𝐆𝐎𝐋𝐃𝐄𝐍

thirty eight

『 thirty-eight 』

NATALIE HAD AN HOUR BEFORE she had to be at Rhodey's, the restaurant, for the evening shift the next night. She sat at the LaRusso's dinner table, mindlessly scrolling through her phone as Amanda began dinner.

Daniel had some important business matters to attend to that night. He wouldn't be able to make it to dinner. It was just the girls in the house for the evening. The All Valley was the next week. Natalie could imagine he needed a little time to rest in the quiet safety of his office for a few hours.

Amanda stepped away from the oven to let the pot sit. She took a seat caty-corner to Natalie, smiling warmly at the younger woman. Amanda was clearly exhausted. That woman needed a break between LaRusso Auto and managing two teenage children at home.

Natalie was not suited for a family life. She decided it right then.

Sam waltzed into the dining room, bright as ever. She had clearly moved on from her fight with Miguel. That, or was faking it until she made it. Natalie glanced around the corner to the living room in search of her brother. She hadn't seen the missing body in the family forever, despite it being their scheduled time to work together.

"Where's Tony?" Natalie asked.

Sam propped her feet up on the table. "Sulking in his bedroom."

Amanda knocked Sam's feet down. "He's been locked up in there since the suspension. I can't get him to come down," Amanda sighed.

"Wait. He was suspended?" Natalie demanded. Amanda nodded. "For what?"

Amanda looked to Sam, silently asking which of them preferred to explain the story. Amanda eventually took a deep sigh and spoke. "He was involved in a fight in the school library Wednesday. He was suspended for the rest of the week."

"And grounded for a month," Sam interjected.

"Yes, but staying in his room was not part of the punishment," Amanda explained. "He was caught bullying with a group of friends. There's video evidence of him terrorizing this kid for the last five months."

Bullying. This didn't seem like Anthony to Natalie. Sure, he was a bit of a brat. He was a moody teenager. But she never would have expected him to stoop to bullying.

"I could talk to him," Natalie suggested. Sam giggled, muffling it with her sweater sleeve. "I'm serious," Natalie said.

"I know, I know. I'm sorry-" Sam excused herself through high giggles.

Amanda sighed, ignoring her daughter's antics. "It could help. I'm sure he's tired of listening to us after all this time. A fresh perspective could be good."

Sam motioned up to the stairwell with a smirk. "I'm sure he'd like that."

"You can try talking to him," Amanda told Natalie. "I don't know what good it'll do, but I know he likes having you around the house even after his lessons have decreased."

"You know, he totally has a crush on you." Sam smiled.

Natalie rose from the chair with a slight chuckle. "I know."

"Really?"

"Girls, that's enough," Amanda whispered.

"How long have you known?" Sam demanded, laughing.

"Sam-"

Natalie winked. "Three months. That kid is not subtle."

"No way! And you didn't tell me?"