problem child

Chapter 16

After my fight with Aunt Karen, I didn't speak the whole night. I literally just sat in tears looking at the wall. Devin tried to help me feel better, but it didn't work. Elijah and the other kids did too, but no luck. I couldn't even look at Karen without wanting to sob or punch something. I honestly couldn't even tell you the feeling I felt in my chest, but I had never felt it before, and I hated it more than anything.

After the show, I immediately went back to the room. Elijah was wide awake and playing around. I literally just lyed in the bed and stared at the door that let in Aunt Karen and Uncle Uncle Jimi's room. I didn't even realize I had began crying until Elijah said something.

"Lainey, what happend?" He asks. I wiped away tears and sat up.

"It's nothing, buddy. Don't worry" I say. He brought me a tissue.

"Do you want me to go get mama?" He asks.

"No. No, I'm okay" I say. He just looked at me. "Don't tell your mama that I was crying".

"I think everyone is worried about you and mama. I don't know why, but Daddy and Uncle Phillip were yesterday" He says.

"I'm okay. I promise I am" I say. He bit his lip and then walked out the door. I shot up and followed him. He ran to Devin's door and knocked. Devin opened. He still didn't see me.

"Hey, buddy" Devin says.

"Lainey is sad" He says. Devin was quiet. "She's really sad and she needs someone that she loves".

"Okay" He says and walks out of the room. As soon as he saw me, I broke down and fell into his arms. I completely lost it. He squeezed me so tight and just kept whispering 'I love you' in my ear. I sobbed. Elijah even hugged me leg. When I pulled away, he kissed my forehead. "I love you so much. We're going to be okay. I promise you that".

"I love you too" I say. "I have to go back to my room". He nods and kissed me one more time before Elijah and I walked back to our room. I lyed back down and stared st the ceiling. I didn't see myself getting any sleep tonight.

***Karen's POV***

I sat awake and stared out the window. Jimi tried talking sense into me, but I was stubborn. To be quite honest, I didn't know how I felt. I didn't even care she had a boyfriend, I just was so mad and hurt she felt like she couldn't tell me. Me! Her Aunt and someone she was so close too, but Kimberly knew. Not to mention, she lied to me about what she did, and Kimberly lied too. I was mad at that, but I wasn't holding it against her, because I would've felt the same way to be honest. However, what I said was true, I didn't feel like I knew who Lainey was anymore. I hated that I felt that way too. Saying that hurt me more than it did her.

"Babe, maybe you should talk to Lainey instead of looking out a window all night long" Jimi says.

"I've got nothing to say" I reply. He scoffed.

"Yeah, right" He says.

"Jimi, she's been dating Devin behind our backs, and lied about it. She slept with him and told Kimberly, and even she kept it a secret. Who does that? What makes a person do that? Especially to someone they love and someone who loves them" I rant.

"Someone they don't want to disappoint" He says. I went quiet. When I told him about it, he had nothing to say. He wasn't mad or anything, and said he understood. I was shocked by that, but I guess it was different for him.

"That's not the girl I know. Lainey always told me everything when she was little. Why didn't she tell me now?" I ask.

"That was when she was little. You're going to hate to hear it, but she is a woman now. She's going to be twenty one soon, and you can't do anything to stop that. If she loves Devin, she should be with him" He says.

"I don't care that she's with him. I mean, I do think she should've waited a bit, but I'm more upset at the fact that she kept it a secret" I say.

"And, there's probably reasons she kept it a secret. You Fairchild Women are all the same. Give it a few days and talk" He says. I couldn't help but smile at his comment.

"You forget we're stubborn too" I say.

"Oh, no I didn't" He says with a laugh. "Think back to when we got together. You just got out a relationship, but I was head over heels for you. Kimberly told you not to rush in, but-".

"But, I didn't listen" I say. I hadn't even thought about that throughout this whole thing.

"No, you didn't. Now, we've been married for almost twenty years, and have a kid. The same could be true for Lainey and Devin" He says. I nod.

"Yeah, that's true" I say. He leaned down and kissed my cheek.

"I guess your looks aren't the only thing you and Lainey got in common" He says. I smile.

"That's necessarily not a good thing. I'm wild" I reply.

"Well, she had sex with Devin while you were literally in the next room. Looks like she is too" He says. I cringed at that comment.

"No, no, no. Shut up. Lainey is still a baby to me" I say. He smiled softly at me.

"She is, and she'll always be one of your babies, but aunties gotta let their nieces grow up, even if they don't like it".