White Lies | All American

twenty two

"You gotta get out of bed, Hai.
It's been a week." Liv persisted.

"Leave me alone."
Haiden declined, burying herself under the large comforter.

"See."

Laura gently moved her daughter aside, sitting on the bed.

"I know you don't want to get up. I can think of so many reasons why.."

"Can you leave me alone?"
She repeated.

Laura sighed, glancing to the twins in the doorway.

"I need you to get up.. for me. Before you freak out about the affection, I need you, Haiden. I need all of you because... I don't know if I can do it."

"Then why are you?" Jordan questioned.

Liv hit his chest.

"No, your brother is right. No matter what happens between your father and I, we don't want your relationship to change.."

"No!" Haiden yelled, becoming irritated.

Laura scoffed, nodding her head. Standing up, she grabbed the top of the comforter, swiftly pulling it off the bed.

Haiden sat up, moving her hair out of the way to stare at her mother.

"Get out of this bed, right now!"

"Fine. I'll be down in a minute. I hate you all." Haiden huffed.

"We will hate each other as a family... Ah, I do not want to hear it. I realize what I said so I am going to walk away." Laura nervously chuckled, shutting the door behind their exit.

Haiden took a quick shower and brushed her teeth. She threw on some sweats and a large shirt, going to join her family in the living room.

"Hello, Haiden, I'm April. I was just getting to a quote: "Love guards the heart from the abyss". That's Mozart. The love you all have for each other is why you're committed to making this family whole again. Step one, healing as a unit."

"And how many steps are there?" Jordan questioned, wanting to be anywhere else.

"This isn't AA. There's not a finish line we can just skip ahead to." Liv nudged him.

"Olivia's right. The healing time is different for every family." 

"We're all in, for rebuilding this family. Whatever it takes." Billy committed.

"Laura, you've been quiet. Is he right, are you all in?" April asked.

"Uh, I'm here. That's all I have for you right now." Laura confessed.

April nodded, turning to Billy.

"And Billy, what do you hope to accomplish in our sessions?"

"Honestly, I miss my family, and I'm hoping therapy can help us get back to a healthy place. Helped me in the past, so... When my family looks at me now, I uh, I can feel their disappointment..