Stargazing| Samantha LaRusso

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐲-𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐫

"You got away with faking my identity?" Sadie beamed as she grabbed the paper with a bright grin.

"Yup. Anyone asked, you're adopted." Johnny gave a knowing nod. "Since you're asian."

"Yeah." Sadie laughed, throwing her arms around his shoulders. "Thank you, Sensei."

"Hell yeah, kid. I know you're gonna win it for us." he hugged her back with a slap on the back. "Oh! There's another asian girl now."

"You got another girl?" Sadie pulled back with an odd look.

"We didn't know if this was gonna work." Johnny nodded as he held up the paper. "Doesn't matter, you're gonna like her."

Sadie nodded, grinning again. "The All Valley!"

"The All Valley!" he agreed, tossing his hands up as she did the same.

"You feel okay, love?" Sadie's mom asked, it being four hours after Sadie took the anti-depressant Demetris mom ordered in for her.

"Yeah, fine." Sadie said back, keeping her eyes down as she ate at her egg roll. "It's gonna take two weeks to be in my system."

"I know, i'm just making sure." she nodded, her large curls bouncing as she did so. "If you want, we can call Aunt Heather, she's on the same kind."

"I'm fine." Sadie met her eye with a shake of her head. "I'll call her if I need to."

"Okay." the blonde nodded her head. "How was your session with Doctor Alexopoulos? You guys were in there a while."

Sadie shrugged. "It was okay. Feels kinda weird."

"Talking to her?" she hummed from across the table.

"Talking in general." she answered, staring from the other side. "But, yeah, I guess it's weird with her too. Since i've gone to her house a lot."

"I didn't know you had a boyfriend." Abigail gave a cheeky grin from across the table. "Well, from what she said, ex boyfriend. Are you okay?"

"It happened ten months ago, Mom." Sadie looked at her, and she knew this was coming. "But how would you know?

It struck a nerve, and Sadie could tell by the way she set her fork down. "I'm sorry, Sadie. I just- you have to understand."

"No, I don't have to understand. Because i'd never, no matter what job I had, leave my kid home alone for months!" Sadie's voice rose, and usually she avoiding shouting at her mom, but months of build up were slowly escaping.

"You were one of those little kids once, too. Whenever I see they need my help, I just think about you and how if we hadn't adopted you, i'd want someone to care for you like this." Abigail spoke as she stood up when Sadie did. "Can you understand that?"

"Yes, I can." she dropped her plate in the sink harshly. "But what I can't understand is that if you think of me when you see those other kids, you'd think you were home with me more."

"I see where you're coming from." she tried, and Sadie laughed and was heading to her room. "I came home, I tried to work it out with you! You acted like you didn't want me here!"

"So you just leave? You're my mom! You're suppose to not care if I want you to stay or not!" Sadie turned around and was yelling at her now, her throat hurt, because she felt angry and sadness all at once. "I have to be diagnosed with Depression for you to even bother to come back!"

"Sadie, I love you!" Abigail yelled back as Safire turned and was walking toward her door. "I'm trying to do better. I'm gonna be your mom again."

Sadie shut her door, locking it as she could hear her mom on the other side. Sadie balled up her fist. "Why? Because you feel guilty now?"

Abigail's heart fell when she said it, standing there, giving a nod. She couldn't say another, because she really didn't know what to justify it anymore. So, she walked away, and left Sadie alone in her room.

It was a few hours later when Sadie had left her room, her heels clicking as she walked on the old wood. Her eyeliner was heavy, lips glossy, body hugged in a blue dress that stopped above her knee, tight but seemed like her. She considered just leaving, letting her mom worry when she woke.

But, she didn't.

"Mom." Sadie whispered as she shook her mom's shoulder slightly. "Mom, i'm leaving."

Abigail woke from the couch with a minor jolt, blinking. "Where you goin?"

"Prom." Sadie said back, pulling a weird look at the way her mom was smiling at her. "What's wrong with your face?"

"You look pretty." Abigail smiled, pushing some of Sadie's straightened hair over her shoulder to look at her necklace. "That the ones Nana gave you?"

"Yeah." Sadie said back, standing up straight. "I've gotta go pick up Sam, so..."

"Yeah, of course." she yawned, getting to her feet. "Sam LaRusso?"

"Yeah." Sadie nodded her head, grabbing her bag from the table. "I might crash at her house tonight."

"Okay, just send me a text when you get there, will you?" the curly haired woman nodded her head, following Sadie toward the door. "Have fun, my love."

Sadie winced at the name, my love. She'd called her that when she was young, and it struck a nerve that made Sadie give a small smile, but her eyes were burning. "I will....Mom."

•

kylie speaks

this chapter had my heart
warming and eyes watering.