Focus

"You what?" Punk shook his head.

"Look I thought it was better coming from me than them." Rey shrugged, throwing her sunglasses onto her mother's kitchen table, "I.. I just dozed off. I was working late last night and I was really tired-"

"They're children, Reylissa. What if something happened to them?" Punk shook his head angrily.

"Look, I told them to always stay close-"

"They're four and six years old. It's not as simple as that." Punk said, "What if you couldn't find them? What if someone took them or something terrible happened to them? Huh?"

"I get it." Rey pinched the top of her nose, "Now I regret telling you." She mumbled to herself.

"Is this what you do every time you go out with them? You just let them play and ignore them?" Punk questioned.

"Are you kidding me?" Rey looked across at him, "If we're being realistic, dad… I probably spend more time with Lily than you do-"

"Don't push it." Punk warned as she stuck her middle finger up at him with narrowed brows, "Mature." Punk nodded.

"Well get off my neck." Rey spat, "I found them, didn't I? They just… wandered a little bit down to the sand to make a sand fort. They were having fun." She shrugged.

"Yeah whilst you were having a power nap apparently." Punk shook his head.

"What the hell is all the yelling for?" AJ walked into the kitchen, coming down from putting Amelia to bed, "You're going to wake Amelia." She looked at them both, "What?"

"Amelia and Lily wandered off today." Punk told her.

"Oh, you're such a tattle tale." Rey shook her head.

"Wait, what?" AJ shook her head with confusion, "At the beach?" She turned to Rey.

"I just… I fell asleep but when I did they were building sand castles right beside me." Rey nodded, "I didn't think they'd wander away like that-"

"You lost them?" AJ asked worriedly.

"For five minutes and then I found them. They didn't go far." Rey defended, "Actually… someone I know found them and was really nice to them and kept them safe." Rey said.

"Let me guess, an ex-boyfriend?" Punk shook his head.

"No, just someone I slept with." Rey corrected smugly as Punk shook his head, "I apologised, ok? I'm sorry, what more do you want?"

"How about be a bit more responsible?" Punk said, "A beach of all places, anything could have happened to them-"

"Ok, let's just be grateful that nothing did happen." AJ nodded, trying to be the voice of reason.

"Yeah, exactly mom." Rey agreed, "Why are you being such a negative Nancy?" She looked at Punk.

"Because that's my daughter, Rey." Punk shook his head, "She's not you. She's not lived her life. She's not twenty years of age with her own place and her life sorted out. She's four." Punk said.

"One, my life isn't sorted out." Rey scoffed, "And two, don't suffocate her because she's gonna hate you."

"Oh, I forgot you're the person to go to for parenting advice." Punk nodded.

"Well I had to raise myself, didn't I?" Rey spat as Punk looked across at her.

"Ok, cut it out." AJ warned them both angrily as they both looked at her, "Amelia and Lily are both safe and they're fine. Rey, please just be a little more alert, ok?" She asked calmly as Rey nodded.

"I'm sorry, mom." Rey nodded.

"Mom?" Punk shook his head.

"Yeah." Rey said, "You need to go calm down first." She advised as Punk just scoffed and shook his head, "And also… what's the deal with Amelia and Lily not liking one another? You both know that, right?" She looked between them both.

"They don't not like each other." AJ shook her head.

"No, they do actually. They constantly fight." Rey said, "Lily constantly wants to fight and when she actually decides to be nice, Amelia ignores her and doesn't talk to her. I don't know, maybe this is something you both should consider when you send them to hang out with each other. I'm not a child therapist." She made clear.

"They're kids. Why would they hate each other?" AJ questioned.

"Lily doesn't like the fact you hang here with Amelia more than you hang with her." Rey looked at Punk, "And Amelia hates the idea that you aren't her real father." She said, "Funny how their problems are revolved around you." She folded her arms, "Quite the pattern." She nodded to Punk who ran his hand through his hair.

"Wait, Amelia said that to you?" AJ asked Rey.

"No, but it's obvious." Rey said, "I'm all for you guys dating again, and yeah, you guys don't need to take care of me, that's fine but… I think there's a lot of things you aren't addressing with your children."

"How many kids have you had?" Punk questioned as Rey looked across at him, "Oh, yeah. None."

"Ok, that's enough." AJ said, "These things happen, Rey said she's sorry." She nodded, "And she's right, we need to talk to the girls and set this straight." She said, "They're kids. They don't understand things like we do." She said as Punk folded his arms, "You two arguing won't help any of this." She shook her head. She knew the only reason they both were fighting, was because they were so alike.

"The reason I have no kids is because I'm not responsible." Rey looked across at Punk, "Maybe something you should have considered." She nodded.

"I said enough!" AJ yelled angrily as Rey looked at her, "Cut it out." She warned as Punk smirked to Rey like a child, "You too!" She yelled at Punk whose smirk faded, "You two are the ones acting like children right now." She said with exhaustion.

"I was just being honest with you both." Rey said, "I apologise but nothing bad happened to them-"

"Thank you for telling us." AJ nodded, turning to Punk and glaring at him to say the right thing.

"Yeah, it's fine." Punk mumbled as Rey glared at him with suspicious eyes.

"Thanks for the sincerity." Rey nodded.

"Let's just leave it at that." AJ chimed in again, "We'll talk to the girls." She nodded, "And we're not… well we're dating but we're just taking things slow."

"Dad stays here every night. That's not slow." Rey scoffed, "Hey, I'm not against it. Believe it or not I actually want you both to be happy. If you told me I'd be saying that about my biological parents last year I would have-"

"Fought with them?" Punk asked, "Like you do with everyone."

"Maybe." Rey nodded, "My point is… you're both happy with each other so why… why hold back?" She said, "But you two being together means Amelia and Lily have to learn to get along. I mean they should be acting like sisters. Best friends. Not enemies."

"Yeah, I know." AJ nodded, "We'll sort it out." She said.

"Good." Rey said.

"Rey…" Punk shook his head, "I'm just… I don't get to see Lily as much as I'd want to. She means just as much to me as you do but… I'm raising her. I never raised you. I'm trying to make up for all the things I lost with you… through her-"

"Dad, she's not me. She's herself." Rey nodded as Punk looked across at her, "And yeah, you're right. You have her entire life to watch and that must be great because… you didn't get that with me." She said, "But if you suffocate her she will hate you and she will want as far away as possible from you." She nodded.

"I just want her to be safe. Just like I want you to be safe." Punk nodded, "Maybe when you have kids you'll understand how scary it is to think of anything happening to them-"

"I don't need to have kids to understand." Rey nodded, "I get it. Having little sisters is really new to me, I'm still learning." Rey said as Punk nodded.

"I get that." Punk said.

"You're both really good parents." Rey assured them.

"Well coming from the kid we put up for adoption, that's good to know." Punk smiled as Rey nodded and smiled.

"I don't give out compliments like that all the time." Rey said.

"We know." AJ smiled.

"So just… live your life, don't worry about me, fuck your exes, focus on each other and the girls." Rey said, "Finish what I messed up for you both."

"You messed nothing up." AJ assured her.

"Well I put things on a halt for you both." Rey corrected, "Lily and Amelia are both really lucky to have you both. I told them that I was jealous of them because they had each other." She said, "But I'm jealous that they both get to grow up with you both. So don't take any of that for granted." She shook her head, "Coming from a kid who had nothing… it means a lot to have someone." She nodded as Punk smiled, "I should get going." She said, picking up her sunglasses.

"You'll come around for Dean's birthday this weekend, right?" Punk asked her.

"Of course. I'd never miss a party with Dean." Rey nodded, "Again, sorry about almost losing your children." She said as they both smiled. She'd somehow found a way to humour them at times over the past few months, which was helpful.

"Yeah yeah." Punk nodded, opening his arms up as she gave him a hug whilst AJ smiled.

"I swear you two like fighting just to make up." AJ shook her head.

"By make up you mean… me getting the last word and winning every single fight?" Rey smiled, pulling back from the hug as Punk just rolled his eyes.

"Of course." AJ nodded.

"Hey." Punk said as Rey smiled, walking over and giving her mom a hug as Punk smiled to himself.

"I'll see you both at the weekend." Rey nodded.

Rey left her mother's house and headed home, walking into her apartment block where she saw Coby standing.

"Are you… stalking me?" Rey shook her head.

"Oh, hey. I thought it was this block." Coby nodded, "Not stalking. You left your bucket and spade at the beach." He said, revealing it behind his back.

"Well… I didn't leave it. My sisters did." Rey nodded.

"Well I thought it'd be best to drop it with you. I don't got their numbers or anything." Coby said as Rey looked at him strangely, "Sorry, that was a terrible joke." He immediately shook his head as Rey nodded.

"It was." Rey agreed, "Well thanks." She took the bucket and spade from him, "I mean, I'm sure this was so expensive, like a dollar or something." She nodded to him.

"You know there were two things I remembered about you from us hooking up… one, great in bed. Two, a bitch." Coby nodded.

"Sums me up just about right." Rey nodded, getting her keys out, "I feel bad that I don't even remember much about you." She said, "I'm trying so hard to remember what your penis looks like it's just… it's not coming through." She shook her head as Coby laughed a little.

"I mean, if you need me to refresh your memory-"

"Oh, stop." Rey scoffed, "What do you want?" She asked, "Because right now, I want to go to my bed… without anyone, before you add in another cheesy pick-up line." She rolled her eyes as he laughed a little.

"Would you believe me if I said I just wanted to return the spade and bucket for your sisters?" He asked.

"No." Rey shook her head as Coby nodded.

"Fair enough." Coby said, "That's all I wanted." He assured her as Rey nodded slowly.

"Well thanks." Rey said as he began to walk away, "And hey, thanks for… making sure nothing bad happened to them. I wasn't very responsible today so… you helped me out a lot." She nodded.

"Yeah, it was no problem." Coby assured.

"And thanks for saying I'm pretty." She smirked as he looked across at her.

"How did you-"

"Sisters tell each other everything." Rey shrugged as Coby smiled and nodded.

"Of course." Coby nodded as she unlocked her door.

"Goodnight." Rey smiled to him.

"Yeah, goodnight." Coby nodded to her as she walked into the apartment closed the door over.