A/N: I know, I know, it's been like… more than a month… I don't even have excuses or reasons I just got caught up in all the summer activities. Short chapter until I have more time to write next week. Review, please!

Amelia

"Kaleigh…" I sighed. She had chosen to get dismissed for the rest of the day since her office detention wasn't until tomorrow afternoon. Owen had rushed back to work so I decided I would drop her off and maybe stay for a while if she wanted. It didn't seem like she was going to want that, though. "I mean, we have options. You don't have to go to the office detention if we try the appeal…"

"I don't give a fuck about the office detention."

I smiled, catching her eye. "Duh. But that might send the message you want to that kid… Never mind, stupid idea. But for the record, I am proud of you. We both are."

Her eyebrows shot up. "You're proud of me for punching a kid in the face?"

"No, though it's badass, you shouldn't be punching people in the face. We're proud of you for standing up for yourself and fighting for what you believe in. I wish I had done better for myself when I was your age."

"Oh please," she rolled her eyes. "Lex tells me you were a huge badass when you were younger."

I froze for a second. "I don't think she was telling you the whole story. She probably just wanted to paint me in a good light, considering we weren't necessarily going to like each other right away."

"Yeah, that sounds like something she would do. But I do. Like you, I mean."

I smiled again. "I like you, too."

She couldn't help but chuckle at how cheesy we were being. "Thanks for coming today. There's no way… that would have happened in the past. She would have left me sitting in the office all day. Either of us."

"I'm sorry," I nodded.

"It's okay. It just sucks she was such an awful mother. But good that you're such a great one."

I couldn't help the tears that brimmed. I had always made fun of mothers who cried at everything their kids said or did, but I was starting to understand. "Are you feeling better after this weekend?"

"Much," she admitted. "Though I don't think I'm going to be able to just forget about it like I had planned. It was really… weird."

I nodded in agreement. "No, I don't think you'll forget about it any time soon. Is there anything I can do for you?"

"I wish I had a dog…" she said emptily.

I rolled my eyes. "A dog? Are you really using your current situation as a ploy to get a dog?"

"Can we?"

"Not now. There's a lot going on," I said.

"There's always a lot going on."

She wasn't wrong.

Alexa

It was easy to be okay in the midst of all of Kaleigh's drama. It was easy to be okay during class, or when I was at craft club, or with my friends.

Staring at the wall before falling asleep was when I didn't have to be okay.

And tonight, I wasn't okay.

I kept replaying what happened over and over in my mind. Maybe I misinterpreted. Maybe I hallucinated it. I kept just hoping that things were not the way the seemed, because that would be one of the worst things that could happen to me.

She isn't here. She can't be here in Seattle. She doesn't care about me. Or Kaleigh. So it doesn't make sense that a lawyer said to me that she's requested to see me.

Was it a lawyer? I suppose it could have been a PI.

Alexa Lane?

Yes?

I represent the offices of Ronald Ferrara. Your mother has hired us. She is requesting to see you. If you don't comply, legal actions may be taken against you.

I didn't think that they could technically do anything to me if I didn't want to see her, but I wonder if they were planning an appeal on the custody case.

I couldn't for a second imagine why she would want to see us again or take back custody of us. Unless it directly benefitted her in some way shape or form.

I remembered how much it sucked to have a concussion. Dizziness every time I stood, unannounced nausea, difficulty concentrating… not to mention the actual head pain that still sometimes came to me when I had spent too long on one task.

All of that, because of her.

She didn't even do anything to me today, I didn't even see her today, and she's affected me this much. What's going to happen if she tries to come find me herself?

I was lying on my side, facing away from the room, trying not to cry so that Lily wouldn't bother me and ask me what was wrong, and then of course not understand because her parents were awesome and loving and got her everything she wanted.

I wanted to text Amelia, or Kaleigh, but I knew that they were both probably caught up in Kaleigh's recovery from this weekend. That was way more important than anything else, but I was still just reeling.

I decided at last to call Meredith. I needed to hear someone else's voice. Someone close to the situation. Someone who would actually understand that this would probably really set me back.

Her cell rang a few times before she finally answered. "Hi, Alexa. What's up? I'm just coming back from dinner with Lexie, so I can't talk for long, but…"

That's right. I had completely forgotten that Meredith was dealing with the return of her relatives, though in her case, it was a return she actually wanted. Still, she must have wanted to spend as much time with Lexie as possible, since it's been so long, and my selfish mind didn't even think about that before calling.

"Sorry, I didn't realize you were busy. I'll talk to you soon. Bye."

"Wait," she said. "I'm just waiting for a taxi. What'd you need?"

"I didn't… I didn't need anything, really, I just… never mind, alright? I'm just going to go to sleep. Goodnight."

"Okay. Goodnight. Talk to you soon."

As I hung up, a few tears sprung to my eyes. Rationally, I knew it wasn't anybody's fault that they had other things going on, but it still sucked for me. I felt worse remembering the fact that everyone had been taking care of me for a while before that. Was I a hypochondriac? The second Kaleigh gets any attention, I had to make up a new problem for myself?

No, I didn't actually think that, but this was how my mother got to me. This is what she did to me. Negative thoughts that I can't control. Feeling like I was alone, and a burden to people when I tried to connect with them.

The victims of abuse support group I went to for like, two meetings had a lot of people who felt like that, so I guess that was something. Still, I could feel myself becoming something that I wasn't and I didn't like it. It didn't help that my own attempt to help myself was fruitless.

So, I spent the rest of the night staring at that wall, trying to sleep before my neuroscience class in the morning, but knowing it just wasn't going to happen.