Hills & Valleys : The Sophomore Sequel || Tori Kelly

You Ain't Gotta Go Home

june 9th— friday morning
6:15 AM

Tori sat on the couch with her fussy daughter in her lap and her fussy husband in her face. "No! That's not happening! Veto! Incorrect! New plan!" André shouted. Tori couldn't have rolled her eyes harder if she wanted to.

"This is not a discussion, Dré! If I'm going on the road, I'm taking Ella with me. She is not being separated from me for four months!" Tori fought back. The 6'9 man shook his head, folding his arms.

"The road is no place for a baby!" He tried. Tori finally got the three-week-old latched and quiet enough to think.

"You weren't saying that when we had the boys on the road!" She claimed. André pointed to a picture on the wall of the 9-month-old boys in a Seattle park.

"Are you talking about those boys? The same boys who were 9 months and not 3 weeks? Really Tori? Don't be delusional," he said. Tori dropped her head with a heavy sigh, before looking up to him.

"Fine. But just know that if I can't go on tour, our funds have just been cut in half. Say goodbye to your food, water, house, and anything else that goes along with living the life we have!" Tori yelled. André stood before her unphased and dropped his arms.

"You're not taking my daughter on the road. New plan," he said, leaving out of the gated living room to head to the gym. Tori scoffed and glanced to her daughter.

"That's what he thinks," Tori muttered, scoring back and getting comfortable, knowing that she was stuck in her position for a minute.

—

André hopped into his truck and started his hour-long drive towards the gym when his phone rang. "Hello?" André answered, not checking his caller ID.

"André," the pissed voice called. The husband could tell it was his wife and dramatically rolled his eyes.

"Yes, dear," he calmly replied.

"Did you know the twin's doctors appointment was rescheduled?" Tori asked. André nodded, confused as to what she was talking about.

"Yeah, baby. Remember we rescheduled because we weren't sure if Ella was going to old enough to leave the house?" He reminded. A mumble came from the other line as Tori remembered that she unexpectedly had a baby three weeks ago.

"Okay, I'm not going crazy, then. That's fine. I'll take the kids to your parent's house. Your mom has been begging to see the boys," Tori decided. André stared at the semi-open road, adjusting his grip on the steering wheel.

"Okay. When you go, can you take the blanket from the side of Ella's crib? It's Addisons and I want to make sure Michelle gets that back. I forgot to grab it this morning," he requested. Tori made a mental note as Jaxon started to fuss in the background. André could hear his wife reprimand their son and then youngest twin burst into tears. "What happened?" The concerned father asked.

"Jaxon being rough again. He snatched a toy from Joey and pushed him. I made him give it back and he's in the time out chair," Tori replied as the crying got further away. André heavily rolled his eyes. It wasn't even 7 and Jaxon had already found a way to get in trouble. That was a new record for him.

"Damn. Well, kiss Joey for me. I'll be him around 3:30-3:45. I get off at 2:30 today instead of 4," he beamed. André hated driving home so late, but he loved working every other day. So, he rolled with the punches and enjoyed the spare time.

—

The couple parted ways off the phone and André down the highway, Tori traveled up the stairs. Joey was in his playpen eating breakfast. Ella was in her swing asleep. And Jaxon was strapped to the time out chair. So, Tori took the opportunity to run up and check on Noah. First mistake. As she entered, Tori forgot to knock. Second mistake. And what she saw haunted her. "Ahh!" Noah screamed. Tori shielded her eyes and shut the door.