Garte had his eyes on Garroth. There wasn't a moment in the day when he allowed for Garroth to do something that would've tarnished his reputation. He had spent years trying to shape Garroth into being the best heir for the company, and he refused to take any refusal from his son. He had his future planned out for him. Garroth would graduate high school and go onto majoring in business. He thought it was best if he was going to take over when Garte believed he was ready.

Garroth wanted none of this. He didn't like business, and the idea sometimes made his head spin. He was a leader, but he wasn't the type of leader for the Ro'meave Corporation. He was more so the type of leader for smaller groups, like the baseball team. The idea of taking over stressed him out to no end. He didn't want that life. Garte was constantly on the phone, or he was at his office. Garroth saw how involved his mother was, too, and he didn't want to force that onto whomever he married.

"Your grandparents are coming for a visit this weekend."

It was dinner time at the Ro'meave residence. The family sat at the dining room table, the meal Zianna had prepared that day set out in front of them. They were all present, something surprising given the time of year. It was a Wednesday night, and Zianna thought it best that carbs were on the menu. Garroth would burn them off at practice the following day.

"That's not anything too new," Vylad says. He stabs his fork into a larger piece of lettuce, trying to fold it over on his plate to shrink the bite. "Grandma and grandpa are always around."

Zianna shakes her head. "Oh, no, Little Pea. Grandma and Grandpa Ro'meave are coming for a visit."

"What for? It's not a holiday."

"Kandilyn," Garte's tone was harsh. A warning to be more exact. "Your grandparents are busy people, and you know that. They have time in their schedule, and they want to come watch the game on Friday. You know it's one of Garroth's last."

It was true that Garte's side was rarely around in the grandparent department. They came around every once in a while, but they were typically only present on the holidays. If the Ro'meave siblings saw their grandparents outside of it, it was normally on a birthday or some rare occasion. Zianna's parents were more involved. They came to whatever they could. While it wasn't every event, as time doesn't always allow for it, they came to whatever they could. And what they couldn't, they tried to make up for it. It was clear the siblings were closer to one pair of grandparents than the other.

Still, it was strange they were coming. Garroth couldn't help but think there was more to the surface than what his mother was leading off.

The four siblings didn't say much after that. They loved their grandparents, but the distance was apparent.

°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

"Zianna, be a dear and tell me what number my grandson is. They all look remotely the same, but I am not too old where I cannot distinguish one number from another."

"Of course, Ethel," Zianna says, guiding her across the cold metal bleachers. She lays a blanket down on the seat, trying to create some form of comfort. "Gargar is number sixteen. He's a starter, so I'm sure you'll see him frequently."

Ethel nods her head and looks down at the program on her lap. She adjusts the glasses sitting on her nose to read the sheet better. There was still a bit of time before the game started, so they had time to kill. The stands were continuing to fill, and the band was warming up and practicing a few songs. Here and there a cheer was heard from the other side of the fence.

A sudden thought pops into Ethel's head. "Which one is Garroth's girlfriend?" Her attention was directed towards the small group of cheerleaders. While her wording sounded a bit cruel, Zianna understood what she meant.

With a pointed stare, Zianna fixes her attention onto Alex. "The blonde next to Kandilyn. They've gotten quite serious."

"And is she joining us on Sunday?"

Zianna's lip quivers. While she did come to the conclusion at an earlier time that Alex would've been brought up at some point, she didn't expect Ethel to mention Sunday's dinner. The two grandparents were leaving that Monday morning.

"I suppose she could," she says. 

From the ground, Alex glances up at the stands after a short cheer. Her cheeks are rosy pink from the cold. Sweatshirt and pants covering her uniform to keep the warmth in until the players came out.

"Kandi, is that your grandparents?" She asks, reaching out to the girl next to her to get her attention.

Kandi follows Alex's gaze into the crowd. It isn't hard for her to find her mother right away. They weren't far from the bottom row, and her mother was always an easy target to find. "Yeah, it is."

Alex nods her head. "The Ro'meave genes are strong."