🌟She's Special🌟

A Lunch Gone Wrong

The Upper East Side
"Anna oop!"
"Kylie, relax before people think we're really VSCO girls." We were allowed to trick or treat but we were being watched from a distance. It made me feel safe and we had enough privacy so I was okay with it. I have a bit of a fear of the dark. Bad things happened to me in the dark. So it was good to be watched. I looked up at the dark sky while munching on an M & M. I never got to talk to Mom. Maybe, I should talk to her when we get home. I was quite rude to her. She didn't really deserve it either. I say that all the time. Plus, Mom has been looking kinda down lately. I'm not sure why, but I probably made it ten times worse.
"Bella, you okay? You haven't blinked in like two minutes. Are you having a flashback?"
"Oh, no. I was thinking about something else." Kylie knows that I have flashbacks. But, she doesn't know why I have them. I want to keep it that way for a long while. I don't think I'm ready to tell my friends about it anytime soon.
"Skskskks. Look at my hydro flask!"
"Bella!"
"Well if we're going to dress up as VSCO girls we must play the part well."
"Speaking of parts being played well, Bella remember when you were in Annie?!"
"Oh yeah! We were so little."
"I heard they're having another play soon. Maybe you should try out."
"I should try out?!"
"Yeah, you're a good dancer and actor. You're a natural! Trick or treat!"
"Well, if you say so."
*********
Bella's Bedroom (Olivia's Perspective)
"You said you wanted to talk to me?"
"Yeah." I sat down next to my daughter as she sorted through her candy.
"That's a lot of candy you got there."
"Yeah, quite a bit."
"Is everything okay?"
"Yes, I wanted to tell you sorry because I was very rude to you."
"I accept your apology, I thought about what you said. Minus the way it came out of course-" We laughed for a moment and I continued to speak.
"I haven't been paying much attention to you sweetheart and I'm sorry about that. It isn't fair to you at all. Is there something I could do to make you feel better?"
"I just want you to spend time with me." I hugged my daughter and gave her a kiss.
"I feel terrible that you had to get angry to get your point across. I need there to be a more open line of communication. I will actively make an effort to talk to you more, but I need the same from you. Okay?"
"I get it." She took out her bun and then looked at her arm quietly.
"Sure nothing happened out there?"
"Well, not exactly. I'm thinking about joining the school play."
"That's amazing! But, why do you seem so down?"
"Because of what happened the last time I tried to be in a play." I then remembered instantly. Eight-year-old Bella coming home upset because she couldn't be Annie. She couldn't be Annie because she didn't have red hair and blue eyes.
"It still hurts doesn't it pumpkin?"
"Yes, I just always feel less than. I can't be certain things because I don't look the part. It doesn't even make any sense because there WAS a black Annie. Remember?"
"That's right, we watched that movie together."
"I don't even care anymore. It just isn't fair. My friends don't get how much it hurts me. And they shouldn't have to, so I just keep it to myself."
"But, you could talk to me about it, Elliot, Lucy. Your Aunt. You have a support system love. We're here for you."
"I know that. Doesn't mean anything."
"Why doesn't it mean anything?"
"Because it doesn't." Bella seemed agitated and it made sense to me.
"You just feel angry?"
"Yes, a lot. I'm in a mood and I can't get out of it!"
"You know, I've been in a bit of a mood myself. It's okay. It happens. I appreciate that you've toned it down a bit. Have you been writing?"
"Totally."
"See, positive ways to deal with your energy. But, the disrespect is not okay. We've gone a great deal of time without me having to take your phone away, let's keep it that way, shall we?"
"Yes, Mom." She smiled and we continued to speak about a multitude of things. When she's not arguing with me she's an amazing kid.
**********
Juniors (Bella's Perspective)
"My mouth hurts," I complained. Braces are not fun!
"You're the one that wanted them."
"I didn't ask for your smart mouth Noah."
"Mommy, where is Simon? I'm really hungry!" Leia complained. We had been here for so long waiting on the guy Mom wanted us to me.
"Give me a second guys," she got up and stood to the side. The only words that I heard from the whole thing were, 'don't call me ever again'. Mom was pissed, and I could tell.
"Mommy, can we eat?"
"Yes, sweetheart." Mom wasn't too happy so I didn't speak. Next thing you knew, she snapped. And when Mom snaps, it isn't pretty. I munched on a pickle softly so that my mouth would hurt less.
"Bella's struggling."
"My jaw." Mom laughed and handed me some Advil.
"It'll get easier."
"How long do you have to have them on?"
"A year. Thankfully it's not a full set."
"But you're teeth are fine."
"Not to me, besides. I wouldn't have braces if the ortho hadn't recommended them too."
"Fair."
"Mommy, what about Simon? Is he still coming?"
"I'm not sure about that sweetheart." Since Leia is small I knew she didn't understand to not to say that to Mom. I feel a bit bad for her sometimes. She doesn't pick up on certain things and she's kind of left out. Like when I'm as a kid. There were so many things that I didn't understand. That people did not explain to me. I wish Leia was old so that we could talk about these things, how different our lives are from regular people. I wish I had a sister my age sometimes.
"Bella, what do you want?"
"Oh, Chicken parm please." I zoned out for a tad bit too long.
"Are you still in pain Bella?"
"No, I'm fine. Mom, at school the other day we had a mock trial and they let us dress up like lawyers."
"Really?"
"Yeah, it was interesting. The cases made no sense whatsoever, but it was entertaining to watch."
"If it made no sense then how was it entertaining?"
"Stupidity is fun to watch. That's why I loved having you as a brother. You ran into a wall once."
"I don't recall."
"You choose not to remember." We both snickered and Leia was confused.
"What's so funny?"
"When Noah was around your age he walked into a wall sweetheart."
"But how do you even do that?! That's so silly Noah!" The four of us laughed out loud for a very long time. I wish Elliot was here. It would've been way funnier.
*****************
The Morgue (Olivia's Perspective)
"That's him," I said softly. Tears were beginning to form in the corners of my eyes. I was feeling a bunch of repressed emotions. My heart was aching.
"That's my brother," I repeated.
"I'm sorry."
"It was an OD?" I asked, wanting to know if the situation. This is my brother after all. I wanted to know how and why he died.
"Heroin laced with fentanyl," Melinda replied. I nodded, that was something I should've known. He probably wasn't being truthful when he said he stopped using.
"Found the body in a motel room, no signs of foul play." Definitely rules homicide out.
"He was using... He told me that he was sober."
"He was telling you the truth." Melinda stayed softly. The guilt started creeping up from within me when she said that. He wasn't using?
"If I had to guess, he'd been clean for quite a while."
"So it was not a suicide?" I asked, trying to avoid confirming my worst fears.
"Dosage wasn't large enough, Liv. He just got his hands on the wrong stuff."
"Okay...Well, thank you."
"Not really, but..um he was my only family." I don't have any other family left. This is it isn't it? Melinda walked away, leaving me alone. I stared at my half-brothers still, motionless body and cried silently. Imagine, my voicemail was the last thing he heard, before falling into his eternal slumber.

To be continued~

A/N: Poor Liv. Brought him back just to kill him off. It shouldn't end there, what about her niece?