Hell & Half of Georgia

4

Georgia wasn't the only one attracting attention from the male occupants of Wellsbury. After a successful Casino Night fundraiser organised by Tory, her boss, the Mayor, Paul asked her out. "Oh, um... I... I'm not really looking to date right now. I have a really complicated relationship with my ex." She explained.
"Georgia and Austin's dad?"
"Yes. Robby. Like I said, it's complicated."
"Oh, we don't have to—"
"No, no, no. It's just... He's my penguin." Tory felt like she had to justify it.
"He's your penguin?" Paul questioned confused.
"Oh, everyone has a penguin. A penguin is a bird. It has wings, but it just can't fly. It should be able to. All the other damn birds fly, but... everyone has that one person who, for whatever reason—"
"Is their penguin." Paul finished understanding what she meant.
"Exactly."
"Got it."
"Hmm."
"You know, penguins mate for life." He told her.

/ /

Flashback - 2021

Robby and Tory had taken Georgia back to the Valley for her first birthday to celebrate with the rest of the family.

However, the young parents were not impressed with the gift Johnny and Carmen offered them - taking guardianship of Georgia in order to give Tory and Robby their lives back.

"What?" Tory questioned in a small voice.
"Dad. You can't be serious."
"Think about it. She'll have Laura for company. Robby can come home and go to college with the credits from the army."
"Maybe I don't want to do that." The hothead argued.
"That was what we agreed, son. You use the army to earn your GED and expunge your record and then you choose a job where you don't die before your daughter graduates college."
"Johnny!" Shannon scolded from the other end of the table not liked to be reminded of that possibility.
"You're one to talk. Have you even worked out how old you'll be when Laura graduates. And you want us to give up custody of our daughter who's even younger?" Robby stood up his chair scraping against the ground.
"Guardianship." Carmen corrected. "It makes the most sense. We can provide her with security, opportunity, set her up with the kind of life she deserves. You can't. You're just kids yourself." Tory held Georgie closer and stood up joining Robby. "Come on, you've got to admit running across the country was not a normal reaction. It's what's best for everyone." Johnny scoffed receiving dirty looks from the rest of the table.
"Come on, guys. Let's just sit down and eat and celebrate our little princess here!" Miguel squealed joining them having stayed back and out of it when he saw them arguing. He tried to reach for his niece but Tory flinched and held her even closer. "Whoa. It's okay. Sorry, Tory, I didn't mean..."
A comforting hand on her back from Robby eased the tension in her shoulders a little "Come on, let's just get this over with." Tory reluctantly sat down and Robby placed a hand on her thigh comfortingly and also keeping her from bolting out of her seat until the meal was over.

/ /

Speaking of parents, Georgia was meeting her boyfriend, Hunter's parents for the first time over dinner where Hunter's mom pestered him about preparing for college.

"Were your parents at the back-to-school night?" His mom asked Georgia.
"Um..." Georgia cleared her throat "It's just my mom. My dad's in the military so he's overseas a lot. Um, th-they had me when they were young. I was an accident. They never married. But..." Georgia cleared her throat again feeling awkward "They're doing great. They... They get along well... Well, sort of. Sometimes they get back together, but it's just like a huge disaster." She chuckled nervously.  "They weren't speaking for a while but I think they are now because my dad phoned me the other day about the shoplifting so she must have told him. But my mom's doing great. She keeps getting asked out by the mayor." Georgia rambled. "I'm really sorry. I don't know why I-I started talking about that. It's not that dramatic. It just sounds... No, my mom was not at back-to-school night."
"Well, they were very clear that you need to start making a list of potential colleges and think about recommendation letters." Hunter's mom completely glossed over Georgia's monologue.
"Fine, Mom. We get it."

/ /

Tory arrived home on Halloween night after work to a dark house and no Austin to be found. Although, she could definitely hear someone in the house. "Austin? You hiding? Who's there?" Tory reached the living room and turned the light on. "Austin?"
Only the person on the couch wasn't Austin, it was her younger half-brother, Brandon who she hadn't seen since their mom died and he was taken away. "Boo, bitch."

"What the hell?"
"Hi, sis."
"Where's Austin?"
"He's upstairs in his room playing with his cousin, Caleb."
"Austin!" Tory shouted running up the stairs.

"Mom!" He ran to her excitedly when she flung open the door not realising how panicked Tory was. "Hey, buddy. You having fun?"
"Yeah! Why haven't Uncle Brandon and Caleb came over before?"
"Yeah, why?" Brandon echoed having came upstairs as well.
"Come on, everyone downstairs. Let's catch up."

Tory sat with Austin on one couch and made sure Brandon and his son, Caleb, sat on the other.

"So what have you been up to?" Tory questioned tightly. Unfortunately, for her conscience her brother had not been better off in foster care.

Thankfully, the arrival of Georgia coming home gave tory a break from the conversation about how they had ended up on the news because they were homeless.

"Georgie, you're here."
"Hi?" She said unsurely to the strangers in her house.
Tory sighed "Meet your cousin Caleb and your uncle Brandon."
"Hi, Georgia." Brandon smiled up at her.
"No. Nope. I'm not doing this." Georgia protested walking out only to storm back in a few seconds later. "You said... You said you didn't have any family. You said your parents were dead. You said it was just the three of us."
"Hm. Well, our mom is dead." Brandon justified. "Well, we'll give y'all a minute. Caleb." He stood up and clicked his tongue gesturing for his son to follow him. Tory sighed again, she felt like she'd been doing that all night.
"What, and I cannot stress this enough, the absolute—"
Tory cut her off apologising "I'm sorry. OK, I should have told you."
"You think? Why are they here?"
"I don't know. I haven't seen my brother in over a decade. They're gonna stay the night and we're gonna figure this out tomorrow."
"They're gonna stay here with us?"
"I like them." Austin protested.
"Shut up, Austin!" Georgia shouted.
"Hey! That's not how you talk to your brother." Tory scolded.
"Yeah? How am I supposed to talk to my brother? Do I not speak to him for 15 years and pretend he doesn't exist?" Georgia threw in her mother's face.
"Georgie!"
"You know what? I was an idiot 'cause I believed you when you said this place was different."
"It is." Tory insisted.
"I made friends. I have a boyfriend. I freaking decorated! But it's not different, is it? I don't even know why I'm shocked. Other moms go to back-to-school night and help make college lists, but not my mom. My mom... My mom has secret relatives—"
"Okay, Georgia."
"You will not be the reason I don't get to live this life, Victoria. I will not be trash like you." She warned before leaving again.

/ /

Flashback - 2021

In the middle of the night of her daughter's first birthday, Tory packed their things and strapped Georgia into her carrier seat.

"It's OK. Don't be afraid." She whispered to her little girl setting her down so she could riffle through Johnny's wallet. Despite the man living in poverty most of his adult life, the success of Miyagi-Fang from the Sekai Teikai had set him up well for the rest of his life. With a few hundred dollars in her back pocket, tory picked up the carrier seat and took one last look at Robby's family home. She felt bad leaving him behind but she didn't trust that he wouldn't try to do the right thing and betray her again.

/ /

The next morning Tory sent the kids off to school, well Austin, Georgia had already stormed out of the house saying she was getting a ride from the Bakers.

And it wasn't long until she was called back to the elementary school.