Troubled Child

Because You Are Family

"Aunt Riley! We're here!" Holly shouted as she walked into her Aunt's apartment. "Sorry we're late!"

"We got detention." Emily shrugged.

"We?!" Farkle stood with his arms crossed. "You got detention, Holly?!"

Holly stopped in her tracks. "Daddy? What are you doing here so early? I-I thought you'd still be at work."

"Don't change the subject. Detention? Why?! What did you two do?!"

"Relax dude. Don't you have blood pressure problems or something?"

"Emily, drop the attitude." Lucas said sternly as he stood up beside Farkle.

Emily dropped her bag on the floor. "Teach? You came here when you left early? How is visiting your friend an emergency? I should use that one."

"Daddy, please calm down." Holly said walking over to her father. "Emily got into a fight and when the teacher came we all got a detention. It's no big deal." She shrugged. She noticed a woman she never saw before sitting beside her Aunt Riley at the table.

"Another fight?!" Lucas yelled.

Farkle shook his head. "Yes, fighting at school is a big deal, Holly! Were you a willing participant in this fight?!"

Lucas scoffed. "I can't believe you started another fight! And you got Holly involved?! Emily, I am very disappointed in you. You can't just-"

"Shut up!" Emily screamed making both adult men look at her. "Just shut up! You're not my dad! You're just some dumb teacher! I don't care what you think or say!" She grabbed her bag off the floor. "I won't be around much longer anyway! You won't have to deal with me anymore, kay Teach?"

Lucas sighed. "What? Emily-"

Emily stormed out slamming the door behind her loud enough to make the whole room flinch. Holly gave her father a quick apology before rushing out the door after her best friend.

"I'm so sorry about this." Riley told the woman across from her. "Please, excuse me." She stood to go after the two young girls hoping they didn't get too far away from the building.

"Where are you going?!" Holly shouted after Emily. She ran up behind her best friend and grabbed her arm so the girl would stop.

"The bus stop." Emily tried to yank her arm back. "Let me go, Holly." She sighed. "I can't stay here. I have to go."

Holly pouted. "Go where? You can't leave me. We're best friends."

Emily blew out a breath. "No, you shouldn't have gotten attached. I shouldn't have gotten attached."

"What are you talking about?" Holly pulled Emily's arm to sit beside her on the bench. "Talk to me, Em. Please."

Riley saw the girls sitting at the bus stop so she sped up her pace. "Well that escalated quickly. You know better than to run off, Holly."

"But Aunt Riley, Emily ran and I was scared I would never see her again!" Holly frowned. "Em, come on, let's go back to my Aunt's place. Don't run away. Uncle Lucas didn't mean it."

Emily shook her head. "You don't get it. I'm not running away because he yelled at me." She gulped. "I'm getting bounced again." Holly gasped. "My social worker called and said she's been talking to some people this past week. She says it's a good thing, but she says that every time. I don't know where I'm going, but I'm sure it's away and I rather just bail than go to some other crap home where they only care about getting checks."

Riley smiled a little. "I'll have you know that I make good money all on my own, thank you." She smirked.

"What?" Emily and Holly both turned and looked up at Riley in confusion.

"With all that yelling I guess you didn't notice that your social worker was sitting at my kitchen table." Riley smiled. "We've been in touch this past week and I have permission to take you in temporarily. At least until we get a final decision from a judge."

Holly jumped up in excitement and threw her arms around her Aunt. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"

Emily just stared at Riley in shock. "But why? Why would you do that for me? You contacted my social worker so that you could take me in, why?"

Riley slowly pulled her arms away from her niece and looked at Emily. "Because you are family." She gave her an emotional smile. "The only proof I needed was that locket, but a judge is gonna want DNA evidence. Anyway, we'll discuss that in more detail when we get back home."

Emily stared at her with misty eyes. "Home? Family? Wait.. DNA?"

"I'm positive that you are my best friend's daughter and that makes you my family. That's all I need to know."

Emily smiled. "Thanks, I guess."

Riley just smiled. "Let's go home girls."