The Ruess family had finally made it back home. They had a ton of visitors which was bittersweet. They honestly both just wanted to relax. It had been a week full of friends and family and they hadn't had much time just the three of them.
After the last family member left, Nate sat on the couch, Noah sleeping on his chest. Nate was amazed by him already and in the week he had been alive, they already had such a strong bond. Noah knew him when he heard his voice. Nate was so good at soothing him when he cried and Ryder always heard him singing to him. Ryder sat down on the couch next to them and rested her head on Nate's shoulder.
"I hope he grows up and is a lot like his uncle Andrew. Andrew was such a good big brother."
"Oh yeah?"
"Didn't I ever tell you about the time I saw you guys? The format? In my school girl outfit?"
"You mentioned it, but I never got all the details." he said, gently rubbing Noah's back. He kissed the top of his head.
"I was a junior in high school and my parents had switched my schools... "
Ryder sat in the backseat of her parents car looking out the window, arms crossed across her chest and a look of defeat on her face.
"This is for the best Ryder. You will see that." her dad said, looking at her in the rear view mirror.
"Switching schools in the middle of my junior year is a death sentence. You guys don't know what's best for me. You wouldn't even let me give my two cents on the issue." she replied angrily.
"I know this is hard for you. Just keep your head up, keep doing well in school and I'll talk to your mom about going to that concert in two weeks. The one you've been talking about non stop for the last month.
Ryder finally tore her eyes from the window and looked at the mirror, meeting her dad's eyes.
"Promise?" she asked, wiping tears from her eyes.
"I promise."
Ryder wasn't a bad kid. She was smart and polite but she had trouble socializing with the kids at her school. They picked on her and called her weird. She had no friends at her school so she always spent time alone. Most of the time she was avoiding the kids that picked on her but they took over the school and their numbers grew as she stayed lonely. One day, the bullying got the best of her and she kicked a guy right between the legs and broke his nose with her fist. He didn't get in trouble at all. Only she did. So her parents decided a private school would be best for her.
She looked down at her uniform. The typical plaid skirt, button down shirt and knee high socks. She hated it.
When they finally pulled up to the school Ryder hesitated before she got out.
"I believe in you, honey. This is going to be good for you I promise."
She sighed and got out of the car. She would rather go into the school then hear him spew some bullshit he had already laid on her a million times in an attempt to redeem his cool dad status. Ryder was 16. She wasn't a child anymore. She didn't see her dad as a superhero anymore. Him and her mother had become the villains.
Her first day was a nightmare. She walked in the house and headed straight upstairs to her room, passing Andrew's room in the process. He was visiting from school.
"Nice uniform." he laughed.
Ryder stopped and looked at him and started to cry. Andrew knew he shouldn't have picked on her so soon. She acted tough, but she wasn't.
