vegas | H.S.

e p i l o g u e

"One second, Ryan," Her clothed back was to her child as she fiddled with the button around Oliver's collared shirt along his neck.

Ryan sighed of a broken heart, her fork picking at the existence of her scrambled eggs. Vegas finished up on the alteration of her son's attire, then straightened her posture to hear out one of her twin's words. "Now, what were you saying, Ryan?"

"Nothing, mommy," She withered into her seat, her attention focused on the food in front of her. "I was just whining."

Harry and Vegas exchanged depressed looks after examining their daughter. Their faces labored hurt, and they knew that something was wrong with Ryan. She mindlessly ate her breakfast, her frown wrinkling her mouth with depression. Vegas quirked up an eyebrow to crinkle her forehead at her husband who sat at the head of the table. His chest ascended, reading his wife's expression with deep analysis at her features.

"I'm going to say something to her." She mouthed.

"Okay, but be fragile." He returned with his inaudible mouth movements.

"Ryan, why don't we have some girl time together? After the interview, yeah?" Vegas brought her voice to lower, her hands patting the surface of Ryan's back.

"I want to go!" Riley pleaded, "Please mommy?"

"Riley, how about you and I have a go at the fish pond behind the house? I know that's your favorite," Harry interjected her whining, patting his massive hand to Riley's.

"No! I want to go with Ryan and mommy!" Before they could react, Riley flung her limbs in a tantrum. Her screams echoed throughout the room, and both parents were bond to loose control of their senses. Ryan, however, had enough of her bickering. She left the table in a huff without any notification to her parents of her departure. Her ballet flats and the ruffles of her dress fluttered through the enormous ballroom, and into the narrow hall.

"Riley, please stop crying," Vegas' voice snapped in a loud voice, "I would like to spend time with your sister for once, okay? It's not the end of the world."

"But, mommy-"

"Riley!"

Riley did not favor her mother's sudden raise in volume. She faltered back in her chair, crossing her short arms over her chest with a scoff under her breath. She did not understand why her mother was being so mean to her; all she wanted was to spend quality time with the woman she admired and the sister she loved dearly. Recently, Riley noticed the distant her sister gave her, and her heart was breaking just thinking about the situation. She thought she could join them so her and her sister could have fun, but Riley was unwanted. As usual by her mother.

"I'm going to check up on your sister before we have to leave," Vegas, being a concerned adult and parent, sought to understand her daughter's fragile and impressionable mind. She did not want Ryan to think that her parents did not love her, when in fact they were crazy about all of their children equally. Vegas flattened the material of her a-line dress that hugged at her hourglass waist, the noise of her heels to saunter in the direction Ryan ventured.

"Riley, listen to me," Harry pushed his chair from the table, taking one last glance at Oliver humming to himself, Sasha collecting the number of Cheerios on her eating table, and Logan rattling one of her toys in peace. "Ryan is sad. She thinks mommy and daddy don't love her but we do, so much. She thinks that we only love you, Oliver, Logan, and Sasha."