Marci Wellington's POV

I zip up my duffle bag and look around my room in the Lealtad household one last time.

With a sigh, I open the door and close it behind me. I stumble into the Patriarch of the household in the hallway.

He looks at me through the glasses perched on the bridge of his nose. A small smile danced on his lips as he nudged his head to the side.

He turned away from me and started walking towards the door at the end of the hall. I followed him, and he opened the door to his study.

He entered first while I followed closely behind him. I sat on the rocking chair in the corner of the room and watched him. He paced in front of me with a meaningful look on his face.

"You know, when I was your age, I would get this crazy thought that I would one day change the world. I came close to doing just that until I stumbled onto a theatre in my late teens." He paused to look at me to ensure I was following his story.

"I knew the script was as trashy as the dumpster behind it, and I decided on the spot I would change the world with a pen and a paper."

He held the items up and allowed them to fall to the floor with a silent thud.

"Marci, I know you wish things could be different, but remember that we are here for you. And maybe one day you too would find something else to fight for."

A calm silence passed between us, and I'd be damned if the universe would stand in the way of me having my Mom and Dad back together again.

I let out a small smile, stood up and hugged Abuelo for his encouraging words. I'm surprised that I understood every bit of it. As he patted my back, I heard one of his famous riddles of the day.

"You can't break an Acorn unless you've got a whole ocean, a few blades of grass and of course, a squirrel's cheeks."

There it is.

After my talk with Abuelo, I said my goodbyes to the rest of the Lealtad clan. I got into the car with Diego and drove off.

The ride to the Penthouse was a quiet and short one. Traffic was low because everyone travelled out for the holidays, and even though it was almost Valentine's Day, the roads were still empty.

The paparazzi at the reception and front desk were buzzing with their flashing cameras and nosy questions.

"Cuídese." Diego nudges my shoulder with his.

Translation: Take care of yourself.

"Si."

After trudging through the Presses, I make it to the elevator and enter the passcode.

I examine my reflection on the walls of the moving box and sigh. My hair is barely kept up by the black hairband on my head, my black clothes are rumpled, and the bags under my eyes are very dark.

I would be lying to myself if I said that this divorce is not taking its toll on me, but I'll find a way to work around it and get my family; even if I have to glue the pieces back together, so be it.

The doors open, and I'm met with Jack and Taryn making out on the couch.

3, 2, 1...

"If your hand wanders down there one more time..." Taryn begins her threat with her hand going slowly down towards her shoe.

Jack rolls his eyes and shuts her up with his lips.

"I would have picked watching Gail trying to flip than walking in on you guys again," I say to break the snogging couple before me.

Taryn threw Jack off her faster than you could say, Blackish and barreled towards me like a woman on a mission.

I was tackled to the ground by a small African woman. She had a lot of strength stored for her size.

"Next time you decide to fall off the face of the world, a little moment's notice would be nice."She glared down at me as she squeezed the life out of me.

I coughed a bit and smiled back at the closest thing I have to an older sister.

"Nice to see you again, Taryn."

From my peripherical, I could see Jack get up from the couch with a huff and make his way towards us.

He pulls Taryn off me and hauls her onto his shoulder like a Caveman, "That's enough, Trish, don't squish her too much. That's Gail's department of expertise."

"Jackson Guave, if you don't put me down-"

With a smack to Taryn's ass, Jack smirks at me, "Go freshen up, kiddo; the rest of the guys will be back in time for dinner. I suggest you put on some headphones."

I narrowed my eyes at him and his good-natured humour, "I'd be careful if I were you." I cock my hip to the side.

"Why do you say so?" He tightens his grip on Taryn with one hand and uses the other hand to scratch his growing beard.

It seems like I'm not the only one wearing natural black eyeliner.

"The orgasm you're about to have will lead to a coma, and I don't think that with the way Taryn is looking at you, it's going to be her having a good trip to snooze ville." I nudge my head to the side.

He follows my gaze to meet the angry look that his girlfriend is giving him.

He pats my head and walks towards the stairs while calling over his shoulder, "Nice try, Marci."

I shake my head at the two and walk toward my room.

The moment I walk in, I do a double-take at my sanctuary when the Penthouse has too much tension.

The walls are coated with fresh black paint, the beddings have a grey and ash spiral going on in the middle, while the widow still has a black dahlia with a small note attached to the vase.

Welcome home, Maleficent.

-S

Tonight's dinner should be interesting.

-

The dining table was filled with a buzz so contagious I joined in on the chatter.

"So I walked up to the guy and asked him whether he robbed an art museum before walking into the concert. And you know what he said?" Jacob was on a roll with his jokes tonight.

Even though Caleb and I found them cringe-worthy, I cracked up at a few.

"He gave me a blank stare, so I did him a favour and pointed at the rainbow colour hair on his head." He looked at us expectantly to laugh.

As I said before, cringe-worthy.

Although Gail was a good sport and she started laughing.

"It wasn't that funny, Abigail." I twirl my peas and mashed Potato with my fork, a bored look on my face.

Gail stopped laughing and glared at me from across the table. "You know the house was nice without the whole Emo vibes you give off."

I can see that she is picking up on her sass, but little does she know that she needs a lot more experience to beat the queen of sarcasm.

I pretend to yawn, "Good one Gail, good one."

Gail's nose scrunched up, but before she could bite back, Taryn rubbed her head and shook her head. "Not at the dinner table. If you want to have a go at her, I'll let you extend your bedtime."

The mischief in the brown-eyed babysitter was hard to miss while my brother pressed his lips into a thin line.

"Speaking of bedtime, when will Jack and you book that hotel room and stop extending yours?"

Caleb did have a point. The last time I was here was before Caleb went off to continue his tour in New York. Trust me when I say it is hard to practice a few dance moves when these two messes up the sheets.

Taryn rolled her eyes, "Calm down, Caleb, your PMSing." This makes all the men in the room grimace while I snort. "We all know you miss Peyton. I have a feeling that you guys will catch up very soon."

"Who wants dessert?" Shawn walked in with bowls of ice cream.

"ME!" Gail shot up from her seat and was by his knees. I guess it's sugar rush season.

The snow in Miami has finally melted away, so it was safe to eat as much ice cream and sugary treats to your heart's content.

Happy diabetes to us all and more tips to the local Dentist.

"I think you've had enough sugar." Caleb grips Shawn's hand before he could give Gail her ice cream.

Gail pouted, but it seemed like my brother had finally grown a backbone to our younger sister's pouts.

About damn time.

Gail huffs when she sees that she is not getting her way. She hugs us all goodnight and whispers into my ear when it's my turn while Shawn hands out the rest of the ice cream.

"I missed you."

I smile and hug her back just as tight, "I missed you more."

She might be a brat and a pain in the ass sometimes, but she was still my little sister when it was down for the count.

Gail raises two fingers and brings them to her forehead, "Goodnight, everyone."

She sends us a toothy smile and walks to the corridor under the stairs.

"Remember to brush your teeth after taking your shower," Taryn calls out after her.

A big sniff is heard, and we all turn our heads to the joker of the room, "They grow up so fast." Jacob sniffs louder this time which earns a playful scowl from his brother.

"Calm down, Oprah. She's yet to turn seven." Shawn teases.

"Now, back to the plan at hand," Jack says, "The tour was a success. It's safe to say that the whole of America is happy to have seen the amazing Caleb Parks in the flesh. Marcel demands that we be at the studio at eight am sharp." Jack glances slightly at me while I nod my head.

I might not be ready to face my parents yet, but that doesn't mean I will stand in the way of my brother's rise to fandom.

"Now, a toast!" Jacob says out of the blue while raising his empty bowl of ice cream.

"And what exactly are we toasting to?" I ask as I glance around the room, searching for clues.

"To the cute little family, we've got going on," Taryn answered, and I couldn't agree more.

-

"So, what are we doing today?" Gail asked as she jumped onto the counter beside me while I did the dishes.

"I'm going with Taryn to the Orphanage; you're free to come with me," I reply while I rinse off a frying pan.

"I'll come. Let me just go change." Gail smiled, jumped off the counter and made her way out of the kitchen.

I huffed when I finished the dishes and dried my hands before turning around.

I could have sworn that I was too young to have a cardiac arrest, but Jacob was grinning like a loon when he noticed I was scared shitless.

I cross my hands on my chest and cock my hip to the side, "You know it's impolite to scare people."

He raised a brow before letting out a snicker, "You should have seen your face."

"Haha, very funny," I rolled my eyes before going over to sit on the chair beside him.

"So, will you tell me why you are suddenly interested in giving me an early stroke?" I ask him with a sarcastic smile.

He rolls his eyes, "I forgot how sarcastic your ass can get."

I narrow my eyes at him, but he goes on as if he hadn't just sent a jab at me.

"Well, I need girl advice."

I blinked once, twice, thrice and did a double-take.

Did Jacob just ask for my opinion on how to woo a girl?

"I'm assuming you've run out of words, Marci?" Jacob surveys me with an unsure look.

I blink again and try to regain my composure, "When have I ever run out of words?" I raise a brow at him with an amused smile. "So who's this lady friend of yours that has you biting back your dry jokes?"

He glares at me, and my smile grows, "I'm assuming you've run out of words, Jacob?"

"You know if you're just going to make fun of me, then I might as well ask Gail for help." He grits out while making his way to stand up.

I realised at that moment that not everyone could handle my sarcasm. A rude awakening, I tell you.

I might as well dial it back a bit. I may not like his jokes, but Jacob was a friend. And whether I liked it or not, he will be a constant in Caleb's life, so I might as well get used to him.

I sighed, "Sorry."

Jacob paused in his tracks, but I knew that he was listening, so I went on to continue my apology.

"I know my sarcasm might get a bit too real and close to home, but just know that half of the time. I don't mean it."

"Never thought that I would see the day that Marci Wellington would apologise for being sarcastic," With a grin, he turned around.

He cocked his head to the side, "If I go down a notch with the sarcasm, would you at least try better with your jokes and pick-up lines?"

I walked closer to him while he held eye contact. I held my hand for him to shake, "Do we have a deal?"

He smirked and shook my hand, "Deal."

-

"How long do you think it will take Jack to man up and marry you?" I asked, having been fed up with the boredom in the orphanage home.

Taryn almost stabbed the adoption papers she was signing. I guess you could say that I surprised her with that one.

"Excuse me?" She furrowed her brows as she looked me up and down.

"You heard me right, Trish," I say, and her eyes harden.

"The two of you are not far from starting your own family, so what's the holdup?"

She tapped her chin with the pen, "You know, for a fifteen-year-old, you need to work on your filter."

I rolled my eyes at that statement. "Oh, please spare me. I've been around unfiltered people all my life, you included. So spill it, when will I play maid of honour?"

I must be bored if I'm whining like this.

She sighed because she knew that she was not dodging this. Even if she tried, I was one step away from locking the door.

Literally.

"Well, now's not a good time." I sit up at this information. "I still have some things to work through, and the last thing I need is to get hitched, but don't worry, we'll have that dress fitting sooner than you know it." She winked.

Taryn may think she has quenched my curiosity, but I'll allow it for now.

I spent the rest of the day hanging out with the kids when Taryn threw me out of her office for disturbing her concentration.

The weekend went by faster than I could make it, but it was good to get a breather from the drama that was going on in my life.

-

The evening sun was warm, and so was the grass. Until Giá thought it was a good idea to make the only thing in my line of vision her hair.

"Are you trying to make me go blind, Giá?" I glare death in her direction.

"Anything to prevent me from watching you and Nate having a smooch fest right is a win." She argued.

Guilty as charged, it seems Taryn and Jack might be rubbing off on us.

"Never thought I'd say this, but Nate, do you by any chance have some snacks in the kitchen?" Lucas asks.

"Yes, check my room, the last drawer on my dresser; I keep my chips stash there." Nate answers without taking his eyes off me.

Giá grabs Lucas by hand and pulls him away from the lovesick scene.

We spent the whole day making a new routine. To say that we were tired would be an understatement.

"What are we doing on Valentine's day?" Nate asks.

I rest my head on his shoulder while my back is against the tree bark, "I have nothing planned."

That's a lie, but he doesn't need to know that.

"How about I take you out on a date?" He says and rubs circles on my back.

Something behind his ear caught my attention. I cupped his face to clarify what I saw while pretending to listen to what he was talking about.

"I'd have to convince your four aggressive brothers," I snort to that. Caleb and aggressive do not belong to the same sentence. "But I know it will be worth it."

He removes my hand from his face and kisses the inside of my palm. That would have been cute if I wasn't boiling on the inside.

"Nate, when was the last time you played basketball at home?" I inquiry and spy the driveway through my peripherical.

"This morning, why do you ask?" He follows my line of sight and sighs. "I promise it was an accident."

"No parent throws a ball that size at their kid's head and says it's an accident." I narrow my eyes and wait for him to argue with me.

He opens and closes his mouth like a gaping fish but doesn't respond.

"I promise, after the exams, they will leave me alone." He says, his tone was deadly serious.

"And what makes you say that?"

"Because I know the right strings,"

If I know this Scotch slash American, as well as I do. He won't tell me what's going on in his head, and I won't force it out of him.

I guess it's just how we work. We know when something is wrong with one another. And when the conversation gets sidetracked, we both decide to just be a silent comforter at that point.

I sigh and straddle his hips. I pull him into a tight hug. I feel him kiss my head and say in a low voice, "We'll be fine, Marci. I just know it."

And I think this is where people see that Nate and I might be different, but being from a broken family might make two peas in a pod look more alike than they are meant to be.

In this posse, only Giá got that happy family life we all want. Or so I thought at the time.

Thoughts? Theories? Votes?