Alex POV - December 2029
"Hi, baby!" I say when Sawyer gets in the car.
She smiles, "I'm not a baby, momma."
I reach over and pinch her cheek, "Always my baby."
She whines, "Stop, momma. My teammates are going to see!"
I chuckle, "Am I embarrassing to you?"
She groans, "Yes, very."
I feign offense.
She cracks a smile, "I'm just kidding."
I chuckle, "How was training?"
She shrugs.
"Something happen?" I inquire.
She sighs, "There's this new girl that got called up. I don't like her."
I start driving and glance at her, "Why don't you like her?"
She shrugs, "I don't know. I just don't."
I sigh, "You can't not like someone without a reason, baby. That doesn't make sense."
"It makes sense in my head." She says.
I hum.
She leans her head against the window, "Everybody just likes her."
'Bingo'
"Like it's so easy for her. She came into the team and most people are like intimidated and unsure, but she just like is so social." She says.
"And that's making you feel...?"
"I don't know. It's not making me feel any way. It's just weird."
I nod, "Okay, well is she good?"
She looks at me with wide eyes, "Of course she's good, momma!"
We stop at a red light and I look at her, "Baby, are you sure that you're not feeling jealous?"
She glares at me and leans her head back on the window, "I'm not jealous."
I hum.
"I'm not, momma!"
"This is reminding me of a time when..." I say.
"I don't want to talk about it." She says.
Flashback December 2023
"I'm never going back to school again!" Sawyer yells.
I set my purse down, "Yeah, so that's not a choice, baby. And you need to do something to calm down."
"I'm not calming down!" She screams.
I stare at her, "I'm going upstairs to lay down. Come find me when you're calm."
Maverick paws at her as she cries and I walk upstairs, crawling into bed.
I grab a book and quickly set it down.
'What was today even about? Refusing to go to lunch and proceeding to throw her lunch at a staff member doesn't track with Sawyer.'
I sigh and pick my book up again, starting to read.
About 30 minutes later, the door creaks open and Sawyer shuffles towards the bed with Mav, getting in.
I set the book on my nightstand and look at her, lying face down in the bed.
"I'm sorry." She mumbles.
