August watched as her mother stirred the pot of meatballs that she made from scratch, after she baked them. She had so much on her mind to ask her but where to start was the issue.

Asora Gage-Chandler, she was an amazingly artful woman who worked hard and loved harder. She was the best mom that anyone could have asked for, but lately, she had been so busy with orders since the season for flowers was coming around and the demand for them were growing. August didn't mind it though, she was used to her mom being busy at certain times of the year.

She was not okay, however with the fact that her mother withheld such important information away from her, especially about something that mattered so much... and especially after her fathers death. "Mom?"

"Yes Auggie?" She asked, absentmindedly.

August knew her mom was barely listening, but she still needed to speak with her. "Why is Ames transferring out of Brookwell Arts academy?"

Asora's hand stopped stirring at the food. She met her daughters eyes then sighed. "How did you find out?"

"Mom, I'm not stupid, you know. How long did you think you could keep this from me?" Her mother did not reply. August set down the plate that ahead had in her hand. "Ames told me. Mom, d-dad helped him so much to get into that school, so why is he transferring out?"

"I don't owe you an explanation." She said evading the question.

"The hell you do!"

"August Meredith Gage-Chandler! Your tone young lady."

She folded her arms over her chest. "I'm sorry mom, but... you never held these things back from me."

"Well, not everything is about you." August gasped. Tears brimmed her eyes. "Well, whatever happens with my family involves me too, mother!" She scoffed at the ridiculousness of the situation. "I can't talk to you like this, mom. You've been so far away, I barely even recognize you." She turned and ran off to her room, brushing past her brother on the way there. Ames' eyes followed his sister's escape before he bent the corner and found his mom sobbing into her hand. "Mom?" She hurried to clear her face and shook her head. "What was that-." She rose her hand to silence his inquiry.

"Don't. Why did you tell her?" Her voice cracked on the last word.

"Why didn't you? You always speak to her." He was becoming annoyed. His mother would always be so communicative with August when he couldn't. His studies had kept him so busy but since after his fathers death... he had been somewhat very far. "Why didn't you want her to know?" The right question.

Asora looked at her son, he bore the eyes of his father, the very image of the late Lachlin Chandler, the very man she had loved until his last breath. "She hasn't cried since his died. She's holding onto so much... I, I couldn't bring myself to tell her. I-I just couldn't, Ames."

He ran a hand over his dark locs. "It's okay mom. It was inevitable that she find out sooner or later. Did you tell her anything else?" She shook her head. Great, more work in it for him. He sighed then turned around and walked to his sister's room. He had his hand at the ready to knock as he heard her voice, remembering the voicemail she sent him a night ago crying in worry as she told him not to slip again. She kept him from making a questionable decision that night and he owed it to her to tell her why he was in a rut. He rapped at her door and waited. No answer came back. He tried again, nothing. "August, I'm coming in." He tried the doorknob and thankfully it wasn't locked. He pushed in the door and found his sister sitting at her window with her knees under her chin and her finger gliding across the foggy glass. "Auggie, I'm sorry about yesterday." She did not utter a word towards his apology. He scratched his head and tried again. He shut the door after he stepped in. "After dad... passed, I couldn't function." He choked down the lump in his throat and began again. "I couldn't focus, or think straight, or even manage..." he sighed, "or even live, and with everyone telling me how sorry they were, it became harder. I saw dad around every corner of that school and I couldn't take it, August. I couldn't-," he coughed, his throat tightening as he held back the onslaught of sorrow. His father had been the Vice Head Master of the Brookwell Arts Academy and a counselor. Their father truly made himself a staple at the Academy and helped his son work hard to be able to attend. "You know how much that school meant to me, to dad, but with dad no longer alive... I. I needed a change of scenery. I couldn't go back without having a panic attack. August, please understand that I wasn't mad at you, I was mad at me, and at dad. I'm so sorry that I made you cry."

"You didn't come home until tonight. I was waiting for a call from the cops or the emergency room... anyone to be honest." She finally turned to see him, tears running down his eyes. "You could've called. Mom doesn't speak to me as much anymore... she's always busy, you're always out... I lost him too, ya know." She sniffled and swallowed the lump that choked her sobs. "He was my best friend, he was my daddy too." Tears raced down her round cheeks, dropping off her chin and to her blouse.

He nodded. "I know, he was mine too. I'm so sorry, August." She stood up and walked over to him. "Don't ever shut me out again, or else I might as well have lost you too." He shook his head. "No, that'll never. I swear." He pulled her into his arms, and kissed her forehead. "I swear to God, Auggie."

~ ~ ~

August fixed with the keys on her phone as she contemplated calling Claude to pick her up for school. She shook her head and decided against it. She had given him enough unnecessary grief over the weekend. She did not want to do anything more that would cost him to do more than he was supposed to.

Ames had finally told her what he had heavy on his chest. It made her sad to think that he had to battle through his grief without help or someone to confined in... or at least someone he knew well enough to confine in. Her mom hadn't said much during dinner. No one had, they instead ate in a tense sadness until August remembered something funny that her dad said that made no sense at all, but he had stubbornly stuck to it to prove her wrong. "Dad, would say, if you cry when it rains you'll never understand smiling as the skies cleanse those who do cry under the rain... I thought that it made no sense when I was younger... but now that I think about it... it seems to be quite an ingenious way of thinking."

"He told that to you too? Ames had asked, pushing a meatball around. "I think it means that if you think the rain is horrible there are others who don't because the cryinf under the rain sometimes helps certain people move forward. Or whatever. I think he just messed up and he wanted to make us feel stupid." Asora chuckled and August joined her.

"Lachlin Chandler, that man was also saying things that no one would ever think of saying and he was also very clever at backing his own preposterous quotes." They laughed at that. Laughed and laughed and laughed until they cried, and shared a mutual show of affection, with I love yous tangled into the mess of sobs and apologies.

August had forgotten the day when a car honked and she jumped and her head shot up. "Morning, my intelligent botanist." Claude? It was as if he heard her silent worries and appeared here like Prince Charming searching for his Cinderella... bad analogy, but it got the point across. "What are you... you live near the school Claude."

He shrugged. "So what? It's early, I'm here, you're in need of a ride and, he patted the car door, "and I happen to have one." She giggled. Her smile radiating making Claude blush as he admired her glow in the sunlight. "You're honestly something surreal." She sighed, happy to have had the chance of being with someone as amazing as Claude. "Come on, the bus might be arriving soon and j rather not get honked." She snorted and hurried to the passenger side and buckled in. "Hey, reach into the backseat, I got you something." She rose her brow at him but bent to see what it was. She gasped and her cheeks showed her affection. She pulled back the small pot dawning an Orchid, it was pink and bright and well taken care of. She was at a loss. Her eyes taking in the flower and thinking if how she ended up with someone like Claude. Others at school thought she was a freak, some bothered her for it, and a majority ignored her. She found her niche of people in the geology club, but that was about as much the students at school ever let her in. "August?" He asked getting nervous when she didn't reply right away, he had ready driven past two block's and he was thinking the worst. "Thank you." He gasped and had to look back at the road because he snapped to see her as she gave him her reply. "I've never had someone, besides my own family give me a gift. This means so much, thank you."

He grinned from ear to ear. Silly little Cheshire cat smiling at his girl. "Umm, orchids were said to be held in high regard since ancient times. It symbolizes: love, beauty, fertility, refinement, thoughtfulness and charm."

She nodded, her lips purse in approval of his research. "The Orchids also earned their name from the Greek word orchis, which means testicle." Claude blushed. He hadn't known that small fact. August laughed at his surprise. "Yeah, Theophrastos a Greek botanist thought that their fleshy underground tubers were thought to resemble testicles. History is silly, so don't fret. I love it. Thank you again Claude." He hummed softly. "I didn't like seeing you sad yesterday, I wanted to cheer you up. I know you like flowers that have appropriate meanings, so the Orchid came to mind and it reminded me of how beautiful you were-even though you don't like me calling you beautiful because of superficial reasons and whatnot." Aww, he was rambling. He pulled into a parking lot at school and she leaned over once he turned the car off and pulled him into a kiss. Claude sucked in a breath before he kissed her back. "Claude, thank you for the compliment. You can pay me compliments, I just teased you about it because you didn't know me yet, but it means so much more now that you do know me."

He sighed, his shoulders slumping. "I'm glad. I'm so lucky to be yours."

"And, I am grateful that you stalked me." He blushed and she laughed his awkward composure.