Chapter 54:

January 2, 2026- Seattle Washington

"What's wrong with you?" Aimee asked, sounding as if not only did she not care, but also like she really didn't want an answer. She walked into the kitchen, not even looking at her crying sister and grabbed a coke from the fridge, "What? Do you cry all the time now or something?"

"You are so stupid," Celine mumbled through tears.

"You are the one crying at the kitchen table. If anyone here has to be stupid, I think you have all the symptoms," Aimee said. She opened the pantry and grabbed a snack before turning her attention back to her sister, "Where are our parents anyways? Dad still being an ass?"

"Dad being an ass?" Celine said, her sorrow quickly turning into rage as she stood up, "I think you are the one being an ass. I just got a call from Mom. Dad is in the hospital and you are just standing there calling him an ass! Dad could die right now and you don't fucking care. No wonder no one in this house gives a damn about you." Celine hurried away from her stunned sister and walked out the front door, slamming it behind her.

Aimee didn't move. She hadn't since her sister had said where her parents were. The hospital. And that her father could die. Like really die. No pulse, never coming back, die. And she had told him that she hated him, just last night.

May 5, 2026- Seattle, Washington

Celine walked into her house and placed her keys and purse next to the door. As she walked into her living room, she saw her sister watching television with a guy that Celine had seen around school a million times.

"Um, Aimee can I see you for a sec?" Celine said, making her arrival noticed.

Aimee reluctantly moved off of the guy's lap and walked across the living room. Celine grabbed her arm and pulled her into the dining room, shutting the doors behind them. "What?" Aimee asked innocently.

"Isn't that Luke?"

"Yeah. And?" Aimee asked.

"Dad told you to stay away from him," Celine said.

Aimee rolled her eyes, "Well I haven't seen Dad around much lately, have you?"

"That's cause he's been in the hospital for three months getting chemotherapy! You are so insensitive!" Celine yelled.

"Me? I'm insensitive? What about him?" Aimee asked, yelling back.

"He's aloud to be insensitive. He's your father. He's just looking out for you," Celine said a little quieter, trying to calm down.

"Okay, well what is your excuse?"

"Aimee, I've seen him around school. I know the kind of people he hangs out with. They aren't good people," Celine said, almost in a hushed voice, afraid that Luke could hear them.

"Those people are my friends, thank you very much!" Aimee said defensively.

"Since when? What happened to Kayla and Nikki?" Celine asked, referring to the two girls that Aimee had been best friends with for years.

"They are total sluts now. Luke and his friends are the people I like to hang out with, get over it," Aimee said, dismissing the issue as if it was nothing.

"Aimee, you don't get it do you? He's into drugs. I see him smoking pot behind the school all the time. You aren't like that. You're better than that!" Celine yelled, forgetting that Luke was in the house all together.

"You don't know Luke. You don't even know me. All you care about is your perfect little life that Mommy and Daddy made all perfect for you," Aimee shot back.

Celine was about to say something back when the dinning room doors opened. They both shot their angry faces towards the door and saw their mother. As she opened the doors farther, they could see their father. Weak, but finally home.

"What is going on in here?" Meredith asked, angrily.

"Nothing," Aimee said rolling her eyes and shooting glances at everyone before passing by them and running upstairs.

Derek looked at her as she ascended up the stairs and then at his other daughter who was closed to tears. Meredith gave him a glance that told him to just drop it. He walked further into the house and saw a confused boy sitting on his couch that he immediately recognized. Derek just shook his head and turned towards his room sarcastically muttering under his breath, "Welcome home."

"What the hell was that about?" Meredith asked, never noticing that there was an extra person in her house.

"Luke," Celine said simply.

"Luke?"

"Aimee's little pot head boyfriend that Dad forbade her from seeing that is sitting in your living room," Celine said making Meredith look.

Meredith walked over into her living room, "Umm, hi, I'm Mrs. Shepherd. You must be Luke?" she asked shaking his hand.

"Yes, Luke Johnson," he said standing up.

Meredith gave him a disapproving look, but tried to hide at as soon as she realized that she was, "I'm sorry, but Aimee can't really talk right now. She's in her room so maybe you should just see her tomorrow."

"Whatever," he said as he walked past Meredith and out the door.

Meredith followed and walked back into the dinning room where Celine was still standing. "Go upstairs and tell your sister dinner will be ready in an hour," she said, deciding that she really did not have the energy to deal with this right now.