Pride and Joy

Chapter Six

"But Dad, I don't see why we have to move now," Rory asked trailing behind her father as he finished packing his things.

"Technically, we're not moving," he said as he closed his suitcase.

"But why now?" Rory was persistent. She was very unhappy, to say the least. She had been told only three days ago that they were moving to New York City for while, and Rory didn't like the idea of leaving her friends or her home behind. Most of her friends were going to different middle schools next year, and there was only one month left of fifth grade before they all split up and went to different schools. So, when Rory was told she would have to finish the school year halfway across the country, she was very confused as to why.

"Because Daddy has work, you know that," said Tony.

"Why can't I just stay with Eden like always?" Rory whined.

"I don't know how long I'm gonna be gone so you gotta come with us." Tony exited his bedroom and started towards Rory's. "Are you eve packed, yet?"

"Daddy," Rory followed Tony into her bedroom, which was a huge mess. There were clothes all over the floor and books scattered around the room. "I don't wanna go to school in New York. I don't wanna make new friends!" Rory crossed her arms.

Tony turned around to face her, abruptly, "You're going and that's final!" He asserted and Rory's face turned from anger to sadness. "Pack your things, or you're not bringing anything. Be ready by 1, we're supposed to leave at 2:30." Tony left and Rory huffed.

She walked over to her closet and pulled out one of the many suitcases that took up space; it was pink and had orange flowers littered across the front and back. Rory opened it up on the floor and began throwing clothes into it. Rory was much too moody to care what she was packing. She also knew that she would regret that, but couldn't care less at the moment.

This was all so confusing. Rory was used to her father taking business trips and going exotic places, but she rarely ever came with him. Once she was satisfied with what she packed, leaving it messily thrown together on the floor, she picked up one of the books on her nightstand and opened it to her bookmark. She tried to read a bit, but got stuck on the first paragraph. She reluctantly got up and repacked her clothes neatly. 

The clock on her nightstand read '12:52 pm'. She put her books and a couple of other things into a backpack and changed into a comfy pair of jeans and one of her Dad's giant, oversized t-shirts. She threw on her shoes before making her way downstairs with her stuff in hand.

Tony and Pepper were standing in the living room talking. Rory made her way over to them.

"Are you ready to go, Rory? You've got everything?" Pepper asked.

Rory nodded, still a little sullen from the conversation earlier.

"Are you sure?" Pepper continued. "We don't know how long we'll be there, it could be months."

"I'm fine," said Rory, staring at her shoes.

"Okay. Go give your stuff to Happy, he's out front."

Rory dragged her suitcase and backpack out the front door and over to the car where Happy was trying to pack everything in. Happy noticed her and said, "Hey, Rory," he noticed the less-than-happy look written across her face, "everything alright?"

She handed her suitcase over and shrugged, "s' alright."

Happy just barely fit the pink and orange bag into the trunk and said, "okay, then you can go ahead and get in the car."

Rory took her backpack off and got in the car. She put in her earbuds and played some music, preparing herself for a long car ride, and an even longer flight.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Happy opened the car door and Rory stepped out of the car behind her father. She looked up at the giant building, as her favorite song played through her earbuds. Rory took her suitcase from Happy and followed Pepper and Tony into the building. She really didn't pay much attention to what the inside of the building looked like because she kept her focus down on the floor, blindly following the adults into the tower and up the elevator.

The elevator door opened, revealing a massive living room that had windows overlooking the city of New York. Rory examined the cool tech and decor. She kept her music playing so that she couldn't hear the others talking. She turned to her father and asked, "Dad, which way is my room?"

Tony seemed taken aback by how Rory was still upset. "Uh, around that corner right there," he pointed to behind the couch and Rory muttered a quick thank you before rolling her suitcase over to her new room.

To say the room was big was an understatement. It was twice as big as her room at home and had floor-to-ceiling windows displaying the busy streets and tall buildings. Her bed was huge; it was a queen-size with a purple comforter and blue, fuzzy blanket. To the right of the bed was a long, grey couch with its own coffee table and even a TV. On the other side of the small living area was a closet and a desk. The room had its own bathroom to the left of the bed.

Rory dropped her suitcase on the floor and crashed down onto the bed. It helped that it was super comfortable. She was still super mad at her dad for making her move right at the end of the school year. There was something Tony wasn't telling her about it; something just seemed off. Rory felt like something bad was coming her way.

Just then, Tony popped his head into the room, "Hey kiddo," he said. "How do you like the new room?" Rory shrugged. "Okay, um...there's a TV. It's got any movie you could think of, so you can watch whatever you want. You're probably gonna end up spending most of your time here so get comfy." Rory remained silent and Tony sighed. "I love you, bubs," he paused for a moment, waiting for a response, and when it didn't come he shut the door and left.

With him gone, Rory finally let the tears fall. She buried her face in her new pillows as silent sobs escaped her lips. It was a stupid thing to cry about, she knew that, but Rory just couldn't help it. She decided against dinner and told herself that she would not be talking to her father until they get back to California.

Rory's sobs started to die down and she grabbed the blue blanket and made herself comfortable on the couch. She turned the TV on and eventually fell asleep to Monster Inc.