I am out of my ADHD meds and I can barely pay attention to anything, which is why this chapter is so short. I hope that it's still okay.
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Chapter 4: Staring
It had been a week since the incident with Izzy's grandparents and it was just another afternoon when the Time Lords had just finished practicing. Shauna Blake was tagging along and had watched the practice. They were all at a nearby McDonalds, enjoying burgers and chips. Izzy and Stormageddon were at one table and Shauna and Sloane were at the tablel behind them. The two girls were talking about football, of all things. Izzy and Stormageddon were discussing the newest DLC for some of their favorite games. Only for the last minute or so, the teen boy was silent. He seemed to be staring in Izzy's direction with the same expression that Basil looked at her mum with in Paris. The taller teen, knowing that there's no way that the boy would be staring at her in that way because they were best friends, looked behind her, presumably in the direction that he would be staring. She saw Shauna talking animatedly with Sloane. Immediately, Izzy knew what was going on. She smirked and turned to face her best friend. Leaning in so that the other girls wouldn't hear her, Izzy quietly said, "Stormageddon, you're staring."
Stormageddon immediately looked away, blushing vividly, and mumbled, "No, I'm not!"
"You like someone." Izzy said knowingly. "And I know who it is."
"What makes you think that?" Stormageddon asked quietly.
"I've seen that expression before." The tall brunette said with a smirk. "It's the way my dad looked at my mom when he was pining for her in Paris before they got together. I definitely know who you like. You..."
If it was possible, the teen boy's face would have turned even redder. He seemed about to deny something when Izzy finished, "... like Shauna."
"I-I don't like Shauna!" Stormageddon stammered. "I mean, I like her, but not in that way!"
Izzy smirked once more and asked, "If you weren't staring at Shauna, then who were you staring at? You certainly weren't staring at Sloane."
Stormageddon stared down at his burger and mumbled, "No one."
Izzy gave her friend a pat on the shoulder and said, "Don't worry. Your secret is safe with me. You can tell your crush when you're ready."
"Right." Stormageddon mumbled. "When I'm ready."
Then the conversation went back to video games. Izzy was quite happy and chill with the conversation but for some reason, Stormageddon looked awkward. He was a boy. She figured that he'd calm down eventually. She didn't know about Shauna, but Izzy knew that her relationship with Stormageddon would remain the same regardless of whether or not the new girl in their group rejected him. Izzy and Stormageddon were, after all, best friends.
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It was heading towards mid-October and the weather, as always was not what could be described as happy weather. Clara wondered if 'happy weather' was even a thing. Her daughter hadn't even been able to find a place to practice with her band and seemed quite miserable about it. It was something that was important to her. Clara understood that. The girl was currently in her room, sulking and playing video games in her sushi-print pyjamas. It didn't help that the teen was menstruating and was moody and hormonal. If that was any indication, Clara's own period would probably start the next week. Dealing with a teenager and a baby was tough enough without dealing with that. She was considering getting an IUD or something to stop her periods. Speaking of said infant, he was sitting on the floor playing with his toys. He was a fairly well-behaved child, at least as far as children his age went. Izzy had been way more difficult at that age.
It was then that Izzy decided to make her appearance. She headed into the kitchen where Clara and Jack were. She got out some bread and popped it in the toaster. While it was toasting, she got out a knife, a plate, some butter, and some jam. After a few minutes and some preparation, the girl had some toast and jam. She sat down at the table and grumbled something under her breath. Clara raised a brow and asked, "What was that?"
Izzy grumbled under her breath once more before saying, "I said that I hate my life."
"Izzy," Clara sighed, "You're fourteen. You won't be a teenager forever."
"Well, I'm sick of it." Izzy huffed. "The kids at school are fucking assholes."
"Izzy!" Clara said angrily. "Do not swear in front of your brother!"
It was then that I tiny voice piped up. "Iddy."
Clara and Izzy's heads both snapped in the direction of the baby on the floor. He was looking up at them, grinning and showing his baby-teath. "Was that-" Clara tried to say, but Izzy interrupted her.
"Jack-Jack, did you just talk?" Izzy asked.
"Iddy!" Jack repeated himself.
Clara held back a groan. She had carried him for nearly ten months and his first word hadn't been 'Mummy' or even 'Daddy'. It was his sister's name. It wasn't fair. Then again, Clara thought, her oldest child's first word hadn't been 'Mummy' or 'Daddy', either. It had been 'no' because of course it was. They were in the car and a fly had gotten in and wouldn't leave Izzy alone. Clara's own mum had told her that her first word was 'fuck' because her dad kept swearing around her. He stopped after that. Oh well. At least Jack had finally said his first word. She was starting to get worried. So, instead of frowning, the thirty-something mother smiled and said, "Great job, Jack!"
Parenthood had its challenges no matter what the child's age was, but it was so very, very rewarding. Especially at times like this- first steps, first words, etc. Jack was already walking, albeit unsteadily, but until today, he hadn't said a word. Izzy had spoken at nine months, but Clara knew that it would be unfair to compare her two children. No two children were exactly the same, even as teenagers. As a former secondary school teacher, she was quite aware of this. Sometimes she missed her job, but she also liked to work at home so she could spend more time with her children. The story she was currently writing was about a bank heist on an alien planet. Hopefully her publisher wouldn't be an asshole about it like he had with one of her previous books. It was hard to describe him in words that would not include profanity. However, this was not the right time to think about him. She had to call Basil to tell him about what Jack had done.
Whipping out her mobile, Clara sent a text to her husband.
Clara: Call me when you can. It's important.
To Clara's surprise, seconds later, her phone rang. It was Basil. She quickly answered it. "Hello?" Basil said over the phone.
"Basil!" Clara said with a grin. "You wouldn't believe what Jack just did!"
Basil let out a sigh and asked, "What did he break?"
Clara rolled her eyes and said, "He didn't break anything, Basil. He spoke!"
"He spoke?" Basil sounded very excited. "What did he say? 'Mummy', I suppose."
"No." Clara responded. "It was actually 'Izzy'."
Basil let out a laugh and said, "Of course it would be Isabel's name. Her first word wasn't 'Mummy', either."
"I'll call my family. Then I'm going to share it on Facebook." Clara anounced.
"Too late!" Izzy piped up. "Already shared it on Facebook. I also included a video."
Clara let out a sigh. Of course her daughter would beat her to it. "Whatever." Clara said. "I'm still going to share it."
"Whatever." Izzy said. Clara could practically hear her daughter roll her eyes.
A hormonal teenager, a baby, an exasperated mum, and a crazy dad. It was a day of firsts and connection between family members. Jack had said his first word and everyone in this family was thrilled about it, even the hormonal teenager. How Clara had met her husband had been... unconventional to say the least, but they had truly become a real family. Things were always crazy, but that was just another ordinary day in the Foreman household and Clara wouldn't have it any other way.