ON THE RISE, star

seven

Shauna was lying on her back on her bed, staring at the ceiling with her headphones on. Ashley was laying next to her, mindlessly scrolling on her social media, when she jumped out of her bed, a shocked look on her face. "Oh shit!"

Shauna sat up. "What? What's wrong?" she asked, watching the girl hold her head.

"My dad's calling me," Ashley looked up from her phone, scared. She didn't know why he was calling, but every time he called, it was never for something good. "Why's he calling me?"

"Girl, I don't know, he ain't my daddy," Shauna told her. "Are you gonna answer it?"

"Should I?" Ashley paced around, frantic. "I don't know if I should." The girl stared at her screen, until her father's name stopped flashing. She sighed and threw her phone on the bed, belly flopping right next to Shauna. She let out a loud, obnoxious groan.

"What was that about?" Shauna asked. Before Ashley could answer, her phone pinged, alerting her of a text message.

"Is it him?" Ashley asked. "I can't look at it, I'm scared. Read it for me?"

"Okay, okay," Shauna sighed. She reached over Ashley, grabbing her phone. "Quit whining." Ashley gave a groan in response. Shauna looked at Ashley's lockscreen, seeing a text from a contact with the name, "Mitchie." It read, "You've got some explaining to do... the Warden's coming"

Another dramatic groan came from Ashley, before she sat up suddenly. "Oh, she's gonna kill me," she said. She looked at Shauna. "I have to call him back--" Her phone ringing cut her off.

Shauna looked down at the ringing phone in her hand. "No, you don't. He's calling you back." She handed the phone to Ashley, who looked like she wanted to just drop dead.

She answered the phone, putting it on speaker. "Hello?"

"Where are you?" her father greeted, cutting right to the chase. "I know you're not home, so don't think about lying to me. Where are you?"

"How'd you figure out we were gone?" Ashley asked.

"Mariah was locked out and no one was there to let her in," Roland explained. "Also, I tracked my credit cards. Atlanta, really?"

"I can explain--"

"Explain when we get there. Where are you?"

"She's gonna kill me," Ashley groaned again, thinking about how Alexandra will react.

"Liliana," Roland warned, calling her by her middle name. "Tell me where you are."

Ashley looked at Shauna. Shauna nodded, telling her to tell him. He already knew they were in Atlanta, might as well tell him exactly where.

"I'll tell you...but--" Shauna looked at Ashley, furrowing her eyebrows. Now wasn't the time to negotiate the terms and conditions of the agreement. "But, you can't tell Alexandra I told you. And you have to do something for me."

Her father started laughing. "Is she serious?" he asked to whoever was with him on the other line. "Lili--" he cut himself off to laugh. "I have to hand it to you, that's bold, even for me. Know what? To hell, with it, I'll bite. What do you want?"

"What's that?" Michelle asked, sitting down next to Mariah. The youngest Crane was fiddling with a frog hat. "You make that?"

"Yeah!" Mariah's eyes lit up. "Do you want it? You can have it!" She shoved the hat on Michelle's head.

"How's it look?" Michelle asked. She pulled out her phone, recording herself in the hat. "Oop--let me find out we have another designer." Mariah laughed and waved at the camera. "Look at what my little sister made. She's so talented."

"Mickey," Roland called from the aisle next to them. Michelle directed the camera to her father. Instinctively, his hand covered his face. "No flash photography."

"Okay, for starters, the flash isn't on," Michelle told him. "And it's not flash photography if we're related." She tried to move the camera around to show his face, but his years of being in the spotlight made him a pro at hiding his face from all angles. "Dad, come on. Five seconds? Just five." She sat down next to him, trying to move his hand out of his face.

"That's five seconds too many," Roland laughed, trying to push the sixteen-year-old away from him.

"What? Are you too famous to show your face to your daughter's camera?" Michelle laughed. "Come on."

"Michelle, leave your father alone," Rose told her, walking to her seat, which Michelle was occupying. Michelle turned her phone camera to Rose, who gave a very fake smile. "Go back to your seat, darling."

"See? At least mom gave a fake smile," Michelle said, turning the camera back to her father. He still had his hand in front of his face. She scoffed. "You're no fun." She stuck her tongue out, standing up, so her mom could sit down.

Rose shook her head, taking her seat. She chuckled as Roland gave Michelle's camera the finger. "You lot are ridiculous."

"She started it," Roland pulled his wife's legs onto his lap.

"You're the adult," Rose said. "You're not supposed to give in to the foolishness, darling."

"It's kinda hard when the foolishness is harassing you with a camera," he looked at Michelle. "How is she worse than paparazzi?" Rose propped her head up on her hand, laughing. "I'm serious. She's worse."

Michelle laughed, ending the video. She tucked her phone away, walking to the back of the plane to sit. She couldn't stay up there with them. Not while they were pretending to like each other. They hadn't liked each other for years. It was all a front so Mariah wouldn't have to see them fight like the older Cranes did. In all honesty, Mariah was the only thing keeping their parents married for so long. If Mariah wasn't in the picture, Rose and Roland wouldn't even be on the same plane, let alone cuddling with each other. Michelle just wished they would stop with the masks and facades. Or better yet, if the masks and facades were how they actually acted towards each other.

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Hi! I kinda had no motivation for this chapter, so it's a filler. But, regardless, I would love to know what you think!