My Tears Ricochet (9-1-1: Lone Star)

Chapter One

It's a Wednesday evening, T.K and Carlos are sitting down ready to eat dinner when there's a knock at the door.

'You expecting anyone, babe?' Carlos asks T.K.

'No.' T.K. shakes his head. 'You?'

'No.' Carlos also shakes his head, standing up. He walks over to the door, unlocks it, and opens it. Standing on the other side is a seventeen-year-old girl around five foot, with light brown eyes and chestnut brown hair. She's wearing a grey sweater tucked into some denim shorts, white vans, and a backpack on her back. 'Carter?' Carlos takes in his younger sister.

'Hey, big bro.' Carter smiles. 'Can I come in?' Before Carlos can respond, Carter walks past him and into the loft. 'Thanks.' She grins. 'Sick place.' She adds, turning around as Carlos closes the door and re-locks it. 'Hey, T.K.' She smiles at her future brother-in-law.

'Hey, Carter.' T.K. smiles slightly.

'What are you doing here?' Carlos asks his sister walking towards her.

'Oh, you know-,' she starts, still looking around. Her eyes land on a tank with a bearded dragon in. Lou Two. 'Sick, dude, you have a bearded dragon?' She walks to the tank and turns around. 'Can I hold it?'

'Erm- sure?' T.K. replies, standing up and joining Carlos. Carter turns back around, slides open the tank, and picks up the reptile. She sinks to the floor and sits cross-legged. 'Hey, buddy,' Carter looks down at Lou Two, gently stroking him, 'I bet you're scaring Papa Carlos shitless, huh?' She looks up at Carlos and T.K. 'What's his/her/their name?'

'His name is Lou Two.' Carlos tells her. 'You gonna tell us why you're here? Why aren't you at school?'

'Oh, I got kicked out.' She shrugs off-handedly. 'You got any crickets I can feed him?'

'You got kicked out?' Carlos raises an eyebrow. 'Does mom and dad know?'

'Uh huh.' Carter nods. 'Ooo, what about a ball? Do you have a ball? A small one?'

'Carter?' Carlos prompts.

'Yeah?'

'Have you been taking your meds?' He questions.

'What meds?' Carter asks innocently.

'Carter.' Carlos sighs.

'Well...' She drags out in a high pitch. 'No.' She deadpans. 'Through no fault of my own though.' She adds. 'Oh wait, I have a ball in my bag.' She sets Lou Two down on the floor, takes her backpack out, rummages through it, and takes out a ball. 'Ah-ha.' She grins. 'Watch this.' She places the ball near Lou Two and pushes it around a couple of times before Lou Two lunges at it. 'Cool, right?'

'Okay, we're going to put him back in his tank so we can talk properly.' Carlos raises an eyebrow.

'You're no fun.' Carter huffs. 'You putting on your big boy pants and doing it yourself.'

'Nope.' Carlos shakes his head, stepping back and slightly pushing T.K. forward. 'T.K. can do it.'

'Of course.' T.K. shakes his head laughing as he picks Lou Two up and puts him in his tank.

'Come sit at the table, I'll dish up some dinner for you.' Carlos tells his younger sister. 'No excuses.'

'Fine.' Carter sighs. She stands up and follows Carlos to the dining table where she plonks down.

'Pasta good?' Carlos queries.

'I guess.' Carter shrugs. Carlos gets a plate out and starts dishing up the pasta whilst T.K. sits down with Carter. 'How's your dad?'