Chapter 7

Across the hall, Ellie quickly opened her bottle of nail polish and began to paint a new coat on her pinky as if she were finishing up.

Lanie grabbed her hair brush and moved into the bathroom.

"Girls?" AJ's voice called from the front door.

"Yes Daddy?" Ellie called letting him know it was safe to come into the room.

"You guys ready to eat?" He asked looking in at Lanie.

"Yep." They both smiled and moved toward them.

He shortly gave them a strange look but shrugged it off and moved into the hall with them to wait on the boys and the other Dads.

 "Gabriel, what are you doing?" He heard his father’s voice ask.

Scott held his breath. He didn't know how Gabe looked at the Moment but he prayed it was enough to keep them out of trouble.

"Uhh, getting dressed..." Gabe said trying to act as if he hadn't just had the most amazing sex of his life.

 "Why are you getting dressed out here?" Howie sounded unsure.

"You boys weren't doing anything, were you?" Nick asked sounding concerned.

 "EW! Dad, that's just nasty." Jesse said shaking his head and closing his laptop.

 Gabe nodded, "Agreed. I just finished having a shower, so I put my boxers on and came back out for my clothes. We're all guys, there's nothing wrong with just being in your boxers if you’re about to get dressed." He explained off the top of his head.

 "We've changed in front of each other before." Brian commented from behind them.

Howie and Nick nodded.

 "Why isn't Scott awake?" Howie asked.

 "Jesse I told you to make sure everyone was getting ready." Nick warned.

 "I'm not waking him up. Are you crazy?" Jesse replied.

 "We like our faces arranged this way." Gabe said pointing to his face.

Brian sighed, shook his head, and moved over to Scott's bed.

"Good luck..." Jesse said standing up and walking over towards the others.

Gabe pulled up his jeans, buttoned them, and walked over to the others, which was also where his shoes had landed.

 Brian gently shook Scott making Scott who was pretending to sleep pretending to jump and almost whack Brian in the face.

 Brian stumbled back a bit.

"We warned you..." Gabe said shaking his head as he tied his shoes.

 "What the fu...Dad, what the hell? I was asleep!" Scott said pretending to pissed.

"Don't talk like that! And we're going for dinner now. So get up and let's go." Brian said walking back towards the others.

 Scott groaned and moved off the bed and followed everyone back out the elevators.

 Gabe was grinning like a maniac.

 "Gabe, stop grinning like that, someone's bound to figure something's up." Ellie whispered to him.

 "I had the single most amazing sex in my fucking life. How can I not be happy about that?" He whispered back.

 “Be happy without looking happy. It’s easier than you think.” She rolled her eyes as his got a little wider.

Gabe could not help himself but to briefly look Ellie up and down before thinking about his recent score again.

They all climbed onto the elevator and a few seconds later, Arie looked over at Gabe and asked, "Why are you so happy?"

 Ellie sighed, "That's why I told you not to act so happy, you dumbass." She whispered to Gabe.

 "Shut up, Arie. No one cares." Gabe said shaking his head.

 "But you're never this happy..." Arie said confused.

 "She's right..." Leigh said as the doors opened and they all walked out.

"Of course she is..." Ellie mumbled annoyed.

 "Yeah, what's with you, Gabe? You’re always so annoyed to be on tour because you have hang out with us a lot...I don't think I've ever seen you this happy while on tour." AJ commented.

 "That's true..." Nick agreed nodding his head.

Howie nodded too, "They have a point son."

 Gabe shrugged, "I'm happy that I don't have sit in a boring classroom all day long anymore, that's it!"

 Everyone's attention was now on Gabe.

 Arie opened her mouth to say something when Scott shot her a look saying to be quiet.

 Since it was Scott she listened and kept it closed.

 "That makes sense..." Brian said.

 "Of course it does! We're older...then last time, we may not like having to hang with our parents but at least we're not in school." Lanie spoke up.

 Once they got to where try were eating conversation of the kids acting and looking strange died down.

 The kids took a table to themselves and the adults took one to themselves. After informing her father of how good she had been for her Mom that afternoon Arie was told she too could sit with the other kids.

 "Do not sit by me." Gabe told her not wanting her to spoil his good mood.

 She looked at Lanie who was busy talking and giggling with Ellie who shot her a mean, sideways look telling her not to go near her.

 Jesse was busy on his phone and never noticed her.

 Scott looked at her, he kind of felt bad for her but he didn't wanna give her any ideas so he looked down at the menu.

Arie sighed sadly and she took a spot at the end of the table not near anyone. She just wanted to fit in, she understood that Scott was right and that she was really different than the older ones and a lot younger too but she just wanted to fit in, she wanted someone to talk to, she had Lanie before but ever since Ellie came Lanie barely acknowledged her anymore. She felt tears come to her eyes the more she thought of it but she wouldn't dare cry in front of the older kids.

 Jesse looked up from his phone and noticed Arie sitting by herself, she kind of reminded him of when Lanie first came to live with them and when she came on tour for the first time. She had been the only girl and the boys weren't very nice or accepting of her, besides himself of course. He felt bad for her; she looked like she was ready to cry. He sighed, 'I know I'm gonna regret this...'

 He had a spot beside him free, since he had Gabe beside him and then Scott beside Gabe then the other two girls across the table. "Hey Arie, come sit with me." Jesse smiled at her.

 Arie's head shot up, "Re-really? Because if this is just a joke..."

 Jesse shook his head, "No joke. Come sit beside me."

 Ellie shook her head. She had no idea how anyone could be nice to such an annoying little girl especially ones like Arie.

 Scott smiled inside; Arie had a really bad day, mostly because of him, which he did feel bad about.

 Lanie grinned, "So Little Sister, looks like your day hasn't been all bad right?"

 Arie grinned back and nodded as she sat beside Jesse, "Yeah, not totally bad."

 Lanie gave Arie a look.

 "What?" Arie asked.

 "You just said, 'Totally' ...I don't think I've heard you say it before." Lanie said surprised.

 Arie shrugged, "I decided that I should probably dumb stuff down for you guys."

 Scott softly chuckled. She was actually taking his advice and it was kind of funny.

 Ellie looked at him, "How is that funny? She just basically called us stupid."

 Scott added, "Because to her, we are."

 Jesse nodded, "It's a little funny...it's just...you don't know her like we do. She lives on being smarter than us and showing it." He then turned to Arie, "I'd really just like to see how long you can last."

 Arie smiled, "I can last for a very long time."

 Lanie laughed, "Sure ya can."

 "So, Gabe...why are you so happy?" Arie asked making the others laugh.

 "What?" she asked

 "He met a girl." Jesse smirked.

 "So? He meets girls every day." Arie said confused.

 "This was different." Jesse tried to explain, he knew she had the talk because the older kids had a 'refresher' talk when it was Arie's turn to learn about the 'Bird & Bees.'

 "How?" Arie asked

 "It just was..." Jesse said pausing.

 "He really liked her, that’s all." Scott added.

 The older ones laughed.

 "Why can't you just tell me?" Arie asked

 "Because you'll get grossed out and go tell Mommy and Daddy." Ellie said laughing.

 "No, I won't! I won't tell!" Arie protested.

 "You may not tell....but you'll be grossed out I know me and Scott were." Jesse said shivering at the memory.

Arie sighed, "I never get told anything."

 Jesse sighed, 'She asked for it...maybe if I tell her she won't wanna know anything ever again...'

 He nodded, "Remember you asked for it." He bent down and whispered in her ear.

 Her eyes went big, "I wish I never asked." she said as Jesse sat back up.

 The others laughed.

 Soon enough, they gave their order, ate and went back upstairs tomorrow was going to be another day in another city.

 When they reached their rooms, Arie paused and ran over to Jesse and gave him a quick hug, "Thank you." She whispered.

 He hugged her back, "You're welcome." He smiled down at her. Sure, she was annoying and she got on everyone's nerves at times but she was the youngest trying to belong, like Lanie was when she first came. So he took mercy on her.

 She ran back to her Mom who was waiting for her.

 "What was that about?" Gabe asked walking back into their room.

 "She wanted to thank me." He said walking over to his laptop.

"For letting her sit by you? Awe, that’s so cute." Gabe teased.

 Jesse rolled his eyes.

"Yo Jess." Scott said pulling out a cigarette.

Jesse shook his head and tossed a lighter to him.

Scott lit up and took a long drag. It had been a long day.

As Gabe lay on his bed and fantasied about his girl from before, Jesse looked through profile after profile on Facebook. Deep inside him, he hoped tonight would be the night he found her... His Mom.

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Across the hall, Ellie and Lanie picked out a movie on TV to rent and got comfortable on one bed.

The movie was called thirteen and about a young girl discovering herself through experimentation brought on by her wild best friend.

As the girls watched the movie, they casually chatted about things in the movie.

"So you've actually smoked weed before?" Lanie asked Ellie.

"Just twice. My Mom caught me the second. She promised not to tell Dad but instead told him that a kid from my circle of friends got caught with some and told him to give me the lecture." Ellie explained with an eye roll.

"I don't think I ever could. My Mom..." She trailed off.

Ellie looked at her concernedly. She wanted to ask questions but was unsure if now was the time.

Lanie could see the questions in her eyes, "She chose drugs over me." She explained simply. "Back when I was little." She added.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Ellie told her.

"It's ok. She went to jail and Nick took custody and that's the last I heard from her. My Uncle Aaron stays in contact with her and sometimes tells me about her but she never talks to me." Lanie was unsure why she suddenly felt comfortable enough to open up.

"So why don't you talk to her?" Ellie asked.

"I dunno. I guess I just feel like if she wanted to be a part of my life she would have tried a long time ago."

"People can change though Lanie. Look at my Dad." Ellie softly told her and gave a half smile.

Lanie just nodded and they both turned back to the movie.

Over in the boys room Scott was now sitting on his bed leaned against the wall with a notebook and pen. Jesse still sat on his laptop and Gabe was sleeping.

"Yes!" Jesse softly shouted out making Scott jump.

"What's your deal?" Scott asked a little upset Jesse had startled him.

"Uh, I just found someone I've been looking for." Jesse had a smile plastered on his face. "Uh, what are you doing?" He asked trying to calm down and make small talk.

"Oh I'm uh... just doodling." He didn't sound so sure.

"You doodled a lot. Ever gonna show off any of it?" Jesse had seen the same notebook many times before.

"No!" He shouted.

"Oh, sorry I asked." Jesse said and turned back to his laptop. He smiled again looking over the woman's profile. He looked over her photos. Emotions began to mix within him when he saw she was married with a son and daughter. He had half siblings. Seeing this made him fear contacting her but he knew he needed to for his own peace of mind.

Slowly he clicked on the message button and began to type a message to her. He took his time making it nice and long and from the heart. He told her a bit about himself and his life. He talked about how he had always wondered about her and ended with a desperate plea to let him get to know her and be a part of her life.

Back a crossed the hall Lanie and Ellie were watching their movie. Lanie was lying down on the bed with her head propped up on a pillow and Ellie sat almost behind her playing with her hair. As the two girls in the movie kissed Lanie's eyes got a bit large. Ellie noticed and couldn't help but smile.

"Have you ever actually done that?" Lanie asked looking up toward Ellie but almost not moving her head

"Yeah, I've done pretty much everything with girls." Ellie told her.

"What about boys?" Lanie looked at her a bit more.

"I've given head and let a guy touch my breast but nothing else." She told her pulling out a braid she had loosely done in Lanie's hair. "How far have you gone?" Ellie asked her.

"I’ve done everything but sex with guys." Lanie told her sitting up a bit.

"Ever done anything with a girl?" Ellie wondered innocently.

"No, I've always kinda been told that being with the same sex was wrong." Lanie admitted.

"I know what you're saying but I assure you... it's not wrong." Ellie smiled.

Lanie didn't look so sure.

"Here, let me show you." Ellie almost whispered. She slowly leaned forward and brushed a loose strand of hair out of Lanie's face. She then place a hand softly on the back of Lanie's neck and let her fingers snake into her hair a bit.

Lanie's heart raced with a mix of nervousness and anticipation as Ellie leaned in slowly and closed her eyes. Just as their lips touched, Lanie let her eye's close.

A sudden rush of firework seemed to explode inside Lanie. Much to her surprise she loved how soft, and tender Ellie's lips felt on hers.

Ellie pulled away and opened her eyes as did Lanie but she stayed close and stayed touching her, "See, did that feel wrong to you?"

Lanie almost couldn't move. It hadn't felt bad at all. In fact, it felt wonderful and it left her desiring more. Finally, Lanie just shook her head 'no' slightly, as she continued to stare deeply into Ellie's eye's that twinkled with each flicker of the TV.