Dreams That I Have

The Ties That Bind

This is unedited. Hope y'all enjoy this. It was hard writing Lauren and Ally this way cause I don't feel like they would act like this. Off we go.

Avery's POV:

"She'll be here. They both will be." Grandma says as she fixes my ponytail.

Once she's done, I step away with a sigh and turn to look at her. She's sitting with Grandpa, Chris, Taylor, Camila, Dinah, and Mani.

"I don't care anymore. She hasn't shown up for anything in the last year. She didn't call or text me on my birthday, which is literally three days after her girlfriend's birthday, or should I say her fiance." I say remembering the Instagram post Mom made three days before my birthday.

In case you haven't figured it out already, my Mom is Lauren Jauregui. She adopted me just before my fifth birthday. I'm now seventeen and she's thirty-two. She was in Fifth Harmony when she adopted me and I spent most of my first five years with her on tour. When I was ten, the girls decided it was the right time to disband. They all decided to enroll in college. Dinah is now the girl's basketball coach for my high school, Normani is the head of my school's dance team, and Camila is a kindergarten teacher. As for Mama and Ally, they both pursued degrees in music with plans to teach at my school but they decided to return to the spotlight after graduating. Now that they're engaged I don't know if they'll settle down and take jobs at my school like the others and I'm not sure I care. Mama has chosen her career and relationship with Ally over me long enough. That's okay though I've thrived in the last couple of years. I'm a star student, a star athlete, musically inclined, and the ladies love me. The boys love me too but miss me with that shit.

"Don't say that AJ. You know you still care you're just hurt right now." Grandpa says.

"Maybe you're right. Maybe I do still care but right now all I care about is getting on that court and getting my team one step closer to the championship."

"So you're not happy to see us?"

I turn around at the sound of my Mama's voice to find her and Ally smiling at me and I sigh.

"I'd be happier if you had shown up on my birthday or any time in the last year but we can't always get what we want unless it's you of course." I cross my arms. "You always seem to get what you want." My eyes shift from her to Ally and back to emphasize my point.

"Now you know my job means I'm away a lot."

"Oh, I know that all too well but if you have time to take a vacation then you damn sure should have time for your daughter." I say growing angry.

"I didn't take a vacation and you better watch how you speak to me, Avery Victoria Grace." Mama warns.

She's getting pissed but I don't give a shit.

I chuckle dryly.

"So two weeks in Hawaii was what? Cause it sure as hell wasn't a tour stop."

"Busted." Dinah says.

"It was a creative break. And I won't tell you again to watch how you speak to me."

I'm surprised grandma and grandpa or even Chris and Taylor haven't jumped in yet. Especially since I never act like this.

"And if I don't what are you gonna do about it? Actually act like a parent and punish me? I really see that happening. The only time you've acted like my Mom in the last year was when you hired a bodyguard for me when the two of you started getting death threats. You've left the rest up to Grandma and Grandpa. You were more of a parent to me before Fifth Harmony broke up. A kid isn't a shiny new toy." I pause a beat something dawning on me. I look at Chloe and she walks over and starts rubbing soothing circles on my back. "Is that why you adopted me? Cause I was something new and shiny that you could flaunt around and then pawn me off on your parents when you got bored." I hold back tears.