Other Half

Family Dinner

"Seriously Mike? All that wine? It's just gonna be my parents is it really this big of a deal I mean I'm hoping to kick them out of here before 8" Stef said watching him.
"Oh my god seriously Stef? Having wine with dinner is something everyone does and it's totally fine" he said defensively.
"I never said it wasn't fine I just think you use this as an excuse to drink is all but ok.." she said getting out a pan and ingredients.
"You're being ridiculous" he said grabbing other ingredients out.
The silence and tension in the kitchen was at an all time high when Brandon walked in,
"Can I help?" he said nicely.
"Actually B don't you have homework to do? Why don't you sit at the table and finish it?" Stef suggested. She liked it when her kids were with her and Mike. It prevented them from arguing about something.
"Ugh okay" he said bringing over his homework.
"What are we having for dinner?" Brandon said.
"Oh I'm glad you asked, we're having halibut with lemon butter and asparagus" she said raising her eyebrows.
"Doesn't that sound delicious?" Mike said cooking up the sauce as Stef prepared the fish.
"I guess so. But I don't like asparagus that much" he said scrunching his nose.
"Ohh we're seasoning this one with deliciousness and a bunch of seasonings so I think you'll like it" Stef said winking.
"We'll see about that" Brandon said squinting.
"Hey, homework B" Mike reminded him as he sighed and got back to work.
Stef walked away to take a quick break halfway through cooking to make a phone call before they closed,
"Hello, yes I would like to report some bullying and would like to talk to the principal" stef said. She had called Anchor Beach to talk about the situation with Callie.
"Hi, yes, my name is Lena Adams I'm the principal here at Anchor Beach. I'm so sorry to hear that someone had experienced bullying" she said kindly over the phone. Stef loved the sound of her voice, it was soft, friendly, yet stern.
"Well, kinda bullying. Well, my daughter Callie Foster was teased by a student in her class and she actually missed school because of it"
"Oh no, this definitely should not be happening thank you for bringing it to my attention. What is the students name and what grade?" Lena said as Stef could hear her typing on her computer.
"Her name is Talya uh - Talya - Banks, that was it I think. She is in 6th grade. Same as my daughter" she said watching Mike finish up making dinner.
"Okay, so I will have a talk with her and her parents on Monday. Did you say your daughter was Callie Foster? She's an excellent student and so sweet. I hear great things about her, especially her dance teacher!"
"That's great to hear! We're so proud of her she is such a great kid" Stef said shyly.
"Just one last question, what was the reason for teasing if you know?" Lena said writing down the rest of her notes.
"Yes she has a Little Mermaid keychain and she was calling her a baby and saying that movie was for babies. Just things like that"
"Okay I will make sure this doesn't happen again. Have a nice day" Lena said.
"Ah thank you and you as well" Stef hung up the phone.
A familiar feeling washed upon her. The sound of such an angelic voice made her melt. She looked over at Mike in defeat as she tried her best to push her feelings aside.
"Finished!" Brandon said and Mike walked over to check,
"Looks great, awesome job" he said giving him a high five and Brandon went upstairs.

~

Stef walked upstairs to the twins room a little while later,
"Hey you two!" She said opening the door.
"Hold on!" Brandon said immediately getting up and shutting the door.
Stef laughed at his hysteria,
"Oops I'm sorry" she said awkwardly,
"I just wanted to tell you both something"
"It's just me in here, Callie is in the shower and I was... changing" Brandon said his voice shaking slightly.
"Sorry.. you okay B?" Stef said as Brandon opened the door,
"Yes I am. Sorry I was just naked and didn't want you to see me" he said looking down as if he had been caught.

"Uhhuhh okay. I just wanted to tell you to pick out a nice outfit for dinner yeah?" She said scuffing his hair.
"Okay" he said nodding and getting up to go pick out clothes.
"Can you let Callie know when she gets out of the shower?" Stef said and Brandon said yes.
She went back downstairs with Mike.
"Hey... do you think we should talk to them about, ya know, the birds and the bees?" Stef said in a whisper to Mike.
"What? Why they're kids" Mike said laughing
"Well, not that much anymore. They're 12 now. That's the age most kids start getting curious about boys and girls and their bodies" Stef said setting the table.
Mike put his hands on his hips and looked at her,
"Why should we put that in their head? I just think it's ridiculous to do it right now, maybe next year when they're teens?" He said worried this would make them less innocent.
"I think it's the best move. Someone should tell them. And I think you should tell B and I could let Cal know. Maybe not now but soon" Stef said raising her eyebrow at him.
"I guess, I don't think B really needs that though in all honesty" he laughed
"What does that mean? But you think Callie does?" She said slightly offended by his sexist comment.

"Well I mean, she is moody and I can tell she is becoming more of a teen. I don't know Stef, but you gotta be honest. B seems, the same, maybe he's a little less mature than Callie. Don't they say that girls progress faster?" He said finishing putting the napkins out.
Stef sighed,
"That is true but I think it's because I believe I just walked in on him doing something..." Stef said whispering.
He looked at her confused,
"No way.. why do you think that?" he said also whispering.
"Well, I opened the door and he slammed it in my face. He basically sprang up from his bed in a panic to stop me" she said laughing slightly.
"I... um. You may be right but you also can be wrong, let's not assume" he said putting his hands up.
"Okay, the point is. It made me realize we should prepare for that conversation" she said nodding.
"I agree" he said as they heard a doorbell.

"Great" Stef said walking to the door.
"Stephanie!" Frank said giving her a hug.
"Oh Stephanie we missed you" Sharon said giving her a kiss as they walked in.
"Smells good" he said taking his seat,
"Hey Mike how are you doin?" Sharon said smiling at him.
"Great how about yourself?" He asked as Stef yelled for the twins to come and eat.
"Good as I can be. Considering Frank has been getting up at 5am everyday to do yard work" she said annoyed.
"Oh come on mother, let's not start" Stef said putting her hand on her head.
She rolled her eyes as Callie and Brandon came down the stairs.
"There are my grandbabies!" Sharon said as they both went up to her for a hug. She wrapped them both in a bear hug and kissed them.
"I swear you both get more tall every time I see you" she said laughing.
"Well, let's sit and eat!" Stef said setting out the table. Mike reached out his arm to touch Stef's hand and she instantly pulled away.
Sharon noticed the awkward exchange between the two,
"Everything okay?" She said in Stef's ear,
"Yeah.." Stef said quietly trying to sound convincing but Sharon knew her daughter better than that.
She ignored it and hoped to finish out the night with a nice family dinner.

<so I want to start adding pictures like I do in my other story. I found some pictures of them when they were little but for this one of Brandon I used the Faceapp to make him younger. Should I keep doing that or is it creepy? I believe it is super close to actually how they looked. I'll also use some actual childhood pictures too :)>