Sam woke up to a heavy weight on her chest. She squinted her closed eyes in confusion and touched at her lower stomach. But when she opened her eyes it was clear where the discomfort was coming from . It was Carter's head which was currently right on her stomach. Meanwhile her sister was asleep at the foot of the bed.
Thank God her parents had opted for putting a queen size bed in the room she stayed in.
"When did you two get in here?" She murmured, sitting up and trying to gently move Carter's body to a more comfortable position for the both of them.
Carter stirred and groaned at the movement.
"I'm just moving you a little bud." Sam whispered, "Stay asleep."
It was already eight and the young woman could tell she'd shaken enough sleep off to get out of bed. The kiddos could take some more time asleep, so she'd leave their sweet little countenances alone.
The 24 year old carefully got up from the bed and kissed her brother and sister's heads. She walked into the bathroom to wash her face and brush her teeth. She walked down into the kitchen and started the coffee maker, then sat on the island with her phone, waiting for the acrid brew to finish.
Brooke walked in and smiled at the sight of her eldest, deciding to take the moment in. Sam was in a pair of grey track shorts with a white UNC t shirt. Her hair was shorter than when she was a teenager, and her arms were slightly toned now due to the upper body workouts she'd been doing at the gym with Jack. One of their new year's resolutions. 'No more stick arms!' Sam had enthusiastically proclaimed.
Though Brooke was sure she could still take her in an arm wrestling competition. And win.
"Oh, morning mom."
Brooke walked further into the kitchen and kissed Sam's head, "Morning peanut. How'd you sleep? I noticed you had two visitors in your bed this morning."
Sam turned her phone down and sat up a bit as her mother took out two mugs for coffee, "Yeah, I don't even know when they got to my room. I just woke up to Riley in a little ball at my feet and Carter's head on my stomach. That kid's got a heavy head."
Brooke chuckled, "All of you are such cuddle bugs."
"Is that a trait from you or from dad?"
"Your father." Brooke deadpanned and then broke into a smile at her daughter's raised eyebrows, "Okay, maybe from both of us."
The mother put the prepared cup of coffee in front of Sam, "Dad told me you two worked it out yesterday?"
Sam shrugged, "Yeah, I think so. We both kinda apologized to each other, and you know the whole thing with Riley knowing about me being in foster care. We talked about that too."
Brooke looked into her daughter's soulful green eyes. There was worry. There was apprehension. And Brooke knew exactly why. "Honey-"
"I know mom." Sam interrupted, "It's on my time. There's no rush. If Riley pushes me tell you or dad and you'll talk to her. I know. It's just...it's still weird. I don't want her to look at me differently."
"She's your sister." Brooke emphasized, "And she looks up to you. Nothing will change that."
Sam laid her head on her hand, "I don't want her to look at me differently."
"Different doesn't mean bad hon."
Sam frowned and took a long sip of her coffee as she let her mom's comment sit. Brooke could practically see the thoughts reeling in her head. She quietly took a seat next to her girl and Sam took the opportunity to lay her head on her mom's shoulder.
"We love you, little one." Brooke whispered in that familiar hoarse voice that melted her children's hearts.
Sam smiled and snuggled closer, "I know mama. I love you and daddy too."
Both of them took in the moments of comfortable silence before the younger woman moved her head back up,
"When are you and dad planning on talking to Sarah's parents?"
Brooke sighed and rolled her eyes, "We talked to her yesterday night."
Sam's eyes widened at the prospect, "Oh whoah. Y'all work quick."
"With my children I always work fast. Haven't you learned that by now?"
Sam chuckled dryly, very keen on her mother's protective instincts, "Trust me. Yeah I do."
"Well she assured me that it wouldn't happen again. We'll see how true that is."
"Were you at least nice?"
Brooke put her cup down and looked at Sam offended, "Yes I was nice!" She sputtered, "I'm always nice."
"Mom." Sam rose an eyebrow, "You can be mean when you're mad."
"I am not!"
"Remember that new security guy who didn't know who I was?"
Brooke bit her lip and shook her head. Okay so she definitely remembered that moment. "I have no idea what you're talking about."
"I thought you were going to bite his head off. You have to remember!"
"Alright. Alright. I suppose I can get a little intense."
"Right. Just a little." Sam joked. Mama Brooke was never one to mess with.
"Riley still seemed kinda upset when she went to bed." Sam mentioned taking another sip of her coffee.
"I know she is." Brooke was no fool. Her youngest baby was definitely one to hold onto emotions for a longer while than her siblings, "But we're just gonna have to muddle through it."
"Sucks."
"Tell me about it, kiddo." Brooke admitted. It wasn't fun to be the bad guy in your kid's eyes. But being a parent never meant doing anything the easy way. Sam had taught them that lesson over and over again.
… … ….
"But I wanna go. Please!" Sam begged Lucas to drop her off at SouthSide after a Friday of errands between both of them. Lucas had called in and Sam had missed school. It had only been five and a half weeks since she'd moved in with them but things were slowly becoming more and more normal for the tennager and her two parents.
That day the father had first needed to go for his own annual physical and then took Sam to the dentist for an annual teeth cleaning
She had received one filling that ended in tears and a quick lap cuddle from Lucas. The girl had been tearing up the moment the dentist had mentioned it and immediately once he finished and told her she was okay to get up she immediately looked at her father with the most distressed eyes.
"That was horrible." She moaned and stood up trying hard to fight the tears.
Lucas patted his lap, "I know it hurts." He empathized, "Come here.'
She looked at him suspiciously. Whenever she'd gone to the dentist with the group home or foster parents it was a rushed endeavor. They were shuttled on and off and there were never times for hugs or kisses.
"Come on kiddo." He tried once more,"Wait with me while the doctor comes back."
Sam, still unsure whether her father would change her mind, quickly heeded his direction and beelined towards him.
"There she is." He whispered softly as she sat on his lap and bashfully hid herself in his neck.
"It really, really hurt." She moped miserably hoping to get more loving up from Lucas. She was glad it was only the two of them in the room.
The father pouted with sympathy, "I know champ." He held her close and rubbed her back over and over, "That must've been really hard. But it's over now."
She stayed comfortably in his embrace even as the doctor came in. She could hear the dentist ask a few more questions but she paid the man no mind. Her dad was rubbing her back and bouncing his knee up and down making her really sleepy. Besides, she knew Lucas would answer all the questions.
"Well it looks like you got a sleepy one on your hands." The dentist spoke with a smile.
Lucas looked down and rolled her eyes when Sam hid her face deeper into him at the doctor's comment. It was a recent development that she started to be more comfortable with initiating physical affection with the parents. Sometimes she'd give them a hug or an impromptu kiss on the cheek. Other times it was her head laying on their shoulder. But she'd never been this openly clingy before, and if it did happen it was during bedtime.
It let Lucas know that it was definitely time for them to go and maybe time for her to take a nap. Thrice had mentioned Sam's struggle with sleep. The parents had been checking on her periodically throughout the night but Lucas had an inkling that yesterday might've been a rough night for his kid. Her behavior now coupled with her crankiness in the morning made him almost sure of it now.
"The best thing for her when she has a night like that is to provide her a calm evening." Luke remembered Thrice telling them, "It was hard when she was in the group home or a foster home to enforce that. But now that she's with you two it can be regularly enforced." Thrice advised them, "Usually the nightmares are consistent if her days and nights are on the go and full of energy. At least from what we've noticed." The social worker closed her folder and back up at the two parents, "When we can get her to take a nap the next day or watch a movie with one or two other girls without much noise and nonsense her next night is better."
"Has she ever talked about them?" Brooke asked, "Her nightmares."
Thrice sighed and ran a hand through her hair, "Not to me. When she was a bit younger she would wet herself at night whenever they happened. And, well, that's how we knew when she had a bad night. Those incidents have tapered off however. Her last accident was maybe two months before she got to you. Because we didn't have such an outward sign like that this last year I would just ask the resident assistant on duty to be aware of her energy and mood in the morning."
Thrice noticed how Brooke's eyes immediately reddened and Lucas moved his hand to hold hers.
"She's a tough cookie." She assured them, "I promise you with the amount of love and attention you're already giving her she will be just fine."
Yeah Lucas was definitely not taking any chances. Sam needed to be home right after this.
He kissed the top of her head, "Come on baby. Let's get home. Thanks so much doc. And I'll make sure she flosses more often."
Sam narrowed her eyes. Whatever. She didn't need to floss every day. God why was she so damn tired.
Lucas carefully undid Sam's hold on his shirt, "You gotta walk kiddo." He chuckled slightly as she groaned and moved onto the ground.
On their way to the car Sam received a text from Tamara asking for her to join them after school. She knew she still had a week of her grounding left for skipping school and terrifying her parents but it was worth a try, especially because Luke was quicker to give than Brooke.
"Luke?"
The man looked towards the backseat once he got in the car.
"What's up Sam?"
"Are we done with everything yet?"
The father winked at her, "Sure are. We're heading home now. Your mom said she might get out early too and join us for dinner"
Sam frowned, "Actually, can I go to Southside? We're not too far from it anyways."
Luke let out a deep breath, "Champ, it's already 3. And you're tired. And grounded for having skipped school. We're going home."
Luke saw the anger build up in his kid's eyes and he knew this was not going to end well.
…. …. ….
"SHE WHAT?!" Brooke sputtered through the phone.
"She locked herself in the bathroom and is refusing to get out." Luke repeated.
"Lucas break down the door knob." She deadpanned, angry that their kid reacted in such a way to Luke's refusal to her request, "She's 14 years old. We cannot let her get away with that. Get her ass out of that bathroom."
"I think I have it handled. She's going to come out whether she likes it or not. But I just wanted to let you know about what was happening."
The fashion designer held the bridge of her nose for a second. "Give me ten minutes. I'm home picking some papers up, but I can just end my day here. This stuff can wait for tomorrow. so I'll head over."
"You don't have to-"
"I want to, Lucas."
Brooke had hoped that Sam would've given up on her effort and unlocked the door but that hadn't been the case.
Luke was in the kitchen starting dinner, "Luke."
The man turned around and went over to give her a hug, "The last thing she told me was that I would need to drag her out. I told her I wouldn't' do that. But that when she made the choice to calm down she could come out and talk to me. She threw something at the door and told me to leave her alone."
Brooke shook her head, "If we ever tried this on your mom-"
"Our asses would've been handed to us." Luke nodded slightly amused.
"I'm surprised you've kept your cool as much as you have."
And that's when Lucas frowned and took a seat, "Remember when Thrice had told us about her trouble with sleep?"
Brooke's heart dropped. "Did she have a bad night, last night?"
"I think so. I'm not sure though. She was extra cranky this morning and more clingy than I expected at the dentists. I figured she could do with a calm evening if she had a bad night yesterday. I'm trying to keep that in mind right now even though I do want to break that damn door down."
The mother felt guilt for having thought about coming in guns blazing.
"Is it the restroom in the hall?"
"The one in my room."
Brooke got up with a nod and headed to Lucas's bedroom. She couldn't hear her daughter and wondered if she'd fallen asleep.
Sam heard two knocks to the door. She immediately grimaced her face, "Leave me alone Luke! I just wanna go with Tamara and Jack and you won't let me, so LEAVE. ME. ALONE!"
"Samantha, it's Brooke. You need to open this door sooner or later. Do you understand me?"
Sam's heart skipped a beat as she sat curled into the tub. Oh no. Of course Luke would call Brooke. Now she was fucked with both parents.
God all she wanted was to be with her friends. She'd had a scary dream the night before and she wanted Tamara and Jack to make her forget it and make her laugh. She didn't want to be in Tree Hill right now! She didn't want to be in this dumb house! She wanted to see Jack's dopey face that made her ease her worries, and she wanted to be around Tamara's fierceness.
But no. Instead she was stuck in a bathroom. She was hungry. Her mouth hurt. The bathroom tub made her cold. And she knew she was in trouble.
Tears started to form in her eyes and a knot grew in her throat.
"I-I wanna go to S-southside Brooke!"
Luke had joined Brooke and heard the teary voice of their kid. But this time the anger was no longer there.
Brooke and Lucas looked at each other for a moment, "Sammy you know you're grounded honey, and I think you're also pretty drained today which may be why you're acting out like this. We're giving you the opportunity to cool off."
At this point they just heard her cries. The 14 year old just wanted one of her parents to force her out already. She didn't want to be the one to cave.
"We're not opening the door Sam." Brooke added, "You need to come out when you're ready."
And Sam eventually did, although upset that she was made to do it on her own. Her head was hung and she found both her parents in the kitchen
She looked at them with frustration in her eyes, "You didn't want me to come out!"
"Yes. We did." Lucas stood up and headed straight to her. She picked her up from her place in the archway.
Sam let out a small yelp in surprise and crossed her arms looking away from her parents once her father set her on the countertop.
"Now you look at us, young lady." Brooke scolded moving her daughter's chin back towards them, "You locked yourself in that bathroom for two whole hours. We did not force you in there. It was your choice. So it had to be your choice to come out. Not ours, honey." She gave her a moment, despite her huffing and puffing, "If you're not calm yet however-"
Sam's eyes widened, "I am calm!" She bit her lip, "Don't make me go back in there Brooke. Please!"
"Hey." Lucas gently put a hand on her shoulders, "Your mom was only going to say that if you weren't calm we could just put you to bed after a quick dinner."
"We'd never force you into anywhere like that Sam. Remember you chose to lock yourself in the bathroom."
The teen looked away, embarrassed.
Both parents agreed that Sam would benefit from them staying calm rather than becoming aggravated regardless of her reactions.
"Can you tell us why you got so mad when your dad said you couldn't go with your friends? You knew you were grounded hun."
"I just-I really wanted to be with them. I miss them!"
"But that was a pretty intense reaction Sam." Brooke pushed, "You know you can't do that, right?"
"Y-yes." Sam suddenly felt small under her parents' interrogating stares.
"Could you think of a better way to have handled that situation?"
The teen shrugged and looked back down at her hands.
Luke tapped her chin, "Eyes on us. We're not done. And that shrug is not an answer."
The girl huffed loudly but heeded his words, "God, there!" She opened her eyes dramatically as she stared at them.
The father raised an unimpressed eyebrow, "Thank you."
"The question, peanut." Brooke spoke softly.
"I-I could've just gone to my room." She mumbled, rubbing her eyes. God, she was so tired now. Both parents noticed and knew there would be a little girl asleep early tonight.
"Do you think there's a reason you miss them a little more today?"
Sam sighed, hating that she felt compelled to be honest with the two adults. She'd never felt this way with other adults in her life besides Thrice, and even that was a stretch.
"I just had a bad dream last night and, I don't know it just bugged me, and they make me laugh and forget about it and stuff." She closed her eyes and looked away once more.
So Luke's suspicions were correct.
"Sweetheart." Luke's voice rang in her ears. She forced her eyes back open and two strong hands held hers, "You could've came to me. You could've woken me up. It's our job to make you feel better."
The teen looked at her father and at her mother. She nibbled at her lip.
"Honey you can tell us whatever you're thinking." Brooke assured, "This is a safe space for your thoughts."
Sam sniffled, "I guess...I'm just used to my friends making me feel better. N-not, not you."
The words weren't easy to hear by any means. It was a reminder of how much more trust and comfortability needed to be built between them. But at the same time this very moment was an opportunity to start that process for the little family.
"Sorry." Sam mumbled. Their silence making her think she'd upset them further.
"We get it." Brooke whispered, "Your dad and I...it took us 13 years to get to you."
Sam didn't want to look at them as they said this, so she opted to look at her dad's hands that were still holding hers.
"And now all of a sudden we are expecting you to fully trust us and open up to us. But that's going to take time. That's not your fault. Not one bit."
"We'll get there." Lucas squeezed softly.
"Am I in trouble?" She asked looking up at them.
Brooke and Lucas smiled. At the very least the kid knew that what she did was wrong.
"I think you punished yourself enough with that time out in the bathroom."
Sam bit her lip and leaned her head into her dad's shoulder, "I hate timeout." She grumbled sounding much like a tired toddler.
Lucas chuckled and rubbed her back. Their sweet little girl."Come on, let's get some food in you, then maybe a movie and bed."
She'd be asleep by the start of the movie anyway.
….
Mother and daughter chatted about the comings and goings of their life until they heard footsteps coming down the stairs. Both Sam and Brooke smiled at the 12 year old coming in. His hair slightly askew and eyes still somewhat heavy with sleep.
"Morning bud."
"Hi mama." He walked over and gave his mom a longstanding hug that Brooke just melted into. He was so sweet in the mornings. She kissed his head twice, "Is your sister and dad still sleeping?"
"Dad's showering and Riley just woke up too. What time do we have to be at Riley's art thing?"
"In about three hours." Brooke hugged him harder and tickled his sides just so she could hear his sweet giggles, "We have plenty of time."
"Mom! I'm ticklish!" He squirmed and laughed at the same time.
"Carter you wanna help me make some french toast for the fam?" Sam asked him just as Brooke let him go and gave him one last playful poke at his sides.
"Hell yeah!" The boy loved to help cook and immediately went into the cupboards to grab the ingredients needed.
While Sam and Carter made breakfast Brooke left the kitchen to go upstairs and change for the day and caught Riley leaving the bathroom just as she was coming up. The mother knew Riley was going to ignore her, but she smiled at her anyways, "Morning lovebug."
Riley mumbled out a 'morning' before heading back into her room to change. The mother shook her head wondering just how long her daughter was willing to hold onto her anger.
And it turned out to be the whole day. Riley ate breakfast with the family but stuck close to Sam or Carter. She beelined to her room and avoided her mother at all costs, even when her dad warned her to chill.
Usually it was Brooke who helped Riley get ready. She still did her daughter's hair and helped her clothes for events and outings at the girl's request.
But this time Riley had asked for Sam's help.
Brooke would be lying if all the slights weren't making her grow upset, but she didn't let her daughter catch on. If she wanted to be stubborn she'd let her do so.
The time had finally come for the family to head to the art show. Riley had to be there a bit earlier so Sam had gone to drop her off and returned home to shower and change. Brooke had made Carter wear a button up to his extreme chagrin but Sam said she'd dress up a little so he wouldn't stand out and that made him feel at least slightly better.
Although he still managed to slip out an "I hate this fucking shirt." that Luke caught. He gave him one solid pop on his bottom that made the 12 year old pout indignantly, "Ow! Dad!"
"I warned you yesterday to quit using that word." Lucas pointed out. The boy frowned and forced out an annoyed sorry before making his way back up to his room away from his father and his mother who forced the shirt on him anyway.
By the time the family had made it to the school the hallways and gym had transformed into a beautiful showcase, student art lining every bit of it.
"Where's Riley's?" Carter impatiently asked a few moments after walking in.
Lucas looked at the pamphlet given to them trying to locate where there kid was.
"Holy shit." Sam gaped. Brooke reflexively glared at her eldest for the language.
"Sorry." Sam immediately added, "But Riley ended up winning the showcase award and hers won't be shown until the end. Look!"
Brooke read the description and felt her heart soar with pride. "Oh my-oh my god."
Carter smiled widely. He'd know this for a while now and had managed to keep it a secret.
"Bud, you knew?" Lucas caught his son's expression and shook his head in amusement as Carter nodded with pride, "She wanted to surprise you guys."
The mother went over and hugged him tightly, "I love you little heathens so much."
"I love you too mama. But you're squishing me!"
"Let's go in and find her." Sam said looking into the gym where most people were.
Brooke nodded, though felt a bit apprehensive. It was only yesterday that she had made a scene. She wondered if her presence here once more would make things worse for Riley. She hoped to God it didn't. She didn't want anything further fueling her daughter's anger.
When the family finally walked into the gym they saw Riley with Addie. Luke took Brooke's hand as they made their way over with Sam and Carter in front of them.
"Some of these damn kids are staring." Brooke whispered to Luke, "Fuck, I forgot how much I hated middle school."
"Forget about it." Luke kissed her cheek, "It seems like it's pretty much blown over, and Riley doesn't seem upset about it."
Brooke scanned the room and the vice principal she'd talked to yesterday caught her eye, "There's Mr. Davila, that idiot man."
The Hispanic man gave the woman a weak smile and quickly walked towards her. "Ms. Davis, Mr. Scott. He extended his hand and both shook it.
"I just, uhm, I just want to apologize for yesterday afternoon and the fact that Riley's been dealing with bullying. I called Sarah's mom-"
"We're aware." Brooke broke in, "We called her and she mentioned you'd done the same. Thank you for doing so."
"I-I hope that any further bullying has been squashed."
"We hope so too. For the school's sake. Now if you'll excuse us I need to go be with my child." With that Brooke turned and took Lucas with him.
By the time the parents had joined Riley, Carter had gone off somewhere else while Addie explained her painting to Sam.
"Princess." Luke said immediately catching Riley's attention. He donned a wide smile that Riley couldn't help but reciprocate. "I can't believe you didn't tell us!"
He opened his arms and she walked right into them. Lucas picked her up easily and hugged her tight, "We're so, so proud of you."
Riley turned to look at her mother as her dad set her back down. Brooke nodded in agreement to Lucas's words.
"We are lovebug." She put a gentle hand on her daughter's head, despite the tension of the past two days between them, and looked at her with a maternal pride, "I'm so happy that you're putting in so much effort into what you love, and I can't wait to see it."
The preteen nodded shyly, a growing feeling of guilt creeping up for the way she'd treated her mom. She wanted to embrace her mother but still had too much pride to do so.
Fortunately, Brooke could read right through her baby's facade. Riley wanted some loving up from her mother and there was nobody in that room that, had they been watching, could deny it.
And so Brooke not holding any of the attitude and slights of the past two days against the child gladly gave that to her, "Come here, silly. Let me hug you."
Brooke stepped forward and Riley finally took the affection and squeezed her mom tight as she felt her eyes water. She had avoided her mother all day and it unknowingly had taken a toll on her emotions.
"I love you so much." Brooke whispered into the top of her daughter's head.
Riley sniffled twice and Brooke knowing her daughter well understood that all the feelings Riley had been hiding would surface soon. "Come on lovey." The mother spoke softly, "Let's go to the restroom really quick."
She undid her hold and ushered them quickly out and into a single room bathroom near the teacher's lounge.
When Brooke turned back from locking the door she bent down so she could be at eye level with her daughter as her heels made her that much taller.
"Come here Riles. It's okay." She cooed and Riley finally let herself burst.
"Shhhhh." Brooke rubbed her back.
"I-I" She sniffled and hiccupped, "I'm sorry mommy!" Her voice broke into another cry, "I'm sorry I was mean to you today too!"
"Shhhhh. No hard feelings lovey. Thank you for apologizing."
Brooke caught sight of a plush chair in the large restroom. Thank God for private school.
She picked her daughter up in her arms and headed towards it.
Brooke sat down with the girl in her lap and adjusted a still crying Riley so she sat sideways.
"I-just got so mad yesterday. I was embarrassed and mad that you did that, but I'm sorry. I know I reacted badly and daddy and you taught me better than that. It's just...it's hard sometimes."
"I hear you sweetheart." She lowered her head so their eyes could meet, "I just want to know that you're okay after what happened yesterday."
Riley hid in Brooke's chest and nodded, "I-I'm okay. Promise."
"Then I'm okay too." Brooke said with a relieved sigh, rocking her daughter and appreciating being able to hold her close for a few moments.
"..We can only stay here for a little bit because you gotta be out there soon princess."
Riley sighed. "Yeah." She mumbled making no move to get off her mom. The spot where she was felt that all would always be well with the world. She balled her hands into fists and tucked them into the crook of her neck, while her head laid nestled onto Brooke's chest. She pulled her legs in so they were as much as they could be onto Brooke's skirted lap.
And the way Riley sat in her lap never seemed to change, Brooke mused adoringly.
A toddler version of Riley sat just like this after many a tantrum, an eight year old version of her after five ego hurting spanks and a timeout, a ten year old version of her after she'd scraped up both of her knees playing with Carter, and now a twelve year old version of her after a major argument with mom.
Brooke indulged her for another minute or so before she softly patted her daughter's back, "Let's get you cleaned up princess."
Riley wanted to whine for another minute but she knew that it was time to go back out there. Besides she was excited to present her art. So she slowly moved from her position and stood up in front of her mother. Brooke turned her around and slightly bent her over so she could smooth out the back of the girl's dress, making Riley squirm.
"M-mama! Stop it." She whined trying to move her mother's hand. She hadn't expected the sudden movement. God, she wasn't a baby she could do it herself!
Brooke rolled her eyes, "Your dress is wrinkled. I'm just fixing it since you can't reach the back. Stop squirming Riles."
The 12 year old ceased and just let her mom do what she needed to do though she crossed her arms in frustration at all the fussing.
Brooke turned her back to face her and did the same to the front. "There. Do you need to use the restroom before we go? I know you get nervous about presenting. I can step out and-"
Riley's face burned red, "Mommy!" She whispered harshly as if her mother's words were yelled in a microphone, "No, God! Stop it."
For Christ's sake would her mother ask if she needed a bottle of milk next? Jesus!
Brooke put her hands up in surrender. Cuddly Riley was gone clearly. You could never win with 12 year olds, "Okay. Okay. Just wash your face then, and I'll fix your hair for you."
Riley was set to say that she could fix her hairself, but remembered that in fact she couldn't. She wasn't very good at braids the way Sam and her mama were.
So she stood patiently as her mother fixed it for her. "It's about Sam." She mentioned softly breaking the comfortable quiet.
Brooke raised an eyebrow as she rebraided part of Riley's hair, "What is?"
"My piece today."
Brooke stopped for a moment, stunned, "O-oh. About what you've learned about her past?"
"Mhm. I think she's gonna like it."
The mother took a deep breath as she finished up. She knew Riley meant well and hoped that this didn't end up hurting rather than helping, "That was very thoughtful of you. I can't wait to see it...now there." She patted the girl's fixed hair, "You're all set."
Riley looked into the mirror and grinned, "Thanks mom."
"You're welcome kiddo...Now come on before your dad starts worrying."
…. …. ….
Carter had long grown bored of the art pieces around him. He was waiting for his sister to present hers but that wasn't until half an hour from now. He wandered away from his family in search of a friend possibly or just some time to explore. When he walked into part of the hallway that was not being used he saw a familiar face. It was Peter from his English class. He'd just moved to the school a month ago.
Peter was a lankier boy than Carter and about an inch shorter. His hair was dark black and shaggy. His skin olive toned, giving away his Mexican roots.
Carter never talked to him past the group work they'd done together, but he was always intrigued by Peter, though nobody would know it.
He was so different from the other guys at school, Carter thought.
Always more serious, as if his thoughts were beyond the comings and goings of middle school. His smile was always pursed and eyebrows knit together in thought. But whenever he did smile widely Carter seemed to be almost captivated by how his whole face lit up...But wait, he also seemed to be playing with a Nintendo Switch! He'd been wanting one of those for a while!
Carter undid his tucked in shirt and walked the boy's way. "Hey." He smiled and the boy looked up with a furrowed brow.
"H-hi?"
"Sorry. We take like three classes together. I'm Carter." The boy twin slid next to the other, confident in his ability to make friends, "Peter, right? Like Spiderman."
"Yeah, it's Peter...and I know who you are." The boy said, "What's up?"
Carter shrugged a bit taken aback by the boy's nonchalant nature. Most people fed off his energy. "I was bored and saw you had the Switch. I've been wanting one. What game is it?"
"Breath of the Wild." Peter said, showing him the paused game slightly intrigued by Carter's friendliness. He always thought Carter was a really nice kid for being so popular but not someone that would ever give him the time of day. Their personalities seemed so different.
"Can I watch you play?"
"You can play too, if you'd like. We can take turns."
"I'll watch you first though and probably ask you a lot of questions as you play."
Peter chuckled, "That's cool. I don't mind that."
After a few minutes of play Peter handed it to Carter. "Here, you try."
"So why are you at the showcase?" Carter asked before starting the game.
"My cousin's in eighth grade here too and she has something on display. I live with them right now so I tagged along."
'He has such a serious voice. It almost makes him seem sad.'
"Oh. You and your parents live with them?"
Peter's jet black eyes darted right into Carter's green ones. His full lips sealed tightly in a frown, "No. Just me." It was a definitive answer, one that told Carter to tread lightly.
'Why the hell did I just notice his lips?! That is so weird Carter!'
"We don't have to talk about it. S-sorry."
"Whatever. It's okay." Peter sighed, "My aunt and uncle are rich, so it's pretty cool."
"Like Nintendo Switch kinda rich?" Carter quipped and it made Peter chuckle enough to smile wide, and for a moment, at the sight of Peter's beautiful smile, Carter felt his 12 year old heart jump.
'Holy Shit.'
…. …. ….
"Where's Carter?" Sam leaned into her dad to ask.
Lucas checked his phone. He'd texted the boy a few minutes ago, letting him know to come back in since the presentation of the winners was going to start.
"Can you go check for him?" Luke asked Sam.
Brooke turned to Sam, "Wait. I'll go." She didn't want to risk Sam missing anything considering what Riley had told her.
"Wait." Lucas put a hand on Brooke's arm, "He just texted me. He's gonna watch from the back with one of his friends."
Brooke turned and tried to find Carter but lost focus when the principal walked out to start the program.
"So which one is your sister?" Peter asked, leaning on the wall, his arms crossed, as they stood by the side exit door.
"We're twins. You can't tell?"
"Fraternal twins. So y'all don't have to look just alike."
Carter smiled, "Yeah, you right. She's the shortest one up there, with the blue and black dress on."
"Oh. Nice. I can see the resemblance now."
'Do you have any brothers or sisters?"
"Nope. I'm an only child. But I'm super close with my cousin. So it's like we're basically siblings."
Peter stole a long look at Carter once the presentations started. The popular boy who also happened to be nerdy in the same ways he was. The popular boy with a really hearty laugh and who managed to make him laugh twice in a span of five minutes.
He shook a fleeting thought away and cleared his throat, "Hey, I'm gonna go sit with my aunt and uncle, but umm, I have more games for the Switch. You can come over to my place whenever."
"Yeah, yeah. That would be really cool."
Carter felt his heart do that weird rush thing it had done before.
God. Stop doing that!
Peter took out his phone, "What's your number so I can text you the address?"
He looked up once he saved the number and slipped his phone into his backpocket, "Cool….So I'll see you around school?"
"Yeah, Yeah. I'll see you in English." Carter gave him a wide smile just as Peter turned towards the crowd with a small wave and his signature pursed smile.
Carter eyed him as he walked but immediately turned when he noticed Peter darting his eyes his way.
Close one.
"Where's your friend bud?" Lucas asked.
"Oh, ummm."
Peter, my friend. That sounds really nice.
"He went to sit with his family."
The father nodded and put an arm around the boy. Carter drew in a deep breath and leaned onto his dad trying to shake all the weirdness he felt.
Chill out Carter. He told himself.
"She's up. She's up!" Brooke whispered excitedly just as Riley came on.
…. … ...
Riley looked over at the crowd trying to find her family. The first person her eyes were drawn to was Carter. He was near the side back exit with the new kid at school. Paul? No….Peter. It was Peter.
Carter looked really happy hanging with him. She smiled when she saw her brother's genuine laugh. It was one of her favorite things to hear and although she couldn't hear it, just watching her brother laugh slightly eased her nerves.
The small girl wondered when and how that interaction even started, considering how different both boys seemed.
"What're you lookin' at?" Came one of the boys, Eric, from her art class.
Riley shrugged but the nosy boy looked over her shoulder, "Your bro?"
"Yeah."
"I didn't know he was friends with that new Pete kid. He's so serious."
"He seems nice though."
"He hardly talks."
"To you Eric." Riley shot back, "He's new. He doesn't know you."
"Close that curtain!" ordered, "We're about to start, step back."
Eric shrugged his shoulders and moved away from the curtain, leaving Riley to her thoughts once more.
When it came to be Riley's turn to present her work the 12 year old felt like the nerves were going to eat her up.
She swallowed hard and took heavy steps toward the stage.
Find mama and daddy. Find mama and daddy. She kept telling herself.
She saw her artwork hidden behind the black cloak. The room had become quiet and she knew it was because they were waiting on her to speak.
She found the microphone being held by Mr. Davila and slowly took it as she looked into the crowd.
Mr. Davila took the opportunity to unveil the girl's artwork.
Sam audibly gasped at the sight. Her heart felt heavy as she stared at her sister's art.
It was four canvasses. One large canvas in the center and three others extending out of the top of it. At its center was clearly Sam's visage made up of puzzle pieces that held words and small images.
Words that Sam realized were all nicknames and adjectives for her. The images were photographs turned into graphite drawings.
Photographs from Sam's past.
Her past with Brooke and Lucas and, an even more distant past. Her time in foster care. She wondered how the hell the 12 year old got a hold of those pictures.
The other three paintings held even more meaning for Sam. The pictures were a stained black and white. The right frame held the very clear backs of Riley and Carter, the left frame Lucas and Brooke's, and the middle frame was Sam, all connected as they held hands.
Sam's whole breath was taken away. Brooke looked over, herself overwhelmed with emotion, and took a hold of Sam's hand. "M-mama." Sam whimpered, captivated and overcome by the artwork, "It's-it's so good." She managed to get out, "How did she...when did she-"
"I don't know hun." Brooke whispered, "I don't know."
Riley took a hold of the microphone, "H-hi everyone...So I, ummm, I decided to call this piece 'Thrive.' and it's about my big sister, Sam." She looked over and found her sister's eyes. She was still stunned, but the moment Riley met her eyes she smiles fondly and tried to hold the tears at bay, "I learned some things about my sister and what she went through when she was a kid and you know I...well I always looked up to her. How confident she was. How cool she seemed. And learning about what made her become this person I look up to made me think of puzzle pieces and how it all just came together to be who she is now. I think that now, now more than ever, my sister is even stronger than I thought. My parents told me that she survived through it. But I don't think she did. I think she thrived. And I-I could say a lot more but I think I'll stop there and let the pictures speak for themselves." The 12 year old turned towards the assistant principal who took the cue.
Mr. Davila came back up and instructed the audience to feel free to come up and look at the winners' pieces and to continue looking around the rest of the auditorium.
Unlike the other winners however who stood by their art pieces Riley left the stage anxious to find Sam.
"Riles!" She heard Sam's voice backstage.
Riley turned quickly, "Don't be mad but I snooped in your room and found those pictures." She swallowed hard and spoke a mile a minute, "I put them back though! You're not mad right? I know I don't know everything and I know I can't ask about it unless you lead the conversation like daddy said, but I just- my brain kept thinking about it and it had to come out somehow, and that's how it came out! I hope it didn't bring back anything bad and it was meant to be like a tribute and-"
Sam had heard enough. She took two large steps and engulfed the child in a bear hug, "Stop talking." She chuckled softly through her tears, "It was perfect Riley."
"Y-you like it?"
"I love it babygirl. I really, really do."
And although Riley didn't know the extent of Sam's pain, the young woman knew that it would never matter to the child in her arms. None of those things would ever matter because she would always be Sammy, her big, confident, and thriving sister.
…. …. …..
Carter laid in his bed staring at his phone. A blank text screen awaiting for him to write. He really wanted to text Peter. But was that weird? He hardly texted his own friends.
Too weird dude. Don't do it.
"What're you doing?" Came Riley's voice from his doorway. She was already dressed in her pajamas.
The boy dropped his phone feeling flustered, "Shit princess. You scared me."
Riley raised an eyebrow, "You okay?"
"Yeah, yeah. What do you want?"
"Mom said to take a shower before you go to bed."
Carter rolled his eyes, "Okay, I know." He waited for her to walk away before grabbing his phone once more, but he had already lost the courage to text so he groaned and threw the phone back onto the bed.
"Carter, bud. You alright?"
His mom this time.
"Geez, everyone keeps scaring me!"
His voice had come out more frustrated than he'd expected and he backtracked at the sight of his mother's unimpressed raised eyebrow, "I mean, I just, Riley came in, now you, and...I know, I know I have to take a shower."
Brooke walked in and sat down by the boy, "Are you feeling okay?" She put a hand to his forehead and the boy pulled back annoyed, "Yeah mom. I'm fine."
There was something there. Brooke knew it. But she also knew not to push though it saddened her. "You know you can talk to me. About anything. Clear?"
Carter nodded, suddenly grateful for his mother's presence. His voice quieted, the edge gone, "Crystal clear, mama."
Brooke kissed his forehead as she got up, "I'll come in later to tuck you in baby boy."
His phone dinged next to him and he grabbed it quickly. Low and behold, a text from Peter. It was a picture of all his video games. The text reading, 'told you I had a whole bunch.'
It brought an instant smile on Carter's lips. An imminent joy.
Maybe texting Peter isn't weird.
I know it's been a very long while. Life is hard y'all. Please let me know your thoughts!