the least favorite child

5

"Oh my god. I am finally meeting the little sister. I have heard so many stories." Jennifer's friend was saying in the car.

"Yeah. I'm the little Jareau." I said, kinda defeated already. I looked over at Jennifer next to me and saw hear looking at Emily.

"I really don't want to go home. I don't know what I'll do and I know it'll be big." I was begging Jennifer to let me stay at her apartment. Once my mom found out I was home, she called a family meeting.

"Sophia, I honestly didn't know she never told you. This needs to be brought up. What she had done is not right."

I gave up and got the dress she bought for me out. It looked like I was going to church. She called me out to the living room and threw me my shoes.

"What happens if I explode? Last time I got high in a bathroom with my girlfriend." I asked looking at my lap.

"Well getting high isn't an option and we can go in another room if it gets bad." I held back a laugh. I don't think she realized I put my wax pen in the bag before we left.

"So. Sophia. It is quiet something having you here." Peter said holding the door open. "Fuck off." I said pushing by him. I heard Jennifer groan at him when she followed.

I hid in the bathroom calming myself down before dinner. The less time I had to spend with them, the better.

"Hey it's me. Dinners ready." Jennifer knocked in the door and I followed her out. "Oh. Who invited you?" Alex said, causing everyone to look up.

"Don't do it." Jennifer whispered letting me sit down. "I was invited by my sister, I am staying with her. Is that a problem?" I said not looking away from him.

He glared at me and I did the same. The rest of the meal was eaten in silence, no one wanted to cause drama. Halfway through someone knocked at the door. It was Will.

He sat next to Jennifer, who was staring at me. Something seemed different since the last time I saw her with him. She seemed sad, I would be too if I dated that ass.

By desert I was bored and eyeing the bottle of wine in the table. "I wanted to thank all my kids for coming back, my kids and their partners. And Sophia, I'm sorry your roommate couldn't join us. My mother was saying.

"Yeah well it was that ones fault." I said pointing at Will. He straightened up and pointed back. "Only because she was causing you to do weed in the bathroom."

That caused drama. "You did drugs in my house, under my roof." My mother said. "I knew you were insane." Came from my brother.

I couldn't take it so I stood up, took a sip of the wine and spit it back at the centerpiece.

"I did. I got high as fuck in the bathroom and I will do it again. Now it's my toast. This goes to my dear old mother. I knew dad loved me more than you did. I knew you never trusted me. I also know he died. That's right. My dad died and nobody told me, except JJ. All of you kept that from me. My father." I said, voice cracking.

I took the wine bottle and walked up to my room. Unfortunately it was red wine, nasty, so I put it on a table and kept walking.

"Sophia?" JJ asked when she opened my door. "Here" I said looking through me desk drawers. "What are you looking for?" She asked. I found the bottle and pulled it out.

"Something stronger." I smiled taking a drink from the bottle. "Vodka? Really?" She asked.

"Jen, I can't do this. Alex doesn't want me anywhere near his family, Peter leaves before I get a chance to talk to him, mom didn't tell me about my dads death and Will sent my girlfriend away. Let me just have this." I begged.

"I'm sorry. I know you were a daddies girl. When we were younger you would run to him to cry or tattle." She laughed. "He gave me his watch for you."

I looked up at her and she pulled a small box from my dresser. "He thought you were going to be late so I took to give it to you."

I sat next to her and slowly opened the box. The Mickey Mouse watch I used to play with as a kid sat in it. I wiped a tear and put it on.

"He always said it would be too big for my wrist." I laughed. "I miss him." I said, leaning into her side. She rubbed my hair and tried to calm me down.

When I was ok, we rejoined everyone in the kitchen. I stood at the sink and tried not to cause another fight. I grabbed a snack and sat by JJ in the living room.

"Jennifer, you can sit by me." Will offered but she sat by my side. I sat biting my nails, causing my sleeve to show the watch.

"Where did you get that?" Alex asked. "Dad told me to give it to her. So I kept it here until I could." JJ said defending me. "It doesn't belong to her. She will probably sell it for more weed."