One Number Off

8.

*Sebastian's POV*

I did not sleep worth a damn last night.

Between worrying about Tony and being pissed off at Saige because she's pissed off at me, not a damn z was caught.

If we're being honest, I haven't even heard Tony get out of bed yet.

So as soon as I was ready for school, I walked down the hall to her room and knocked. "I don't hear anything coming from this room." I slowly opened her door. "You decent?"

"Yeah." She sighed.

I walked the full way in, and she was still in her pajamas, ball on her head, and not even out of bed.

"So, you're wearing your pajamas to school?" I raised my eyebrows.

She sat up, wiped her face, and pulled Cluck in to her lap.

Her gripping Cluck for dear life right now, I know she's not ok.

Cluck, is this stuffed chicken I won for her at a fair when I was 9.

Chickens are her favorite animal, because they produce her favorite food, eggs, eggs in any form. Scrambled, sunny, hard boiled, pickled, deviled, omelet.

She sleeps with Cluck every night, and when she's awake, he goes right in her window to watch over her room.

But here he is, being choked because Tony is shaking like a hurricane.

"I'm not going to school." She shook her head.

"Tone you have to go to school or dad is going to-"

"What? Drag me there?" She raised her eyebrows. "And, how good would it look on Sherrif Baker dragging his daughter to school kicking and screaming? I don't need everyone looking at me like he did yesterday. So I'm going to avoid it today and face it tomorrow."

I sighed and nodded. "I'll bring you up something before I leave?"

She shook her head. "I'll get something when they leave."

I walked over and kissed her cheek. "I'm going to go get myself grounded." I booped her nose and headed downstairs.

I walked in to the kitchen and kissed my moms cheek. "Good morning Ma."

"Hi baby." She smiled as I sat down.

"Good morning Seb." My dad nodded. "Where is your sister?"

I sighed, grabbed a plate, and looked at Robbie and Roxie. "Can you two go get your shoes on and get your bookbags around?"

They both smiled and jumped down from their chairs.

As soon as they walked out of the kitchen I looked at my dad. "She's not going to school today."

"Dear god. He's just a boy Sebastian." He rolled his eyes.

"Oh no dad, it's not about Leo. She handled last week perfectly fine. She's not going to school because of you." I nodded.

"Excuse me?" He crossed his arms.

"Dad, I love you. Nothing but respect when I say this. But you crossed a massive line with her yesterday yelling at her and belittling her in a restaurant full of people, exposing her sex life, and literally saying she makes shitty choices." I clapped my hands together. "One guy. ONE guy does not make her choices shitty. She is upstairs hanging on to Cluck for dear life because she doesn't want to go to school today and have everyone stare at her like you did yesterday. So I am going to paint a picture for you, and I want you to tell me how this makes you feel, alright?" I nodded. "Me answering my phone, to Saige about to have a break down because Tony is sitting on the roof. Me going out on the roof last night and trying to explain to her the serenity of the stars, talking her through the bullshit of yesterday. But I want you to imagine how it felt for me and the look on my face when I heard the words 'It's just never going to be enough for him because I'm not you Seb.'"