What is Home

Chapter Eighteen

Reece drove me home from school. I was silent which shocked him. He thought I'd be beyond excited to go home and be with my siblings. As much as I wanted to be happy, not being able to share things with Grayson hurt me.

"Charlee, you want to talk?" Reece said as he placed his car into park in our driveway. He broke the silence I had given him the entire ride home.

I put a fake smile on my face and looked at him. "I'm good Reece." I pulled on the door handle and pushed the door open. "Time to go catch up with my siblings, have a good practice. Thanks for the ride as always." I shut the door and walked off to the house. My fake smile dropped the moment my back was towards Reece.

I heard his car back out of the driveway and I stopped my steps, taking in a deep breath before I had to enter my home with a new attitude. As I entered the house I was greeted by my brother and sister. They were beyond happy to have me back in their lives. I felt the same way but I had so much other stuff on my mind, it was hard to show it. It wasn't just Grayson, but also Ryatt and Ryder being somewhere out in the world without us. That hurt even more than the pain I felt about Grayson hurting.

"Guys I'm going to toss my things up in my room and then we can hang out the rest of the night okay?" My siblings agreed and I took off to my room. I needed just a few moments to myself to clear my head.

I dropped my body onto my bed and closed my eyes. The moment my sight turned to blackness all I could picture was the pain that read over Grayson's face when he saw Pierce and I in the hallway. Grayson, the boy of positivity had been broken, all because of me.

I pulled my phone out of my pocket and pulled up Ally's number hoping that her practice hadn't begun yet.

What kind of sweets does Gray like? Cookies? Cupcakes? Brownies?

My phone took its place back in my pocket as I made my way back to my brother and sister. We spent the entire night catching up on life. They mostly wanted to know everything that had happened with me since we were separated. I didn't go into much detail about the group home but I did let them in on how much I loved the house we were currently in. I didn't even question on how their life had been. I knew how miserable it had been based on Luca's appearance.

Dinging sounded from my pocket a few hours after I had sent Ally the text message. I pulled my phone out and my brother and sisters faces lit up.

"You have a phone?" Lucy asked excited. "Can I see it?" She had lived her whole life wanting one. She loved taking photos and getting her picture taken. She was destined to be in front of a camera. Her eyes shined brighter when all attention was on her. Even at the young age of nine, I knew that she would one day turn into someone who everyone wanted to be.

I quickly read the message from Ally that had caused my phone to ring and handed Lucy my phone. She got lost in it. I didn't mind. My phone to me was just an extension for my friends. That was it. I was the opposite from my sister, I never wanted to be in front of the camera. I felt like everyone could see my imperfections more that way. I would rather just keep my face behind the camera instead.

"Mom!" I yelled from the living room. She entered from the kitchen with a dish towel wiping off her hands. "Can we go to the store after dinner? I want to get stuff to make cookies." I smiled.

"No need to go to the store. We always keep everything on hand to make every type of cookie you could think of. Dad's quite the cookie fan."

I pointed to Luca. "I don't know if anyone could beat this one in being a fan of cookies." Luca pushed me lightly, even though it was the truth. "But is it okay if we make cookies after dinner then?"

"Of course sweetheart. What kind did you want to make?"

"Classic chocolate chip." I smiled looking at Luca knowing it was his favorite and according to Ally, it seemed to be Grayson's pick as well.

"I'll get everything ready for you to make it after dinner." With that, she returned to the kitchen leaving Luca and Lucy and I to ourselves again.

Not long after the inquiry about cookies Reece entered the home. He was ready to meet my siblings, our siblings. Lucy turned all shy the moment she laid eyes on Reece. Luca took an interest into having a big brother right away. Everyone was hitting it off great. I wanted to give them time to bond without me around so I left the room to give them that.

I walked into the kitchen where my mom and dad were just finishing up making dinner. I pulled out a bar stool and took a seat at the counter to watch them cook. They could feel the tension of the day radiating off me. I have no idea how; they must have superpowers or something. Or maybe it's just a parent thing.

"What's with wanting to make cookies?" My mom questioned as I placed my arms on the counter resting my head on them.

"Grayson's mad at me. I want to make him cookies so maybe he'll talk to me again." A sigh escaped my mouth as I sat up on the stool removing my head from my arms. "He saw Pierce trying to talk me out of my panic attack and took it the wrong way. So he thinks I'm trying to take Pierce away from Ally and that I'm playing him. Even though him and I are just friends. I just want my friend back honestly. I can't have Pierce as my best friend as I did back in the group home. I'm trying to keep things less complicated but everything just seems to not go the way I want them to." I ran my fingers through my hair frustrated. "Complications seem to follow me wherever I go. I'm like a magnet for this stuff."

"Don't worry, things in life happen for a reason. Whatever is supposedto happen, will. Don't let any of this get to you. Keep your head up."