Lean on me

Chapter 5

"Sloan! Let's go! It's time for school!" Jensen yells up the stairs the following Monday. He hears a loud groan coming from his daughter's room and sighs. "If you don't get up now, you can't go to the convention this weekend!" He hears a thud as Sloan jumps out of the bed and lands on the floor, making him shake his head with a laugh. 

"I'm up!" She yells, racing around her room to get dressed. 

She pulls on a yellow top that crosses at the bottom, showing off a little bit of her stomach. She then slips into a pair of grey skinny jeans before pulling a pair of mismatched socks on her feet, pushing her feet into a pair of heeled grey lace up boots. She ties the shoes before going into her bathroom and brushing her hair and teeth, pulling the blonde locks into a french braid that started over her left ear and hung over her right shoulder. She opts against makeup and walks back into her room, sliding on a white leather jacket. 

Sloan grabs her phone and earbuds before picking up her backpack and walking downstairs, dropping the bag by the front door. She walks into the kitchen where the Padaleckis had joined them for their tradition of having breakfast together before the two left for school. Sloan snatches a piece of bacon from Grayson's plate, ignoring his cries of protest as she approaches Tom, placing a kiss on the one year old's head, making him giggle. 

"You have everything ready to go?" Jensen asks his daughter as she sits down on the bench next to Grayson, plopping two pancakes onto her plate. 

"Yep." She says, popping the 'p'. "My books are in my bag and my brain is in my head ready to be melted." 

"You're so dramatic." Jared says, rolling his eyes. 

"I grew up around actors. What'd you expect?" She asks rhetorically before looking at Tom who was sitting at the end of the table in his high chair. "What do you think, little man? You wanna come to school with me today?" The baby shrieks with laughter as Sloan tickles his stomach. 

"No!" He yells. Sloan laughs. 

"Yeah, me neither." She sighs. She quickly finishes eating and the teenagers stand up from the table. "See ya later." 

"Wait!" Danneel says, getting up from her seat as well and rushing for her phone. "We have to take a picture." Sloan groans. 

"Mom." She whines, dragging the word out. "Don't you think we're a little too old for that?" 

"Nonsense." Gen says. "It's tradition." 

"It's cute for little kids but we're in high school." Sloan says. "It's a little ridiculous." 

"Just shut up and let them take a picture." Jensen says. "The sooner you cooperate, the sooner it'll be over." 

"Alright, stand by the door." Danneel says. Sloan sighs but stands in front of the door. "Smile!" Sloan gives her best 'eat crap and die' smile. 

"Sloan." Jensen warns. "A real smile." The teenager rolls her eyes before smiling at her step mom. 

"Alright, your turn." Jared says, slapping his brother on the back. Grayson groans but trades places with Sloan. "And look like you're happy. This one's going to Mom."  

"Sloan get one with him." Danneel instructs. 

"I feel like we're doing a photoshoot." Sloan mutters. Tom starts babbling in his mom's arms and reaches for Sloan. She walks over and takes the baby from Gen. "C'mon, buddy. You can take this one with us." 

Sloan stands beside Grayson, setting Tom on her hip between them. The baby reaches up and pulls her hair hair. "Ow!" She says with a grimace just as the cameras click.