Down For The Count

Wrong Puzzle Piece

Paisley's POV

"Cup, Plate, Bin" had quite literally taken over my entire life.

It started out with just dinner, and then breakfast, and now we do lunch too. "Cup, Plate, Bin" occurs every single day.

Every. Single. Day.

I was also delighted to learn that "Cup, Plate, Bin" doesn't stop if Lin or Vanessa are absent.

If Lin is at the theatre, he texts his choices to Vanessa.

If I'm at the theatre with Lin, Thayne steps in for Vanessa to play "Cup, Plate, Bin" as my substitute mother, which is...an extremely bizarre experience, but that's a story for another time.

The problem wasn't the game though, it was me. I began to feel extremely out of place out of nowhere, and I wasn't sure why.

Not at the theatre. I feel very comfortable with everyone at the theatre, and I love getting to go there all the time and be with everyone.

It was when I was at home that I started to feel a bit weird.

Vanessa had called me her daughter one night at dinner a few days ago.

Not introducing me to anyone or anything. It was just us, and she called me her daughter.

"Hija, dinner's ready."

It was a simple comment. A normal comment. A short comment.

But she addressed me as her daughter.

It shouldn't have been weird, it shouldn't have fazed me at all. I've been considering them my parents since I've gotten back from California. It shouldn't have been weird at all.

But it felt weird...and it really got me thinking.

At what point did Lin and Vanessa stop being these two overly-nice random people that I lived with? When did they suddenly become my parents?

It freaked me out, truthfully. They weren't Lin and Vanessa anymore. They were becoming Mom and Dad, and it scared me a lot.

The last time that anyone was Mom and Dad was...my literal biological mom and dad. That thought freaked me out even more.

Are we moving too fast? Do they feel like we're moving too fast? I know it's been a year and half, but...but this seems fast.

"Hija?" I heard Lin say, snapping me out of my thoughts. "Are you okay?"

"You too?" I asked, referring to him quite literally addressing me as his daughter.

It scares me.

"Huh?" Lin frowned, seeming very confused. "Oh, the Spanish? I thought I taught you that one. Hija is Spanish for-"

"I know what it's Spanish for." I quickly cut him off, hoping to prevent the use of that term anymore.

Lin nodded, not seeming to think anything of my panic towards the word.

He smiled when he looked over at Seb, reaching over to ruffle the toddler's hair. "And mi hijo."

Now Seb actually is his son.

They share the same genetics and everything. Seb is their kid.

But not me.

I share genetics with a dead woman and a narcissistic low life. Those are my parents, not Lin and Vanessa.

It wasn't the food in front of me that made my stomach hurt but rather the thoughts swimming in my head.

I won't ever have parents again.