Alias- Forever And Always

49) Lena Caught

AN: Music for this chapter (on repeat): All The Things She Said (Russian version) Tatu, Disco Science by Paul Oakenfold, Miserlou by Dick Dale from Pulp Fiction Soundtrack, Never Grow Old The Cranberries, Blurred Lines by Robin Thicke feat. Pharrell & T.I., What You Waiting For by Gwen Stefani, Do Your Thing by Basement Jaxx.

FORTY-NINE

o

Pasadena, California - September 2018

Nadia softly elbowed Lena who was sitting in the middle of the seat of the car and Nicholas on the far side, giving her a look with narrowing eyebrows and nodding towards their mother in the front passenger side on the way to the game. Jack had flown out to meet Irina for the last week and both had just gotten back from her long two weeks away and just in time for Parent's Night as she promised 'all' her girls.

Lena was shaking her head and nodded towards Nadia who then shook her head no and they both turned to Nicholas who immediately shook his head no.

"What's going on back there?" Jack asked having seen the silent conversation going on in the rearview mirror and the unusual silence in the car when his teenagers were normally very talkative, especially if their mother had been away for a while.

Irina turned around in her seat to scrutinize them noticing they all quickly looked down or away.

"What's up guys?" She asked with a smile, reaching her hand out and touching Lena's bare knee. "Lena…" She addressed the oldest knowing she usually gave straight answers without dodging too much of the truth.

Lena sighed heavily, "Mama… I should probably give you and Daddy a heads up before you get there… that," She thought carefully of what to say, "The warm up music for the game has changed… and it's meant to antagonize me… us," She waved her hand softly between she and Nadia, "All of us actually…" She sighed again, "Which we're fine with because we don't let them bother us-"

"Who is, them?" Irina asked with slanted eyebrow not liking the sound of this.

"The girls who were very popular before the 'Communist Invasion." Nadia added and then squealed, 'owe' when Lena elbowed her and threw her a dirty look for saying that much.

"Communist Invasion?" Irina asked softly almost choking on the words looking over the three of them and having no idea any of this had been going on. She'd felt like she'd been punched in the stomach. A long time ago she was used to hearing insults about being a Communist but it had been almost thirty years since the end of communism in Russia and she never expected her children to be slandered with the brand this much later.

"Mama, don't worry its nothing. They're just jealous and mean." Nadia fingered her hair behind her ear, "They used to be very popular and now they hate all of us because we get a lot of attention at school. People like to talk to us and hang out with us and a couple of girls on our team who used to be starters and who are the Senior Captains, decided to get us all back by antagonizing us with the warm-up before game… that's all. They're just upset that they were bumped from their spots by six Russian girls… three of whom the coaches brought up from Junior Varsity."

"Mia, Eva and Ria?" Irina confirmed and Nadia nodded softly while Irina was still stunned and Jack swallowed hard.

"And they really seem to have taken to hating on Lena because she gets a lot of attention from the guys who used to think 'they' were the hottest things since sliced bread… and they hate the new nickname the guys gave her for just that reason," Nadia slapped Lena's arm when Lena elbowed her again.