Summary: Amelia stays with the Montgomery-Reilly's after her breakup with James while Audrey gets settled in her new life at her new school with her new friends.
"Amelia? What happened?" Addison asked, gesturing towards the couch while Jake occupied Henry for a minute.
"We just…is it so wrong that I don't want to get married?" Amelia asked.
"Not now? Or…?" Addison asked.
"Now? Never? Does it matter? I don't know. I should know that, right?" Amelia asked, sounding just as confused as she felt. Addison watched her, waiting for her to explain further.
"James asked me to marry him. And I…said no," Amelia revealed.
"What? When?" Addison asked curiously.
"Last night. Actually, I told him I'd think about it. And then I said no," Amelia replied as Henry walked back over.
"Why didn't you say anything earlier?" Addison asked, picking up Henry and sitting him on her lap.
She'd seen her at the office this morning and again when she told her she was taking Henry out to lunch. It was only after Addison came back from her lunch break that Amelia texted, saying she was taking the rest of the day off and taking Henry with her. Addison was concerned, but Amelia brushed it off and said she just needed a break rosy. Amelia was perfectly capable of taking care of herself. And Henry. Even more than that, she knew Amelia would never intentionally do anything to hurt Henry. Addison didn't have any reason not to believe her earlier, so she let her take Henry for the day as long as Amelia promised to bring him back for dinner.
"I wanted to figure it out for myself before everyone else found out," Amelia replied.
"Well, I think if you don't know, you probably shouldn't get engaged," Addison finally said reassuringly. Amelia gave her a small smile.
"So, are you okay?" Addison asked after a minute.
"Yeah. I just…needed to get out of that apartment. Can I stay here? Just for tonight?" Amelia asked.
"Of course. But you'll have to be okay with the pull-out couch in the office. Your old room isn't exactly available anymore," Addison said, chuckling.
"Absolutely. I told you it'd be a good investment," Amelia replied as Addison smiled and put a hand on top of hers before looking past her to look at Jake. He smiled back and nodded before getting back to making dinner.
"So, what'd you guys do today?" Addison asked, looking down at Henry, who smiled back at her.
"The park!" Henry answered enthusiastically.
"You were at the park all day?" Addison asked, matching her son's excitement as she ran her hand through her hair, rubbing some sand she found in there between her fingers.
"Mm, and the beach," Henry said.
"The beach?" Addison asked, chuckling. Henry nodded back, smiling.
"We dug a very impressive hole," Amelia smiled after seeing Henry giggle. She hadn't exactly planned on going to the beach, so they didn't have any shovels or buckets to play with. So, they dug a hole. With their bare hands. Cleaning the sand out from under her nails would be a pain later, but at least having fun with Henry took her mind off of her breakup. Even if it was temporary.
"Is that why there's sand all over you?" Addison asked, brushing more sand out of his hair before he looked up at her, nodded, and giggled.
"I'll wash him up before dinner," Amelia volunteered, getting Henry from Addison's lap.
"Are you sure?" Addison asked.
"Yup. I got him!" Amelia called back, walking away with Henry in her arms as Milo poked his head out from under the couch, letting Addison pet his head.
Addison looked over and saw Jake cleaning up the kitchen while dinner was in the oven before walking over to help. When he saw her pull up next to her to wipe the counter with a towel, he kissed her cheek before going back to cleaning.
"Thank you for today," Addison said.
"Anytime," Jake smiled before turning on the sink to wash the cutting board and knife he'd used to prep dinner.
Amelia came down almost 20 minutes later with a damp but clean Henry while Addison had gone over by the back door to watch Audrey play volleyball for a while longer with her friends. When Henry looked to see what his mom was looking at, he stood beside her, watching his sister hit the ball, watching the ball go over the net right to Jace, and watching Jace hit the ball right back, continuing the game. Addison glanced down and combed through some of his damp hair, smiling at how captivated he was at watching the teenagers play outside. Meanwhile, Jake took dinner out of the oven, adding some chopped onion and cilantro while Amelia watched.
"Are you okay?" Jake asked.
"I will be," Amelia replied simply.
The breakup was still fresh, and she wasn't happy by any means, but she knew it was the right thing to do. When James had proposed, or more accurately, proposed the idea of getting engaged months ago, an overwhelming wave of stress washed over her. Amelia knew him well enough that James was an incredibly traditional person, and getting married would also mean having kids shortly afterward, and Amelia didn't feel anywhere near ready for any of it.
Not to mention they were two incredibly different people, and they'd only been together for just over two years - not even long enough to go through an entire presidential election cycle, of which she knew they had drastically different views. James and Amelia had mostly avoided the topic of politics throughout the duration of their relationship, but they'd also made it clear which side they stood on. And they'd done this purposefully; any time they'd shared more about their political views, they'd stopped themselves before it became any more than just a mildly heated argument. Amelia couldn't imagine doing that for the rest of her life with James.
"Dinner's almost ready if you want to call them in," Jake said, calling over to his wife.
Addison nodded before opening the back door, letting Henry go outside first, but picking him up before he could get to his sandbox. Audrey almost immediately heard the sound of the back door opening, the clicking of Addison's heels against the wooden patio floor, and Henry's giggling, causing her to look over. It didn't take long for her to make the realization that it meant it was time to go in for the evening.
"I think dinner's ready, guys," Audrey said before turning back to see her mother smiling back at her.
Jace, Jenna, and Sabina followed Audrey's lead, shaking off and wiping down any excess sand on their clothes and feet before walking up the patio steps. Jace held onto one of the balls while Jenna held onto the spare, figuring they shouldn't just leave it out for the night before meeting Audrey's mom and brother.
"Audi!" Henry exclaimed while squirming in Addison's arms. Addison repositioned him as she struggled to hold him still since he had been trying to get put down ever since she picked him up. He still wanted to get into his sandbox to play.
"Hey, buddy," Audrey chuckled, getting him from Addison's arms, which seemed to calm his squirming.
"Audi go school today?" Henry asked.
"Yeah, I did go to school today. Do you want to say hi to everyone?" Audrey asked. Henry looked around and giggled, blushing.
"This is Sabina, Jace, and Jenna," Audrey said, pointing out her new friends, who waved back to the little boy.
"Guys, this is my brother, Henry, and my mom," Audrey said as her friends stood beside her.
"Your real one?" Sabina asked bluntly. Jace and Jenna glared back at her, not wanting to be impolite, while Addison and Audrey chuckled.
"Yeah, my real one," Audrey said, moving a strand of her hair behind her ear.
"Dr. Montgomery also works," Addison said, introducing herself before gesturing for everyone to come further into the patio toward the tables and chairs.
She thought about being a Ms. or a Mrs. Montgomery, but she ultimately decided against it. Mrs. Montgomery-Shepherd or even Montgomery-Reilly didn't feel right either because it just wasn't her name, so Dr. Montgomery it was. She envied how Jake and Derek could easily be a Mr. Reilly or a Mr. Shepherd, but the titles women generally used indicated different things. Like how Mrs. meant that you were a married woman, Miss meant you were single, and Ms. could be either or. But Dr. Montgomery would just have to do. The doctor title had been something she'd worked hard for, so surely, it'd be fine to continue using it for her daughter's friends.
"You guys can just leave those over here," Addison said, referring to the large toy box near the door and the volleyballs Jace and Jenna were still holding.
Jake and Amelia came out with dinner soon after, with Amelia holding plates and utensils before they set them on the table.
"Amelia?" Audrey asked. She didn't realize her aunt was here.
"Hey, kid," Amelia greeted before setting the table with the plates and utensils while Audrey let Henry down. Thankfully, he seemed to forget all about wanting to play in the sandbox and instead focused his attention on Amelia.
"I'll grab some napkins. Just keep Henry out of the S-A-N-D-B-O-X for me," Addison said, spelling out the word sandbox, to not remind Henry of his earlier desire to play in the sand. Jake nodded before Audrey followed Addison into the house to grab Henry's booster seat from inside.
"So, I'm guessing you're Audrey's new friends. I'm Amelia, her aunt," Amelia said, introducing herself to the kids. The teenagers waved before introducing themselves again.
"Dinner looks great, Mr. Reilly," Jace commented politely before Addison and Audrey got back outside with napkins and Henry's booster seat.
"Thank you, Jace," Jake smiled as he started spooning portions of chicken enchiladas for everyone as they all started sitting at the table.
"So, I take it you guys had a good day?" Addison asked as they all started eating dinner.
"There've definitely been worse first days," Sabina joked, earning a chuckle from almost everyone at the table.
"Bea!" Jenna scolded quietly.
"It's fine. Really," Jake laughed along.
"Yeah. You remind me of Amelia when she was your age," Addison commented before taking a bite.
"Really?" Audrey asked, curious.
"Oh, yeah," Amelia smirked.
"Yeah? How?" Jace asked, curious.
Amelia looked over at Addison and Jake, who were silently pleading she keep it brief and nondescript. They didn't need Audrey or her new friends to get any ideas.
"Let's just say you're all probably on a better path than I was when I was your age," Amelia replied, deciding it'd be better to not divulge into every troublesome thing she did as a teenager.
"So, how do you kids know each other?" Jake asked after a minute. Addison gave him a look, grateful that he changed the subject so quickly.
"Jace and I are actually neighbors, so we've known each other since he moved here," Sabina replied.
"We moved from West Philly when I was six, so we were in first grade together," Jace said.
"And I met them in seventh grade when my parents got me into Windward, and Sabina set us up," Jenna added.
"Only because Jace could barely talk to her, let alone ask her out," Sabina commented jokingly. Jace and Jenna smiled, a little embarrassed.
"Ah, young love," Amelia joked, chuckling.
They all continued talking throughout dinner about how their first day at school went and Jake, Addison, and Amelia let the teenagers steer the conversation. After dinner, it started getting darker outside as everyone helped clear the table and brought the dirty dishes inside.
"Ooh, I think we can still catch the sunset. Can we go back out to see, Dr. Montgomery?" Jenna asked.
"Of course," Addison smiled as she grabbed the plates from the kids. As they all started walking back out, Audrey saw Henry in the living room, watching them walk outside.
"You want to watch the sunset with us, Henry?" Audrey asked. Henry's face lit up before he nodded back and walked over to his sister, grabbing the hand she held out for him.
"Someone's taking the big sister role seriously," Amelia commented, glancing toward the backyard.
"Yeah. She's been…pretty great so far," Addison smiled, watching Audrey and Henry walk out onto the patio hand-in-hand.
They continued cleaning up inside as the kids watched the sunset outside, with Jace and Jenna cuddling up while sharing a lounge chair while Sabina joined Audrey and Henry in another. Jenna had been talking about how she was going to try out for the cheer team when Audrey's phone started ringing. It was Derek, calling to video chat.
"Oh, sorry. My dad's calling," Audrey said as she answered the phone.
"Your real one?" Sabina joked as they all chuckled.
"Hey, Dad," Audrey said.
"Hey, Audrey," Derek smiled. He could see Henry trying to stand while holding onto Audrey's shoulder for balance.
"Hi, Henry," Derek said as Audrey sat Henry back down on her lap and lowered her phone so he could see better.
"Hi," Henry waved and giggled back.
"Catch you at a bad time?" Derek asked.
"No, you're good. We're just outside watching the sunset. See?" Audrey said, switching the camera to show off the view.
"Wow. It looks nice," Derek commented before Audrey switched it back. He looked curious when he saw someone other than Henry move into the frame.
"Oh, this is Sabina. We met at school today," Audrey said as Sabina waved.
"Hi! You're a doctor, too, right?" Sabina asked.
"Yeah, I am," Derek confirmed, chuckling. It was nice to see that his daughter had already made a friend on her first day of school.
"Oh, and this is Jace and Jenna," Audrey added as the two walked over to get a closer look. Derek's smile widened.
"Nice to meet you, Audrey's dad," Jace waved.
"Mr. Shepherd's fine. It's nice to meet all of you," Derek chuckled.
"Nice to meet you, too, Mr. Shepherd," Jenna smiled warmly.
"So, how was school today?" Derek asked.
"Good," Audrey smiled. Derek could tell that she was genuinely happy, and as much as he missed her and wanted her there in Seattle, he and Addison had made the right choice moving her to L.A. He just wished he didn't feel like he was missing out on so much.
"So, what else did you guys do today?" Derek asked.
"We played some volleyball out here. I'm gonna try out for the team next week with Jace and Jenna," Audrey informed him.
"That sounds fun," Derek commented.
"Are you not trying out for the team?" Derek asked, directing his question toward Sabina, confused.
"Nah. I don't mind the game, I just don't feel the need to compete," Sabina replied. Derek chuckled and nodded.
Derek continued talking to Audrey and her new friends while Jake, Addison, and Amelia cleaned up inside, loading the dishwasher and watching the sunset from inside the house for a while. As it got darker outside a few minutes later, they heard the doorbell ring. Addison smiled and opened the front door, seeing two moms standing outside.
"Hi, Dr. Montgomery, right?" the first woman asked.
"Right," Addison smiled before reaching out to shake her hand before doing the same with the other.
"I'm Brooke, Sabina's mom. And Jace is carpooling with us," Brooke, the first woman, said.
"Lesley-Ann; Jenna's mom," Lesley-Ann said, introducing herself. Addison sensed an accent; it wasn't quite British or Australian, but she couldn't quite place it.
"It's nice to meet you both. Why don't you come in? The kids are out back watching the sunset," Addison suggested, gesturing inside. The moms smiled before graciously accepting her offer.
"My husband, Jake. And my sister-in-law, Amelia," Addison said after they came inside as Brooke and Lesley-Ann repeated their introductions to them.
"Wow. You've got quite a view here," Lesley-Ann remarked.
"Yeah. It's pretty great," Jake said.
"No wonder they went outside. It's beautiful out there," Brooke said as they all walked over toward the backdoor before coming outside.
"Hey, guys! Your parents are here!" Amelia shouted before everyone turned around. The kids finished up the last of their conversations before walking over together, with Audrey holding Henry, snuggling under her chin.
"Here, I'll take him," Addison offered, getting Henry from Audrey.
"Oh, you have another one," Brooke chuckled.
"Yeah. This is Henry," Addison chuckled, letting Henry snuggle into her arms before waving at the two women.
"I think it's someone's bedtime," Lesley-Ann cooed.
"Sorry, it's been a while since we've been around kids this small. Sabina's my younger one, and Gracie's…seven, right?" Brooke said, referring to Lesley-Ann's younger daughter while looking over at her.
"Yeah," Lesley-Ann confirmed.
"Colin, my older one, is already in college; Stanford. He just started," Brooke added.
"We have another one at UCLA. Pre-med," Jake chimed in.
"Wow. So, what made you want another little one?" Lesley-Ann asked, curious.
"It's…a long story. And one that I would love to tell you. Another time," Addison replied, smiling, accepting Jake's offer to carry Henry. The women nodded, making a mental note to potentially spend some time together outside of the kids.
"Alright, grab your things and we'll go. Jace, you're riding with us," Brooke said. Jace and Sabina nodded before all four teenagers went inside.
"Thanks, Mrs. Amari," Jace said as he passed Brooke.
After Sabina, Jace, and Jenna grabbed their backpacks, they all said their goodbye alongside Brooke and Lesley-Ann while Addison and Audrey walked them to the door. Meanwhile, Jake brought Henry upstairs to get him ready for bed and Amelia followed.
"So, can I assume you had a good first day?" Addison asked after closing the front door.
"Yeah. I think so," Audrey said, smiling.
Addison smiled before leading her daughter upstairs. By the time they got there, Amelia was exiting the bathroom, wearing pajamas and a towel in her hair. Audrey looked confused before turning to ask her mom why Amelia was still there.
"Oh, right. Amelia's staying here for a while," Addison said.
"The night. Amelia's staying for the night, not a while," Amelia insisted. Addison and Amelia exchanged looks, as if silently arguing with each other.
Audrey wondered if she'd ever have one of these silent conversations, not just the one she'd just seen between her mom and Amelia, but the ones she saw between her parents, her dad and Mark, her dad and Meredith, and her mom and Jake. Robert and Eleanor always fought out loud, regardless of who was around. And it was always about the same things; like that fight they'd have at least once a month about Robert's spending habits and how he always sent them over the monthly budget Eleanor was always so uptight about.
The resolution between the two of them was always just to walk away, but she'd seen firsthand how the people around her in her new life made it a point to figure it out. Civilly. It wasn't something she was used to, but it looked a lot healthier than what she was used to. And she could get used to this new sense of peace she'd never really known before.
"Is everything okay?" Audrey asked, curious.
"Yeah. I just…needed a place to stay. I broke up with James," Amelia said.
"Oh, I'm sorry," Audrey said.
"Don't be. It was…the right thing to do," Amelia smiled before walking past her to the office.
Addison then took the opportunity to look into Henry's bedroom where she could see Jake was halfway through If You Give a Mouse a Cookie and Henry was snuggled in his bed, struggling to keep his eyes open. Audrey peeked in behind Addison, smiling when Addison turned and wrapped an arm around her and pulled her inside Henry's room. Jake looked up and paused to see them, smiled, and went back to reading Henry's story. Addison knelt to pull Henry's covers up a little higher and kissed his forehead before sitting on the arm of the other chair Audrey had pulled up and sat in as Jake finished reading. When Jake finished the book, Henry was fast asleep, and the three of them snuck out before taking one last look and turning out the light.
"Don't stay up too late," Addison said, patting Audrey's shoulder before she and Jake headed to their bedroom. Audrey smiled before going to shower off some of the sand from her earlier volleyball game and heading to her bedroom to get some reading done before falling asleep.
The rest of the week went smoothly as Audrey continued going to school and Jake and Addison switched off, picking her up. Amelia, while she had good intentions, ended up staying with them for longer than just that one night. She found an apartment since she had moved in with James months earlier, but since she couldn't move into her new place until the end of the month, Jake and Addison insisted she stay with them until then. And they even found a storage unit for her things while she packed up what used to be the apartment she and James shared.
Depending on Jake and Addison's schedules, Audrey either did her homework at the office or at the house. While she was old enough to stay at the house without them, Addison thought the idea of having an adult present would just make it safer, especially since Robert was still out there somewhere. It was unlikely that he knew Audrey was in L.A., but she figured it'd be better to be safe rather than sorry. When Addison and Jake were at the hospital, Audrey ended up in either Amelia's office or the lobby where Pete could keep an eye on her while manning the front desk.
Next Thursday marked Audrey's volleyball tryouts after school, so she told Jake and Addison they could pick her up later than usual. Jace and Jenna seemed unconcerned, but Audrey was nervous. She'd never had to try out for anything before. Her old public school didn't hold tryouts for sports, at least not for the sports she played in the year she'd been at her last high school. The fact that she was still new at playing volleyball didn't exactly ease her nerves, either, but once the drills started, Audrey focused on the task at hand.
The tryouts had two drills: serving and receiving. After a few rounds doing one, they all switched to the other side. Audrey was a much better receiver than she was a server, but she still managed to do okay, she thought. When tryouts were over, Audrey and the other kids started packing up in the locker rooms while practically chugging whatever water was left in their water bottles.
"Results will be posted in the west hallway near Mr. McKinney's room by the end of next week. Good luck everyone," Coach Hart said before looking back down at her list and heading into her office on the far side of the locker room.
"How'd you think you did?" Jenna asked.
"I think I did okay. My serve could be a little better, though," Audrey replied.
"You looked great out there," Jace smiled.
"You both did," Jace stressed, making the girls chuckle.
The girls smiled before heading out to the hallway, where Sabina was waiting for them.
"Finally," Sabina commented playfully.
"You know, you wouldn't have to wait if you went and tried out with us," Jenna pointed out.
"Whatever. I don't want or need to play on a sports team. I do just fine watching on the bleachers," Sabina replied as they all walked to the front of the school where Addison and Jenna's mom, Lesley-Ann, were waiting outside their cars, chatting.
After she had asked about how Addison ended up in L.A., Addison discovered that Lesley-Ann grew up in Queenstown, New Zealand, before moving to L.A. Her family was also from Haiti, so she grew up speaking French. After college, she met Jenna's dad, and the rest was history. So, her accent, as she put it, was all over the place, but she took Addison's compliment when she said it was beautiful.
"Hey, how were tryouts?" Addison asked as the kids approached.
"Good," Audrey replied.
"I think we all have a pretty good shot at getting in," Jace added.
"Jace, you coming with me today?" Lesley-Ann asked. Jace and Jenna had been together for a little over a year now, so it was usually implied that he'd be coming over by now. They were both good kids, so she had no problem having the boy over.
"Yes, please," Jace smiled.
"We'll see you guys tomorrow!" Jenna waved before she and Jace slid into the backseat of the car.
"Is it okay if Sabina comes over to study? We have our first oral French quiz next week," Audrey asked, looking at her mom.
"Wow, a quiz already. That makes me miss public school," Lesley-Ann commented, making Addison chuckle.
"Of course," Addison smiled before Audrey opened the backdoor of Addison's car.
"Hi, Audi!" Henry smiled from his car seat.
"Hey, buddy," Audrey chuckled before sliding in next to him. After Sabina closed the door and buckled her seat belt, she offered him her knuckle, which then led to her teaching him how to bump fists.
"It was good to see you again, Addison. I'm sure we'll see each other again," Lesley-Ann smiled warmly.
"You, too. Bye," Addison chuckled before they both walked over to get into the driver's seat of their respective cars.
At the house, Audrey and Sabina started their homework, while Addison put Henry down for his nap after he'd fallen asleep in the car. She let the girls have their privacy downstairs while Addison worked on some paperwork in the office upstairs. About an hour later, she woke Henry up from his nap before taking him downstairs to grab him a bottle. When she did, the girls were ready to quiz each other for their upcoming oral exam.
"Okay, you first," Sabina said before repositioning herself to face Audrey while they both held their notebooks. Audrey took a deep breath before beginning as Addison watched the girls while rocking Henry in her arms while he took his bottle.
"Bonjour," Audrey said, putting her notebook down. They wouldn't get to use their notes for the quiz.
"Bonjour," Sabina replied.
"Comment allez-vous?" Sabina asked.
"Bien. Et vous?" Audrey replied.
"Bien. Quel temps fait-il?" Sabina asked.
"Il fait beau. Il ne pleut pas," Audrey replied.
"Avez-vous faim?" Audrey asked.
"Oui. Il y a un café. Vous voulez prendre un café?" Sabina asked.
"No. Je ne bois pas de café," Audrey replied.
"Bien. À bientôt," Sabina said.
"Au revoir," Sabina replied.
"Mom, how was that?" Audrey asked, looking past her friend at Addison standing in the kitchen.
"Not bad," Addison chuckled, impressed.
"Is there something we could do better? I feel like I'm pronouncing stuff wrong," Sabina asked, turning around to face Addison as well. Audrey had told her earlier that week that her mom took French in school, so maybe she could help.
Addison thought about it for a minute; there were definitely things they could do to improve their pronunciation of some of those French words, but she was impressed with what she was hearing so far.
"It's bonjour, not bun; with the long O sound. And try to drop the S sound when you can," Addison started, walking closer to the girls and sitting Henry on the couch.
"And be careful with un versus une since un is for masculine words and une is for feminine words," Addison added as Sabina and Audrey paid close attention after Audrey handed Addison her notebook.
"So, it's un café, not une. And, see, here? You can drop the S from temps. It's only if there's a vowel like an e afterward when you pronounce more of the S sound…," Addison continued.
When Jake got home, the girls were still practicing for their oral quiz, with Addison nodding satisfactorily. Henry ran up to him as he hung up his coat and placed some groceries on the kitchen counter before Jake picked him up.
"Hey, big guy. You gonna be my sous chef tonight?" Jake asked playfully. Henry nodded back enthusiastically before Jake let Henry back down and pulled his stool closer to the kitchen counter.
Jake assumed Sabina was staying for dinner since she didn't seem rushed, but when Addison asked her after Jake had started washing the vegetables, Sabina confirmed it before pulling out her phone to ask her mom for permission. Even though Jake had sharp knife skills, he had gotten a vegetable chopper so Henry could safely help him in the kitchen, and watching him press the knob excitedly and tell everyone at the table later that he'd helped make dinner made the purchase well worth it.
When the weekend came, Audrey discovered it would be Jake's birthday on Monday, and since she hadn't gotten any time to get him anything, she surprised him by making breakfast on Sunday morning. Even Angela had come over to help her and Henry, which was by far the best part of Jake's birthday weekend. Jake, much like Addison, preferred a quieter birthday at home, and they celebrated with Jake's side of the family at his sister, Penelope's house, who made all of his childhood favorites.
For the rest of the week, Audrey focused on her schoolwork, studying hard for her French oral exam before the test came on Wednesday, and waiting anxiously for Coach Hart to post the volleyball team results. Jace and Jenna weren't too worried; with Audrey's volleyball net in the backyard, they could play anytime they wanted, anyway. Getting on the team would just mean more drills and it would look good on their transcripts, and Sabina pointed out that this was exactly why she hadn't tried out in the first place.
When Friday finally came, they all knew the results had to be posted by the end of the day. When the last bell rang, Audrey rushed toward the west hallway and saw the sign for Mr. McKinley's room before recognizing the other kids from volleyball tryouts crowding around the bulletin board.
"Audrey!" Jace called from behind Audrey as she turned around.
"Well?" Jace asked in anticipation as Jenna stood beside him. She knew Sabina couldn't be too far behind, but her last class for the day, chemistry with Ms. Teagues, was on the other side of the building, so it was only expected that she wasn't there yet.
"I don't know; I just got here," Audrey said before the three of them approached the bulletin board, trying to peer over other kids' heads before pushing their way through.
"We made it!" Jenna cheered, as she was the first one to read the list clearly.
"All of us?" Audrey asked anxiously. Jenna and Jace were a couple, so we always applied to the two of them.
"Yes! All of us!" Jenna confirmed, before pulling Jace and Audrey in for a hug.
Audrey beamed and chuckled, almost in disbelief, before they all pulled away. When they did, they saw Sabina walking over.
"So, I'm guessing this means you guys made the team," Sabina commented, chuckling. The three of them nodded back excitedly before Sabina pulled them in for another group hug.
They all linked arms before heading outside to the pickup line of cars where they knew Addison was picking them up today. The four of them figured, despite whatever news they got about the volleyball team, they could still play the game at Audrey's house. And volleyball practice wouldn't start until next week anyway, so they thought they might as well get some games in before they had to start competing, as Sabina put it.
When they got outside, Audrey's eyes got wide as she started beaming.
"Dad!" Audrey exclaimed as they all walked closer to Derek, who was leaning against a rental car waiting for her.
A/N: Chapter title inspired by the song, Things Are Looking Up by Sheffield. In case anyone's curious, the short French conversation between Audrey and Sabina was just them saying hello, asking about the weather, and asking to go to the cafe for drinks. It is also me putting my four years of French classes to the test (lol)! So, the story's going to settle a lot more for a while, just so Audrey can ease into her new life here. And Derek will be making frequent visits and some other Grey's Anatomy characters will come make appearances as well, especially when Audrey goes back to Seattle in the future. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Thanks again for all the kind comments on my last chapters 3
