A/N: Sorry it's been a while! I'll try and update Parenting 101 as soon as possible! How was everyone's Christmas and New Year? Anyone get anything super cool? :)

Disclaimer: don't own A&A but own other characters not associated with it. I also don't own Team by Lorde, just using it for part of the chapter :) It's such an amazing song though!

Ally POV

"Be careful," I told Bryce. "Those people can be vicious if they want to be."

"Ally, I'll be fine. I've been part of the team since July," he replied as he got out of the car. "That's almost five months."

"That doesn't mean you won't get hurt! Something that involves tackling and rough play can result in serious injury."

He leaned his head through the window from outside. "It's a daycare, Ally. Not a prison."

I shrugged. "You know how kids are. What made you do this anyway?"

"Volunteer credit. Plus it looks great on college applications," he replied. "I'm done at five."

"I'll be here." He waved and started off towards the daycare center, and I drove off. Don't get me wrong, I loved kids. But when you put a bunch of them in one place together...it was like World War III.

Claudia was the only one home when I got back. Mom and Mike were working and I had no idea where George was. Probably off doing butler duties. Whatever that involved.

My stepsister was busy painting her toe nails in the den and didn't even notice I was passing through until I threw my bag down. She glanced up. "Where were you?"

"Bringing Bryce to the daycare," I replied.

"Oh, that filthy place," she said as she went back to her toes. "I don't understand why he goes there."

"Maybe because he wants to help and it's appreciated by the workers. It's called being nice; you should try it sometime."

"That involves work. Do me a favor and tell me if this looks good."

I rolled my eyes and leaned over to inspect her toes as she stuck them in front of me. "Looks fine. The color really brings out the bitch in you."

"Ouch," she said in mock hurt. "I'm almost offended."

I turned and went to the kitchen to grab a bottle of water and then went upstairs to change. I threw on sweatpants and a tank top and pulled my hair back into a long ponytail, which swung as I walked. Lastly, I took out my contacts and put my glasses on before going back downstairs.

"What's for supper?" Claudia yelled from the den.

"I don't know, cook something!"

She waddled into the room on her heels so her polish wouldn't smudge. "I don't cook, thank you very much."

I took a good hard look at her. She wasn't dressed in her usual dresses and makeup filled face. Instead, she had on skinny jeans, a green t-shirt, and her hair was hanging loose in strawberry blonde curls. It was a little shorter than mine, and mine was long, but it wasn't by much. Her face was makeup free.

"What?" She snapped when she noticed I was staring at her.

"You're not all dressed up like you usually are," I said.

"I'm at home. I don't need to be."

"You don't need to get fancy outside the house, either."

"And go around dressed like you all the time? No thanks," she replied.

"What the hell is wrong with my clothes?" I demanded.

"They're dark, tacky, and you look like you just finished spray painting the side of a train car with a gang."

"I do not!"

"You usually do. Look, I'll dress and look how I want. It's not your decision to make."

I threw my hands up and turned around to face the stove so I could make myself soup. "I think you look better like that."

Claudia didn't say anything, so I faced her. "But I guess I'm too tacky to know anything about fashion, right?"

She glared at me so I just started making my soup again. While I was working in silence, I heard her sit down on one of the stools at the island. A few minutes later, she quietly said, "Thanks."

I stopped and looked back at her. "What did you just say?"

"Don't make me repeat it."

"You just said thank you to me. Are you feeling all right?"

She rolled her eyes. "I feel fine. I'm going upstairs."

As she got up, I said, "You're welcome. And Claudia?"

She looked back at me.

"I meant what I said."

She just stared at me before turning and leaving the room. I heard her walk upstairs a minute later.

That was the most progress the two of us had made since I moved in. My cell phone rang before I could think anything else.

"Hello?" I answered.

"Ally! It's Dylan."

"Oh, hey! What's up?"

"Just calling to tell you that you're coming to the dance tomorrow, and I bought you a ticket," he said.

"What! Dylan!"

"I'm not taking no for an answer! Trish and I both want you there, and you will have fun. No one is saying you have to dance, just please come and hang out with your friends for a night."

I groaned in frustration. "Alright, I'll go! But I'm only doing this so you guys will get off my back about it!"

Dylan squealed. "Ah, this is so exciting! I can't wait. I should come over and help you with your outfit and makeup."

I whined. "I have to wear makeup?"

"You already wear makeup, so don't complain."

"Yeah, mascara and lipstick on the rare occasion."

"It's still makeup," he pointed out. "I can make you look fab."

"It's okay, you live quite a drive away from me. I can manage on my own."

"Fine, but I want to see makeup on your face when you arrive. I mean it."

"Relax, there will be!" I said.

"Perfect. See you tomorrow. Toodles!" And he hung up.

I sighed and put my phone back in my pocket and took the soup off the stove, pouring it in a bowl.

I still didn't know what the hype was over this Homecoming dance. It was just an event where students grind each other, the teachers yell at the students for grinding each other, the punch is spiked, and the next thing you know, the innocent girl is in the closet with a random guy and boom! A baby is made.

Bottom line, I didn't have any interest in attending. At all. But since Dylan had already bought me a ticket, the little conniving weasel, that meant I had no choice. And that also meant I owed him fifty bucks. Ugh.

I spent the time waiting for Bryce to be done work by practicing a new song I wrote in the basement. I was in the basement because no one could hear me down there. Exactly how I liked it.

"We live in cities we never see on screen. Not very pretty, but we sure know how to run things. Living in ruins of the palace within my dreams. And you know, we're on each other's team." Singing was one of the only ways I knew how to express my feelings right. And since I did it in front of nobody, my feelings were expressed in other awkward ways. Why, oh, why, did I have to have stage fright?

I went upstairs a while later to go pick up Bryce. Claudia was nowhere to be seen so she was probably still in her room. I didn't tell her I was leaving; I just left.

When I got to the daycare, Bryce wasn't outside so I waited for a bit but he still didn't show. I sighed and shut off the vehicle before heading into the building.

I walked into a large hallway with shoes lined up on shelves and jackets hung up in the closet. As I walked down the hall, I noticed that the blue walls were covered in notes for parents, schedules, special activity dates, and a few drawings made by the kids. There were two bathrooms for the boys and girls, a big kitchen at the end of the hall, and I noticed there was a movie room as well. Pretty hip place.

The main room was a huge green and white room full of toys, and chairs and tables. It had chalkboards and little play areas in various spots throughout, and a couple of computers for the older kids. Barbies and action figures were spread all over. It looked like one giant kindergarten classroom, to sum it up.

"Can I help you?" I heard a voice from behind me. I whipped around, startled, and saw a young blonde lady maybe six years older than me. Her name tag read GRETCHEN.

"Uh, yeah. I'm here to pick up Bryce," I replied.

Gretchen eyed me cautiously. "And you know him how?"

"I'm his stepsister."

She relaxed. "Oh. Okay! Well, he's upstairs with a few kids. He should be down soon; parents will be coming to get their kids shortly."

I nodded. "Thanks. I'll just be in the hallway waiting."

I left Gretchen in the room and walked back into the hallway to wait. I was glad I had thrown on my leather jacket before coming; the hallway was a bit drafty.

I fiddled with and jingled my car keys to try and occupy myself before the door opened and some parents started flooding in. They smiled at me, a few looking at me weirdly since they hadn't seen me before. At least, I was hoping that was the reason.

A few volunteers were coming in with kids, finding the right parents. I spotted Bryce coming down the stairs holding a little girl in his arms. He saw me and held up five fingers and I nodded, gesturing that there was no rush.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

I turned my head to see Austin coming through the door, even though I already knew who it was by the voice.

I stared at him. "Okay, now this is getting weird."

"No kidding. But why are you here?"

"I'm getting Bryce. Why are you here?"

"Bryce works here?" He asked.

"Uh, yeah."

"I've never seen him before," Austin said.

"Well, that's your problem. And you didn't answer my question. Why are you here?"

"I'm getting my sister," he replied.

I looked at him incredulously. "You have a sister?"

"Does that shock you?" He snapped.

"It's not like I know every detail of your life!" I shot back. A mother looked back at us arguing and shot us a dirty look.

A girl that looked about four- presumably his sister- came running towards us, followed shortly after by Bryce. "Austin!"

Austin's eyes lit up and he grinned the biggest smile I had ever seen on his face. "Hey, squirt, how was your day?"

He crouched down and the girl launched herself at him when she got closer. He wrapped his arms around her and stood up again.

"Good!" the girl replied from his grasp. "Look, I drew you a picture!" She handed him a piece of paper.

"Wow, that's awesome. I'm going to hang this in my room," he told her. "Right next to the other ones."

She clapped. "Okay!"

Bryce looked at me. "Sorry, some kids were fighting upstairs so I got held up."

"No worries," I told him.

"Since when do you work here?" Austin asked Bryce. Kind of rudely.

"Since the summer," Bryce said in the same tone. "I didn't think you had it in you to be rude in front of Jade here, but apparently I was wrong."

"Both of you knock it off," I cut in.

"I'll get my stuff," Bryce said before glaring at Austin one more time as he went down the hall.

"He hates me," Austin said.

"I don't blame him," I said. "You're arrogant."

"Ouch."

"Don't give me that, you know you are," I said to him. Before he could say anything, the girl spoke up.

"Who are you?" She asked me.

"Ally."

"Ally, this is Jadis," Austin said. He pronounced it like 'Jay-dis.' "We call her Jade for short."

"I'm almost four!" Jadis said, holding up four small fingers. I was close in guessing her age.

I smiled at her before speaking to Austin again. "You get her everyday?"

"Mostly. My parents work."

"Oh."

Bryce came back. "Let's go, I'm starving."

"Well, you better hope Claudia cooked because there was nothing ready when I left and no one else is home."

"Claudia cooking, ha. Guess it's takeout." Bryce walked past me.

"Uh...bye," I said to Austin kind of awkwardly. "Bye, Jadis."

"Bye!" She chirped. Austin nodded his head and I left.

Bryce was in the car when I got there. "That's the first time I've seen Austin there."
I shrugged. "He said he gets her almost every day."

"I guess I'm not usually down delivering kids to their parents. I just happened to be chasing Jadis around trying to get her to sit down and put her shoes on when she saw Austin."

I laughed. "I would have paid to see that."

"It's not fun. Let's go before Claudia decides to lock us out of the house in the cold."

A/N: Why do I like different names? I just love the name Jadis, it's so cute and unique! All of my kids are going to have unique names, none of them will be Britney or Ashley or something lol. Review it up!

Joelle xx

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