I have much to say about my absence. About how I feel about this chapter. I felt extra super critical of myself as I was writing this time around (please be kind) Again, I have too many thoughts. Thank you for sticking with me. Let me know what you think!
Brooke looked at the time on her dashboard impatiently. She had a 3:00 meeting to make and her two kiddos were taking their sweet time getting out of school and traffic seemed heavier than usual today. She blew out a breath and took out her phone to text Millie, "Might be 10 minutes late. Can you let Rebecca know to start without me?"
Once she pocketed her phone again she heard the passenger door open. It was her tiniest. "To the back Riles." Brooke said immediately once yellow and red-checkered vans made their way through the door.
The girl groaned and took her foot out then closed the door. Seconds later the back door opened and she huffed as she took a seat.
"Mom why does your fancy purse and lame papers get the front seat and not, you know, your child?"
Brooke shook her head good naturedly, "It's nice to see you too Princess, and this purse cost me way too much money to put on the floor and I was looking over these papers waiting for you and your brother."
Riley scoffed, "Still not a good answer."
"Well it's the only one I got." Brooke turned over to look at her kid and patted her cheek, the girl acquiesced and leaned in to give her mama a kiss.
"You know I found out I'm one of the shortest girls in the 8th grade." Riley sighed clicking her seatbelt in place, "I'm a midget." She griped
Brooke let out a loud laugh at her daughter's dramatics, "Right. You're lucky I don't put you in a booster seat." The mother joked, but the newfound teenager did not take it so well.
"That's not funny." Riley deadpanned, "I don't know why I'm so short when you and dad aren't."
Brooke lifted her hands in surrender, "Ok. Ok. Low blow. I get it. You'll grow love. You still have plenty of time. The doctor said you still haven't hit your growth spurt."
"Unless I end up like Sam. Short AND skinny." Riley pointed out.
Brooke chuckled, "Don't poke fun at your sister when she's not here."
Riley smiled, "Whatever! Like you've never poked fun at us when we're not around?"
Brooke put a hand to her chest in fake shock, "I would never!"
"You would never stand a chance in a court of law mama. You're a bad liar."
"Alright, you win little miss backtalk. Now where's your brother? I have a meeting and at this point I don't think I can drop you two off at home before I go back to work."
The 13 year old held in a groan. Going to work with mom was always so boring.
"He was talking with Peter. I told him to hurry because you were picking us up and not dad."
The mother smirked. She seemed to be the one the kids always thought was far more "intense" as Carter would say.
"Oh there he is!" Riley pointed form the window. And sure enough Carter was walking out, oddly enough, without the boy that Brooke had noticed was easily becoming a tight fixture in her son's life. He'd been over a few times already and he was a really sweet boy.
Abd one particular moment stood out to the mother. He'd been over one weekend and the pair decided to do a horror movie marathon in the downstairs home theatre.
Brooke had gone down to check on them but stopped short when they both yelled out and grabbed at each other during a jump scare. She laughed to herself, but then watched curiously once the two boys stayed like that for a moment. Peter smiled at Carter and then let go, "That scared the shit out of me." He said.
Carter laughed, "Ditto"
That brief hold felt so loving that it threw the mother off.
"Hurry up Carter! Mom's late to something!"
The boy sped up a bit, He went right to the side behind Brooke and jumped in, "Sorry mama." He leaned over and kissed Brooke's cheek.
"Hey baby boy."
Riley stuck her tongue out at her brother as he leaned back into the seat.
'Always a mama's boy.' Riley thought.
The mother put the car in drive and slowly accelerated out of the pick up lane. "Alright, we're going to my office, loves. I'm going straight into a meeting so you two go into my office and get started on your homework. Dad should be able to pick you up by 4:00.
"K." Came their response.
… …. ….
Riley and Carter jumped out of the car and walked ahead of their mother into the office. They knew their way around the building very well now. "Race you!" She heard Carter say.
"Stop!" Brooke yelled, "Slow your little butts down and walk into the building!"
Last time they raced in the parking garage, about four months ago, a car had to slam on their brakes to prevent them from hitting the two children. Brooke had felt like she aged 20 years in that moment.
She smiled when Carter stopped running and caught his sister's hand, then put his arm around her as they walked into the building, surely grumbling about their mother being a fun killer.
By the time she'd gotten up to her floor Millie had informed her that Riley had gone to the restroom and Carter was already in her office.
"They already handed me their phones as well." Millie added. Brooke and Lucas had a strict no phone rule during homework. And Riley and Carter knew if they tried to skirt around it they would lose the device for longer than they'd like.
"Great. Can you check on them in 20 minutes to make sure they started their homework? I gotta get to this meeting in the conference room."
"Sure thing. They're just getting started in there, so you didn't miss much."
It was 3:30 when Brooke made her way into her office since getting to the building. Carter was sitting in his mother's chair (because it was the plushiest) working on math. She turned her head and found Riley asleep on the couch, the book she should've been reading had clearly fallen out of her hand and onto the floor. Her knees curled all the way into her chest.
"I told her to sit up like 3 times because she always falls asleep when she reads like that, but she wouldn't listen."
Brooke moved toward her daughter and adjusted the girl's skirt that had ridden up her thighs.
Riley groaned feeling the movement and shooing at whatever was bothering her sleep. "Go 'way." She mumbled, half asleep.
"Shhhh." Brooke cooed, comfortingly patting the girl's bum a few times, "It's mama, go back to sleep."
It took only a few seconds for the teen to settle back down, but whether it was consciously or subconsciously Riley knew that voice and that loving feeling meant only warmth and safety, so she easily fell back to sleep.
Once Riley settled again, Brooke took her suit jacket off, leaving her in a silky white sleeveless blouse, and laid it over the girl before kissing her forehead, thumbing at the girl's hairline. She watched her sleep for a moment, "Enjoy your nap." She whispered.
Riley always bucked when her mom or dad mentioned her taking a nap after school, exclaiming that she wasn't a little kid. But they also knew the moment she laid down on the couch, her bed, or anywhere really, and given enough time to relax she'd end up asleep, a cute quirk of the girl.
The mother walked towards her chair and Carter stood up so Brooke could sit. The boy first enveloped the woman in a hug however. Brooke smiled and gladly accepted.
She cuddled him for a moment, looking at the array of his school papers spread out on her desk
"How much more homework do you have after math?"
Carter shrugged as he laid his head on his mom's shoulder, taking in the scent of safety and love, "Just 2 chapters for my book for Language Arts and that's it."
"Good. Dad will be here in half an hour. He just texted me."
"Okay...mom?"
"Yes, sweetheart?"
"Can you rub my back when you come say goodnight today mama?"
Brooke looked at him, slightly concerned.
Carter and her had a routine. He would always end up with his head in her lap once a day during the week. It could be right after school. 20 minutes after being home together. Sometime after dinner. Or at bedtime if they hadn't done it throughout the day. It would be short. It would end with a pat on his bottom or his back and a sweet kiss on Brooke's cheek from Carter. The boy only ever stayed for longer when he was really upset, and he would ask for Brooke to rub his back.
"Of course, kiddo. Is everything okay?"
He sighed and shrugged. "It's fine, I guess."
The mother wanted to roll her eyes at the response. Why were kids like this? Clearly upset, but never forthcoming.
A knock was heard at the woman's door and that made Carter let go of his mother immediately not wanting anyone else to see.
At that the mother certainly did roll her eyes.
"Come in." Brooke allowed while Carter grabbed his homework from his mom's desk and went to sit on the floor near Riley.
Carter sighed heavily as he thought back to the events of the day.
Peter and him were hanging out in the courtyard during lunch when one of his soccer teammates came over and kicked the ball he had towards both of them, "Carter, we're gonna go play a pick up game. Come on."
Carter Davis-Scott was their star play after all.
Peter was starting to put his book and English assignment away which is what Carter was helping him with. Peter loved to hear Carter talk about the narrative ideas he had for class. In fact, Peter believed Carter was an amazing storyteller and their English teacher would support that statement one hundred percent. He zipped his backpack up fully expecting for Carter to agree to the game and not thinking anything of it.
"I don't feel like playing soccer." Carter told his teammate.
Peter stopped what he was doing for a second and bit back a smile. It felt nice whenever Carter chose him over his other friends.
"What, are y'all dating or something?" The boy taunted jokingly, "Come on man, we need you."
Carter sat up taller and narrowed his eyes, "Shut up. We're friends. And we have a whole tournament tomorrow. I don't feel like it today."
Peter stood up, "He said no dude. Just leave."
The boy picked the ball up and looked at Peter dead in his eyes, "I wasn't talking to you, Petey." His voice dripping with inauthenticity.
"Chill out Bryan!" Carter stood up, "Leave us alone."
"Or what?" Bryan spit, he kicked the ball towards Carter again, "Seriously C, let's play. Stop acting gay, let's go!"
Carter swallowed hard and looked to Peter who was now glaring at them both, waiting to see how his friend responded.
Carter gave in, giving Peter a sad look before looking back at his teammate,
"God fine. Y'all are annoying." He walked with Bryan.
Peter felt his heart thud a bit as he stood up. It was stupid for him to feel mad that Carterchose that chicken shit over him, but he did.
"Asshole." He murmured directly at Carter's back.
He then heard the disappearing form of his friend speak to Bryan, "Shut the fuck up and stop calling me gay before I pound you."
Bryan laughed, "You know I'd beat you in a fight."
Peter felt himself get angry. The tray he left on the table the closest thing for an outlet. He grabbed it and threw it against the wall, along with the milk carton.
"Hey! Hey!" One of the lunch aides yelled, "Stop that!"
"Go to hell!" Peter yelled at the man.
His outburst landed him in ISS for the rest of the day, which is exactly where Carter tried to catch up to him after school.
Carter waited as the kids in ISS were filed out. Peter was one of the last ones.
"Peter." Carter caught his attention.
"How'd you land in jail for the rest of the day?"
Peter shrugged, "Why does it matter?"
"I'm just curious."
"Well it doesn't matter."
Carter walked in front of him, forcing the other boy to stop, "C, I need to get to my locker."
"We're cool, right?, you know the whole thing at lunch and me ditching."
Peter scoffed, "I'm not a loner. I have other friends. You don't need to hang out with me all the time C. Chill out."
Carter tried not to look stunned at the boy's response, "Oh…yeah. No, I know that. But I wanted to hang out with you too and I –"
Peter pushed past Carter, "You care too much dude, I gotta go."
Carter stood there, watching his friend leave. He didn't want to admit it, but for some reason he felt hurt by Peter's words.
…. …. ….
"Nana!" Riley yelled when she opened the door and saw her grandmother open the door.
"Surprise!" The older woman chuckled when an armful of Riley and Carter landed atop her.
"Well don't kill her." Lucas joked making his way in.
Both twins let go, "Does mom know you came?"
"Everyone except you two." The grandmother remarked, "I'll be here until Sunday. So you two are stuck with my presence."
"Wait, does that mean Sam is here?!" Riley asked excitedly.
"She should be here in half an hour with Jack." Luke answered coming in with some iced tea that he'd just poured himself before sitting down on the Lazyboy.
"Why are you sitting down?" Karen pointed a finger at Luke, "I need help in the kitchen!"
"Awww, mom. Can't you get the kids to help. I'm tired." Lucas almost whined.
Karen looked at the two kids, "What do you say?"
"I think dad's just being lazy." Riley joked which earned her a faux evil glare from her father, "but I'm always up for helping."
"Let's give your big old dad a break." Karen chuckled as she ushered the two towards the stairs.
"Yes, puhlease!" Lucas yelled back as he reclined and closed his eyes.
Karen shook her head at her son, "Go on and change out of your uniform shirts and meet me in the kitchen."
"Riles." Carter knocked on her door as she was changing into an old tshirt that once belonged to her older sister. The girl quickly pulled it down and let it pool around her school skirt.
"What's up?" She asked the boy coming out.
"Do you know why Pete ended up in ISS today?"
"I heard he threw something at Mr. Rick's head at lunch."
"WHAT?!"
Riley shrugged, "It's probably not true, but I dunno. Why don't you ask him?"
"He's not texting me back."
Riley's eyes flitted up towards him. She had to look up now, since he hit his growth spurt before she did.
"You made him mad didn't you?"
"No I did not!" He groaned and grabbed her hand, pulling her along, "Hurry up before Nana swats our butts for making her cook alone."
The calm rhythm and normal conversation of them cooking with their grandma had helped Carter forget the nagging guilt he had over what had happened that day.
Soon enough the Davis-Scott household was brimming with noise. Brooke had gotten home fifteen minutes ago, while Sam and Jack made it just in time to help set the table.
Carter had his phone underneath the table, hoping to feel a vibration that indicated Pete had texted him back.
Right before dinner started Carter had texted him one last time,
'Pete, serious, we cool, or not? You seemed pissed."
"No phones at the table Thing 1. If mom catches you, you know she's taking it." Sam whispered into her little brother's ear.
"Good thing she won't catch me." Carter murmured.
Sam raised an eyebrow, "You're confident."
"In my ability to be sneaky? Fuck yes."
Sam smacked the back of his head, "Language!" She fake scolded.
"Sam!" Brooke actually scolded, "Don't hit your brother."
Sam's mouth fell agape, while Carter put on the biggest pouty eyes, "She hit me for no reason mom!"
Sam dramatically gasped, "What? Mom! He's lying, you know that!"
Brooke narrowed her eyes at them both, "Whatever you're both up to, stop."
Carter let the moment pass before he looked back up at his sister, "See. I'm sneakier than you."
Sam rolled her eyes, "Probably so."
Carter felt himself getting frustrated at the lack of response by his friend and had an overwhelming feeling to just go upstairs and be alone, or go outside and kick the soccer ball around.
"Can I go? I'm done eating." He asked abruptly.
Lucas looked at his son, rather unimpressed, "Is that how you ask?"
The boy had enough sense to look a little embarrassed, "Sorry. I mean, may I be excused?"
"May I be excused too?" Riley chimed in, wanting to go up and facetime with her friends.
"Put your dishes away and Carter remember you have an early bedtime today."
The boy blushed a furious red. Why did his dad have to say that in front of every damn person at the table?
"Yeah, yeah. I know." He grumbled.
Jack looked over at the teen, "What'd you do kid?"
Carter frowned, "Nothing. They're just being extra."
Brooke scoffed, "I don't think you staying up late playing god knows what is 'nothing.'"
"Okay mom. I get it, geez."
"Was it fortnite?" Karen chimed in, "I hear that's all the rage right now."
"Jack loves that stupid game."
"Hey!" Jack playfully shoved Sam a bit, "It's not stupid!"
Carter got up with his plate, "It wasn't Fortnite, it was Call of Duty," and headed into the kitchen saying nothing else, and Riley following closely after.
"Well he's in a mood." Sam mumbled low enough for both twins not to hear, "Usually that's Riley's job."
Brooke sighed, thinking back to Carter's clinginess at her office, "I think he had a long day at school, hopefully getting some extra sleep will help him out."
Jack forked a spoonful of mashed potatoes into his mouth, "I wish I could be that age again so I could sleep as much as he does."
"You still sleep that much." Sam joked.
He shook his head, "I mean…maybe."
The table continued their conversation, Karen asking Sam about grad school and her Jack's job as assistant manager at the mechanic shop.
It continued so until they heard a loud slam up the stairs, "You're an ass Carter."
They heard Riley say loud enough for them to hear, clearly she'd thought they wouldn't be able to hear her however.
"Shut the hell up, Riles!" Carter yelled much louder.
"I'm not the one yelling, idiot!" Riley, of course, yelled, completely missing the irony of her statement.
The table stilled and both Karen and Sam's eyebrows shot up in surprise.
"Your mom looks ready to kick ass" Jack whispered into Sam's ear.
The young woman deftly nodded, holding her breath for her two younger siblings. The look Brooke had on was not pretty.
And Brooke was set to get up, but Lucas put a hand on her arm as he put his napkin down on the table, "You stay. I'll be back." He said his frow burrowed with purpose.
Lucas walked up the steps deciding to deal with Riley first, figuring that she'd be the easiest to calm down, considering that Carter had been in a mood throughout dinner.
He walked right up to the door and knocked twice.
Riley groaned and threw herself on the bed, she knew her brother's yelling and door slamming would've led to one of their parents up here…Dummy!
"Come in." She said unenthused.
Lucas walked in and Riley didn't budge from her position, laying on the bed watching the fan blades move.
"Would you like to explain what that whole outburst was about?"
"I wasn't the one yelling, that was Carter."
"You also called your brother an 'ass' and an 'idiot' young lady."
Riley blushed. Damn. She'd thought they didn't hear that.
"Oh, we definitely heard you. Now sit up so we can talk."
"How am I in trouble?" She whined doing as she was told. There was no use in poking the bear, "Carter was being an – "
Lucas gave her a death glare and the girl dropped her head , 'a jerk.' She mumbled.
Lucas however was still not impressed, and Riley squirmed slightly under his gaze.
"Dad, he was being all crazy about me going into his room, saying he wanted to be alone and I told him to chill out and what crawled up his butt and he went off on me and told me to get out, so I was like 'make me' and he pushed me out and slammed his door on me! So I'm the victim here!"
Lucas wanted to scoff loudly. Riley was most definitely not the victim and was determined to have her admit her own mistake.
"If it was clear your brother wanted space, why didn't you give it to him?"
Riley picked at a loose string on her quilt, "If he hadn't said it so rudely, I probably would've." She sighed, "He just made me mad I guess."
"There's been a few times you've yelled at him to get out of your space. Don't you prefer it when he leaves instead of pitching a fight with you."
The young teen bit her lip and shrugged, hating this guilt trip.
"Riley?" Lucas pushed, waiting for her answer.
"Yes sir." She admitted.
"So what will you do differently next time?"
Riley resisted groaning out loud. She hated that her dad always forced them to explain in so much detail.
"I'll leave when he asks to be left alone and I won't be rude about it."
"I'm holding you to that, you understand?" He clarified.
"Yes dad."
"Good." Lucas finally gave her a smile. He kissed her forehead and she leaned into him, silently asking for a hug.
Always ready to love up his children Lucas opened his arms without hesitation. He rubbed her back and after a few seconds Riley felt a small pat to her bottom.
"And don't let the cursing at your brother become a normal thing,little girl ."
Riley blushed but snuggled onto her dad's shoulder anyways.
"I know, dad. I'm sorry." She whispered, "Can I go apologize at least?"
"I think I want to talk to him. See what's wrong."
Her phone started to ring and she let go of the embrace, "We're starting a House M.D. binge." She told her dad who looked at her with curiosity.
Lucas chuckled, knowing the 'we' in her statement was the strong, but small bond of three girls and one boy that Riley always hung out with.
"We're facetiming while we watch it!" She lunged towards her phone. Lucas got up once Riley picked up the call and heard the chatter of many excited voices, seeing that as his cue to leave, but was stopped one last time.
"Hold on." Riley told her friends and muted the call,
"Daddy?"
Lucas looked up at her. "Can I at least sleep with Carter tonight?"
The man's heart fluttered. His two inseparable lovebugs. "Remember to ask if he's okay with it first."
"I will." She smiled and turned back to her friends.
The man closed the girl's door and went a few steps over to his son's room, a feeling his gut telling him that Carter was not going to be easy. Sam was right. The roles were switched between the twins tonight.
Carter was changing into a pair of soccer shorts when he heard a knock at his door. The boy scoffed wondering why it took that long for one of his parents to come up. He figured that his yelling would've surely brought Brooke or Lucas gunning up.
"Carter?" He heard his dads voice through the door.
The 13 year old picked up his soccer ball. He didn't know why he felt so angry. But that's exactly what he was. Just angry. His teammates comments, Peter's purposeful ghosting that evening, and really, just all the feelings of middle school angst were clawing at him at once.
"What?" The boy gritted out towards the door.
Lucas opened the door and was surprised to see Carter dressed like he was about to go outside. Did the boy really think he'd let that happen after his little tirade?
"I'm sorry I yelled at your princess, okay? I'll go tell her that before I go."
Lucas put a hand on the boy's chest, "Whoah, bud. Hold on."
Not knowing why his son was being so venomous. The times that Carter lost his temper were few and far between, but whenever he did it did not end well for him. Lucas hoped to calm him down before he got to that point.
The boy looked up at his much taller father, "What?"
"Lose the attitude." Luke warned, "And where do you think you're going?"
"To play soccer at the park. It's still light out." He tried to move past but Lucas kept him put, "You can play soccer in our backyard, and that'll happen only after we talk. You lost your privilege to go to the park with the way you've been acting today."
"I already said I'm going to apologize to Riley though! We don't need to talk." Carter whined, "And I wanna go to the park, everyone's out in the backyard right now, and I don't wanna be there."
Lucas leveled him with a look that always sent a chill down the boy's spine, but it didn't seem to have the same affect on him this time."I know you came up here because I yelled at Riles. I'm sorry, I won't do it again, and I'll go tell her that. Can I go now?"
Was it so damn hard to just let him be? It's like everyone in this house was on his case or something.
Lucas put a gentle hand on his boy's arm, "I came up here, yes because you two were arguing. I talked to your sister and I know she was bothering you and refusing to leave your room. She shouldn't have done that and I'm sorry that she wasn't being fair to you. But I'm also up here because something's up with you and I'd like to know what, kiddo."
Carter moved his arm away from his dad, "Nothing's up. I'm fine."
Lucas folded his arms across his chest, "You're not fine, else you wouldn't have pushed your sister out of your room and slammed the door. That's not like you big boy." The father's voice softened trying to get his teenager to move off the defensive.
"I don't wanna talk dad!" The boy grew more frustrated, "Can I PLEASE go to the park?"
"No, son." Lucas now spoke sternly, "You can play out in the backyard, but that's it. But first I need you to calm down and sit on your bed for a few minutes. With the TV off and I'll hold your phone."
"WHAT?!" He yelled incredulously, "Why?!"
"Because you're being incredibly rude right now and you need to take a breath to calm down."
"So you're making me sit in a stupid timeout?!"
"If that's what you want to call it." The father's voice grew firmer, "But I suggest you stop arguing and do as I say."
"Well I bet you didn't put Riley in timeout!" He argued back.
"Because your sister talked to me without all the attitude, that's why." He tried to stay calm, though his voice got a little louder. Lucas knew that he could easily grab the child and force him onto the bed, but he wanted to allow Carter to choose the dignified manner.
"I don't have an attitude I just don't want to stay here!"
Carter clenched his fists together and breathed hard, without thinking the boy picked up his ball, which was at his feet, and threw it at the wall to the left of him, hitting a framed award.
The sound of the frame shattering was enough to also break Carter from his angry trance. His eyes widened, knowing he fucked up. Why had he been so mad?
"Dad I-"
"That's it." Lucas said, grabbing the boy's hand firmly, "I've given you plenty of chances to do the right thing, young man."
Lucas moved towards the bed, easily bringing the unwilling 13 year old with him.
Carter felt tears spring to his eyes, having an awful gut feeling that he'd pushed his dad over the edge.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'll sit on my bed dad!"
"I know you will, C." Lucas explained, bringing his wiggling son over his lap. The father took a deep breath. He really had not come up the steps expecting to have to do this at all, but Carter was not letting up, and he had a lot of experience with all of his kids needing a few swats to bring them back down to Earth, and that's exactly what he intended to do. He was only going to give him a few firm spanks over his knee to get his attention.
Carter kicked his legs out when he felt his dad pull his shorts down just below his Spider-Man cartoon themed underwear. The ones he wore on non gym days, not wanting to risk being seen as a little kid at school.
"D-dad" His voice caught, the emotions he'd been feeling all evening ready to bubble out, "Please don't! I'll sit in timeout, I will!"
Was Riley listening? Oh god he hoped not.
Lucas, ignored his pleas, and gave the boy eight hard and quick swats. And just as quickly as it had happened, it ended. Lucas pulled Carter's shorts back up and righted the crying boy. "Let that be the last time I have to bring you down from a tantrum with a spanking. You should be able to control yourself without one Carter." Lucas scolded the contrite teenager. "I p-promise da-da-dadddy." Carter whimpered.
Lucas kissed the top of the boy's head and instead of sitting him on the bed for his self named timeout, the father placed his arm underneath Carter's knees and brought him to sit on his lap.
Normally, Carter would've gawked at the position, but in that moment being in his father's lap is exactly what he needed. He laid his head on Lucas's wide chest and cried.
Lucas rubbed his back just like he would've with Riley or Sam. "Shhhh." He cooed, "Bubba, what's wrong?"
Even though Lucas knew the spanks were not easy it was also short. The father knew the crying was for so much more.
"Tell me why you're so upset." He whispered.
"I-I- I don't know!" Came Carter's genuine response.
Lucas sighed in concern and held the boy tighter. He wished Brooke were there with him.
"Did something happen at school?" Lucas tried.
Carter shrugged and nuzzled into his dad's chest when he felt his dad start to bob his knee up and down, "I just had a bad day daddy and I felt like being alone, and, and," The boy hiccupped.
"Take a deep breath bub." Lucas instructed softly, and felt Carter do so.
"I didn't wanna hang out with everyone." Carter explained, "The soccer team didn't get that, and Riley didn't get that, and I was happy Nana was here, but everyone was here and I just wanted to be alone today."
Lucas nodded, maybe his son had more of his qualities than he thought. "Everyone has those days, baby boy. And that is okay."
"I'm sorry dad." Carter took in a few shaky breaths, "for being mean and rude to you and Riley and for throwing my soccer ball."
Lucas rocked them both, "You're forgiven. It's alright."
Father and son stayed like this for a moment, until Luke could tell that Carter had calmed down.
"Baby boy why don't we pick up all that glass and then you go shower?"
Carter nodded and slowly let go of his dad, "Can I watch tv after?"
Lucas nodded and kissed his forehead, "Yes, you may. I love you kiddo. And I'm sorry today was so hard on you. And you know, you can talk to me, mom, Nana, Sam, or even Jack about anything. You have a village just for you."
Carter sniffled and murmured an incoherent agreement. He felt himself blush as the moment passed and his guard started to build back up.
"Hey."
Carter looked up at Lucas
"We all have bad moments. And as your dad it's my job to remind you and help you to be better. Don't be embarrassed, okay big boy?"
The boy smiled, "okay."
…. …. ….
Brooke sat in Carter's bed waiting for her child to come out. Lucas had explained everything and her heart went out for her son.
All she wanted was to get the boy to talk but Lucas had warned her to leave him alone and respect his decision to privacy.
Not an easy feat for the woman as any of her children could attest to.
Feeling impatient Brooke stood up and knocked on the bathroom door, "C?"
"Mom?" Carter asked, moving his head from out the shower to hear better, suds coming down from his hair. He squinted his eyes trying to avoid the sting of the shampoo.
"I'm going to be out in your room when you leave the shower."
"Got it." Brooke heard the boy say.
Brooke sat back down with a sigh and busied herself looking at her work email.
Carter came out in his plaid boxers and moved to his dresser to throw a shirt on before sitting down next to his mom.
"I'm guessing dad talked to you?" He said, rubbing a hand across his eyes.
Brooke put a hand on her son's knee, "He did...are you tired sweetie?"
Carter looked at the clock, it was only nearing 7:30 but he was feeling the weight of the day on him heavily.
"Yeah, I think so."
Carter moves closer and laid his head in her mother's shoulder, "I wanted to check on you." She cooed gently.
Carter took in a deep breath and let it out, keeping his head right in his mama's shoulder.
"I'm alright now mama. Promise."
Brooke bit her tongue not wanting to push her son. Normally he was an open book, but she supposed this was a normal part of growing up.
"I love you baby." She kissed his temple, "Dad said you wanted to be alone so I won't stay up here and bug you."
Carter smiled softly.
"But I'll come back up to tuck you in."
"What are Nana and Sam doing?"
"Playing scrabble. Your nana and Jack are destroying Sam and your dad as we speak."
Carter chuckled then looked down at the carpet, "Mom...since they're playing, umm, can you stay with me for a little bit? I, umm, I don't think I want to be alone anymore."
His piercing green eyes looking right up at her and the woman brushed her hand across his cheek. Her sweet, sensitive boy. "The answer to that is always yes, sweetheart."
Though Carter was 13 and growing quickly Brooke hoped that he never felt too grown to ask for moments like this, , "You know that when you're with dad and me, you don't have to put up a front buddy. It's just us."
Carter shrugged, hating like he was being put on the spotlight, "Yeah, I guess."
The mother laughed softly, "okay. Okay. I'll stop talking now. Come on, let's relax a bit."
Carter got up and put on his black Nike crew socks. He always got cold at night without them. When he closed his top dresser drawer he swiped his Spider-Man action figure that laid sprawled out at the top. Once upon a time he would play out whole action scenes with the beloved toy, but now he would only mindlessly mess with the figure while watching tv up in his room.
Brookes heart warmed, knowing it was a relic of Carter's childhood. All her children had one. Riley's was her hippo that still laid in the middle of her bed. Sam's was her teddy bear and blanket that she took with her to college and her apartment. They were visual reminders to the mother of how much her children had grown.
Carter moved up on his bed and laid on his side with his head on his mother's lap. Brooke began to rub the boys back gently as he searched through the Netflix que with one hand, and held Spider-Man in the other. Once settled the boy occasionally made the toy's mechanical arms and legs move positions.
His mother's gentle movements, his beloved action figure, and the screen was a welcome distraction for the 13 year old. His phone was long forgotten on his desk and as a result so was the worry he had about Pete.
A knock came at the door about 20 minutes later, the time now nearing eight o clock. Brooke stayed quiet for a moment thinking Carter would say something, but realized the boy had fallen asleep at some point.
She gently called out a "come in."
Sam opened the door without a single creak realizing that Carter must have been asleep if her mom was being so quiet.
Sam stepped in and sat down on the bed by Carter's legs. "Jack and I are leaving mama. I just wanted to say bye." She whispered.
Brooke gracefully got up from under Carter and called Sam out the room so she could properly say bye.
She pulled her daughter in for a hug near the landing of the stairs and kissed her cheek, "Thanks for coming, little one."
"Mmooommm" She whined, "I'm 25 now. Really?"
Brooke raised her eyebrow in a way that reminded the young woman of all the times Brooke was unimpressed with her as a teenager, "And you are still my little one."
She bopped her eldest's nose, "And always will be."
"I know." Sam smiled, bowing her head slightly. She always felt little when her mom or dad talked to her in this way. She would be lying if she said she didn't like it.
The woman grabbed Sam's hand, "Come here, Sammy." Brooke led her into the room reserved for Sam at home and sat her down on the edge of the bed, sitting along with her.
Brooke tilted her daughters chin up to look at her, "Hey."
She waited for the young woman's blue eyes to meet hers. "I know grad school and working must be hard for you right now."
Sam tried to shrug it off, "I'm only working part time now. It's fine."
But mother's always know their children sometimes better than their own kids know themselves, "No, no, young lady. Don't try and lie to me."
She could see the bags under her child's eyes and the way she held on to her and Lucas just a little bit longer whenever they said goodbye as if trying to avoid the world for a brief moment. There was also a certain celeb news article that she saw, with Sam in the headline, which concerned the mother. She'd yet to bring it up to Lucas not wanting to worry the man if it was nothing, but did want to clarify it with her daughter.
"I wanted to talk to you before you left but then Carter and Riley happened."
Sam chuckled, "It's alright. We can talk later."
Brooke looked at her mini me, "It's not alright." Brooke clarified, "You are also my child and have the same priority in my life as your brother and sister. So I'm making it a date and clearing my schedule. You're free Thursday afternoon right?"
It was clear this was happening whether Sam wanted it to or not. She really was struggling and knew the moment she sat down with her mom she would not be able to hold it in. For a fleeting moment she thought about lying to her mother, claiming she was busy this upcoming Thursday, but in truth she wasn't. She was originally planning on checking to see if Tamara was free, so maybe they could day drink their worries away, but didn't think her mom finding out she chose drinking over talking would be wise either. She imagined her mom finding out about that through the grapevine and swallowed hard.
She tried to keep her social media a private as she could but sometimes things still managed to leak through. Other times some very astute person would recognize Sam as Brooke Davis' daughter and send a picture of her living her life to the black hole of the celebrity world and she'd end up on some random listicle about "celeb children."
That's why Sam preferred staying closer to Southside when going out, but there was always better and funner things happening elsewhere that tempted her and her friends. It was never too much of an inconvenience, but on occasion things came out.
And Sam could think of one moment where they really fucked things up for her. It was also one of the worst moments between her and her father.
Sam was 19 and sat in her desk chair in her sophomore dorm room with her mom AND dad standing in front of her, their arms crossed over their chest in the exact same position.
Were they fucking robots or something?
More than anything, the teenager was embarrassed that her parents really trekked up to her school in the first place for something so stupid.
"Pack a weekend bag because you're coming to our hotel room with us." Brooke told their wayward child. They had found out through a few articles that were circulating that Sam had been having quite the wild streak at school. They saw pictures of their daughter rather intoxicated and a few where both parents worried she had been partaking in more than just alcohol.
They decided that they needed to confront their child about it.
"You guys are freaking out over something so stupid!" Sam defended herself, "I'm in college, everybody drinks! And this is one of the biggest party schools in the nation, did you think I wouldn't?!"
Lucas's lip twitched with frustration. They just spent hours in traffic trying to get to the girl's dorm. They were harried and tired and their darling daughter was not making anything easier.
"Your mom and I are not going to argue with you right now. We're tired, it's getting late, and we still have much to discuss with you back at the hotel, young lady. Just do as we say."
"Well what if I had plans? You two aren't being considerate at all. The whole point of college is to have independence!"
Both Lucas and Brooke could've easily pointed out the many ways in which Sam was still very much dependent on them. It was too easy, really.
And Lucas, in one of his least proudest moments, lost his patience with the willful girl, "Samantha!" His voice grew much louder, "Either you do as we say now, or I swear to god I will spank that awful attitude right out and I won't care who hears! Do you understand me? Do NOT test me because you have more than earned it!"
Brooke tried her best not to look shocked or angry. Although she was feeling both emotions. Lucas, with his own stubbornness, had now made their equally stubborn daughter double down, effectively making things worse. The parents had also agreed that spanking would not be their form of punishment for Sam, though that thought crossed their mind. Sam was older now and they needed to treat her as such.
But the threat managed to tame Sam mildly, though her pride wasn't allowing her to move and follow what her parents were asking of her.
"You have until the count of three." Lucas warned and put up one finger.
"One." His voice a low whisper.
"This is asinine!"
Two fingers, "TWO."
"You two are treating me like Riley and Carter and that's not fair!"
What's not fair is you acting like Riley and Carter. Both parents thought.
Lucas took a step closer to her and raised up three fingers.
Sam's self preservation finally kicked in and she shot up, "Fucking okay!" She yelled with fury. This was beyond ridiculous. She really couldn't believe what was happening.
Lucas stepped back once more to be next to Brooke who shook her head at him.
The man just swiped the keys from the bed, "I'll be in the car." His voice still teeming with anger.
Sam moved wordlessly packing her things, completely ignoring her mother. When she was done she zipped her bag up brusquely.
"You don't see anybody else's parents up here doing this to their kids!" Sam spit accusingly at her mother.
"And that's none of my business because the only kid I care about at this school is standing in front of me. Now let's go."
She tried to grab the girl's hand but Sam snatched it away, "I can walk on my own."
The short ride to the hotel was silent. Sam was still seething and Lucas and Brooke were deep in thought.
Sam was the last one out of the car once parked. Lucas grabbed all of their bags from the trunk and walked ahead of both women, though Brooke was close behind him.
Sam however trailed behind. What the fuck pictures had her parents seen? And it shouldn't even matter anyways. She was just having a good time. God, why hadn't she'd been more careful?
Their room was on the third floor and Lucas did not open the door until Sam caught up.
He took the key card out of his pocket and opened the door. Sam made a beeline to one of the beds and sat down. Her arms folding across her chest.
Brooke set some things down, "Have you eaten today, Sam?"
The girl shrugged.
"Yes or No, Samantha." Brooke spoke rather pointedly.
"No and I'm not hungry."
Lucas looked up from the laptop he was turning on. "How can you want to be independent when you're not even taking care of your health Sam! It's almost seven at night, what do you mean you haven't eaten?!"
"Well I had plans to go to dinner before you two hijacked me!"
"So you wait until seven o clock to eat ANYTHING? Samantha that is dangerous!"
"It's Friday I have class all day. And I had coffee and a bagel . Chill the hell out!"
"Both of you stop!" Brooke finally yelled. "Samantha sit back down and watch the way you speak to us, because you're on thin ice. Your father is worried about you and so am I."
Lucas took three mindful breaths and walked over to his daughter and wife. The laptop in hand.
"Samantha, these pictures." He handed her the laptop and they allowed her a moment to read through everything and look at the photos they posted.
They saw her face go from frustration to shock to even a bit of sadness. But she said nothing she just set the laptop aside.
"Have you been doing more than just drink alcohol?"
Brooke asked, her voice more concerned than anything. She sat by her daughter.
"There's a lot of pictures here and your dad and I want to make sure you're being safe. We know you're going to drink. We know that. But you can't drink yourself into oblivion in large settings, that is dangerous. And there's a picture in there that really scared the both of us, love. What did you take? You need to be honest with us."
Sam swallowed hard. The softness of her mother's voice melting the guard she built,
"It was shrooms. I tried it once and that was it. I'll never do it again. It was awful."
Brooke took a deep breath to calm herself. Thank God for bad trips!
"okay. We all try things. I'm glad you told us."
The teenager nodded solemnly. "I hated it. I promise. That won't happen again."
And she really was being sincere.
"But Sam, is there a reason for doing all of this? Is it just normal college parties? Has something been going on? We need to know."
"I don't want to talk about this." Sam responded defensively once more.
"Well you're going to have to. Sorry." Lucas responded rather bluntly.
"God, what is wrong with you?" Sam started once more. Brooke thinking the exact same thing. It's like Lucas' lizard brain would not shut off today.
"Why are you being such an ass!" Sam added.
"Because my daughter is out here doing god knows what and putting her life in danger in the process. If you think for a second that I won't pull you from school."
Sam stood back up from the bed, "you can't do that!"
"YES I CAN!"
"Lucas!" Brooke butt in. He looked into Brooke's eyes and could see that he had fucked up.
He looked at his wife, then his daughter. Sam's eyes were glistening with tears.
"I've been having crazy anxiety again and drinking helps okay? I didn't want to tell you!"
Lucas felt his heart thud to the floor.
She looked at her father with eyes that could kill, "Are you happy now? Are you gonna stop yelling at me now?!"
Sam walked towards the window then turned back at her stunned father,, "You can't make me leave school. I won't! I WON'T!"
"Samantha that is NOT going to happen. So don't worry." Brooke clarified, doing her best to keep her own emotions in check, "Lucas why don't you go get Sam something to eat. We can keep talking then."
The man left the room without another word.
Sam looked to her mother, a few tears had made their way down her cheeks by then.
Deciding to halt the inquisition before it even began she amended her original declaration, "I'm getting a new anxiety medicine. I know that drinking was just me avoiding the issue, so you don't have to tell me. It was two hard weeks and then I stopped. I swear. I had it...I mean, I HAVE it handled."
Brooke took in a shaky breath, "I'm glad you took all those steps and were self-aware enough to do it on your own. But all of that aside Samantha, it is still important that you tell us these things Sam and I know you're aware of that….Why didn't you?"
Sam rubbed her forehead, thinking through her mother's question. With her dad gone some of the high tension had faded. "I just...I didn't want you two to think exactly like dad just did now. Like, I can't handle myself or something."
Brooke frowned. Her daughter had a good point. "That's all very valid Sammy...But lets wait until your dad comes back to keep talking."
Sam shook her head. No fucking way. She was still mad at the man.
"I don't want to talk to him! He's being crazy!"
"I promise he won't come back that way."
Sam scoffed. "Yeah, sure. I really can't believe y'all really came up to my dorm."
Ahhh, yes. The root of her initial anger.
"We were worried about you. Maybe we should've called you earlier than when we did. But we saw the opportunity and took it. "
Sam sat in the plush chair and looked away from her mother. "You guys embarrassed me." She admitted, "Especially dad."
Brooke moved closer and brushed Sam's stray hair behind her ear, "Sammy….please look at me, little one."
It took a few moments but Sam finally allowed her eyes to meet her mother's.
"Dad and I could've done some things different today. You're right and we owe you an apology for that. But, I don't regret taking you out of your college life for a bit to stay with dad and I this weekend. It wasn't meant to be a punishment. We wanted to get you in a space where you could be open and we could have some quality time as well."
"Well it didn't seem like that." Sam answered honestly resting her chin on her right hand.
"I know it didn't. That part I do regret."
"Do you think dad regrets it too?"
"Yes, yes he does." Though Brooke wasn't too sure of that herself.
"Sure didn't seem like it." The girl was skeptical.
By the time Lucas came back Sam was asleep on the bed. Brooke had covered her with her blanket and Sam's thumb was hanging loosely in her mouth.
"She tired herself out?" He asked setting the food down. Glad to see that their child was finally relaxed.
Brooke glared at him, while she was on her computer doing some work since Sam had fallen asleep.
"You single handedly ruined the talk we were supposed to have had with our daughter and turned it into some sort of court hearing, and that's all you have to say?"
"She was putting herself in danger and being intentionally obstinate about it when talking to us. It was hard to stay calm!"
"You were this close to spanking her! What would you have done if she hadn't listened to you?! Would you have made good on your threat? We said we wouldn't do that with her anymore! You can't just be a brute because you're upset. You've NEVER acted like that before so why would you dare to start now of all times?!"
And in truth, if the father could look into the future he would see that his biggest fights with his eldest would be during her early adulthood. A time where he really felt so far from her.
"Jesus, Brooke. I get it! I lost my temper and I'm SORRY. She wasn't being forthcoming and I was thinking about how things could've turned out if someone took advantage of her and I fucking lost it."
The woman shut the laptop, "And that's why we're the parents Lucas!" Their voices fierce whispers, " We have to be the bigger people and ignore their shit, but you just went in like a damn bulldozer! You threatened to pull her out of school! Who the hell does that?!"
Lucas flopped onto the bed with a drawn out sigh, "I'm sorry, okay?! I left the room feeling awful after she told us about her anxiety, and you don't have to rub my face in it. I can't possibly feel any worse."
"Well you better damn pray that she wakes up still willing to talk to us. Because clearly she's struggling right now and she needs her parents not the judge, jury, and executioner that you seemed set on being!"
"Oh give me a break!"
"No I'm not giving you a break. We talked about this! And all that flew out the window for you. So I was left to try and fucking fix it while you had a chance to calm down."
Brooke grabbed her bag from the table, "I'm taking a shower then going to bed."
Lucas watched her go and wiped his face. God, he needed to stop being an idiot.
…. …. …..
Sam woke up at around 1 in the morning. She felt an arm around her and realized her mom was sleeping next to her. She then felt a familiar plushness in her arms. Her teddy bear. She was almost certain her mother had placed them there. Her clothes had also been changed into the sleeping clothes that were in her bag. She must've been more tired than she thought because she really hadn't felt any of that. It was then that her stomach growled.
She expertly got out of bed and tiptoed towards the fridge and grabbed the food her father had bought her earlier. The man was sleeping alone on the other bed. Sam was no fool she knew her mom was also angry with him.
The girl took the food and padded toward the floor lounge area to heat it up there. She sat by the microwave and left it alone for two minutes.
Lucas watched her daughter from afar for a moment. He had heard the rustling in the room. Really he wasn't asleep at all. Guilt and worry making him restless through the night.
Sam was wearing a UNC crewneck that was two sizes too big, and dark red adidas shorts. Her hair was slightly disheveled from sleep.
She looked just like she did when she was 14 in Lucas' eyes. And that's exactly why he'd gone berserk.
All he could see was his small baby girl in those tabloid photos. His baby girl that didn't seem to care that there were hundreds of potential predators out there while she had her fun. The thought of her being in a position to be preyed upon again. The thought brought goosebumps to his skin. Made his blood run cold.
His Sammy, out here alone.
His champ.
His peanut.
"Can I sit, champ?" He pointed to the chair next to his child.
Sam's eyes popped up towards the voice, though she tried her best to hide her surprise. She didn't answer, however, and focused back on her food.
The father massaged the back of his neck, hating that he'd gotten them into this mess.
He pushed away his pride knowing that he and Sam shared that in common.
"Sam." He cleared his throat, "The way I acted towards you today was wrong. And I know that. We both said some things. Do you think I can sit by you so we can talk it out a bit?"
Sam swallowed the lump in her throat. There were few times that she and her dad fought. But when they did, it was always harsh. Brooke and her, on the other hand, always seemed to have their spats but they never affected Sam the way a fight between her and her dad did.
"I don't wanna talk."
Luke could hear the tears stuck in her daughters throat.
"I'm hungry and I just wanna go back to sleep once I'm done."
Lucas gave her a sad nod of understanding, "Okay." He walked over and kissed the top of her head, "I love you. I'm sorry. And hopefully in the morning we can work it out. But I do want to say thank you."
"For what?" Sam asked, her curiosity winning over her emotion.
"Because even though I wasn't making it easy for you to open up to us today, you still did and that took courage."
Sam's gaze fell back to her pasta. She wanted to cry so hard, but didn't want her dad to see her. She still had too much pride for that. When she looked back up he was already walking back to their room. She let out the breath she was holding and let the few tears that had pooled in her eyes fall.
Yeah, absolutely not. Nope. A repeat of that memory for Sam was not necessary. Sure they worked it out and got to spend a great rest of the weekend together, but it was still one of her least favorite moments of college. She figured telling the truth was the only way to go.
"Yeah. I'm free on Thursday." She answered her mother.
"Perfect. Then I'll meet you at your apartment at 3."
"Geez, mom. Did you already have this set up in your head."
"Absolutely." She deadpanned, making the younger Davis groan.
"Of course." Sam muttered.
"Sammy, it's not going to be an inquisition. It's just me."
Sam bit her lip, "I-I know that. Sorry, I just...it's a lot."
Brooke brought her eldest in for a hug and rocked them both, "You're right. Life is a lot and you have your mom to talk to. Forever and always, kiddo."
And Brooke sincerely meant that from the bottom of her heart to every single one of her children.
…. …. ….
Riley went into her brother's room at around 9 pm and was dismayed when she saw that he was already asleep. She had been hoping for him to be awake so she could ask if she could sleep there. Normally, she'd just crawl in, but considering how adamant he was about his space that evening Riley wanted to tread lightly.
She frowned and closed her brothers door, turning towards her own.
"What's wrong sweetie?" Riley heard her mother say.
Brooke had been coming up the stairs when she caught sight of her frowning child.
"Carter's already asleep and I wanted to sleep with him today but I don't want to wake him up to ask."
The mother walked over towards her tiniest and kissed the top of her head, "He was tired today. But maybe tomorrow?"
Riley let out a wide yawn, "Yeah."
Brooke led the girl towards her bedroom with a hand around her shoulders, very aware of her daughter's tiredness, "Did you and your friends finish your show?" She asked as she undid the bed.
"Mama!" Riley replied rather indignantly. "House is 9 seasons we can't finish it in one day."
"Right. How could I ask such a question?"Brooke quipped, "Hop in Riles. It's bedtime for you sleepyhead."
Riley didn't fight it. She knew she was tired.
"Night mama." Riley yawned again crawling in.
"Goodnight baby. Love you." She secured the blankets around her and turned the table lamp by the girls bed off.
"Love you too."
The next morning Riley was walking down the hallway when he saw Carter's door open as he laced his shoes up.
The boy was in better spirits. One because he'd gotten a lot of sleep, but also, and most importsntly, Pete finally texted him back assuring Carter that there was no beef between the two. Although Peter had felt some type of way, but chose to not try and make it a bigger deal than it should be. Carter was one of his best friends, surely something so small and stupid was not worth fighting over.
Riley knocked on the boy's open door, "Carter?"
The boy looked up. It'd been the first time they talked since their argument.
"What's up?"
Riley shuffled her feet, "Ummm...just sorry, about yesterday."
Carter waved her off, "Its fine Riles. I shouldn't have pushed you out and freaked too. So I guess we're even."
He walked out and engulfed her in a hug, "Come on princess. Let's go before we're late."
And so they walked, like two peas in a pod.
Carter's life was good. He didn't know why he'd gotten so emotional last night and he hoped he didn't have to feel that confusion like that ever again. Little did he know...