You and Me, Kid

○ Chapter 28 ○

Two years had passed since Autumn turned sixteen and a lot had happened. She was now a senior in high school and due to graduate at the end of the year with all As. It was exciting to think that she'd be able to continue her biological father's legacy after leaving high school, and after going to and graduating from flight school.

"Hey, Autumn!" Aiden grinned, running over to her and hugging her. The two of them, ever since they met in freshman year four years ago, had always greeted each other with a hug the others in the group dubbed the 'death squeeze'. "Happy 18th birthday, girl." Yep, it was Autumn Bradshaw's 18th birthday – 23rd May 2037. It's a surprise she made it this far. "What do you plan to do now that you're an adult? Still wanna keep your dad's legacy going?"

"Of course," Autumn giggled, the two walking towards their homeroom classroom. "I've always wanted to keep my dad's legacy going. You know how Pa's been treating Harri lately. I don't think he really wants me to carry his legacy, you know?"

Aiden nodded, sighing through his nose as Chloe joined them. "Hey, Chlo, and yeah, Pete's not... been the greatest dad as of late."

"As of late?" Chloe said, looking at Aiden as if he had grown a second head. "As of late? Pete Mitchell's not been the greatest dad for a couple of years now. I don't mean it like... he isn't a good dad, I'm sure he was amazing when you were growing up, Autu, he's just..."

"Awkward?" Autumn grinned, entering the classroom and seeing Harrison, Max, and Tyler already there. "I know what you mean, Chlo, don't worry. I just... I just wish he didn't always ask me about Harri. I want him to ask about me, too."

"What you guys talking about?" Mia asked as she sat on the table top, doing her secret handshake with Chloe.

"Pete being a bad dad," Autumn said matter-of-factly. "I mean, I'm really grateful for everything he's done for me, I am, but I just... I don't think he really wants to get to know about me anymore. Whenever I talk to him, he always asks me about Harri."

Mia reeled back as if she had just been burnt. "God, he does that? Bit of a dick move." Autumn nodded, agreeing as Johanna entered, choosing to sit with them. "Morning, Jo."

By the end of the school day, Harrison and Beth still hadn't said 'hi' to Autumn. They were her first friends when she was a kid, at least Harrison was. "You coming back to Jo's with us?" Chloe asked as she leant against her motorcycle.

Autumn shook her head, sitting atop her own motorcycle – a Harley Davidson XR750. "I will later, but I want to go say hi to my grandpa first. He's getting on in years and I don't want to miss a moment with him." Saying bye to them, she was quick to take off to her grandfather's, excited to see him. Eventually arriving, she pulled into the drive and shut off her bike, hopping off and quickly making her way to the door, giving it a gentle knock.

Howard was quick to answer it, hugging the eighteen-year-old tightly as he welcomed her into his house. "Happy birthday, Dove," he smiled, ruffling her hair before handing her his gift. "Your mother would want you to have this." Curiosity peaked, Autumn began to gently unwrap the baby blue packaging and almost gasped at what she saw.

It was two rings, one slightly smaller than the other, connected through each other on a small silver chain. The rings weren't just any old rings, the slightly smaller one as her mother's promise ring from when Autumn was brought into her life. Sandra had wanted to get it to make sure she kept her promise of looking after Autumn as if she were her own. It worked. The larger ring was her mother's wedding ring to her father. It was amazing they were able to rescue these from the crash that took her mother's life when she was ten-years-old, eight years ago.

"Oh, grandpa..." Autumn whispered, Howard getting up and placing the necklace around her neck. "Thank you, grandpa." Smiling at his now grown-up granddaughter, he merely hugged her one more time before letting her go.

"Has Mav wished you a happy birthday today?" he inquired.

Autumn shook her head, hand fiddling with the promise ring Harrison had gotten her for her sixteenth birthday with the promise that he would never leave her (seems as if he was breaking that promise). "I haven't seen him today. He wasn't there when I woke up, nor was anyone of the team." Odd, Howard thought as the two hugged goodbye after talking a little more. Howard knew she had friends to get to, friends that were going to look after her and look after her well.

Hopping onto her bike and waving 'bye' to her grandfather, Autumn rocketed down the road to Johanna's house, eager to get to the girl's house. Soon she arrived, turning off her bike and entering the house, being greeted by Johanna's beautiful mother Elouise. "Happy birthday, Autumn!" Cheered the cheery older lady, hugging the young adult and giving her cheek a kiss. "They're in the yard." Thanking the older lady, Autumn headed to the back yard where the others were waiting.

"Autumn!" They cheered, all jumping up to hug her.

The group were hanging out for a while when the conversation drifted to Pete like it did during school. "Has he even called or texted you today?"

Autumn shook her head, shrugging. "No attempt made. He's probably on a mission or he's hanging out with Harrison and Beth."

"He's a proper dick," Max grumbled, throwing an arm around the girl as they lounged around in the living room. "Can't even wish his daughter a happy birthday. Did you even see him today?"

"Not once," she replied, Tyler gaping.

"Seriously?!" Shouted the blonde, eyes wide. "God, and I thought our dad was bad with Susan's birthday."

"Difference here, Ty, there's nine kids in our family," Max pointed out to his twin brother, "Autumn's Pete's only kid and the kid of his nephew. Surely he'd try to put some sort of effort into the relationship."

"Forgetting a vital detail here, Max," Johanna chuckled. "His callsign is 'Maverick'. He's independent, he can't deal with a team. He's unorthodox."

"She's right," Autumn agreed, leaning her head on Max's shoulder. The group was quiet for a moment before the doorbell rang, Elouise answering it to see a rather flushed looking Pete 'Maverick' Mitchell. "Look who turned up," Autumn mumbled to her friends, the group chuckling as Pete entered the room.

"Autumn, sweetpea, can I talk to you? Alone?" He asked, eyeing her friends. Glancing at them, she shrugged and stood, leading the man to the yard. "I have something I need to tell you." Tell me? "Since you're eighteen, you will be taking on my last name. You'll become Autumn Mitchell instead of Autumn Bradshaw."

"Don't I get a say in this?" Autumn asked, looking at her adoptive father as if he had just grown a second head. "What if I don't want to be a Mitchell?"

"Oh don't be silly," he laughed. "Of course you want to be a Mitchell. I've raised you to be a Mitchell."

Autumn felt like she had been slapped in the face. Her adoptive father was trying to force her to take the 'Mitchell' name instead of keeping the name of her father, the last thing that connected her to him. "Why don't you ask Harrison to take the 'Mitchell' name because I'm not changing my name from Bradshaw. You can try, but I'm a legal adult now. There is no way in hell I am giving up the last thing that connects me to my father." Autumn paused, turning away from the man to head back inside. "Really shows where your priorities are, Maverick." Looking over her shoulder at the man she considered her father, she couldn't help but let the tears shed. "You didn't even wish me a happy birthday, Pete."

Seeing he wasn't going to say anything to her, she nodded and walked into the house, knowing that this man was no longer the man who she once looked up to as she grew up. The man in the yard of Johanna's house wasn't the man that had raised her, wasn't the man that had sat up with her when she was sick, wasn't the man that helped her after a nightmare, wasn't the man that comforted her through the death of her mother, and this surely wasn't the man that promised to raise her. In truth, Autumn didn't know who the man in that yard was, because it sure as hell wasn't her Papa.