G.I. Hailee

~7~

"We wanted you all to become friends before we told you, but now, we're out of time. The wedding's tomorrow." Dad says.

I glare daggers at him.

"As in tomorrow? As in the day after today?!" Jessie stammers.

"Yes, if I can wait that long. The only man I've had in my life for the past twn years was Uncle Sam, but now I want you!" Shannon shouts, pointing to General Prescott.

"Wait, that's why you invited Jessie home?" I ask him.

"Yes, and I invited you, not these little threats to national security." He says. "Now get out of my B.A.T. I had the seat just where I liked it."

"They are not threats. They ate my friends. I will not come to you wedding, because tomorrow is my birthday. I don't want a party, I never got one every year anyways, and if I am forced to go to your so-called special day that is supposed to be about mom, I will not wear a dress, and I will not do anything in my willpower to look nice, at all. You only have one daughter now." I say.

My friends slowly get out of the vehicle, and Ravi is ranting on and on in his apology.

He accidentally presses a button, and white stuff sprays out of the vehicle, and onto General Prescott, Colonel Shannon, and Darla.

"Okay, that was my bad." Ravi squeaks. "By the way, for the wedding, can you put me down for the vegetarian meal?"

I roll my eyes.
----------

I sit with Luke, Zuri, and Ravi, trying to figure out how to get out of the hall.

"Then the trapezoid said to the triangle, quit being obtuse." Ravi says, and bursts into a fit of laughter.

I roll my eyes.

I'm in jeans, brown cozy boots, a blue t-shirt, and a flannel blue and nlack plaid shirt over it, tied into a knot and the sleeves rolled up.

I have my hair in a messy low bun, and I have my phone, which has a blue metallic phone case on it.

"Your the reason the Math Club meets in the boiler room." Zuri says.

"Hey, let's go find the B.A.T!" Luke says.

My eyes brighten with mischeif and happiness.

"Gladly!" I say.

"No! Jessie forbade it, and I will not leave this place not matter what." Ravi says.

"Okay everybody, time for speeches!" Someone says into the microphone.

"Wait for me!" Ravi says, and follows us outside.

Luke holds the door open for me, and I smile.

"Thank you, kind sir." I say, bowing and talking in the worst British accent I could think of.

"It's a pleasure, m'lady." Luke says, bowing in an equally awful accent.

I giggle and run outside with everyone else, looking for the B.A.T.

We find it outside, parked, and Luke puts the keys into the ignition.

He starts driving like a maniac, and we all scream.

"This is awesome!" Luke shouts.

"This is fun!" Zuri shreiks.

"This is too good to be true!" I yell.

"This is going to be the day I die!" Ravi screams. "And I was so looking forward to puberty!"

Luke stops the vehicle, making it lurch, and we are right in front of the hall everyone is in.

"Congratulations, Luke. You have driven us to the mess hall, the one place we are bound to get caught." Ravi says.

"That's where the rush comes in." Zuri says.

"I'll just go in reverse. It must be this "R" button." Luke says, pushing it.

There's an explosion, and I hear a series of screams.

"You think anybody noticed?" Luke whispers to me.

I nod.

"Luke, did it ever occur to you that r could stand for rocket?!" Ravi asks.

I wince and look down.

Jessie walks through the hole the rocket made.

"I told you kids to never set foot in that thing again." Jessie shouts.

"We can explain! Ravi made us do it!" Zuri says, and Ravi pulls a face.

"Okay, I can fix this. Just give me a screwdriver, a hammer, and a time machine." Luke says.

General Prescott walks over.

"Dad, I can explain. It was an accident." Jessie says.

"You think maybe if you had been watching these kids instead of trading insults with Darla, this accident would never have happened?" He says.

"Okay. I got carried away. That was a mistake. So is ambushing your daughters with a surprise wedding!" Jessie shoots back.

"I was afraid that if I told you I was marrying Darla's mom over the phone that you'd freak out. And I wish Hailee had never been born in the first place! She's a disgrace to our family name!" Prescott shouts.

"What do you think I'm doing now?! I came back here to trh to make things right between us. Instead, I'm stuck with a new family, and you didn't even ask me, or Hailee! And she is not a disgrace to our family name! And you are not worthy enough to be her father." Jessie says.

"Why should I ask you? You didn't ask me when you ran off to New York!" He presses.
Q
I shake my head.

"THAT IS IT! YOU NEVER HAD A CARE ABOUT ME, AND MOM WOULD HAVE BEEN PROUD OF ME, AND PROUD OF JESSIE'S CHOICE! SHE WOULD HAVE DIVORCED YOU THE MINUTE THAT SHE FOUND OUT THAT YOU ABUSE ME BEHIND CLOSED DOORS! OH, AND JESSIE KNEW YOU WOULDN'T BE SUPPORTIVE OF HER WHEN SHE MOVED TO NEW YORK!" I roar at the top of my lungs.

"Well, it's easy to be supportive when somebody makes good decisions!"

"Leaving home was a good decision. Mom always told me and Hailee to follow our dreams. She would be proud when I moved to New York."

"Not if she saw what a disaster it turned into!"

"If that's how you really feel, then maybe I should just not come to your wedding." Jessie shouts.

"If that's what you want. It wouldn't be the first time you went AWOL on this family." He says.

"That's it. Kids, we're going back to New York, right now. Hailee, you too." Jessie says.

"Jump in. I'll drive us to the airport." Luke says.

"Get out of thay vehicle! Or you know what? Don't. I don't care. I'm done." Jessie says.

I look at my sister, worried.

"What do you mean?" Zuri whimpers.

"I mean, you knew how important this weekend was for me, but you obviously didn't care. You dileberatley disobeyed me over, and over, and I'm sick of it!" Jessie shouts.

"We promise it will never happen again." Ravi squeaks.

"You're right. It won't. And it's not my problem anymore, because I quit. Hailee, you are still going to move in with me, wherever I go." Jessie says.

I nod, and get out of the B.A.T.

Jessie storms off, and I give my General Prescott one last glare in the eyes, before running off to pack up my things.