Adopted by Superfruit *ANCIENTLY OLD*

Chapter Twenty: I Miss You

(Scott's POV)

I never knew how hard it was until now. I know why she did it, but I would've fought for her regardless.

I was sprawled out on the couch stalking old photos on Caroline's Instagram. Some were her drawings, others were with me, Mitch, Kirstie, Kevin, and Avi. A few from her birthday were with Tyler, and her friend and his foster siblings. Every day since she left, I find myself missing her more and more.

The whole reason I wanted to adopt was because I saw a foster kid at one of our shows. He was covered in bruises, so I suspected he was being abused. I tried to find him, but he committed suicide before I could. Seeing Pentatonix was his final wish. I wanted to save a kid from that heartache, fan or not.

When I met Caroline for the first time, I'm not going to lie, she didn't stand out all that much to me when I first saw her. But when she started to talk about the topic of why she was at the orphanage, she had a look of hate in her eyes I'd never seen on a full grown person, let alone a teenager. Somewhere along the way, she broke, but not the same way as the rest.

All I could think was how could someone as young as her learn how to hate so much? I knew that I wanted to adopt her. To fix her. I guess I did a little too well...

"Scott! Get your a*s off the couch and start packing your things! You can't be like this anymore!" Mitch was a little harsh to me, but I knew he meant well. "I miss her, Mitch. So much." Mitch sat next to me and rested his hand on my thigh. "I do too, Scottie. We all do. But, we have to move on. Maybe it's best that she left."

I stared at Mitch with shock and disbelief. "What? Why?" I borderline shouted at him. "Our lifestyle isn't one to fit a teenager. Now that she's back at her home, she can have a normal life. With us, she wouldn't be going to school that much, she wouldn't get to hang out with her friends, and she'd be jetlagged pretty much all the time."

Mitch's words started to sink in, so I just kept listening. "You want her to be happy, right?" I nodded. "Then you'll let her go. It's what's best for the both of you." I looked down at my feet, and felt Mitch hug me. "Thanks, Karen." I said when he pulled away. "No problem, Whitney. Go pack your things. It's going to be a long tour."

Yeah. Really long... I thought to myself. I stood up, and headed to my room. Caroline's old room was always closed, for apparent reasons. Some of her stuff was moved to her house, but most of the furniture was still there. Maybe I'd adopt again, when I was ready. One day.

I decided that it wouldn't hurt to look inside her room for a little bit. I very slowly turned the knob, and peeked into the room. It was a bit dark, but all I had to do was switch on the lights. The bed spread and pillows were set neatly on the bed as Caroline left them, and a few of her drawings were still on the wall.

A few of them were printed pictures where she was with other people. There was one with her and Tyler, her and her friend Connor, and one where she was with me. It was the night she had to be the accomanist at that concert, so I took a picture with her. That opportunity didn't come around all that often.

I sat down on her bed, and looked at the round rug on the floor. Her closet was half empty, but there were a few things still hanging up. My foot nudged something, so I lightly pulled it out from under the bed. It was that unfinished portrait of her old cat. The cat itself was done, but the background was unfinished. To me, it looked like it was supposed to be some galaxy background.

In the top left corner, there were little white dots that looked like stars, which confirmed it. I really missed seeing Caroline drawing out in the living room while Mitch and I watched a movie or something. Even when she wasn't talking, I enjoyed just feeling her presence. Sure, she had some issues, but don't we all?

I buried my face in my hands, and just sat there for a good while. The room still smelled like her. The scent of her perfume was sweet and a little flowery, but it was never too much. Caroline knew what was too much. But now, I wished she'd put a lot on, because the aroma of it was faint.

I picked up her necklace she left behind for me from the top of her dresser. The chain was too short for me, so I took off the pendant to put on one of my own. I didn't want to lose it. I held the eighth note pendant tight in my hand when I shut off the light and closed the door. I went back to my room, to see Mitch already set two of my suitcases on my bed.

I gently set the pendant on the head of my bed, so I could start packing. I've done it so many times, that it doesn't really take long at all. After I packed about two thirds of my closet, I shut the suitcases, and set them off to the side of my room to pick up tomorrow when we left for tour. I constantly thought about what it would be like if Caroline could come along with us, but it could never happen. Not anymore.

I hung the pendant from her necklace on one of mine, so I could always have a little piece of her with me. I knew the hurt I felt would eventually lessen over time, but I'd never truly stop missing her. I'd never forget the time when she was my daughter, and I wouldn't have traded her for anyone else.

You can miss someone who died, and you can miss someone who moved away, but, the worst thing is to miss someone who's just a few miles away from you. I never knew how much it would hurt until now. Caroline? I miss you...

~*~
I'M VERY SORRY FOR THE LONG WAIT, I'VE BEEN VERY BUSY. IT WON'T TAKE AS LONG NEXT TIME, I PROMISE
~Awezum