What is Home

Chapter Seventeen

Not right now Grayson." Pierce said gritting through his teeth. I didn't even have a chance to turn around because Pierce pulled me in the direction of the office. I looked back at Grayson who wouldn't even look at me. He stormed off back to his classroom.

As soon as we got to the office Pierce was asked to return to class. I held onto his hand tightly, not letting go. The office lady insisted that he leave. I refused to listen. There was no way I was going to lose Pierce again. I had mentally placed handcuffs around our wrists and there was no way to unlock them without the key, which didn't exist.

"Charlee." Pierce said getting close to my face speaking softly to me. "I have to go back to class. It will all be okay. I know what happened last time you were called into the office. Don't take your mind back to that place. We are all your family now. We won't let them take you away from us. Reece, Grayson, your parents, most importantly me, won't allow it. We will put up a fight okay?" I pulled him in tightly, burying my head into his chest. His arms held me tightly back.

"You need to go back to class Pierce."

His lips pressed against my forehead before he left the room. I was left alone to face my biggest fear. I couldn't do this all over again. I stood frozen staring at the door that I needed to enter. Light started to appear from behind the door as it opened. Out stepped two figures that resembled my appearance.

"Luca," I saw my biological brother first. Tears formed instantly in my eyes. His cheek resembled what Pierce had when I first met him. I ran over and pulled him into my arms before I caught Lucy standing there as well. I pulled her into the hug. "Lucy."

"Charlee," they said through their sobs.

I rubbed my arms up and down their backs before stepping back to look at the both of them. Lucy was untouched but Luca looked as though he had been through hell. He looked a lot like I had when I left our home. I reached my hand up and ran my thumb along the cut that laced his cheek.

"What about Ry and Ryder?" I looked between the both of them. They shrugged at my question not knowing where the final two of our family had ended up. "Who," I paused and before I could even choke out the rest of my question Luca answered what I was going to ask.

"They sent us back to mom and dad. Just Lucy and I. I don't know why Charlee. How did you deal with that alone? How did you keep that all from us?" Luca raced through the questions he had in his mind.

"I never wanted you to have to go through it. You didn't deserve it. You needed to have a normal life. I wasn't there to keep you safe." A tear fell down my cheeks that were already wet from my other tears. "I am so sorry."

"Charlee." I looked up to see my foster parents standing there. "We wanted to give you all your family back. Just like you are giving us the hole we have been missing in ours. Unfortunately, your youngest siblings were unable to be found in the system." My foster mom walked over and wrapped her arms around me. "But we found Luca and Lucy." Her smile spread widely across her face. "We are going to take them in. They are going to become a part of the Leighton family."

"Does Reece know?" My twin siblings found their way to either side of me and I wrapped my arms around both of them.

"When you had Grayson over we had a big talk with Reece. He's been enjoying having a sister back in his life and he is ecstatic to add two new members as well. Also, we know about your history with Pierce, just your father and I. While we were talking with your social worker to find your siblings she brought up Pierce. Seeing your interaction with the Pierce we know, we know it's the same Pierce and we promise to keep it a secret until you guys are ready to let people into your past together."

"Thank you for everything." I hugged both my mom and my dad to let them know just how much all of this meant to me.

"You deserve it Charlee." My mother said with a smile as she put her arm around my little sister. "You should get back to class. We just had to get paperwork for school enrollment and thought you would like a little surprise. We couldn't wait until you got home from school."

I smiled hugging my brother and sister before I left the office to head back to my classroom. I knew that upon entering the classroom all eyes would be staring at me. I was dreading that but there was no reason to get upset about it. One day my peers would understand. They might not understand it from the same position. But one day they'll go through something life changing and it will always start to make sense.

As I sat down next to Pierce he slid my notebook across the table we shared. The time I was away he was making sure to take the notes down in my notebook along with his. He leaned over to whisper in my ear.

"I told you everything was going to be okay." He smiled and moved away before the teacher could catch him talking. His smile earned one in return. I couldn't wait until the bell rang ending the day so I could tell him the exciting news. Writing it down on paper just wasn't the way to tell him such incredible information.

The bell rang and I stood up quickly. I had to compose myself because no one could know that Pierce knew everything about my past. When I told him the news quietly, while everyone packed up their things, he got just as excited for me as I had been when I got the news in the office.

"Why did you have to go to the office?" Harlow spoke as she turned around with Reece.

"My biological twin siblings have joined the Leighton family." I looked a lot Reece with a smile.

"Imagine me trying to keep that from you Charlee." Reece laughed. "Can't wait to meet them after practice."

"Luca is going to love you just be gentle with him." I rubbed my fingers together thinking about the abuse he had to go through. "Lucy is going to have a huge crush on you." I laughed thinking about my girly sister and how she had crushes on everyone growing up. "That sounds really weird but," I shrugged, "she'll get annoyed by you soon enough."

We all left the classroom and went our separate directions to head either home or off to practice. I stood at my locker waiting for Grayson to stop by my locker before I left school for the day, but his face never appeared.

Just as I gave up waiting for him, his body rounded the corner of the hallway. I ran in his direction wanting to clear up what he had witnessed in the hallway and tell him the big news. But just as I headed towards him he turned and headed the other direction trying to avoid me.

"Gray!" I called after him down the hallway as I ran still trying to catch him. He didn't even hesitate to stop; he was ignoring me. "Grayson Tyler!" I called again to no avail.

I stopped, realizing that nothing I did was going to make him stop. I sighed and just walked behind him knowing that this was the way I needed to go to leave the school. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and formed a text to him hoping he'd read it and stop.

Grayson pulled the phone out of his pocket but the moment he saw it was me he put it back into his pocket not even reacting. I didn't want to give up so I ran the extra bit to him and grabbed his hand to make him stop walking.

"Will you just take the hint Charlee? I don't want to see you. You clearly are just trying to break everyone in my family." He pulled his hand hard away from me. Before I could say anything he was already walking away.

"The only thing I'm trying to break is my love for Pierce." I said under my breath, letting him disappear down the hall. I watched him escape into the cafeteria.