𝐉𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐅𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬 - 𝐇𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐲 𝐃𝐮𝐧𝐩𝐡𝐲

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐖𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐘 𝐅𝐎𝐔𝐑 - 𝐄𝐗𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐒 𝐂𝐇𝐑𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐌𝐀𝐒

"Hey," Liana greeted Athena as she walked into the kitchen and saw her daughter stuffing snacks in a backpack. "What are you doing?"

"I'm taking some snacks with me to Jay's. We're all gonna hang out by the pool," Athena told her. "I'm gonna pick up Haley cause she doesn't wanna drive with her family."

"Slow down. I feel like I barely see you anymore. What's going on?"

"I know. I'm sorry. I've been caught up with spending time with Haley before college."

"Well, speaking of college, have you decided where you're going?" Liana asked, trying to get in on whats happening in her daughters life.

"I was thinking of doing online college," Athena admitted. "Either way I'm apart from Haley but with online I can create an easier schedule and help you out with the baby when Dad's working late shifts."

"Honey, you shouldn't feel like you need to help out. If you wanna go get your full college expierience, that's fine. We'll be okay," Liana told her.

"No, I know, but I want to help. And I'm not quite ready to leave you guys yet."

Liana just smiled and pulled her in for a hug.

"Go enjoy your day. I'll see you at dinner."

"Ay, finally!" Gloria said when she saw Mitch, Cam, and Lily approach.

"Look who's wearing her itsy bitsy bikini," Cam said.

"He can comment because he's gay," Phil told Luke, thinking Cam was talking about Gloria.

"He was talking about Lily," Claire told him.

"So was I."

"Ay, Cam, you make her look so pretty," Gloria said, spinning Lily around.

"Guess who's not coming for Christmas," Mitch said, holding his phone in his only free hand.

"And the spotlight shifts."

"Mom. She cancelled."

"What?" Claire said.

"In a voicemail, no less."

"Unbelieveable -- and by that, I mean believable," Claire said.

"Why isn't nana coming?" Haley asked, shifting her legs so Athena, who was coming back from getting the two drinks, could sit at the end of the chair.

"I don't know. Something about her new boyfriend whisking her away on a cruise," Mitch explained.

"I just got my gift," Jay said.

"DeDe has a boyfriend?" Athena asked.

"Yeah. Carl the cruise ship captain," Alex told her. "It was in her holiday newsletter."

"Oh, I can't read that whole thing. No," Claire admitted.

"Yeah, after two pages about the bird she rescued..." Cam spoke up.

"And by the way, I don't think you can say you rescued something if it dies," Phil said.

"It died?"

"She wrote a poem about it," Jay told him.

"A little too free with the free verse for my taste," Manny said. "But fine, we'll call it a poem."

"I stopped reading after she started talking about suing her book club," Mitch said.

"Wait, you guys got past the first line?" Athena asked.

"No, I stopped reading after 'Dear friends, family, and others...' I'm sorry. Who are 'others'?" Claire told her.