A/N: I had a mucho busy week last week so I didn't get to work on this. My mom is visiting this Wednesday for a week, so hopefully I'll get another update in before that! I figured out that I messed up a bit with the girls' ages and grades because I gave Riley a spring birthday. If you work it out, Riley was already thirteen when she came to live with the Stokes in October, and if she was born in the spring, she would be fourteen at the end of the school year, landing her in eighth grade instead of seventh in "Stranger". So…we can just ignore that, or pretend she was in eighth grade all along. Oopsy!

"Daddy, when do I get ta go to school?" Three year old Nolan asked from his booster seat in the back of the Denali as his father drove towards the elementary school to pick up Carly.

Nick's eyes twinkled as he looked in the rearview mirror at his son. Carly talked all the time about what she did at school, and how much she loved her teachers. No wonder her little brother was so eager to start school when she was so excited about it. Carly liked to play school with her little brother, and would pretend to be his teacher, showing him all kinds of things at the Little Tyke table in the living room. It was adorable to watch, because Carly would say things she'd obviously heard from the teacher, like Now is that a good choice? Or What will you do next time? The seven year old was quite the educator.

"Well, you'll get to start preschool in the fall, and then when you're five you get to start kindergarten." He explained to his young son, pausing at a stop sign.

Nolan looked out the window, but his little mind was hard at work. The prospect of school was so enthralling to him.

"How long 'til I'm five, Daddy?" He asked hopefully.

"About two years, bud." Nick smirked as he adjusted the air conditioning. Nolan didn't really have much sense of time at the tender age of three. He had trouble comprehending next week, let alone two years. The little boy was definitely a thinker, though. Members of the family would catch him just staring off into space, or out the window, and knew he was deep in three year old thought about something. He was very intelligent, and Nick just knew he would love school like Carly did.

Making one last right turn, Nick pulled up to the Foothills Montessori School where Carly was finishing off second grade. She had fallen in love with every teacher she'd had, and all her teachers seemed to enjoy her. At parent/teacher conferences, they always spoke of how cheery and talkative Carly was, but was always well-behaved, apart from rare slip-ups like the middle finger incident in kindergarten. She was a joyful, easy child to raise for the most part, and Nick loved her to pieces.

When she saw his car, Carly bounded over to the teacher on duty, her ponytail bouncing. Nick smirked as he unlocked the door so she could get in. She waved bye to her teacher and her friends as the door was closed.

"Hi, darlin'." Nick turned to look at her as she pulled her seatbelt across her chest and snapped it into place. "How was your day?"

"Hi Daddy. I had a pleasant day." She told him, causing Nick to bite his lip to keep from laughing. He guessed that was one of her new vocabulary words for the week. It always caught him off guard to hear her say such sophisticated words, especially when she periodically announced crude things like she had farted. One time when she'd had a nightmare, she crawled into bed with her parents and confessed that she'd had a petrifying dream. Nick had started laughing, which in turn cheered the second grader up and got her smiling again.

"It was pleasant, huh?" He looked in the side view mirror to pull out of the car loop carefully. Her teacher, Miss Kleinfelt, had urged Nick and Sara at conferences to have discussions with her using the weekly vocabulary words, so Nick decided to expand on it. "And what was pleasant about it?"

Carly thought for a few moments. "Hmmm. Well I answered a really hard question right, and I got to sit with Megan at lunch, and the teacher gave us back all our work from before vacation and I got lots of O's!"

She was very proud of all the 'Outstanding' marks she got on her paper, and was always eager to share that with her parents, brother and sister. Even Riley, who she knew was smart, because her daddy said she had a smart mouth, didn't get O's. She only got A's, which surely wasn't as good as O's.

"Really? That's great. You'll have to show me when we get home." Nick praised her as he drove towards the high school. Riley was hoping that in a few short months, she wouldn't have to be picked up from school anymore because she'd have her own car. Nick and Sara hadn't made her any promises. Money was tight with three children, and one college-bound in the next few years. If Nick had any extra money to splurge, he would probably try to send Riley to Butterfield Academy instead to get a better education. Riley had expressed some interest in it, but never really took it seriously. She knew Butterfield was hard-ass and very strict, which she wasn't sure she could put up with. It was always just an idea, because Nick knew they'd never have the money to send her there.

Carly filled him in some more about her day as they waited in the pick-up circle at Ed W. Clark High School. A few minutes later, Riley emerged from the doors, looking quite tired from her first day back after a whole week off. Her backpack looked loaded as usual, which made Nick a bit happy. It meant she was getting challenged and out of the serious trouble he feared his daughter would get in if she didn't have that. When Riley got bored, she tended to do some stupid things. Last summer, she and some friends had silly stringed the principal's car to protest a recent decision to ban off-campus lunch. Nick was not pleased to say the least, and now dreaded the upcoming summer break that was looming just ahead.

Riley sighed as she got into the front seat of the Denali, and Nick could tell she was exhausted. It had been a battle to get her to do her homework yesterday, and he feared it would be even worse today. Riley wouldn't care if it was only and hour or so of work to do, but her workload sometimes seemed insurmountable at an average time of three to four hours. The teenager had a hard time getting motivated to get started sometimes, especially after a relaxing break.

"Hi, baby." Nick told her as she yawned and buckled her seatbelt. He noticed she had apparently painted her fingernails during the day a hideous fuchsia color instead of paying attention in class.

"Hi." She told him mid-yawn, and then rubbed at her face tiredly.

Nick smirked and looked over at her. "Rough day?"

"My teachers are Nazis." She explained as he pulled out into the traffic. "They didn't even let up over Spring Break. And did you know I'm gonna have summer reading assignments AGAIN?"

Of course Nick knew. It was all in the parental information he'd received when Riley first enrolled in Advanced Placement classes. Her English class read a novel a month, and at least three over the summer.

"My, my, my, how you are wronged so, Riley Michelle." Nick teased her as he drove, shaking his head.

"I know." She told him, resting her head in her hand against the door's window. "They think we have no lives! I mean, I can't wait until I'm an adult like you, and not have to worry about doing anything when I get home at night." Riley went on naively.

Nick shook his head and pressed his lips together for a moment as he thought about her statement. "Mmmhmmm. Yeah, I don't have to worry about anything when I get home, except making sure two girls do their homework, my three year old doesn't burn the house down, yardwork, bills, laundry, cleaning, finances. Yep, I just relax."

Riley looked at her father sheepishly and smiled. "You know what I mean. When you're done at work, you're done. I have to think about algebra, and history and all that…nonsense, for three more hours, at minimum."

Nick nodded and sighed, and decided not to get into the fact that he took his work home every evening in his mind. Pictures of injured or murdered children passed through his mind every time he looked at his own kids each night. He watched them sleep at night, and prayed that nothing like that would ever happen to them, but knowing the world could be an unforgiving place. No, Riley didn't need to hear about that. Let her be innocent for a few more years, or enjoy what innocence she had after what her stepfather had done to her.

"It's hard work, babe, but you do a good job." He told her simply as he looked straight ahead.

"Thanks, Daddy." She told him, and then immediately changed the subject. "So I was thinking more about my sweet sixteen party at school." Riley began.

Nick let out an audible groan. He'd enjoyed not hearing about her hopes for her sweet sixteen party while she'd been away, but he realized it was back and even worse now that her birthday was only about a month away. Riley observed this and glared.

"Dad, stop being so dramatic. You haven't even heard what I was about to say." She told him, smiling. All her friends had had amazing parties during the year, and so she was full of ideas, being one of the youngest kids in her class. She would turn sixteen on April 12th, one of the last birthdays of the year in her class. However, her friends' parents had a lot more money than the Stokes, so they could afford to rent hotel conference rooms for their daughter, buy lavish cakes, and purchase new cars. Nick didn't want Riley getting her hopes up and be disappointed.

"If it involves you arriving at the party on a horse, it's a no." He told her, wishing he was kidding, but alas, one of her friends had arrived in just that fashion at her party back in October.

"Howsey!!" Nolan exclaimed from his car seat, hoping he'd get to ride one.

"I'm not that bad, Daddy." She told him. "But can I have a DJ please? We'll have to book him soon if I want one, because they're gonna get busy with weddings. Callie knows a really great one."

"Baby, we agreed to rent the room at the Holiday Inn for one night, and Greg said he could cover the music for free." Nick pointed out. He wanted to give his daughter a party, but didn't believe in over-the-top celebrations like the ones Riley watched on MTV's "My Super Sweet Sixteen". Nick Stokes was not going to raise a spoiled brat.

"But Daddy, he doesn't have all the right equipment. It won't sound right." She reasoned with him, looking distressed as she watched her father's face for any hint of him giving in. He didn't show any sign.

"Riley, I don't have gobs of money like your friends do." He reminded his teenager. "I think I'm being very generous and reasonable letting you have it at the Holiday Inn."

Teenagers' social webs were a bit of a mystery to Nick, so he didn't understand why this was such a big deal to her. She wanted all the right people to come, and they wouldn't if they didn't know it was going to be "off the chain" as Riley had put it once. When he was a teenager, all the girls would just throw little parties at their homes, and their mothers would bake them cakes and hang out, but apparently things had changed.

Riley grumbled a bit and shot her father a glare, but didn't say anything.

"Hey, I can cancel if that's how your attitude's gonna be." He threatened, raising his eyebrows and glancing at her. Riley just moved her body to face towards the window, as she stared off at the passing houses of their neighborhood. They lived in a nice house, in a nice side of town – why couldn't her father just splurge on her a little? She was only going to turn sixteen once!

Nick sighed as they pulled into the garage of their home. Riley got out wordlessly and took her backpack straight back to her room. She'd earned her parents' trust more, so they allowed her to do her homework up in her room and took her word that she was done. The kid brought home A's, so whatever she was doing was working. Nick helped the younger two out and followed them inside, tossing the keys on the counter. As he went into the kitchen, he called back to Riley.

"Ry! You've got your session at 4:30. Don't forget!"

He heard her door close, and hopefully she was getting busy. Nick cleared his throat as he got two packets of raisins out of the cupboard and handed them to the two awaited pairs of hands.

"Raisins, Daddy?" Carly moaned a little bit, but turned without another complaint when Nick gave her a warning look. She scampered off with her brother towards the couch to fight over the remote.

"Be nice." He told them both when he heard Nolan screech. Carly smiled at him and gently patted her brother's head when he came around the corner to check on them. Nolan gave him a toothy grin. "I'll be right back."

Nick walked towards the back of the house, deciding he wanted to talk to Riley a little more. She needed to realize that he wasn't trying to ruin her fun or taint her popularity. Finances were tight, and he couldn't afford to throw her a lavish party even if he wanted to. He knocked on her bedroom door and heard a come in. Nick walked in and closed the door, finding his daughter already hunched over her desk busy at work. If she didn't get some of her monstrous homework done before her session, she'd be up to midnight usually working.

Nick put down a pack of raisins on her desk, but then put his hands on the back of her swivel chair and rolled her backwards. Riley rolled her eyes as she felt him turn her chair as he sat on her bed. She truthfully hated when he was displeased with her, and knew he wasn't happy about her stubbornness regarding her party.

"We need to talk." He began, sitting down and leaning forward on his elbows.

"You don't want me to have a big party. I get it." She told him upfront, still thinking he was being totally unfair. He didn't get it. He didn't understand how high school worked these days. Her father was afraid that if she got a boyfriend, they would end up making out in the weight room and get murdered. She was still kissing up to the popular kids two years after she'd moved here, trying to make them realize what a fun person she was. If she could have a really great party like some of the other girls, people would keep talking about her and invite her places.

"You're right. I don't think you should have a big party, but I'm not sure you're understanding why." Money was a futile thing to Riley, and she didn't quite understand how things worked just yet. Nick was into saving money for a rainy day, not splurging on things that would bring a lot of pleasure for a short time, and leave them empty and penniless later.

"I know. Money. But can't you afford to splurge just a little bit more?" She begged him, bouncing her legs a little, hoping she could get him to give in.

"No, we can't babe." He told her honestly. "We've had to readjust our finances to get ready for sending you to college in three years. I cannot just fork over hundreds of bucks for one night, Riley. I'm sorry."

"But you send Carly to private school!" She pointed out, gesturing towards the door. "How much money do you spend on that, and you can't spare anything for my sweet sixteen party?"

"That's different." Nick informed her, raising his eyebrows. "That's for her education, not a three hour long party."

"Well, you don't send me to private school." She pointed out, but knew Butterfield's tuition was significantly more than Foothills'.

Nick shook his head at her low blow. "You never expressed any interest, Ry. And you know how much more expensive Butterfield is. Clark is a very good school. You're in AP classes, and you're getting challenged."

Riley shook her head and sighed, realizing he just wasn't going to understand her point of view. Or maybe he did, and he thought it was stupid. Either way, Riley knew enough about her father now that she knew he wouldn't back down.

"Fine. What's the point in arguing? You're not gonna change your mind." Riley crossed her arms and pushed with her feet to go back to her desk, but didn't turn around yet.

"I want you to understand I'm not trying to ruin your life. Money is tight, and I don't believe in spending tons of money on one night. That's where I'm coming from." He explained, hoping she would understand.

"Yeah, fine." She muttered, and swiveled her chair back to her desk where she opened up her raisins. "I have lots of work to do." Riley said, hoping to get him out of her room.

Nick sighed and stood up, then walked over to her desk. He kissed the top of her head and gave her a gentle pat on the back, noticing the list of five homework assignments she had to do. Deciding to leave her to it, Nick exited the room to go watch the other two.

About an hour later, Nick loaded the three kids up in the Denali again, this time to drop Riley off at counseling, and then to take Carly to softball and watch her practice with Nolan. As they drove, Riley was curled up in the passenger seat, reading a novel that was assigned to her English class. She hadn't even asked him if she could drive today, not really in the mood. Nick sighed and looked into the rearview mirror to check on the younger two. Carly was examining her fingernails up close, which she had just painted before she left because she wanted to be just like Riley. Now she didn't want to mess them up.

"Carly, why'd you paint your nails before practice?" Nick asked his daughter honestly. She already didn't like getting dirty, and he was afraid she was going to be unreasonably prissy today with freshly painted nails.

"They'll be pretty, and maybe I'll distract the pitcher and she'll throw four balls and I'll get to walk to first base." She informed him, admiring her handiwork. In truth, she'd gotten a lot on the skin around her nails, and there were uneven blobs. Carly was proud of herself, though, which is what mattered. Try telling that to some of the already hard-core teammates she annoyed.

Riley let out an unimpressed breath of air through her nose and shook her head as she continued to read her book.

"Carly, that's stupid." She told her. "Why'd you join the team if you're gonna be worried about your nails?" Riley was rarely mean to her little sister, only when she was truly annoyed and in a bad mood.

"Riley, that's enough." Nick told her sternly. "She can do what she wants with her nails."

Carly looked at her older sister, a little hurt, but tried to focus on what her father said. Riley was in one of her rare bad moods, and knew she was mad at their dad about her party. Why didn't she just hang out with her and Nolan? They were so much fun, and always made her laugh way more than those teenager people she hung out with.

Nick pulled up to the therapists' office, where she'd been going a little over a year after switching from another counselor. He put the car in park and watched as Riley gathered up her purse and marked her page in her novel.

"I'll see you in an hour, sweetie." Nick promised her. Riley looked at him momentarily and nodded, then left wordlessly. The way she walked away looked obviously displeased, and reminded him a lot of how Sara walked when she wasn't happy. He shrugged a shoulder and pulled out of the lot. Hopefully in a month, this would all be forgotten and she'd be back to her normal self – still a bit mouthy, but overall much more agreeable. Carly summed it up as they pulled out into traffic, and had Nick agreeing with a smirk.

"Daddy, she has not been very pleasant lately."