His Sunflower

Chapter 17

"Suspended for a week and a half?!!" Grandma yells. Grandma rarely yells, she thinks it's no way to solve problems. But recently grandma has had a bit of a short temper with me. Apparently I'm a troublesome teen. In reality adults just don't understand a thing I say.

"Raven, don't yell at Zoey. You haven't even heard her reasons." Grandpa says calmly.

"She sent a kid to the hospital Tyler!! Their parents can sue us!! And she's suspended for a week and a half!! Plus disappearing for the whole weekend without telling us where she was!!"

"You never asked where I was!" I yell back. Grandma can't complain about me being gone all weekend because she never once texted me. She can't bring that into the argument.

"Raven, kids were spreading rumors about Zoey's situation around. About Keely being in the mental hospital, about her birth dad and Riley, about Matthew."

The magic word seemed to instantly calm grandma down. "What did they say about him?"

"Oh, so all you care about is Matthew?! Good to know my family cares about me!" It's always about Matthew, or Max and Clara, not me. Because I've never been a problematic child, I've been an obedient little kid and never spoke my mind. Well, until two years ago. That's when problems started arising.

"Zoey, that's not what I meant." Grandma says.

"Of course it's what you fucking meant!! Did you guys even realize I was left at school?! Twice!! I was gone for a whole weekend and none of you gave a fuck!"

"Zoey, don't curse." Grandma warns. "Just calm down and we can talk more."

No, I'm done. I'm not talking to them. They seriously don't care about me. Maybe the kids at school are right. Maybe I am the problem.

I tighten my grip on my backpack and walk towards the stairs. "Zoey, don't walk away when we're trying to talk to you." Grandma says sternly.

"You're not my mom." I roll my eyes and walk up to my bedroom and grab my suitcase. I'm not staying here. At least not right now. I need to be at a place where someone actually cares about me. Or at least acts like they do.

I pack up a fair amount of my stuff, since I didn't have much to begin with. Then I push my suitcase under my bed, I can't leave yet. They'll definitely catch on to what I'm doing and stop me. I need to go when they're busy. I'll just wait until they go to get the twins from school.

I just pace around my bedroom, for probably an hour or so. I'm not even joking, I really did. My phone starts ringing, so I pick it up seeing Ethan's video chatting me. I exhale heavily sitting on my bed then accepting the call.

"Sunflower, on a scale of one to ten how badly are you in trouble?" Is the first thing Ethan greets me with.

"No idea. And I don't plan on staying to find out."

"Are you running away?!"

"No, Ethan. I'm not running away. I'm just not staying with my grandparents. I'm going to stay with my dad." I say rolling my eyes. Ethan's stupid at times.

"Oh... is it that bad?"

"My grandma yelled at me a bit, then I stormed up to my bedroom." I say shrugging it off like it was nothing, because it is nothing.

"How bad did you get in trouble with the school?"

"Well, at first is was going to be getting expelled. But then I explained my side of the story, and got off with a week and a half of suspension, plus no homecoming or junior prom."

Ethan frowns. "Sounds lame."

I shrug. "Could be worse. School dances usually suck anyway."

"Fair point."

"If it makes you feel better that kid was really badly beat up! I don't think he'll be bothering you anymore, and definitely not being sexist."

I smile faintly. "Yeah, except his parents could press charges on me."

"Eh, I know his parents. They don't seem like the people to press charges."

I furrow my eyebrows. "Dude, you've just started coming to this school, how do you already know that jerk's parents?"

"Oh... he's my step uncle's cousin's niece's son. Confusing but we've been to a few family reunions and chatted with his family. I don't think his parents will press charges."

"Good. I don't need my grandparents being even more pissed."

Ethan and I talk about random things for a few hours, and I'm honestly surprised neither of my grandparents have come to talk to me yet. Not that I care, because I don't want to talk to them, but I'm a bit confused.

When I hear the front door closing and then a car driving away, I know right now's the only chance I have of leaving without being caught.

"Zoey, why did you just get a suitcase out from under your bed.... Are you sneaking away to your dad's house now?"

"Yeah, they just left to go get my younger siblings from school, it's my only chance."

"Well please stay on the phone with me until you get to your dad's place. I want to make sure you get there safely."

I shrug. "Ok." That's sweet. Ethan wants to make sure I'm safe. I mean Ew! He's such a dork!

I take my suitcase in my hand and go downstairs, I've just almost opened the front door, when grandpa steps next to me. I quickly stuff my phone in my pocket.

"Zoey, where are you going?"

Frick!! I thought he went with grandma!!

I clear my throat. "I'm not staying here grandpa. And you can't stop me because you aren't legally my guardians."

"I wasn't going to stop you Zoe."

"I said you can't— what?"

Grandpa's letting me go?

"Let's be honest, you'd end up leaving even if I tried to stop you. And I know you need time to think. You've been through enough already, it's understandable you finally snapped."

I go to object, but I don't really have anything to object against.

"You're going to stay with your dad, right?"

I nod. "Yeah. We've been hanging out every night for a while. He needs me grandpa."

"I know. I'm glad you two are getting along good again. Now, let's leave before your grandma gets back shall we?"

"Huh?" What does he mean by let's?

"You don't think I'm letting you walk all the way there while lugging a suitcase with you too? I'll give you a ride. I'll be out in the car." Grandpa walks off, and I stand there for a second before pulling my phone out of my pocket, seeing Ethan muted himself so he wouldn't be heard by grandpa.

"He's gone Ethan."

Ethan immediately unmutes himself. "I guess just call me when you feel like it then."

I nod. "Will do. Bye dork."

"Bye sunflower."

I smile at the nickname and hang up the call and go outside to grandpa's car. And that's why I sorta like grandpa better. He knows what and when people need things, and I guess he could sense I needed to be somewhere else.

*****
Hey tic tacs:)

Random fact, you know the saying "Curiosity killed the cat"? Well I just found out that's not the whole saying. The whole saying is "Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back."

I feel like my whole childhood is a lie now, I grew up on that.

Anywho, Toodles tic tacs<3