I wake to the sound of aliens invading the house. Dad's Fourth of July tradition is watching Independence Day. He has a thing for Jeff Goldbum, and I can't blame him, for an older guy he's easy on the eyes. Walker disagrees and is a diehard fan of the Fresh Prince, Will Smith.

With aliens on my mind, it gives me a great idea for my next post on Instagram. I work quickly, not wanting to miss a moment more of the movie.

Orbit_TheaterLI: In honor of Independence Day, what is your favorite alien movie? My heart will always lie with the Starliens, but I grew up in a house full of Jeff Goldblum and Will Smith lovers, so it's a tossup for me.

I'm so excited to watch the movie that I don't bother waiting for the post to load. As I reach the bottom step, I pause. I'm struck with envy at the scene before me. The three of them look like a family. Walker and Dad have their arms perched behind Elli, who sits at the edge of his seat bouncing with excitement. I catch moments of Dad and Walker glancing at each other lovingly, while keeping a watchful eye on Elli. It's a picture-perfect moment without me, and I need a minute to collect myself.

I swallow hard trying to ignore the lump in my throat. It's no use, my nose tingles, and my eyes burn with tears. I step back ready to flee, but the step creaks, giving away my presence. Dad and Walker both snap their attention to me. I give them the best smile that I can muster, without giving away my true feelings.

"You started without me." I give a fake pout.

Dad doesn't notice my emotions, but Walker does. He keeps a watchful eye on me as I enter the living room.

"It just started, join us." Dad's eyes meet mine. His lips pull into a smile that reaches his eyes. My gut twists. I should just be happy that I'm finally getting time with him. Maybe I've missed him more than I realized.

Dad moves over to make room, and I slide between him and the arm rest.

"Hey Elli, look who's here." Walker carefully touches Elli's shoulder guiding him in my direction.

Joy fills his eyes the moment he spots me. Standing, Elli flaps his hands and yells, "Ex!"

His attention darts between me, the TV, and around the whole room.

"Hey buddy," I say, trying to hide the wavering in my voice.

I'm still trying to hold myself together. I can't figure out what has come over me. I shouldn't have these types of feelings, not when I'm genuinely happy for them.

"Aliens." Ellie says, pointing towards the TV.

"I love aliens," I say.

Elli does a little dance, then puts his full attention back on the TV.

"Got your favorite breakfast." Dad points to the bagels laid out on the coffee table. He has all my favorites piled onto one plate. Guilt washes over me for the jealous feeling hanging over my head.

"Got any plans?" Walker asks.

I start spreading some butter over my everything bagel and look up at him. "Patty's party is today. Alexa's picking me up.

"Party! Party!"

Elli jumps in the air, almost knocking over his small cup of OJ. Dad smiles and carefully pulls Elli back down onto the couch, where he continues to bounce and whisper the word, party.

"Speaking of parties." Dad starts to say. "I need a favor."

I raise a brow at him and stop buttering my bagel.

"Dad and I need some help with Elli."

I nod to let him know I'm listening.

"Elli was invited to a birthday party on Saturday, and both your dad and I have some business to attend," he says. "Would you be okay to take him? It's at the park, and it would just be for an hour at most, Dad and I will take over after we get there."

I put the butter knife down on the coffee table, my eyes still focused on Dad. Taking Elli somewhere is a huge responsibility. A million questions rage inside my head. What is it like to care for someone who is autistic? What do I do if Elli has a meltdown? What if I screw up? I know I can do it, but there are so many what ifs.

"Okay, um..."

Walker stands and comes to my side of the couch. Leaning against it, he lays a hand on my shoulder.

"I can see the smoke coming from your ears dear," Walker says.

"Elli is pretty easy going and he adores you. When you're not here he asks about you, and I think it would be good for you to get to know him better."

I don't disagree with him. I want to get to know Elli too.

"Okay, I'll do it."

Satisfied with my answer, dad smiles. I turn my attention to Elli who's still bouncing up and down watching TV. You can do this Lennox, I tell myself.

Halfway through the movie my phone notifications start going crazy. Dad and Walker lean over, curious about the commotion.

Deep down I want at least one of the notifications to be from VGMaster, I love their answers. My heart drops when I see who replied. Walker senses the shift in my emotions and moves his hand so it rests gently on my leg, that I hadn't realized was bouncing.

"Chase Dawson just commented, and people are going nuts, and because of him we just went from three hundred followers to five hundred in the half an hour since it was posted."

I point out the number, and even with the ache in my heart, I'm thrilled for Dad. A chat bubble pops up on the top of my screen with Chase's name. I swipe it away, maybe I'll read it later. I'm thankful for what he did, but that doesn't mean I'm ready to talk to him.

"Can I see?" Dad asks.

I hand him the phone and allow them to check the comments. Walker glances over at Dad with love in his eye. I can't remember the last time I made Dad happy. He makes a few comments regarding the things written, and Walker replies making jokes while they do. I don't want to invade their moment, but I can't tear my eyes away. I might be young, but one day I'd like to find someone who looks at me the way Walker looks at Dad.

"That was very nice of that boy to bring in some people," Dad says.

I don't want to ruin the moment, so I nod and smile. He knows a little about what happened between Chase and I, just not all the details. For now, I'd like to keep it that way.

"It's amazing, sweetie. I knew you would be a big help."

He leans in and kisses the top of my head. I catch a look of pride on his face when his eyes find mine. My heart swells. I love that to him I'm a person, and not just dollar signs. I swallow back the tears and take my phone. A new notification pops up, and it's just the person I wanted to see.

VGMaster_10: Jeff Goldblum is the man! I Would take him over the Fresh Prince and Chase Dawson any day. How can your heart lie with Starlien? The show ruined the series for me.

Stab to the heart, so VGMaster is not a fan of Starlien. That sucks. Chase may not be my favorite person right now, but I don't like when people bash my Starlien family. There are a lot of fans of the books that all said the same thing. Some say that I ruined Andi and Chase ruined Jack. They have no idea how stressful it is to make a book character come to life.

Orbit_TheaterLI: I won't argue with you on Jeff Goldblum, he's the king of everything. What didn't you like about Starlien?

I'm nervous to ask why he doesn't like the cast. Sometimes the comments bother me more than they should, but no one knows what we went through. They don't know if we were a fan before the show, and how hard we worked to make these characters come to life. They only know what the media shows them.

VGMaster_10: @Orbit_TheaterLI The actors were awful, and the producers changed too much. I stopped watching just before the second season. If you're going to bring a book to life, do it the right way.

I type, then erase, type again, and erase. I am searching for the right words, without sounding like a bitch.

Orbit_TheaterLI: @VGMaster_10 In my opinion, those actors put their hearts and souls into that show and read the books more than once. Both of those actors who play lead are huge fans of the series. Don't hate.

He quickly responds.

VGMaster_10: @Orbit_TheaterLI They are probably forced to say those things in interviews, so people believe it. We all have our own opinions, and I respect yours.

I respond by agreeing about the different opinions and add a smiling emoji with its tongue sticking out. I want to keep things light and friendly, especially since this page is for the theater, I have to be professional.

A car horn outside honks, I've lost track of time. I spring to my feet, giving them each a kiss as I rush upstairs to get ready. Today will be good, it's time to let loose and have some fun.