Chapter Six

Cheri

The windows were locked; curtains shut tightly to let no light in.

The door was locked and barricaded with my dresser.

I listened as Sue tried desperately for an hour to get me out. I squeezed my eyes shut, letting tears fall. Ma Homie meowed and I just held him tighter, kissing his soft fur.

"Cher...? Please," she tried again.

I didn't answer, and my cat meowed again. I sniffed quietly and kissed his fur another time, letting my mouth stay there buried into his soft hair.

It was quiet after that, and I was alone in my room. Well, except for Ma Homie, who had fallen asleep nestled into my side. I sat in my dark room, still crying and shivering. My head started to ache, but I ignored it.

"S-s-stupid Seth...and his s-s-stupid wolf p-powers," I whimpered, bringing my legs up to my chest. I picked up a pillow and threw it at the dresser, my crying starting all over again.

I'm not a usual crier. So when I started, it was hard to stop. Even for a little bit.

A long while later, another knock at my door made me jump. I hiccupped and looked up.

"Cheri...? It's Sue."

I buried my face back into my knees.

"I'm here, too," Leah called.

I looked up slightly, and the door jiggled.

"Honey, can you let me in? I promise, it'll just be me and your grandma."

I was hesitant, and I sat contemplating this for a long time. It was quiet except for Ma Homie's soft purring, and then the phone rang downstairs. Finally, I stood up and padded to the dresser. I pushed it out of the way and gripped the door handle. Then I opened it up.

Sue smiled at me, but I stood on my tiptoes to look behind them.

"He's out for a run now. It's okay," Sue reassured me. For some reason, that got my crying started up again, and I threw myself on her. She shushed me over and over again, but I didn't get quiet.

"Cheri, someone wants to talk to you," Leah said, coming up the stairs.

"If it's Seth-"

"It's not." She tapped me, and I turned to see the phone. She nodded and I took it, holding it tentatively to my ear.

"Hello?"

"Cheri?"

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"And school is fine?"

"Y-y-yeah. I-it's fine."

"Your friends are nice, right?"

"They're great. Just great, D-D...Dad."

I swallowed, listening to my real father sigh contentedly.

"It must be weird for you," he laughed. "Having me call you so late like this."

"It's not late..."

"It's almost one in the morning."

"Oh, well, I guess that is late then," I shrugged. "How're you?"

"I'm good. Good. My wife's sleeping now. And, um, my sons and daughter are asleep, too. He's eleven today, you know. My son, I mean. M-Matt," he cleared his throat. "Matt."

"Oh, well, tell him I said happy birthday."

Whoa, three kids? I only thought he'd had a daughter.

"I'll be sure to do that."

Cue awkward silence.

"Hey, Cheri?"

"Mhm?" I sniffed, still not quiet over the whole Seth thing.

"I like talking to you."

"Oh, um...Cool."

"I'm going to be in town in a few days to see my parents. Me, Amy, and the kids. I'd...I'd like to see you. If that's okay, of course. Because it's fine by me if you-"

"No, no. It's..." I took in a shaky breath. "It's okay."

"Really?! I mean," he cleared his throat again. "Great. Good."

"Yeah."

"Yeah..."

"Well, I should let you sleep."

"Of course. You should get some sleep, too. Church in the morning."

"I'm not, um, really into the whole church thing."

"O-oh."

"But if it makes you feel better, I'll go in the morning."

"Nah, I don't want you to do anything you don't want to do."

"No, it's okay. I'll go. I'll go."

"Okay, then. Umm, I'll see you on Tuesday then."

"Yeah. 'Course."

"'Course. Bye, Cheri."

"Bye, D...Dad. Oh, and Dad?"

"Yeah?"

"Next time you decide to call me at one in the morning, can you give me, like, a week's notice?"

He laughed, and I couldn't help but smile a little bit.

"Yeah. Yeah, I will."

"Bye," I whispered.

"Bye."

I hung up, and sat back on the couch, biting my lip.

"That went well," Sue smiled at me.

"Yeah," I nodded. The door opened and I looked up, meeting Seth's eyes. I looked away, tensing up as he walked past me and up the stairs. I heard him start coughing, and the rest of us were quiet, listening to him coughing for a real long time. Then he was quiet, too.

"He's coming to visit his parents with, um, his family. And he said he wants to see me," I said, looking at my hands.

"Oh, isn't that great?" Sue smiled at me. But it looked forced when I glanced at her face. Leah smiled, too, and it was then that I noticed that she was in pajamas.

"Well, I should get home to Willie and Jake. The two were up watching Iron Man when I left. Hope they left some popcorn for me," she laughed halfheartedly, and Sue looked at her worriedly.

"I hope they did, too. And you better eat it. All of it," she eyed her.

"Okay, Mom. Okay. You know I will," Leah said, kissing her cheek and then mine. I quirked a brow once the door shut behind her.

"What was that about?"

"What?"

"'And you better eat it. All of it,'" I said in my Sue High Voice. I also do an Emily High Voice and a Kim High Voice, cause you know, I'm just talented like that.

"Oh, nothing. Leah's just...She's had some troubles in the past and I'm just looking out for her is all." She turned around to go up the stairs, end of discussion. "Go to bed. And please don't barricade yourself in your room this time?"

"Now that wouldn't be any fun, now would it?" I asked sweetly.

I heard her sigh of exasperation and Seth's low growl of frustration before I fell asleep on the couch, the sound of the rain on the window my only lullaby.

...

Wow. I'm deep.

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Seth and I are officially not on speaking terms.

I can't even stand the sound of his breathing anymore. That's bad, I'm telling you. Tragic, I know.

Like I'd told Dad, I went to church that morning. It was actually tolerable. There was a lot of singing, and then the pastor gave a sermon about obeying elders and parents and stuff.

I thought I'd zone out like I usually did while my teachers were teaching, but it was actually really interesting. I actually listened.

Willie sat next to me, and I caught him staring at me. He cocked his head, but I pretended I didn't notice.

Going to Leah's and Jake's house afterwards, I sat in the truck bed with Willie, Emerson, and Katy, who had her arms spread out and was looking up at the gray sky.

"If God can control weather, how come he makes it so rainy all the time?" she asked, looking at me. I gave her a helpless look.

Please, when it came to this God stuff, I was as clueless as Marlon in the tampon aisle of the supermarket.

"It's because God is God. And he controls stuff," Emerson answered with a nod, end of sentence.

"That's not a real answer," Katy pouted. "God has to make stuff sunny, because he made His world in His image. That's what his Book says."

"How do you know so much, anyway?" Emerson asked with a frown.

"'Cause I listen in Sunday School. Duh. That's how come I got a lot of lollipops and you don't."

Emerson stuck her tongue out at her, and she stuck hers back out. Willie rolled his eyes, obviously thinking that they were annoying, and I silently agreed with him.

But to be honest, I found myself thinking about Katy's question. If God wanted stuff to be made in 'His image', then why was it always raining her every second of the day?

Great, now a seven-year-old has me thinking all deep and crap. Ugh.

When I got to Leah's house, Sue was there with message from Dad. (Wow, I really need to stop emphasizing on that word). It said that he'd actually be able to see me tomorrow, and they were leaving from church this morning.

For some reason, I felt my heart skip a beat, and I suddenly felt giddy inside.

I'm actually...I'm actually going to meet my real dad. It was...Wow.

I caught Seth's eye as he saw me smiling down at the note. I flipped my hair over my shoulder and walked into Leah's house.

Sometime during lunch, my phone beeped, and I checked it.

Hey, come outside, Tony had texted.

I stood up in my chair, looking out the window. Sure enough, Tony was outside, leaning on the hood of his old Toyota. I grinned, scooting myself from the table.

"Where are you-"

I thrust open the door, "Tony!"

There was a growl, some commotion behind me, and then the back door slammed shut. I ignored it as best as I could, running to meet my boyfriend on the front walk. It had started to rain a bit, but I didn't care. Tony kissed me, and I smiled into the kiss. (Ooh, romantic!)

"I needed that," I told him when we pulled away.

"Yeah?"

"Mhm."

"HEY! If you two aren't too busy, we'd like to get down to the movies today, please!" Marlon yelled from the car. I looked behind Tony and saw Wynter and Nami, too, waving from the window. They gave me kissy faces and sly grins.

"Hold on, let me grab my stuff," I told him. He kissed me again and I ran back inside. "I'm leaving!"

"Where?" Sue asked.

"To a movie with the guys," I answered, grabbing my phone and tote.

"You know the rules-"

"No booze, drugs, or...Well, already broke that rule. Bye!" I kissed her cheek. There was a gasp.

"What rule is she talking about-?"

"Home by nine!"

"Eleven," I challenged.

"Eight."

What?!

"Ten-thirty."

"Nine-fifteen. Take it, or leave it," Sue eyed me.

"Fine..."

I closed the door behind me and slid into the car.

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Leah

I picked at my food, not really joining in the conversation around me. I watched their mouths engulf the food on their forks, immediately feeling disgusted not only by them, but by myself.

Did I really look like that when I ate?

I shredded up my chicken, spreading it around my plate to make it look like I ate.

"Aunty Leah, look at me! Watch, I'm eating my broccoli!" Emerson said happily, eating a big forkful of his vegetables. I forced a smile, and watched Embry high five him. Heaven repositioned Honey, sticking a bottle into her mouth.

I sighed, lightly placing a hand on my stomach.

Maybe it was something I was doing...

"Leah, you've barely touched your food. Are you okay?" Kim asked. I raised my eyebrows.

"What? Oh, yeah. I'm fine," I laughed it off. "It's all good." I put a forkful of chicken into my mouth to show her that it was okay. I pretended to chew and swallow, when in reality, I held it at the side of my mouth.

It touched my tongue again, and I clamped a hand over my mouth, forcing it to stay inside. When everyone was still looking at me, I smiled again and swallowed it. It felt like a load of rocks in my stomach, and I wanted so badly to get rid of it.

I laid my head on Jacob's shoulder, and he wrapped an arm around me, kissing the top of my head.

"Yuck," Willie said from across the table, making a face.

"What?" Jacob asked, smirking.

"Parents shouldn't kiss. That's gross," he answered, crossing his eyes.

"Oh, I'm sorry," I said. I kissed Jacob's lips. "That better, sweetie?"

"No." Willie made pretend gagging sounds. "That's worse, actually."

I caught Seth's eye, and he looked away quickly. His face looked sad, and I instantly felt terrible for him. He couldn't ever feel what Jacob and I felt again. Not after Jazmyn.

I reached my hand out for him.

"Baby Bro, remember our Sundays with Daddy?" I asked. "And you'd always get all grumpy 'cause he wouldn't let you ride shotgun in the truck."

"Yeah, it was always you and your 'but Dadddddyyyy,' " Seth whined in a high pitched voice, making a face at me. "'I'm your baby girl...' And then you'd smile that Satanic smile you'd always give him-"

"Hey, I was sweet!" I kicked him.

"Like I said. Satanic, and then he'd be all like 'sorry, son, but your sister here doesn't have much time left with us. But don't worry, as soon as she's gone, we'll have the truck to ourselves.'" He smiled glumly. "'Just the guys...'" he trailed off, looking up at the ceiling.

I smiled with a sigh, and then the smile went away when he excused himself.

"Where're you going?" I asked.

"Out," was his answer, which usually went he was going to go smoke a cigarette or two. One time, I heard Mom say he smoked a whole pack. I watched him take a lighter out his back pocket, opening the door and then closing it.

"How come he's got that orange thing?" Katy asked her mom.

"It's a magic tool that helps him feel better," Jared answered when Kim didn't know what to say. "But it's for Seth and Seth only, so I don't want you touching it, you hear?"

"'Kay, Daddy!" Katy gave him a toothless grin, making Jared smile back at her adoringly. I sighed, standing up and following after Seth. I found him at the end of our driveway, looking up at the sky. The smoke rings floated up by his head, and he looked semi-content. His eyes still looked really sad.

"Hey," I said. He only glanced at me. "Sorry if I...Hit a nerve back there."

"Nah, it's cool. Just haven't thought about him like that in a long time."

"Yeah."

Quiet.

"You know...You know Mom's getting married again?" he asked.

"Yeah. I'm happy for her and Charlie."

"Are you gonna start calling him 'Daddy?'"

"No! Of course not! Why would I do that?" I asked, surprised.

"Oh. No reason."

He began a coughing fit, crouching down low to the ground and holding his cigarette away from him. My heart broke in two.

"Seth, stop!"

He coughed some more.

"I can't just stop coughing!" he snapped, his voice raspy and rough. He coughed three more times, spitting onto the ground.

"No, stop smoking. You're going to kill yourself."

"I'm not dead yet, so..."

"But you will be, so..."

"Leah, I don't need to listen to what you have to say. Just let me be me, okay?"

"But that cough," I whispered, and then he started into another coughing fit. I stood by and watched, a distant pain in my chest. I didn't like seeing him like this. I reached for him, but he brushed me away.

"Let me go. I'm gonna go on a walk, okay?"

"Oh...Okay," I answered slowly. But he was already heading down the sidewalk towards the beach.

When everyone had left, and Jacob and Willie were occupied in the living room, I went for my own walk into the forest. I walked quietly, stepping over twigs and piles of pinecones. Finally, I felt I had made it to a good spot.

Gripping the tree for support, I bent over and stuck two fingers down my throat, enabling myself to vomit my dinner and everything else I'd eaten during the day. I fell to my knees, sweat lining my forehead. I coughed a few times, shaking out my hand.

"Leah."

I froze. Jacob.

"Look at me."

Slowly, I turned to look at him, wiping the bottom of my lip with the palm of my hand. I dropped it, seeing his look of pain and anger. He stared for a long time at the sky, looking like he was trying to hold tears back.

"I thought we were done with this," he whispered. But I don't know if he was telling me or God or someone else.

Using the tree to help me up, I got to my feet, leaning on the trunk for support. My legs always felt like they'd go out at any moment after I purged. It was just one of the many downfalls.

Jacob pressed his fingers to his temples, closing his eyes. I saw wetness under his lashes, but he shook his head, and it was gone.

I took two steps towards him and my legs gave out on me. Jake caught me by my arms, then picked me up bridal style and carried me back to the house. I gripped the shirt at his chest, closing my eyes tight.

"Don't make me go back there," I whispered shakily, referring to Carlisle and the hospital. "Please."

"Leah, I have-"

"Let me down." He put me back on my feet, and I walked wobbly into the house. When I regained my composure, I stomped the rest of the way in, slamming the door. It opened a second later when Jacob came in. He whirled me around to face him.

I lifted my hand, pulled back, and slapped him.

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Willie

I covered my ears, trying to escape Mom and Dad's yelling. They were fighting like this a lot lately, and I was always down the hall in my room when it happened.

It was hard to hold back the baby tears that were about to come out of my eyes, but I tried anyway. I cringed, hearing something fall and break.

More yelling.

It was getting louder.

"LEAH-"

"NO! JACOB, I'M NOT AND YOU CAN'T MAKE ME! I'M NEVER GOING BACK TO THAT HELL HOLE AND-"

"THIS IS WHY-"

And then it got just a little bit softer as the door to their bedroom slammed shut. I could hear their conversation perfectly, and it scared me. Inching off the bed, I slowly walked to the door and opened it. It creaked before it was open all the way, and I stepped out.

"YOU'RE SO FUCKING DIFFICULT, you know that?" Dad yelled. "Look at me. LOOK AT ME-"

"I'm difficult?! YOU'RE the one that's-"

I didn't want to hear it anymore. I couldn't hear it anymore. My eyes clouded with tears as I ran through the living room, stepping over a broken lamp. I rushed out the door, closing it shut behind me.

Uncle Paul was outside mowing his lawn when I came up to his and Aunt Rachel's house. He took an ear bud out of his ear, frowning when he saw me. Then he noticed that I was crying, and his face softened. I felt embarrassed that he was seeing me cry like this, but for some reason I didn't care.

"It's alright, bud. It's okay. What's wrong? Where's your parents?" he asked, hugging me. I sniffed, wiping my eyes.

"They're fighting again," I whispered.

"Paul?" Aunt Rachel called from the house. "...Willie? What happened?"

Uncle Paul took me inside, where I explained to them that Mom and Dad had been fighting for the past hour, and I was listening to them in my room.

"Someone broke a lamp this time," I whispered quietly, ignoring the lemonade Aunt Rachel had set down for me. "I'm scared. Are they gonna get divorced?"

Aunt Rachel and Uncle Paul looked at each other skeptically, and then my little cousin Bailey came downstairs, smiling when she saw me.

"Hiya, Willie! Oh, how come you cryin'?" she asked. I sniffed, wiping roughly at my face. Her twin brother Jason appeared behind her. "Jasey, Willie's cryin'!"

"How come?" he asked. He ran to me, and I looked away. "Hey, you got tears!"

"Jason, Bailey, that's enough," Aunt Rachel warned. "Go back up and play, we're talking to William right now."

"Okay..." Jason sighed, bounding back up the stairs. Bailey waved to me.

"Feel better, Willie!"

I was alone with my aunt and uncle then, and I felt more embarrassed than I did before. I pulled my legs up to my chest and laid my head down, looking out the window. Uncle Paul put a hand on my shoulder.

"They're not going to get divorced. They love each other too much to do that," he said quietly. I looked at him.

"Then why are they fighting all the time? Mom said that she doesn't want to go back to 'the hell hole' and Dad says that Mom's 'fucking difficult.' He doesn't swear. They don't swear. At least not around me."

Uncle Paul looked at Aunt Rachel again, and then my aunt turned to me.

"Do you know what Leah meant by...By the 'hell hole?'"

I shook my head, "Nuh-uh. She just screamed at him that she won't go back. And then he said she's the reason why they can't have another baby; because she's 'doing it again.'"

A light bulb seemed to go off in Aunt Rachel's and Uncle Paul's heads because Aunt Rachel pressed a hand to her mouth, and Uncle Paul sat up slowly, looking sad. He cursed under his breath and then covered his face with his hands.

He looked up when someone knocked on the door, then Dad opened it. He looked angry and a little bit embarrassed.

"Will, come on. It's okay now."

"Jake, let him stay tonight with us. You and Leah obviously aren't...On good terms right now," Aunt Rachel said. "He shouldn't be around that."

"He's my..." Dad sighed roughly, looking at the ceiling. Finally he nodded. "I can go-"

"It's okay. He still has some things here," Uncle Paul said, standing up. I watched Dad follow him into the kitchen, where there was a growl. I knew they were talking, but they were only using voices that no one but them could hear.

"Come on, Willie. I was about to order some pizza. Hawaiian or pepperoni?" she asked cheerily. I sighed, before answering.

"Pepperoni."

Dad came back out of the kitchen, looking even angrier than before. He shook a little, and I suddenly felt scared. Once, I've seen him mad enough to phase. Once.

And let me tell you, I don't want to see it again.

"Jacob, go," Uncle Paul said from the kitchen door. "You know how ticked Rachel gets when you guys flip out in the house. And, really. You got your kid right there, he doesn't need to see that."

Dad looked at me, his shaking stopping. I looked down, not meeting his eyes as he walked towards me. He put a hand on my head, and I looked up at him again.

He smiled sadly, "We're gonna be alright, 'kay, kiddo? Mom and I...We're just going through a hard time right now."

"I don't need a new brother or sister. We're fine like we are," I told him, thinking that that was the problem they were always fighting about. He just smiled a little wider, a little sadder.

"Yeah, we are. Just keep Mom in your prayers, alright?"

"Why, is she sick?"

"Yeah...Yeah. And she needs help right now. The best that you can do is pray. Can you do that?"

"Mhm."

"I love you, kid. Be good."

"Love you, too, Dad."

He kissed the top of my head and left.

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Cheri

"Wow, Cheri, calm your tits," Nami laughed, elbowing me lightly. She dipped her spoon back into her ice cream, spooning the berry part into her mouth.

"How can I be calm? My d...My uncle's coming to visit! I've never met him before, what am I supposed to expect?! A fat, sumo wrestler? Or..." I gasped. "Maybe he's a part of some spy group, and he's coming to follow me around so he can turn me in and-"

"Stop! Stop, stop, stop! That's horrible!" Wynter exclaimed, her hands flying to her face. "You might jinx it and it'd happen!"

"Gosh, Winnie, I was only joking, duh," I stuck my tongue out at her. She eyed me playfully before eating a fry off my plate. For once I didn't care. I was way too nervous to eat.

Shouldn't he be here already?

Sam and the rest of the Pack (minus Seth, thank the Lord!) were all here, and Mom was cooking up a storm in the diner's kitchen.

"So, hey, I gotta bail. If I don't do this Spanish project, Teach is gonna fail me and then Dad's gonna be all anal and stuff..." Nami rolled her eyes, hugging me. "So if you need a ride, I suggest you come now."

"That'd be...All of us, actually," Tony smiled. "My sister has the car today," he explained, and I nodded thinking about his older sister Anna. Marlon nodded with a shrug.

"Cause we're bums without cars," he said, bowing down to Nami playfully. "We are forever under your control Obi Wan Gotta-Car." Wynter giggled.

"Sorry to leave you like this, Cherry-Berry," she pouted. Tony sighed, kissing me.

"Tell Homes 'good day' for me, would you?" he asked.

"Come see him! He misses you!"

"I will then. Text me."

"Duh."

"Text me, too!" Marlon grinned, jumping between Tony and me.

"And me!" Wynter laughed.

"If you forget to text me, I'll murder you in your sleep," Nami threatened evilly. I feigned horror, laughing afterwards.

"Bye, guys," I waved, watching them leave. They all hurried quickly to Nami's car, trying to keep as dry as possible. Nami honked and then pulled out, just as another car pulled forward. It parked, and a man got out. A woman got out after him, then three kids.

The woman pulled an umbrella out of her purse, opening it and holding it over her head. The three kids seemed to not care about the rain, and the man opened the door for all of them, letting them in before.

"Wow, it smells great," the woman complimented, shaking out her umbrella. She was pretty. I'd say...Eh...thirty-two. Thirty-three max. Her blonde hair was in a messy bun on her head.

One of the kids was a girl. About Willie's age. She had the same blonde hair as her mother, and was wearing an oversized sweater and a mini skirt. Her legs were covered with tights that had stars cut into the sides. On her feet were a pair of Timberland ankle boots, completely speck free.

This is the reason I need to stop spending all my money on junk food. Look at the way I could be dressing! Well...Not that it was cute or anything, but-

Eh, let's move on...

The boys were a little younger, and both had dark hair. They dressed like any boys would, in hoodies, jeans, and sneakers. They looked at each other, then burst out into laughter, making the girl roll her eyes with a small smile.

Must be an inside joke...Dammit, I hate it when I'm on the other side of these things!

The man, I stared at for a long time. I didn't get a glimpse of his face, because he turned and saw the Pack, who all jumped up and gave him 'man hugs'.

Darn it, those things were so cool! I tried to do one with Marlon, but it hurt my boobs too much, so...

"Where's...?"

"Right there, man," Sam pointed to me with a smile, and I raised my eyebrows.

"What?" I asked, then I met the man's eyes. The woman grinned happily up at him, squeezing his arm excitedly. I caught the girl's eye, and she gave me an up-down. I gave her the same up-down, deciding that my outfit of a hoodie and shorts was much cuter than hers. (Duh!) I smiled, and she smiled back.

"Hi," I waved, looking back at the man. My mouth hung open a little bit, and I looked him up and down. He smiled at me, looking a little awed.

"Hi," he said back.

"Dad, you're such a dork," the girl snorted.

"Zara, give him time, honey," the woman said. She pushed the man forward a little bit, looking like she'd cry. He fidgeted a little bit, looking unsure of what to do. I cleared my throat, bouncing on the balls of my feet.

"Heyy..." I smiled and waved awkwardly. He laughed once.

"Hey."

"So..." I huffed, gesturing elaborately to myself and clapping my hands to my sides.

"You're really pretty," the girl, Zara, said. "That's what he wants to say. Dad doesn't have too much of a way with words."

"I can see that," I nodded, laughing a bit. I opened my arms, and he continued staring at me. "This is the part...Where you hug me, Dad."

"O-oh," he cleared his throat. I pursed my lips, forgetting all the hurt and anger inside of me and running the rest of the way to him, wrapping my arms around his neck.

That hug...I suddenly felt like anything...Everything would be better from here on out. This was my dad. My real dad.

Maybe this is the reason all my birthday wishes didn't come true. All those wishes I made every year: bring Daddy back, bring Daddy back...

Maybe, just maybe, fate was leading up to this moment right here.

...

Either that or I'm just a shitty wisher.

There you go home slices! Thanks for reading, and remember to review!

~SashaFierce12.0