"So are you going to college?" Clancy was standing at the sink, hand washing the dishes and then passing them over to Vivian, who had offered to dry them.
It had been about an hour since the end of their incredibly awkward meal- the one that didn't really seem to affect any of the kids. Even though Stevie and Lindsey hadn't returned downstairs since then, everyone else just kind of went about their evening, which was sort of odd to Vivian.
Instead, of thinking twice about the argument at dinner, everyone gathered in the living room, trying to decide on a movie, while Crew made popcorn and Clancy finished cleaning up.
It didn't seem right, but then again, Vivian had never been a part of a family that big and complicated... She didn't have two parents that bickered back and forth, but were getting along just fine the next day.
It was weird for her, but not for anyone else.
"Yeah, I'm taking this year off to save up, but hoping to start next fall." Nodding softly, she carefully wiped the glass off before setting it in the cabinet.
She was used to not having a dishwasher at home, which is something everyone else was accustomed to.
"That's great." The older woman smiled lightly, eyes glued on the sun setting from out the window. "What are you going to study?" Clancy was the only one, besides Stevie that even seemed remotely interested in Vivian...
After all, she was literally on vacation with them and none of them had even questioned it...
"I really want to go to art school, but my mom thinks I should be a little more realistic and study business, or something else, equally as boring." She shrugged, which caused Clancy to chuckle a little.
"Well, I think art is very realistic." She mentioned. "I actually went to Paris to study fashion, but I love art and specifically, sculpture." Clancy was so easy to talk to- it felt like a sigh of relief to be in her presence.
"That's so exciting." Vivian thought it was amazing- she was lucky to have all of those opportunities and it was obvious that she really didn't take it for granted.
"It has been such a roller coaster." Clancy assured. "But I think art is amazing and if that's what you want to do, you shouldn't let anyone try to convince you otherwise." She was thankful that her parents weren't like that- not in the slightest.
They didn't have conventional careers either. Stevie wasn't a school teacher, or a stay at home mom and Lindsey didn't work behind a desk, in an office for nine hours a day. No, they traveled the world, sang songs to millions of strangers and partied harder than anyone she knew.
They set the perfect example that you can be anyone you want if you put your mind to it and work hard, which is something Clancy was forever grateful to know and experience.
"How many pieces do you have in the art exhibit this weekend?" Vivian wondered.
"I actually have four sculptures and then two paintings, so... kind of a lot for my first time being involved in anything like this." She was proud, but very modest as well.
"That's incredible, Clancy." The smile on her face was so sweet and genuine, it caused the blonde to chuckle in return.
"Thank you." She didn't know what to say, but she thought it was sweet of Vivian to be so kind. "Do you like to paint, or draw, or..." she lingered for a moment.
"I like to paint." She replied, setting another cup in the cabinet before grabbing another to dry off.
"That's awe-"
"Hey?" Jason popped into the kitchen, leaning against the doorframe and cutting off the women's conversation. "We're getting ready to start a movie, you two coming?" He wondered, motioning with his hand for them to follow.
"Go, ahead." Clancy waved for Vivian to head into the living room- she could finish the few dishes just fine.
Nodding softly, she set the towel down on the counter, even though she didn't really want to go in there alone with just Lola, Cassidy, Jason and Crew...
It wasn't that she didn't like them, because she did- she just didn't know them, so it was hard.
But she found a spot at the end of the sectional, curled up with a throw blanket Lola had given her and staring blankly at the paused television.
"This one is okay with you, right?" Lola was sitting in one of the recliners, leaning back and holding her baby on her chest.
"Oh, yeah." Vivian assured, a soft, reassuring smile on her face.
"Here, Vivian." Crew handed her a bowl of popcorn, going around the room and handing one to everyone before he sat down on the floor, not far from the tv.
It wasn't long before all the kids had found themselves in the living room- each of them in a designated spot to refrain from arguing. Clancy was on the other end of the sectional, Jason was in the recliner opposite Lola, and Cassidy was on the floor, laying on her stomach and staring up the television with Crew right beside her.
It was normal for them- the three kids that had spent their entire lives leaning on one another, but it wasn't normal for Vivian, who didn't know what it was like to come from a family with siblings.
It had always been her and her mom...
"So quiet..." Stevie's soft whisper caused everyone to turn their head towards the door, where the couple had been standing for a long minute, just watching.
"We thought something was wrong." Lindsey teased, following his wife into the room.
"Pause it." Lola lightly tossed the remote at Crew, who caught it a second later. "Will you braid my hair, mom?" She wondered as she slowly, and carefully started to push herself off the chair.
Stevie smiled softly, nodding her head as she took a seat where Lola had been. "Of course." She motioned for her oldest to sit down on the floor in front of her.
Lola gently handed Alice off to her dad before she did as asked. "Start the movie again." She was the boss... not really, but she liked to think so.
It took Stevie less than ten minutes to braid Lola's long curls into two perfect French braids, and just like clock work, Cassidy switched her sister- in- law places, also getting two identical braids. Clancy made it clear that she only wanted one, so when it was her turn, her mother twisted the thick blonde locks back, just like she'd asked.
And the whole time, Vivian sat there, trying hard not to smile at how perfect their life seemed to be... Two parents that really loved each other- a mom that would do anything for her kids and a dad that seemed just as devoted as the ones in the movies.
She thought it was nice to know that some people really did grow up surrounded by love.
"Viv?" Stevie's voice pulled her back into reality. "Your turn...?" She lingered, a very soft smile trailing across her face.
"Sure." She slowly pushed herself up off the couch and moved closer to take a seat on the blanket in front of the older woman.
And as Stevie carefully ran a brush through her hair, gently twisting her strands together to make two braids, Vivian realized that this was all she had ever dreamt of.
For the first time in her entire life, she felt like she was part of a family.
