Penny sighed and sat back in her chair at the dinner table. Piper had asked
if she could stay the night at her new friend Melody's house. Penny was a
little uncomfortable with the idea, seeing as she didn't know Melody or
Melody's family. Plus, Piper herself admitted that she'd only known Melody
for a couple of days. "Piper, I just don't think it's a good idea."
Piper's jaw dropped open and she let her fork drop onto her plate with a clatter. "But Grams--"
"No buts," she said, clearing her throat. "We'll talk about it after dinner. Finish your ziti."
"Why can't we talk about it now?"
Prue and Phoebe exchanged a silent surprised glance. They were both thinking the same thing: it wasn't like Piper to talk back to anyone. Their grandmother fixed a stern glare on Piper. "Because I said we'd talk about it later. Now, finish your ziti, or you may be excused from the table."
Piper angrily stood up, wrapping her hands around the edges of her plate. "You can try all you want, but you're not my mother. You never will be." She picked up her plate and full glass of milk, turned on her heel, and carried her things back into the kitchen.
"Piper Halliwell, get back here!" Penny yelled at Piper's retreating form. She cringed when she saw Phoebe make herself small in the chair.
"You said I was excused if I wasn't going to eat," Piper yelled from the kitchen. She slammed the plate down into the sink, dumped her milk down the drain, and slammed her glass in the sink as well.. Then, she stomped back through the dining room on her way upstairs.
Penny jumped up and followed Piper out of the room. She grabbed Piper's arm and gasped in shock when Piper violently ripped her arm away. "What has gotten into you, young lady?"
Piper narrowed her eyes at her grandmother, whirled around, ignoring her grandmother's pleas for her to stop, and stomped up the stairs. Penny let out an exasperated sigh and followed her granddaughter up the stairs. When Piper ran into her bedroom and slammed the door, Penny whipped it open and followed her in. "Piper, what is wrong with you?"
Piper wordlessly flopped down onto her bed, picked up her stuffed rabbit, and clutched it tightly. She was so angry that she was trembling, but she was afraid to say anything. She couldn't be sure of what she would say, and she didn't want to say anything else that she'd regret.
"Piper Ann Halliwell, when I ask you a question, you answer me," Penny said through clenched teeth. "What on earth has gotten into you?"
Suddenly, Piper's eyes filled with tears. She didn't know why she was so angry, she didn't know why she was acting like such a spoiled brat, and she didn't know why she had said what she did. "I don't know," she answered, choking up. "I really don't know."
Penny softened. This was the Piper she knew, the one who was a quiet and sweet, though a little unsure of herself. She crossed the room and sat down next to her granddaughter on the bed, wrapping her arm around Piper's shoulders. "Honey, I know the past few years haven't been easy for you. They haven't been easy for any of us."
"Not even for you?" Piper asked, sniffing back some tears.
"No, darling, not even for me." She pulled Piper onto her lap and pushed Piper's hair behind her ears. "I already raised my child. I never dreamed that at my age, I'd be raising three little girls. Plus, a parent should never outlive her child. But we have a nice little family here despite it all, don't we?" Piper nodded, gazing down at her hands. "Well, if we want to stay a nice little family, we have to talk to each other. If we don't, we're never going to make it."
Piper allowed the tears that had been gathering in her eyes to fall. "I'm so sorry, Grams. I love you. I love Prue and Phoebe, too, I really do, but sometimes I just want to be alone. I can't be alone here. But if I stayed at Melody's, I could get away for a little bit. I'm only asking for one night, Grams. Please just let me stay over there for one night."
Penny sighed. "I would, but I don't know her family, sweetie. I don't even know where she lives."
"You let Prue stay over at Corinne's before you knew Corinne's mom really well. And Melody lives down by the park. Please, Grams? You know you can trust me."
Penny sighed again, looking Piper over carefully. She was silently begging her with her eyes to say yes. Piper never asked for very much. All she wanted was this one thing. How could she deny her that? "Okay," she said against her better judgment. "You can stay over there. One night, though, Piper. We'll talk about any more once we see how it goes."
"Thank you!" Piper exclaimed. She dropped the stuffed rabbit and wrapped her arms tightly around her grandmother. She found herself echoing Melody's words from that afternoon. "You won't regret it. I promise."
**********
It had been almost a week since Piper had spent the night at Melody's. From what Prue could gather, Piper had had fun, but it wasn't easy to get even that much out of her. Ever since that night, Piper had been more distant than ever. She spent all day in the woods with Melody, and she spent her nights in her room with the door closed.
One night, Phoebe had walked in and caught Piper writing in a little notebook. Piper had flipped out. When Prue told Andy about what happened, he suggested that she try to find the notebook to see what was in it. At first, Prue had been opposed to the idea, but as Piper became more and more distant, Prue decided that the benefits of invading her sister's privacy outweighed the risks. If Piper found out, she would be furious, but Prue figured she could handle the screaming match. She had to find out what was going on with her sister.
She had set her alarm for three that morning, but she had been tossing and turning since she went to bed at eleven. She was way too nervous about what she was about to do to sleep. Squinting, she glanced at her clock, trying to see the face in the dark. It was quarter of three. Ehh, close enough, she thought as she climbed out of bed. She snatched the flashlight out from where she had hidden it under her bed, switched it on, and quietly tiptoed into the hallway.
She crept down the hall and eased the door to Piper and Phoebe's room open. Both of her sisters were fast asleep, Phoebe sprawled out on her back and Piper curled up on her side with her hands tucked under the pillows. She slipped into the room, keeping the flashlight pointed at the floor, and knelt down next to Piper's bed. Perhaps the notebook was hidden under her mattress. Carefully, she stuck one hand between the mattress and box spring, keeping one eye on Piper, just to make sure she wasn't disturbing her. She laid the flashlight on the floor and felt around under the mattress for a moment or two longer. She came up empty-handed. She sighed, pulled her hands out, and sat back on her heels. Where else could she look?
She smiled. She had suddenly remembered that when she had kept a diary, she kept it under her pillows. She raised herself up on her knees and bit her lip. How was she going to get under the pillows if Piper was facing her? Just as she was getting ready to give up and go back to bed, Piper rolled over onto her other side, sighing softly. Once Prue was sure that she wasn't going to wake up, she slipped her hand under the pillows. Her fingers hit what felt like a small notebook. She grasped it and pulled her hand out. Grinning when she saw the little red notebook in her hand, she sat down on the floor, shining the light on the pages.
Prue squinted. Piper's handwriting was small, and that coupled with the fact that she was trying to read under a flashlight at three in the morning hurt her eyes. She allowed her eyes to adjust and then began reading.
At first, there was nothing really drastic; it was all normal preteen stuff, the kind of things Prue herself felt when she was Piper's age. However, the entries started getting angrier just after Piper had met Melody. Piper wrote about craving privacy more and more and about how Melody was making her realize that Prue and Penny were refusing to recognize Piper's independence. Prue's jaw dropped open as she read, the handwriting getting messier as Piper grew angrier.
"Why can't they leave me alone? It's getting to the point that I'm starting to hate them. I'm not a baby anymore and they still treat me like I'm five years old! Phoebe gets more privacy than I do, for crying out loud. "Piper, where are you going? Who are you going to be with? What are you going to do?" Who freaking cares?! Melody's mother doesn't ask her all these questions! Why does Grams ask me? And don't even get me started on Prue. She needs to learn that she's my sister, not my mother. She's only two years older than me! But you'd never know it with the way she treats me. I'm starting to hate her, I really am."
Prue cast a concerned glance over at Piper before flipping the page. She never would have suspected that Piper was that angry. She gazed back down at the little book, finding herself disturbed by Piper's vivid emotions.
"Phoebe caught me writing today. I yelled at her. She started crying and at first I felt bad, but I got over it pretty quick. She should have knocked! I know it's her room, too, but the door's closed for a reason. I have no privacy here and I hate it! Melody's so lucky. She doesn't have any sisters who bother her, and her mom never asks where she goes or what she does. She has absolute freedom to do whatever she wants. I wish I had that. But no, I have to answer to Grams. And Prue."
Prue's attention was jerked from the book when Piper sat up in bed with a gasp, whatever dream she was having waking her out of a sound sleep. "Prue?" she asked groggily. "What are you doing in here?"
Prue quickly dropped the notebook into her lap and hoped that Piper was still too sleepy to notice. "I'm just checking on you guys. Go back to sleep."
Piper rubbed her eyes and turned to face her sister. "But--"
Prue picked herself up off the floor and sat down on Piper's bed, lying her sister back down. "It's okay. Just go back to sleep."
Piper closed her eyes and sighed, but she didn't argue. Prue waited until her sister's breathing became deep and even, then stood up with a sigh and settled herself back on the floor. That was way too close, she thought. I'll read just one more and then I'll put it back and go back to bed.
"I hate her, I hate her! She won't leave me alone! On the way to the park today, Prue tried to keep me away from Melody. She said that she thought I was spending too much time with her and that she's a bad influence on me. What does she know?! Melody is my best friend, and she's so not a bad influence on me. She's making me realize that I don't have to put up with being treated like a baby. And anyway, I can't leave Melody. She's lonely. She would never admit it to me, but she's very lonely. I don't think she has very many friends, and Prue is not going to tear us apart. I won't let her tear us apart."
Prue sighed, shaking her head, and stood up. She was going to put the notebook back, but then she changed her mind. This wasn't something she could just ignore. Piper was obviously going through something that she needed to talk about with someone. The writing was so angry that frankly, Prue was even a little scared of her. She left the room and eased the door closed, biting her lip. Piper was going to be furious beyond belief, but there was no doubt in Prue's mind about it. In the morning, she was going to have to show the notebook to her grandmother.
Piper's jaw dropped open and she let her fork drop onto her plate with a clatter. "But Grams--"
"No buts," she said, clearing her throat. "We'll talk about it after dinner. Finish your ziti."
"Why can't we talk about it now?"
Prue and Phoebe exchanged a silent surprised glance. They were both thinking the same thing: it wasn't like Piper to talk back to anyone. Their grandmother fixed a stern glare on Piper. "Because I said we'd talk about it later. Now, finish your ziti, or you may be excused from the table."
Piper angrily stood up, wrapping her hands around the edges of her plate. "You can try all you want, but you're not my mother. You never will be." She picked up her plate and full glass of milk, turned on her heel, and carried her things back into the kitchen.
"Piper Halliwell, get back here!" Penny yelled at Piper's retreating form. She cringed when she saw Phoebe make herself small in the chair.
"You said I was excused if I wasn't going to eat," Piper yelled from the kitchen. She slammed the plate down into the sink, dumped her milk down the drain, and slammed her glass in the sink as well.. Then, she stomped back through the dining room on her way upstairs.
Penny jumped up and followed Piper out of the room. She grabbed Piper's arm and gasped in shock when Piper violently ripped her arm away. "What has gotten into you, young lady?"
Piper narrowed her eyes at her grandmother, whirled around, ignoring her grandmother's pleas for her to stop, and stomped up the stairs. Penny let out an exasperated sigh and followed her granddaughter up the stairs. When Piper ran into her bedroom and slammed the door, Penny whipped it open and followed her in. "Piper, what is wrong with you?"
Piper wordlessly flopped down onto her bed, picked up her stuffed rabbit, and clutched it tightly. She was so angry that she was trembling, but she was afraid to say anything. She couldn't be sure of what she would say, and she didn't want to say anything else that she'd regret.
"Piper Ann Halliwell, when I ask you a question, you answer me," Penny said through clenched teeth. "What on earth has gotten into you?"
Suddenly, Piper's eyes filled with tears. She didn't know why she was so angry, she didn't know why she was acting like such a spoiled brat, and she didn't know why she had said what she did. "I don't know," she answered, choking up. "I really don't know."
Penny softened. This was the Piper she knew, the one who was a quiet and sweet, though a little unsure of herself. She crossed the room and sat down next to her granddaughter on the bed, wrapping her arm around Piper's shoulders. "Honey, I know the past few years haven't been easy for you. They haven't been easy for any of us."
"Not even for you?" Piper asked, sniffing back some tears.
"No, darling, not even for me." She pulled Piper onto her lap and pushed Piper's hair behind her ears. "I already raised my child. I never dreamed that at my age, I'd be raising three little girls. Plus, a parent should never outlive her child. But we have a nice little family here despite it all, don't we?" Piper nodded, gazing down at her hands. "Well, if we want to stay a nice little family, we have to talk to each other. If we don't, we're never going to make it."
Piper allowed the tears that had been gathering in her eyes to fall. "I'm so sorry, Grams. I love you. I love Prue and Phoebe, too, I really do, but sometimes I just want to be alone. I can't be alone here. But if I stayed at Melody's, I could get away for a little bit. I'm only asking for one night, Grams. Please just let me stay over there for one night."
Penny sighed. "I would, but I don't know her family, sweetie. I don't even know where she lives."
"You let Prue stay over at Corinne's before you knew Corinne's mom really well. And Melody lives down by the park. Please, Grams? You know you can trust me."
Penny sighed again, looking Piper over carefully. She was silently begging her with her eyes to say yes. Piper never asked for very much. All she wanted was this one thing. How could she deny her that? "Okay," she said against her better judgment. "You can stay over there. One night, though, Piper. We'll talk about any more once we see how it goes."
"Thank you!" Piper exclaimed. She dropped the stuffed rabbit and wrapped her arms tightly around her grandmother. She found herself echoing Melody's words from that afternoon. "You won't regret it. I promise."
**********
It had been almost a week since Piper had spent the night at Melody's. From what Prue could gather, Piper had had fun, but it wasn't easy to get even that much out of her. Ever since that night, Piper had been more distant than ever. She spent all day in the woods with Melody, and she spent her nights in her room with the door closed.
One night, Phoebe had walked in and caught Piper writing in a little notebook. Piper had flipped out. When Prue told Andy about what happened, he suggested that she try to find the notebook to see what was in it. At first, Prue had been opposed to the idea, but as Piper became more and more distant, Prue decided that the benefits of invading her sister's privacy outweighed the risks. If Piper found out, she would be furious, but Prue figured she could handle the screaming match. She had to find out what was going on with her sister.
She had set her alarm for three that morning, but she had been tossing and turning since she went to bed at eleven. She was way too nervous about what she was about to do to sleep. Squinting, she glanced at her clock, trying to see the face in the dark. It was quarter of three. Ehh, close enough, she thought as she climbed out of bed. She snatched the flashlight out from where she had hidden it under her bed, switched it on, and quietly tiptoed into the hallway.
She crept down the hall and eased the door to Piper and Phoebe's room open. Both of her sisters were fast asleep, Phoebe sprawled out on her back and Piper curled up on her side with her hands tucked under the pillows. She slipped into the room, keeping the flashlight pointed at the floor, and knelt down next to Piper's bed. Perhaps the notebook was hidden under her mattress. Carefully, she stuck one hand between the mattress and box spring, keeping one eye on Piper, just to make sure she wasn't disturbing her. She laid the flashlight on the floor and felt around under the mattress for a moment or two longer. She came up empty-handed. She sighed, pulled her hands out, and sat back on her heels. Where else could she look?
She smiled. She had suddenly remembered that when she had kept a diary, she kept it under her pillows. She raised herself up on her knees and bit her lip. How was she going to get under the pillows if Piper was facing her? Just as she was getting ready to give up and go back to bed, Piper rolled over onto her other side, sighing softly. Once Prue was sure that she wasn't going to wake up, she slipped her hand under the pillows. Her fingers hit what felt like a small notebook. She grasped it and pulled her hand out. Grinning when she saw the little red notebook in her hand, she sat down on the floor, shining the light on the pages.
Prue squinted. Piper's handwriting was small, and that coupled with the fact that she was trying to read under a flashlight at three in the morning hurt her eyes. She allowed her eyes to adjust and then began reading.
At first, there was nothing really drastic; it was all normal preteen stuff, the kind of things Prue herself felt when she was Piper's age. However, the entries started getting angrier just after Piper had met Melody. Piper wrote about craving privacy more and more and about how Melody was making her realize that Prue and Penny were refusing to recognize Piper's independence. Prue's jaw dropped open as she read, the handwriting getting messier as Piper grew angrier.
"Why can't they leave me alone? It's getting to the point that I'm starting to hate them. I'm not a baby anymore and they still treat me like I'm five years old! Phoebe gets more privacy than I do, for crying out loud. "Piper, where are you going? Who are you going to be with? What are you going to do?" Who freaking cares?! Melody's mother doesn't ask her all these questions! Why does Grams ask me? And don't even get me started on Prue. She needs to learn that she's my sister, not my mother. She's only two years older than me! But you'd never know it with the way she treats me. I'm starting to hate her, I really am."
Prue cast a concerned glance over at Piper before flipping the page. She never would have suspected that Piper was that angry. She gazed back down at the little book, finding herself disturbed by Piper's vivid emotions.
"Phoebe caught me writing today. I yelled at her. She started crying and at first I felt bad, but I got over it pretty quick. She should have knocked! I know it's her room, too, but the door's closed for a reason. I have no privacy here and I hate it! Melody's so lucky. She doesn't have any sisters who bother her, and her mom never asks where she goes or what she does. She has absolute freedom to do whatever she wants. I wish I had that. But no, I have to answer to Grams. And Prue."
Prue's attention was jerked from the book when Piper sat up in bed with a gasp, whatever dream she was having waking her out of a sound sleep. "Prue?" she asked groggily. "What are you doing in here?"
Prue quickly dropped the notebook into her lap and hoped that Piper was still too sleepy to notice. "I'm just checking on you guys. Go back to sleep."
Piper rubbed her eyes and turned to face her sister. "But--"
Prue picked herself up off the floor and sat down on Piper's bed, lying her sister back down. "It's okay. Just go back to sleep."
Piper closed her eyes and sighed, but she didn't argue. Prue waited until her sister's breathing became deep and even, then stood up with a sigh and settled herself back on the floor. That was way too close, she thought. I'll read just one more and then I'll put it back and go back to bed.
"I hate her, I hate her! She won't leave me alone! On the way to the park today, Prue tried to keep me away from Melody. She said that she thought I was spending too much time with her and that she's a bad influence on me. What does she know?! Melody is my best friend, and she's so not a bad influence on me. She's making me realize that I don't have to put up with being treated like a baby. And anyway, I can't leave Melody. She's lonely. She would never admit it to me, but she's very lonely. I don't think she has very many friends, and Prue is not going to tear us apart. I won't let her tear us apart."
Prue sighed, shaking her head, and stood up. She was going to put the notebook back, but then she changed her mind. This wasn't something she could just ignore. Piper was obviously going through something that she needed to talk about with someone. The writing was so angry that frankly, Prue was even a little scared of her. She left the room and eased the door closed, biting her lip. Piper was going to be furious beyond belief, but there was no doubt in Prue's mind about it. In the morning, she was going to have to show the notebook to her grandmother.