only own Diana, Karena, Nikki, and Wesley.
I ended up in the hospital the entire week, and it was the most depressing week I ever had. The only time I was allowed to get up was to use the bathroom, and I had to go every time with assistance as I had to learn to use crutches. But, I was never alone. My dad stayed with me while everyone else was at school, and while he was at work, Caleb, Emma, and Rory had paid visits to me, helping me get caught up with homework and what's going on around school. Mom and Wesley also paid me visits to talk about my day and how Wesley's baseball 'career' was going. Nikki had even paid me a couple visits after she heard of my accident, and she assured me that Staples High School started the new school year on the right foot, which made me very happy, despite Brian still attending that school.
Today, I was finally going home. Dad, Caleb, and Emma guided me from the car to the house, and when I set my crutches against the wall, I had to hop to the couch, which was a pain.
"How does it feel to be home?" Emma asked with a smile on her face.
"Uh, AMAZING!" I exclaimed. "I'm so glad to be out of that hospital!"
"Oh yeah, speaking of which, Amy says she's sorry for the accident," Caleb replied, rubbing his neck.
"Well, you can tell her 'thank you for thinking about me' for me," I replied. "I know she's my dad's boss and all of that."
"Wait, what?" Emma asked with a perplexed look.
"I forgot Wilbur's boss is also named Amy," Caleb replied with a chuckle. "Amy Jenkins, one of the freshman actresses. Oh! I forgot to tell you, she got cast as the princess! Rory wanted me to tell you."
"A freshman got a lead part?" I asked in surprise. "Looks like I'm an inspiration to our new students!"
"Well, either that or she's so talented she got her own source of inspiration," Emma replied.
"Anyway, Amy told me that the only theatre cube she could find had wheels," Caleb explained.
"Caleb, it was an accident," I replied, interrupting my boyfriend. "It could have happened to anybody. I'm just so thankful to have so much support from my family and the entire school."
"Oh, and then there's Amy's twin brother, Adam—"
"Oh my goodness, Emma!" Caleb exclaimed, interrupting my friend. "He is something else!"
"He's talented, too?" I asked.
"Yeah, he's Frank's understudy on defense," Jeff explained.
"Ah, football."
"We played our first game against Staples yesterday, and Brian had hit Frank so hard that he had to come out of the game and Adam got put in. But Adam was AMAZING! If it wasn't for him, we wouldn't have beat Staples."
"Adam and Amy… they sound like two people I should meet sometime," I replied, putting my index finger on my chin.
"Well, I haven't met Amy," Emma explained. "But from what I hear of Adam from his girlfriend Amber Hutchinson, he's super nice."
"Amber held a party last night and the whole school as in attendance," Emma explained.
"I played pool with Sydney and against Ajay," Caleb explained. "That was how I officially met Amy. Amy found Ajay and recognized me from somewhere."
"Probably when you walked me to the audition," I replied.
"Maybe. She was asking about you and saying sorry for the accident. I told her that if she was talking to you, you would tell her to do her best in the play."
"You know me so well," I replied. "Guys, it was an accident. I'm not going to hold a grudge for an accident. I'm just going to keep moving forward." I paused, glancing at my leg. "Even if it is one day at a time."
"What are your plans going to be with that leg?" Emma asked.
"The only chores I can really do are dishes and setting up the table."
"Nope, just setting up the table." I heard Dad chime in, and we all turned to face him. "Dishes wash themselves now, remember?"
"Dad, someone still has to put them away."
My dad held up an index finger as if to say something, but then he put it down.
"Touché," he replied, walking away.
"Emma, Caleb, I was going to ask you if you could help me carry my stuff."
"Anything for you, Diana," Caleb replied with a smile. "Do you need me to come over early to help you?"
"Actually, can you just pick me up? I want to make things easier on my parents, especially since Dad's going back to working day shifts."
"And I can drop you off form cheerleading practice!" Emma exclaimed with a smile.
"Emma, aren't you still on a permit?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Not anymore! I got my driver's license just before the new year started!"
"YAY!" I exclaimed, hugging her and wincing at the same time.
"So how are you going to work on your leg?" Caleb asked.
"The doctor said that I needed to let the bones heal for a month," I explained. "After that, Dad is going to help me walk again."
"Your dad is a physical therapist?" Emma asked. "He really can do anything!"
"No, my dad is not a physical therapist—"
"But thank you for the compliment!" I heard Dad yell from the kitchen.
"Anyway, but Dad's gone through this before, and he knows more about the mental aspect of healing than anyone I've known."
"Diana, I'm putting you in charge of planning the pep rally."
I sat still, not happy that I had to miss cheerleading practice because of my leg, and also not happy that I needed help carrying my things. Suddenly, I saw a hand waving in front of my face.
"Diana?"
"Huh, what?" I turned to look at Maria.
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine."
"Diana, I know that look," Michael chimed in. "Another crappy day?"
"No."
"You can tell us anything!" Sydney said with a smile. "We're all here for you."
"That is the point of homecoming, after all," Maria said with a smile. "Being there for each other at one of the most crucial parts of the year. Now what's on your mind?"
"I just… wish things were back to normal," I explained, reflecting on my life with a broken leg the past two weeks. "Granted, there's no one out to get me this time. But I hate feeling so… broken."
"The Diana Robinson we know is not broken," Caleb chimed in. "She is a strong girl with a heart of gold and a mind of steel." I raised an eyebrow at Caleb. "Okay, maybe not steel, but you get my point. The theatre cube was an accident. Like your dad said, it takes time, and you'll be healed in no time."
"We're here for you, Diana," Michael said with a smile. "I mean that."
"Do you remember when you single-handedly planned last year's rally?" Maria asked, and I nodded. "I was the one in the dumps because no one shared my spirit but you. You lifted me up. Now, let us lift you up. We need to plan this pep rally with the game against Fairfield in mind."
"I'm the costume designer for the play," Sydney explained. "Maybe we can have the drama team act out a scene to start the rally?"
"That's a great idea!" I exclaimed with a smile.
"Autumn was nice enough to make shirts again," Maria said with a smile. "Even if she's away in college. We can toss those, and yes, Diana, you can do that."
"Should I ride my motorcycle again?" Michael asked, and we all chuckled.
"I think that was only because you needed to lift your spirit up," I replied. "But, we do need someone to dress up as the mascot."
"Oh, no. Not me!" Michael exclaimed.
"I got it!" Sydney exclaimed. "Rory can do it!"
"Oh my gosh, yes! Rory's the knight, right?" Sydney nodded, answering my question. "He can definitely pull it off as Troy!"
"I'll ask him at rehearsal tomorrow," Sydney replied, and we continued to talk about the pep rally.
Emma dropped me off after homecoming committee and cheerleading practice, and I found Mom cooking dinner.
"Hey honey. How was practice?"
"It was alright," I answered, not feeling my happy self. "Is Dad home?"
"You came home just in time," Mom answered with enthusiasm. "He's upstairs in our room."
"Thanks."
I hobbled up the stairs with my crutches, and then I hobbled over to my parents' room and knocked on the door.
"Who is it?"
"It's Diana."
"Hold on."
I waited at the door for a couple of minutes until my dad opened the door to reveal his brown eyes, black cowlick, and a big smile on his face.
"Hey, Diana. What's up?"
"Can we talk for a few minutes?"
"Sure. Come on in." I walked in and my dad's smile faded away. "You look like you want to get something out of your mind."
"It's Mom. I know it's been a couple weeks, but well, this whole breaking my leg thing happened."
"Did your mom say something that disturbed you?" Dad asked, putting an index finger on his chin.
"Do you remember when Mom said that I needed to work on my acting?" I watched my dad nod his head. "I actually felt down, and I thought she was doubting me. Has she ever doubted anyone before?"
"One of the things I love about your mom is that she sees potential in other people, no matter how talented they are. She has never doubted anyone, as far as I know of."
"Well, she said that I needed to work on my acting in a tone that said that I wasn't good at it. It really hurt when she said that."
"Did you tell your mom how you feel?" Dad asked, crossing his arms.
"No. I didn't know what to say."
"Just tell her what you told me," Dad replied, his smile coming back. "I'm sure she'll understand."
"Are you sure?"
"I'm very sure. But if you're uncomfortable after you talk to her, just let me know, and I'll try to talk to her. But this is between you two."
"Thanks, Dad," I replied with a smile on my face, and I hobbled out of the room and down the stairs to the kitchen.
"Mom, we need to talk."
"Diana, can this wait until after dinner?"
"No, I need to talk to you now."
"Well, you can help me cook dinner while we talk," Mom suggested. "Will that work?"
"I guess, but I don't know how much help I'll be."
"Diana, is everything alright?" Mom asked with worry in her voice.
"Mom, why did you doubt me a couple weeks ago?"
"What? What do you mean?"
"You said that I needed to work on my acting when I announced that I was auditioning," I explained. "It really hurt my feelings."
"Oh, Diana! I didn't mean to hurt your feelings," Mom explained, setting the spoon down and facing me. "I'm so sorry. I just… Diana, I've known you all your life, and acting is one of the things you're not as good at. I was just worried about you."
"Mom, you're saying it again," I replied angrily. "I thought we were supposed to be supporting each other. It doesn't matter if I'm good at it or not, I would have appreciated you to support me, not criticize me. But I guess it doesn't matter now, does it? I went to the audition and never got a chance because I broke my leg. I hope you're happy."
I got my crutches and hobbled over to the stairs.
"Diana, wait—"
"No, Mom. Forget it. Clearly you're only going to support me if you know I'll succeed."
"That's not what I mean at all—"
"That's exactly what you mean, Mom. I'll be in my room when you're ready to apologize."
"Diana, dinner's going to be—"
"I'm not hungry."
"Diana Evelyn Robinson, will you stop interrupting me for one second?" Mom yelled as I continued to hobble up the stairs. "We're not done talking!"
"Yes, we are, Mom!" I yelled back as I finished heading up the stairs and went in my room. I let out a yell as I laid on my bed, and I heard knocking on the door. "Go away, Mom!"
"It's Dad."
"Oh! Sorry! Come in!"
I watched my dad come in the door, and he sat on the bed.
"Let me guess: the talk didn't go as planned?"
"No. Mom said exactly the same thing she said back then. She said that she's known me all my life and that I wasn't good at acting."
"Oh dear." I watched as Dad put a hand on his forehead and shook it. "Well, I still think you're talented, and I'm not just saying that because I'm your dad and have also known you your whole life. I think you would have nailed that audition."
"Thanks, Dad. But it doesn't matter. What's done is done, and Mom got her wish."
"Diana. We're the Robinsons. We are known for our positive outlooks. Don't let the negativity of one person bring you down, especially if that person is your mom." Dad paused, letting out a sigh. "Though what your mom told you sounds out of character. I think this is a good dinner discussion."
"I kind of told Mom that I wouldn't go down to dinner."
"Well, now that's not an option. We're going to talk about this, and Wesley is going to learn a lesson from this, and so will your mom."
"So, Wesley, we're going to have a family talk about what we say to other people," Dad explained as we started eating our spaghetti and garlic bread.
"But I haven't said anything bad!" Wesley exclaimed.
"No, but you're going to witness this because you need to learn too." Dad paused, taking a bite of his garlic bread and then swallowing it. "So, Diana had a play audition to go to."
"And she broke her leg," Wesley chimed in.
"Well, before that even happened, Diana had mentioned it to us right here, and some words were exchanged that should not have been said."
"Wilbur, do you have to do this now?" Mom asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Yes, Karena, we do. Now, we're Robinsons. Our first job is to support one another in any new adventure. Life is not only about successes. It's about failures too."
"We tell people to keep moving forward," Wesley chimed in again.
"Well, yes we do, especially when we fail. But I'm going to tell you folks, right now, is that we are not going to tell people what they are not good at. Instead, we are going to encourage each other, and when we fail, we will do what Wesley said: keep moving forward. Bringing people down because they're not good at something is bringing down their self-esteem, and we don't want that, do we?"
I watched as Dad glared at Mom.
"Ooh, Mom's in trouble—"
"Wesley Wilbur, knock it off," Dad said, now glaring at my brother and pointing his fork at him. "That wasn't nice. What do you say to Mom?"
"Sorry."
"Now, Karena, what do you say to your daughter, whose feelings you hurt by telling her she wasn't good at acting?"
"I'm sorry, Diana, and I really do mean that," Mom said to me. "I guess I need a reminder once in a while too. I promise I'll be supportive in everything you do from now on."
"Thank you, Mom," I replied as I swallowed my spaghetti, and the rest of dinner went smoothly.