Chapter 23

Arya Stark POV

I've decided to join the robotics team at school, even though it's more than halfway through the school year. I know it doesn't exactly make me cool, but I've been thinking mechanics might be a fun thing to try. My mom pulls up to the school after my robotics club meeting, she doesn't usually pick me up from school.

"How was it?" She asks as I get in the car.

"It was fun," I say, putting my backpack in my lap. "I really liked it."

"Is it something you want to keep doing?" She asks as she starts driving away from school.

"Yeah, definitely," I respond. "But I don't want it to get in the way of fencing."

"Don't spread yourself too thin," my mom says. "I know fencing is important to you." I think my mom would rather I not do either, she's always been a little bitter that I'm not as girly as Sansa.

We get home, and I take my backpack up to my room and start unpacking my things. I walk back downstairs a few minutes later, and I can't find my mom or my dad. I see Jon sitting on the couch.

"Where did mom go?" I ask him.

"She went to meet dad to do some more work," he says. "I think it came up unexpectedly."

"What are we supposed to do for dinner?" I ask him. He just looks at me and sighs before getting up and walking towards the stairs.

"Bran, Rickon!" He calls up the stairs. "Do you guys want McDonald's? Then come down here." The boys quickly come barreling down the stairs, they're never one to turn down fast food. Sansa's at Margaery's house with Dany, and she'd probably decline anyway.

We get into the car and Jon drives us to McDonald's. I can tell he's agitated that mom and dad didn't tell us they wouldn't be home for dinner, but that's why they gave him an emergency credit card.

"Rickon, stop!" Bran yells from the backseat as we're waiting in the drive thru line. Rickon won't stop poking him, and Bran just shoved him.

"Hey!" Jon yells. "Do you guys want McDonald's at all? You better stop."

Jon pulls up to the drive thru and orders all of us food. Despite the threats, he still gets them food. He isn't good at standing his ground with the boys.

"Thank you for getting us dinner," I say. "Sorry it was so last minute."

"If mom and dad get mad at me for getting us fast food, that's on them," Jon says. "They need to plan better and stop forgetting that they have 5 kids at home."

We get home and Bran and Rickon run up to their room with their food. They're not really supposed to eat up there, but Jon doesn't stop them. It's easier to just let them do what they want. Jon and I go sit at the table and start eating.

"How was your first robotics club meeting?" Jon asks me as we're eating. I didn't know he even knew or remembered that my first meeting was today.

"It was a lot of fun," I respond. "I don't think mom is that excited that I'm doing it, though."

"Why not?"

"I think she wishes I was girly like Sansa," I say. "She's always had a hard time bonding with me. Well, both of us. But especially me."

"I know the feeling," he says. "I think you should keep doing it regardless of what mom says." I feel bad for him that he's the black sheep of the family, I know I would be if Jon wasn't around.

"How's Dany?" I ask.

"She's good," he says. "She and Sansa are at Margaery's house tonight. She had a lot of fun shopping with you guys, she likes you a lot."

That makes me smile. I always thought she'd see me as annoying, but it means a lot to me that she's actually trying to get to know me.

Daenerys Targaryen POV

I'm hanging out with Margaery and Sansa today, it's been a while since the girls from school and I did something altogether. We're all hanging out in Margaery's room, we're having a sleepover tonight.

"Dany," Margaery says to me. "What are we going to do when you're gone? We won't have anyone fun to hang out with."

"You'll be gone too," I say. She got into beauty school, which I know she really wanted to do after graduating. "So I don't know what you mean."

"I'll still be in town," she says. "I wish you would come to beauty school with me, I know you used to love that stuff."

"You know I can't," I say. "I have to start a real career, I have to make my dad proud."

"You should do what you really want to," Margaery says. "You know it'll make you happier."

I just shrug. "Making my dad proud is more important to me," I say. "And I like economics, just not as much as cosmetology. I need to have hobbies aside from my career, anyway."

"How's Gendry?" Sansa asks Margaery after a pause. "Is he worried about you graduating?"

"Why would he be worried about that?" She asks her.

"Because you won't be in high school and he will," Sansa responds. "I just didn't know if that was stressing him out."

"Not really," Margaery says. "I'll be in town, socwe can see each other all the time."

"Are you worried about being away from Jon?" Margaery asks me.

"A little," I respond. "I'll miss him a lot, but I'm confident enough in our relationship that we'll be okay. Plus, we'll only be an hour's drive from each other and we'll be back here during breaks."

"I'm sure you guys will be fine," Sansa says. "You know Jon really loves you." I smile at that. Sometimes it's hard to believe that he does love me, I feel like he's out of my league.

"How's school?" I ask them both. "Is Myranda still being a cunt?"

"Always," Margaery says. "What else is new?"

"She's mostly left me alone though," Sansa says. "She glares at me sometimes, but I feel like her hatred for me has died down."

"No," Margaery chimes in. "She still talks shit about you." That makes me sad, I know Sansa's struggling a lot and really doesn't need that right now.

"Marg, can I order pizza?" I ask her.

"Totally," Margaery responds. "Get one with olives." I grimace while taking out my phone.

"I'll get half olives," I say. "Sansa, what do you want on the other half?"

"I don't want any," Sansa responds. "I'm fine. Thank you, though."

"Are you sure?" I ask her. I haven't seen her eat anything, so it surprises me that she isn't hungry at all.

"Yeah," she says. "I really don't want any." I look at her and pause before picking up the phone and calling the pizza place.

Sansa Stark POV

Dany orders the pizza over the phone and then sits back down. It makes me sad that she isn't doing what she really wants to do with her life and career. I always thought she would make a great hairsresser and makeup artist, she's really good at it. I really hope she and Jon stay together regardless of what she ends up doing, I like that she's such a big part of both of our lives.

I don't even know what I want to do, but part of me wants to be a model. I've been thinking about that since I was younger, too bad I'm not skinny or pretty enough.

"Do you guys think I could model?" I suddenly blurt out. They all turn and look at me in suprise.

"Sure," Daenerys tentatively says. "You're definitely tall enough." She's right, I'm 5'9".

"I've been thinking about looking into that," I say. "It might be fun."

"You'd probably need to lose a little more weight," Margaery says. "Especially if you want to do any modeling overseas."

"I think you'd be good at it," Daenerys chimes in. "You have a good look for that."

"I never meant you didn't," Margaery says defensively. "It's just a really hard industry to break into."

I knew I was too fat, I shouldn't have even asked or brought it up. I've been thinking about getting into something like modeling for a while, maybe it's worth pursuing.

…

When I get home the next day, I head straight up to my room to get started on some homework. Of course Arya is up there reading on her bed when I walk in.

"How were Daenerys and Margaery?" She asks me.

"It was fun," I say. "It had been a while since we hung out all of us, together."

"Jon had to take us to McDonald's last night," Arya says. "Mom and dad had a last-minute work thing come up and completely forgot we exist again."

"God, that pisses me off. How can it be so easy for them to forget they have 6 kids?" I take my book for school out of my backpack and sit on my bed.

"Arya?" I ask after a long pause. She looks up at me. "Do you think I could model?"

She looks at me confused for a second. "Definitely," she finally says. "You're tall enough, and I've always been jealous of how pretty you are."

"Thank you," I say. "Margaery said I was probably too fat."

"That's ridiculous, you're definitely not. You're so skinny."

"I might look into it, it seems like fun. I don't have any real talents, so I need to find something."

"That's not true, Sansa," she says to me. "You're great at cheer, and you're really nice." Those aren't talents, but I know she means well.

"Do you think mom would support me trying to tet into modeling?" I ask her.

"Probably," she says. "She's definitely not supportive of me doing robotics."

"Why not?"

"She can't relate to it, I guess. She's never really understood my interests, probably because I'm not as girly as you. I'm definitely not telling her I'm pan until I absolutely have to, I don't think she'll be too wild about that."

That makes me sad, Arya deserves support from mom. I know she gets support from dad and Jon, but I feel like mom is very distant from her. She's distant from both of us, but especially her. I don't think mom would disown her if she found out she was pan, but she definitely wouldn't be excited about it or understand it.

"Was the meeting fun at least?" I ask her.

"It was," she responds. "I really liked it."

"Then you should keep doing it," I say. "Do what makes you happy, that's what matters most."

"You sound more and more like Jon everyday," Arya says, chuckling. "That's what he said."

That makes me smile. Jon and I don't always see eye to eye, but he does give good advice and I can tell he really cares about us siblings a lot. I don't think I could ever be as selfless as him.