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Author's Note: Hello everyone! How are you all doing/ Hope you're doing well and having a wonderful week! Today I have for you a mini-oneshot that I really loved writing and I hope you all will enjoy reading. It's actually one I recently wrote and there were supposed to be two more posted before this one but I thought this one kinda fit with what a lot of people maybe going through at this time of year or at least going through something like this, you know what I'm talking about the dreaded back to school. Those of you who still on vacation, enjoy it! I go back to class tomorrow *sigh* But before I started back up I wanted to give you guys an update, though don't worry I'm still planning on updating while in school! And your support and reviews are helping me very much! Thank you so much for all of those kinds and wonderful words by the way! I'm just so very happy that you are enjoying these little stories! I hope you all enjoy this one it's not as funny as the others but does still have a few laughable moments—I think at least I hope. It is Red and Laurie because there aren't enough Laurie or Red stories and their moments on the show were always some of my favorites :D Specail thanks to ShanghaiLily who suggested I do a Red and Laurie story,( this is just a little one though I am planning on doing a longer one—especially if you all enjoy this one!) Thanks also to Eliza Ghost and MidniteRaine who encouraged me to write this piece! :D Also for you guessers the word that helped inspire this mini oneshot appears thirteen times! Good luck! Thanks once more for all of your wonderful encouragement and sweet words, they mean so very much! Please a review on this one if you have the chance! Thanks once again, hope you like, please review if you can, and please, Enjoy!
"Ugh, I thought Mom was gonna give me the whole refrigerator as a snack for the bus." Laurie Forman grumbled as she shut the passenger door of the family's Vista Cruiser and placed the small—overfilled—brown paper sack on the floor near her feet.
Her father turned to her and smirked before looking over his shoulder and beginning to back the vehicle out of the driveway, "You know your mother. She's worried about you. She's just not ready to let you go"
"At least Eric doesn't seem to be having problem with that." She commented with a scoff before informing, "He was taking measurements of my room last night. Says he's gonna turn it into a reading room for his dumb comic books."
A scowl indented itself onto Red's forehead, "Like hell he is. If he turns that room into a reading room or goes anywhere near it, I'll turn his ass into a reading room for my foot. No one is touching my little girl's room."
Laurie gave a ditzy like smile, "Thanks, Daddy."
Red nodded just once before taking his eyes off the road for a split second to look at Laurie.
"Are you sure you want to do this, Kitten?" he asked, his eyes once again focused straight ahead, "I mean you could always stay here for your first semester or even your whole first year. There's nothing wrong with going to a community college…"
"Daddy…" Laurie groaned tired of having this same conversation over and over again.
It seemed like ever since she received her acceptance letter from The University of Wisconsin this conversation was brought up at least once a day. Sometimes it was with her father, sometimes it was with her mother, sometimes it was with both of them together going up against her. But if Laurie had to choose she'd say that she hated the conversation even more when she was having it with her father. He really didn't want her to leave home and sometimes it would lead her to second guessing her decision—for at least a good hour or two.
Today however, she was surprised by the sudden change if events.
"I know, I know." Red agreed sounding only a bit reluctant, "You're too smart for community college, you need to go off to the big university."
Laurie straightened herself with pride, "That's right!"
"But does it have to be in Madison? It's so far away from here."
"I know." Laurie said smiling a devilish grin before remembering who she was in the car with and quickly changed her tone to a sweet and innocent voice that had just a bit of sadness, "I mean I know. But Daddy, me moving to Madison is really going to be good for me. I'll learn how to be independent. I'll be able to do new things and meet new boys." Her little girl voice disappeared with that last part causing her father to glare warningly at her so she swiftly added, "And I get to learn in that big new school!"
Red shook his head as he concentrated on the road, "I just don't like the idea of you going over there all by yourself on a bus. There's all kinds of creeps and perverts on those things. Not to mention the dumbasses. And if you end up with a bus driver that's a dumbass…" his grip on the steering wheel tightened at the mere possibility, "That's it, I'm driving you to Madison myself."
"Daddy, I'll be fine." The young blonde woman protested and then reminded, "And I won't be alone. I'm meeting Linda there at the bus station and we're going to Madison together, remember?"
"Right." came the muttered response.
Getting the feeling that the reminder had done nothing to lessen her father's concern, Laurie crossed her arms and looked at him from the corner of her eye, "You're not gonna follow the bus all the way up to Madison, are you?"
"No, I'm not." he answered, pausing before quickly turning to look at her, "Unless you want me too."
"No, Daddy." She said with a shake of her head.
Red looked back at the road, "Then I won't."
The rest of the drive, which couldn't have been longer than five minutes—Point Place was a small town after all—was silent until the Vista Cruiser pulled into the parking lot near the bus station and found an open space.
Laurie turned to her father, "Well I guess this is it."
"Yeah." he agreed, "I'll help you carry your bags in."
As soon as Red was out of the vehicle, Laurie let out a loud and heavy sigh. She was hoping her father would just drop her off and not get down and help her with her bags and probably wait with her until her bus was called. Now how was she supposed to look for a cute guy she could ditch Linda for?
Father and daughter stepped into the overcrowded bus station. There were several people around Laurie's age who from the luggage and crying mothers, appeared to be going off to college for the first time as well. There were still a few faces in the crowd that made Red frown and had him rethinking that plan he'd made the week Laurie was born—keeping her locked in the house until she was at least thirty.
Among the cluster of people was a face Laurie recognized—her friend and classmate Linda Mills—she raised her hand and waved to the tall brunette who soon waved back.
"Attention passengers Bus 714 to Madison, Wisconsin now boarding." A voice announced over the speaker not a minute after Red and Laurie stepped into the station.
"Guess you got me here just in time." Laurie commented with a smile.
"Yeah, just in time." he repeated but not sounding like he agreed with his daughter; in fact, he sounded more like he was disappointed that he hadn't gotten her here a minute or two later.
Hearing his tone Laurie sent him a disapproving look that Red couldn't help but notice that it looked much like the look of disapproval her mother gave. Of course he'd never tell her that.
Red cleared his throat, "I guess you'll be needing these. Here." He said before handing Laurie her three bags, one at a time to make sure she could handle them on her own. Once he was sure that she could, he reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet, "Here take this too, just in case."
"Thanks, Daddy." She said smiling brightly as she looked at the ten dollar bill in her hand, she opened her mouth to speak but her father had already begun.
"Now Laurie, you've always made me very proud and I know while you're over there you'll continue to make me very proud. But if this doesn't work out. For whatever reason." He continued on with a lifted, open palm, "You don't like it there. You think it's boring. Or you just get lonely. I want you to remember, I'm only a phone call away."
By now Laurie's grin had lost its ditzy-ness and had become much tighter as she fought to keep the tears in her eyes from falling.
"I know, Daddy. I love you."
She then threw her arms around his waist, burying her face into his shirt and Red completed the hug by wrapping his arms around her.
He gave a quick kiss to the top of her head, "I love you too, Kitten."
"Attention passengers Bus 714 to Madison, Wisconsin is now boarding." Was repeated over the intercom and Laurie had to resist from tightening her grip on her father.
"Come on." Red said slowly and carefully pulling her off of him; not because he wanted to but because he knew he had to.
Laurie gave him a slightly tearful smile, "I'll call as soon as I get there."
He nodded, "I'll be waiting."
She smiled again before she turned herself around and walked off to meet up with Linda.
Red continued to stand and watch her chat and catch up with her friend, wearing a small smile on his face. But when Laurie turned around to face him again, his smile diminished some. Because at that moment he no longer saw the almost adult woman heading off to start a new chapter in her life. Instead he saw the image of his little girl when she was actually a little girl with wild blonde curls, holding her dolls and not suitcases as she smiled and waved to him the way she would in the mornings when he left for work. Not able to make out any words, he lifted his open hand as a form of a wave.
He watched her show her ticket but didn't stay to watch the bus take off nor did he stay to watch Laurie board the bus; he left as soon as she was out of his sight—and most importantly he was out of hers—and then hurried over to the Vista Cruiser.
He may have said he wouldn't follow the bus all the way up to Madison but he didn't say anything about not following it for four or five blocks.
Author's Note: So what did you think? Good? Bad? Would you read a longer Red and Laurie oneshot?
And the word for this mini-oneshot was…'Bus' Guess correctly anyone? Trying to think of other clues I could give you guys but I'm a bit stumped here. Any ideas?
Until next time, thanks for reading, hope you liked, please review and lemme know what you think, stay tuned, take care, and have a nice day!