I don't care

Part 26

"Baby are you sure you want to go?" Stevie asked Leelee for the thousandth time as Leelee ate the pancakes Stevie'd forced her to have and she continued making her a packed lunch to take, much to Leelee's protestations.

"Yes Aunty Stevie, will you stop asking," Leelee said shaking her head, still a little shocked that Stevie had even managed to drag herself out of bed at 7:30, let alone pester her for the past half hour.

"Okay," Stevie said slowly as she went and put the little tuppaware box in Leelee's bag.
"You've got everything honey?" Stevie asked worriedly, as if Leelee were going on a round the world trip, not to school for a few hours.

"Yes." Leelee said putting her plate in the sink and smiling at Stevie reassuringly as she fiddled with her robe, not knowing what to do now.

Leelee walked over to her and wrapped Stevie in a long hug, her arms securely around Stevie's tiny waist as she buried her face in Stevie's neck, letting Stevie mother her as much as she needed to to feel better. Stevie held Leelee tightly as she tried to pull herself together, it's only school. She ran her fingers through Leelee's long blonde hair and kissed her forehead as they swayed slightly.

"Leelee are you ready?" Karen called as she came into Stevie's house to pick her up and drop her off to school.

"I'll see you later, have a great day recording," Leelee smiled brightly at Stevie as she pulled away a little.

"Thank you baby, i'll try to, you have a great day and learn loads of things i'll never understand okay sweet girl? I love you." Stevie felt so silly as she was tearing up but Leelee looked at her lovingly, taking her face in her hands and giving her a sweet peck.

"I love you too, go back to bed you lucky bitch," Leelee teased and Stevie giggled a little.

Stevie stood on her doorstep blowing a kiss to Leelee as Karen pulled out of her driveway and she went back inside, her anxiety building as Leelee moved further and further away from her. How can mother's bare to leave their little five year old children at school? She's fifteen and this is killing me Stevie thought as she made her way back to her room.

She climbed into her big empty bed, suddenly feeling so afraid and so alone. She closed her eyes tightly as she willed away the memories of Leelee running away from her through the rain and the look in her eyes in that alleyway. She's in school. She's safe in school. Stevie told herself.

Robert had had to leave even earlier that morning to catch a flight to London that his manager had forbidden him to cancel, threatening to quit if he did and Stevie had smiled the whole way through making breakfast for Leelee with every 'i miss you already' text she received. She knew she needed to try and sleep some more before Dave and the gang came that afternoon to record but her mind was too full of so many conflicting emotions. Relax. She's fine. Stevie eventually fell asleep again falling into a vivid dream of the steamy love making session of the previous night.

~

"Mmm KAREN!" Stevie yelled groggily as the phone rang shrilly, giving her an instant headache. She was grumbling to herself as Karen didn't answer her or the phone, when she remembered Leelee was in school and shot up instantly, searching for the source of the noise on her cluttered bedside table. She saw Leelee's name flashing across the screen once she'd found her phone and tried not to panic.

"Lee baby?" Stevie's heart skipped a beat as she yanked the phone open. Stevie's eyes flashed to the clock. It was only 11am. Why would she be calling so soon?

"Stevie?" She heard a male voice ask and her heart raced faster.

"Who is this?" Stevie asked in return, not willing to answer until she knew who it was.