STORM

-twenty-six-

The bell rang while Storm was the midst of thought. May burst out of her seat and hurried to get it, her daughters trailing after her. She greeted her best friends and beckoned for them to come in, chattering their ears off already. Leona and May had been friends for so long that she was used to it by now. She easily kept up with May's talking.

Gabriella, who'd been standing by her mom, approached Storm. They both weren't exactly sure how to act when their family was all observing them. At first, Gabriella reached her hand down, then she clenched it and dropped it to her side again, whirling around to glare at her parents. Having been caught, they stopped staring at them and drifted into conversation with May and Faye again.

"This feels weird," Gabriella admitted, referring to the whole situation.

It wasn't the usual 'girlfriend meets parents' situation. They had known the other's family their whole life, so it was unusual. Gabriella had always been Joey's little sister, now she was Storm's girlfriend too. She didn't know how to act like her girlfriend around her family. It was a big change.

"So weird," Storm agreed. "Do you want to sit down on the couch or something?"

Laughing at the awkwardness of the entire thing, Gabriella nodded, relaxing a bit. They all already knew each other, it was too late to make first impressions now. Gabriella wasn't sure what she was so nervous about.

Earlier, she'd spent an absurd amount of time trying to pick out an outfit. She knew she didn't need to impress them since Storm's family already knew her, but she still felt like she had to. Their opinion of her might shift now that she was Storm's girlfriend as well. Of course, an outfit wouldn't alter that, so she eventually just went with a simple matching set skirt and top. That, some accessories and light makeup would have to do for today.

Only a minute went by before the rest of them sat down on the couch as well. Seeing as it wasn't nearly big enough for them all, Gabriella had ended up smushed against Storm. Faye moved to the armchair instead, but it was still rather tight, so they decided just to move to the dining table.

"I've been thinking about moving to a smaller apartment," May confessed once they'd settled down.

This was news to everyone. The apartment had been Storm's home growing up, along with her dad's house. But although she loved her dad, this place had always felt more like home. Maybe because her dad had moved multiple times, so she never felt tied to his places. Besides, she spent more time here than at his. This apartment was linked to her childhood, even if she didn't live here anymore. Moving out was hard enough, but having to possibly say goodbye to this place made it all so much more real.

"Really, why?" Storm asked.

"Yeah. You've moved out and Faye probably won't stay for long since she has a job again and is p-" May shut up. "Nevermind. The place is starting to feel too big for me. I think I need a change."

The others didn't know much about Faye's situation, only briefly what happened with Lyle. However, she had yet to tell them about her pregnancy.

"It's okay, Mom. I was going to tell them anyway. I'm pregnant," she stopped the incoming questions with a gesture of her hand. "Before you ask, yes the dad is Lyle. No, he doesn't want anything to do with us. I'm almost three months along and I'm keeping it. Yes, pregnancy sucks but I'm dealing with and honestly, I'm really excited. I'm hoping to find a new apartment before she's born."

"That's great then, Faye," Leona said. "You'll be an amazing mother, I know it. But I'm sorry about Lyle. He's a piece of shit."