I'm New York City

five

-FUTURE SAGE CHAPTER FROM "I HATE CALIFORNIA", skip down to continue-

"Honey, let's go sit down at the table, please" I pled as we walked into the our New York City penthouse. I had just picked up Sage from school and she hasn't been her usual self.

Like I figured, Sage ignored me and walked up the stairs. I knew that she had her days, but for some reason, today was different. This morning, she didn't want us to bring her to school and just left with the driver. When I went to pick her up, I noticed that she had tear stains down her cheeks, but didn't say anything; not wanting to get her upset.

After waiting a couple minutes, wanting to give her some time, I decided to go check on her.

"Babe?" I knocked on her door. No answer.

"Sage, please open the door" I said again. When I went to turn the handle, she had locked it. We had a no lock rule in this house, for safety reasons of course.

I started to get angry, walking into Joe and I's bedroom and rummaged through the drawers to find the key to her door. When I finally found it, I carefully made my way back over to her room. Putting the key into the lock, I opened the door to find Sage sitting on the floor, with her back against her bed and her head in her hands. I quickly went to her side, pulling her into my embrace as I swayed us.

"You're okay, I've got you" I whispered into her ear. She didn't respond, but instead had silent tears streaming down her face.

Before I could say another word, I heard the door downstairs open, meaning Joe and our youngest daughter were home. I quickly went over to the door, closing and locking it. Not wanting her little sister to see her like this.

"Hey, can you talk to me baby?" I asked in a soft tone. My heart broke just seeing her cry. No words escaped her mouth as her cries began to get stronger. She shook her head as she held tightly onto me.

Not letting her go, I helped her onto her bed and held her tightly in my arms, just like when she was little.

"T-There talking a-about me again" She managed to say. She stuffed her face into my shirt as she sniffled.

I couldn't believe it. Those stupid kids in her school were talking about her again. About her early childhood to be correct. We had this problem before and it wasn't good. Sage came home early just after her first week of freshman year and was in tears. The kids were constantly telling her that I didn't care enough for her, that we were constantly hiding her when she was younger, explaining why she was never seen often. That was never the case. No one knew the real reason on why she was only announced to the world at six years old, they didn't need to know.

I held her face, wiping away her tears and kissed her forehead, nose, and wet cheek.

"You my dear, don't owe them an explanation. They have no reason to be up your business 24/7. Your Dad and I will go to your school ourselves and get to the bottom of this. If I think it won't end up going anywhere, we're homeschooling you again" I tell her. I wasn't going to risk my daughter getting bullied to the point where it's too late. I would never forgive myself. I still haven't forgave myself for her getting kidnapped, which was also a topic the kids in her school wanted to constantly bring up.

Sage wasn't a lonely kid in school, but she also didn't see herself as a popular student. Most of the kids were afraid to even go up to her because they knew we were her parents, but then there are the other kids who just wanted to tear her apart, for no reason.

"Why do they hate me? What did I ever do to them?" She asks, looking up at me. That's when we heard a knock on the door and her little sister's voice yelling about why she couldn't enter.