Change
"Sorry about Theo's dad. You'll give him a hug from us, yeah?" Thea asked, sitting in her kitchen with Jude, on facetime to Cassie.
"I will." Cassie said, "I'm not sure if we're gonna stay out here longer. Jude, how receptive do you think Sean would be to that?" She wondered.
"He misses you guys but that's because he thinks you're his best workers. Don't tell him I told you that." Jude said, "But I think given the circumstances, Cass, he'll be fine about it. It's a shitty situation."
"Yeah, it is." Cassie nodded, walking around a grocery store with Lena in her stroller and Chase walking beside, "I should go. I'm in a grocery store trying to get things to make for breakfast."
"Wait. Tell her your good news." Thea nudged Jude.
"Oh, yeah." Jude smiled, "Cassie, I'm gonna design a children's book. I'm gonna illustrate it." She told Cassie.
"Get out of here!" Cassie yelled, watching a few other customers turn to look at her, "Oh my God." She whispered once she realised she was in public, "Jude? That's incredible. Way to go."
"Thanks." Jude smiled bashfully.
"I'll take five copies." Cassie said, "Oh, I miss you guys." She frowned, feeling a pang in her chest for a three-way sister hug.
"We miss you." Thea said, "You can keep us up to date with how things are going. Don't go radio silent on us."
"I'll try not to." Cassie said, "Jude, have some champagne on me and I'll pay you for it when I get back." She told her sister.
"Go finish your shopping." Jude smiled, "Give the babies kisses from their favourite aunties." She said.
"I will." Cassie said, "See you guys." She waved, kissing the screen before hanging up and tossing her phone in her purse.
She continued to make her way around the supermarket, trying to navigate her way towards the bacon and eggs.
"Mommy, I'll have these." Chase showed her the waffles.
"Of course you found waffles." Cassie smiled, "Ok, babe. Put them in." She lowered the basket where he tossed the waffles in, "Are you gonna help me make daddy breakfast when we get back? I'll need help." She told him.
"Ok." Chase said.
"Ok." Cassie smiled, messing with his hair.
"What the hell is that?" Thea walked into her parents living room where her father and uncle were wallpapering one wall, "That is the ugliest fucking wallpaper I've ever seen in my entire life." She emphasised.
"Thank you." Punk nodded, "Your mother picked it out."
"Jesus." Thea winced, "It is way too cheerful and happy for this family. What happens when a fight breaks out in here and that wallpaper is just staring at us all? Begging us to be happy?" She shook her head.
"I kinda like it." Dean shrugged, "Nice colours."
"It's hideous." Thea said.
"Is there a reason you're here?" Punk asked, stepping up onto the ladder whilst Dean pasted the paper and handed a strip up to him.
"Yes. Me and Sean are secretly planning a little surprise celebration for Jude. At The Lobby. Saturday night. Just to congratulate her on the new job." Thea said.
"Well that's nice and sisterly of you." Punk said, impressed.
"I know." Thea smiled to herself, "7pm the table is booked for so be there on time. She thinks it's just her and Sean that are going." Thea said.
"Saturday. 7pm. Got it." Punk nodded.
"Where is mom?" Thea asked.
"Yoga with Renee." Punk said.
"I think it's hot yoga." Dean corrected.
"What makes it hot?" Punk turned to him curiously as Dean shrugged, "Thea, is this strip straight?" He asked.
"Sure." Thea nodded, without looking properly as Punk rolled his eyes, "I gotta go. Don't forget Saturday!" She called to them as she left the house.
"You want to have a coffee break?" Dean folded his arms, "We've been working hard. We deserve it."
"Yeah, man. You're right." Punk agreed, climbing down the ladders and examining the very sad, two strips of paper they'd managed to apply throughout the course of the whole morning.
"Coffee time." Dean clapped excitedly, making his way into the kitchen as Punk followed.
"I need a change." AJ nodded, walking along the street with Renee, coffee in their hands and yoga mats under their arms.
"What kind of change?" Renee asked.
"I don't know." AJ said, "In appearance?" She wondered, "I've looked the same for way too long."
"Aren't we too old to change our appearance?" Renee asked.
"There are no rules." AJ smiled to her.
"That is true." Renee said, "We could put on a bunch of weight. I got recipes." She nodded to AJ.
"That's not a bad idea." AJ nodded, "Maybe I should get a tattoo. A big one." She thought to herself.
"I don't think you can pull a big tattoo off." Renee shook her head as AJ turned to her.
"I could pull it off." AJ said.
"Why do you need to change anything?" Renee asked.
"I've looked the same since Cassie was a kid." AJ huffed.
"You had bangs." Renee pointed out.
"Don't. Let's not talk about that. I was clearly in a very bad place." AJ shook her head.
"Does anyone suit bangs?" Renee laughed, "I sure as hell didn't."
"I just want to feel a little different, you know? Change something up." AJ nodded.
"Is this because you're decorating? Just cause you're living room is changing doesn't mean you have to." Renee assured her.
"I'm aware." AJ scoffed.
"Maybe we should try a new hobby." Renee said, looking back at AJ who had stopped in front of a hair salon, staring at the model on the poster on the window who had purple hair.
"If you do it, I'll do it." AJ turned to Renee with a grin.
"Ah, the worst phrase of all time." Renee nodded, "It is a great colour." She admitted.
"Come on." AJ smiled, opening the door to the salon, turning back to Renee who waited for a second.
"Ok." Renee smiled, feeling excited as they headed into the hair salon.
"So… how did it go?" Cassie asked, sitting outside at a café across from Theo.
After breakfast, they'd gone out for a walk, stopping in at a café to get Chase some ice-cream which he was currently focused on. Theo had gone off to call Matthew whilst Cassie was ordering.
"How I expected it to go." Theo nodded, "He barely said anything. I actually had to ask if he was still there at one point."
"Well he'll probably be in shock." Cassie said.
"He said he's not coming." Theo nodded.
"And how do you feel about that?" She asked him as he shrugged.
"It's his decision. I think I can understand." Theo said.
"Maybe he'll change his mind." Cassie said, "He's probably gonna have to let it sink in."
"I didn't think he'd come anyway." Theo said, "They haven't spoken since he was sixteen. I know my relationship is hard with him but… Matthew and him really have no relationship. At all." He said.
"Give him some time to digest it." Cassie said, "He might change his mind and decide to come over."
"Not likely." Theo shook his head, "Hey, buddy how is the ice-cream?" Theo asked Chase.
"Good." Chase nodded enthusiastically whilst eating the ice-cream cone which was beginning to melt down his hand.
"You gotta be quick. It's gonna melt." Cassie chuckled.
"I'm trying." Chase assured her as they smiled watching him have a race against the sun.
"What do you think I should do?" Theo asked her, "Should I be visiting him every day? Seems kinda fake. And we'll end up at each other's throats."
"Why don't we go back in a few days? Have dinner again. Maybe figure out some kind of schedule? Take it from there." She said as he nodded, "Maybe we could even go out for dinner one night, if your dad is feeling ok." She suggested.
"Yeah maybe." Theo nodded, running his hand through his hair as she frowned. She knew it was taking its toll on him. She heard him toss and turn in bed all night. She could feel just how unsettled he was just by looking at him, and she hated it.
"What was your favourite thing to do? As a little kid living here?" She asked him.
"Play football." Theo said.
"Ok." Cassie nodded to herself, "Ok, well you know I'm a soccer girl. And Chase is a soccer guy." She said, "But I think you should teach us how to play." She said as he chuckled a little.
"In our apartment?" He chuckled.
"No." Cassie scoffed, "Take us to a field. Some place you always played. Didn't I hear Manny say that they still play from time to time?"
"Well yeah but-"
"Ok so take us and teach us. I'll pack us up some dinner." She nodded, "What do you think, Chase?" She turned to her son, "Should daddy teach us how to play football? And maybe we can teach him how to play soccer? Cause he really stinks at it."
"Hey." Theo chuckled.
"Yeah, I wanna play." Chase nodded excitedly as Cassie turned to Theo with a smile.
"Alright." Theo nodded, smiling as he watched Cassie grin. There was no doubt in his mind that she was keeping him sane right now.
"I don't think this is in the football rule book, Cass." Theo said, with Cassie on his back, arms clinging around his neck as she tried to stop him from reaching the touch down line on the football field.
"No?" Cassie questioned.
"No." Theo assured her as she jumped down from his back, grinning innocently at him as he fixed his t-shirt which she'd almost ripped off in the process of trying to stop him.
"Well I'm definitely not a football girl." She realised.
They'd packed up dinner and gone down to a football field which Theo was familiar with since he was a kid. Luckily it was empty and they had it all to themselves. Whilst Theo showed both Cassie and Chase the rules, he was pretty sure neither were stars in the making.
"I politely agree. I think I have imprints of your nails on my neck." He scoffed as she chuckled.
"You wanna eat?" She smiled, linking her arm around his.
"Please, before you break me in half." He nodded as she smiled, walking over to the picnic blanket at the side of the field which they'd set up.
Chase was playing with his football just beside whilst Lena snoozed in her stroller.
"If it's any consolation, you haven't looked this fit in a while." She said, sitting down on the blanket with him.
"Yes, I'm mostly been an unfit slob previously." Theo nodded.
"Stop. You know what I mean." She smiled, "Since the shooting. Your body went through a lot. More than most could sustain really."
"I'm invincible." He nodded.
"Nobody is invincible." She shook her head as he smiled, reaching into the basket.
"What did mama make?" He asked, unpacking the food which Cassie had prepared.
"Chase! Come eat, baby." Cassie called, kneeling on the blanket and fixing up a plate for Chase.
"I'm playing." Chase made his way over to them unhappily.
"And you can go back to playing once you have some dinner." Cassie assured him, "The grass and ball will still be there."
"You don't know that." Chase said stubbornly.
"Mama knows everything." Cassie said, watching Chase turn to Theo for a second opinion.
"Go play." Theo nodded as Chase grinned happily, running back onto the field with his ball.
"Theo?" Cassie shook her head.
"What? He's having fun. He can eat later." Theo shrugged.
"Is my son growing up in an environment where a man's word is more important than a woman's?" She raised a brow at him.
"And when do I ever have the final say?" Theo scoffed.
"Still… you make me look like the nag." Cassie rolled her eyes.
"You are not a nag." Theo said, "A little overbearing but… not a nag." He teased as she threw a grape at him, pushing him over onto his back as he chuckled.
"Idiot." Cassie concluded as he smiled at her smugly, leaning back on his hands as he watched her break off some bread.
"I like the dress." He nodded, "God bless a sun dress."
"And god bless a breeze." She added as he chuckled, "You wanna see the sunhat I got down at one of the little markets today?" She asked, standing up and digging into the bottom of Lena's stroller.
"Oh, you can't pull one of those off. Nobody pulls those off." Theo said, watching her pull out the floppy, straw sunhat, placing it on her head as she twirled around.
"Well?" Cassie said, holding the edge of the hat, "Do we like it?" She asked.
"It might grow on me." He said as she smiled, taking it off and sitting back down on the blanket.
"I really do love it here, you know." She told him, "Everything just feels real inviting."
"Well I'm glad you love it." He smiled, "And I'm glad we're here. Despite the depressing turn things have taken."
"You heard any more from Matthew?" She asked him.
"No." Theo shook his head.
"Give him some more time. There's a chance he might come round." Cassie nodded.
"Small chance." Theo added, "I'm not going to fight with him about it. That's not us. We'll deal with it and we'll move on. He's his own man. He can make his own decisions." He said confidently as Cassie nodded, listening as her phone buzzed from inside her purse.
"Who is disturbing my picnic?" Cassie scoffed, reaching for her phone, "Oh, it's my mom." She said, "Oh, dear God." She raised her eyebrows.
"What?" Theo said as Cassie turned her phone around to him, "Oh, that's your mom. With purple hair." Theo nodded casually.
"What the hell is she thinking?" Cassie scoffed.
"I like it." Theo shrugged, watching Cassie furiously typing, "You texting your sisters?" He said, more as a statement.
"Yes." Cassie said.
"You giving them into trouble for letting this happen?" Theo figured.
"Yes." Cassie nodded as Theo chuckled to himself.
