Moving Forward

Thanksgiving Part 2

Raschel's POV

I couldn't believe the nerve of the kid. There was nothing wrong with Victor and Luke's outfits. Victor was wearing a Cashmere sweater in a beautiful shade of dark amber. It made his eyes pop out. As for Luke, I liked his flannel shirt and vest; the colors looked good on him. The shirt was in shades of light blue, yellow, tan, and cream. The vest was a shade of powder blue, reminding me of a summer sky. I thought they both looked gorgeous. Who was the kid that he thought he could dictate what they wore? I studied the clothes he was wearing and turned up my nose. He was wearing a pair of black skinny jeans, an orange tank and orange striped shirt. With his earrings, his colored hair and bright colors, I didn't think he should worry about what others were wearing. A Peacock among us Wrens, he would fit better in Hollywood.

I caught my dad shaking his head no at me from the corner of my eye and gave a huff of frustration. I stood and moved to stand before the little girl that came with our guest. I reached to take her hand and pulled her to her feet. "Come on," I told her. "We will leave the Meanie to his mouth washing and go have fun. I bet we can get Raven to teach us how to sing the theme song to Sponge Bob Squarepants in Russian if we ask nicely."

No way did I want to sit around and watch this. I remembered my own taste of dish soap. Nasty stuff. It was when dad was still fighting; I think I was about seven at the time. Just about every word you heard in the gym was a swear word. Even Dad, Colt, and Shan were letting them fly. Foxy blew her top when she heard me talking like them to my old laptop. It had just crashed and I was mad. I got a mouthful of dish soap and they got their rears handed to them by Foxy. The four of us also had to attend classes on manners. She lectured them about being in the gym too long and forgetting that they were Southern Gentlemen. Dad retired from fighting soon after. I think she scared him.

Luke's POV

I knew this would happen. Gabe, the Diva, never missed a chance to critic what others wore. Personally, I liked my choice a heck of a lot better than his. This was New England and it was snowing outside. We were dressed practical, thin shirts and jeans didn't cut it this time of year. Maybe we didn't look like a fashion plate, I didn't think it mattered. "Actually, we gave the clothes you chose to the children's home." I informed him, keeping my expressions blank. "They have a lot of boys who needed the clothes more than we did." My brother started coughing; I knew he was trying to hide his laughter. I didn't care. "We aren't little kids, nor are we extensions of you. We are perfectly capable of making the decision for ourselves. It's not Rocket Science." Victor didn't say a word. He gave Gabe an icy glare and followed Chel and Jess out of the room. I went after him; I wouldn't mind learning some Russian myself.

North's POV

While stupid, I was proud of my brother. He stood up for himself to Gabe instead of letting him push him around as he did before. It seemed Uncle was right Luke was gaining some backbone. It suited him, as did his outfit. It wasn't the same as he wore in Charleston, but he wasn't the same Luke. This Luke went to a fancy culinary school, worked in a haunted house and rode horses. He sung on stage and was more mature than I have ever seen him. Fu...c...darn, maybe I should do the same. Maybe my therapist was right and there were other ways to show that I cared besides yelling. A pat on the back, saying 'Well done' were accepted easier than being bellowed at. I know I hated it when Uncle yelled at me.

Raven returned to the room and gave Erica the bottle of dish soap, then hurried out of to join the others waiting for him. They were waiting right outside the door. Luke boosted Jess and she settled on Raven's back for a piggyback ride. Her cheeks flushed and she was giggling, she looked like she was having fun. Who knew The Russian was good with kids. I turned back in time to see Corey standing and tugging his phone out of his pocket. "I need to film this."

"Send us all a copy," Axel ordered as his teammates snickered. I would pay top dollar to see that video myself. It was a side of Raven that I don't think many saw, except for Raschel Ericson, maybe. She hadn't seemed worried that he would refuse her request.

Erica's POV

I couldn't believe what came out of Gabriel's mouth. Not only did he insult Luke and Victor, he extended it to farm workers everywhere. The cussing, I suspected that he had a potty mouth, but I never thought he would talk to his friends in such a manner. Not only was it rude, but it was also disrespectful. There were women and children present; one did not speak in front of them in such a manner.

I nodded in approval when the daughter of the house led Jessica from the room. Jessica did not need to see me box Gabriel's ears. I felt a great deal of respect for Luke and Victor. Luke had responded in a mature manner while making his feelings on the subject clear. It was sweet of him to think of other children and their need for clothes. As for Victor, he acted the bigger man. While I knew he wanted to respond, he chose to say nothing and walk away. Both were growing up, becoming young men.

Once the four of them cleared the door, I had Gabriel by the ear, careful of his earrings. I accepted the bottle of dish soap from Raven, figuring it was a replacement for the bar of soap I had to lick as a child. I was relieved to see the soap was natural with no harmful ingredients. I didn't want to poison him.

"First of all, the sweater Victor is wearing is Cashmere and I highly doubt that most of us here could afford one. Luke is wearing a plush flannel shirt from Land's End, which isn't cheap. His vest is filled with down, it is a heck of a lot more expensive than what you find in most stores. You have no right to insult what another wears or what they do for a living. My father worked a farm all of his life, he was a good man and does not deserve to have you belittling him. Because of people like him, we have food on the table and don't go to bed hungry. Both of those boys were riding horses when we arrived," I brushed my hair from my face. "When you ride a horse, you wear sturdy clothes. You wouldn't be able to get on one the way you are dressed now. With those tight jeans, you wouldn't be able to get a leg over the saddle. As for the swearing young man, it is time you learned that it is not acceptable. Your mother would be mortified if she could hear you now. I'm talking about your birth mother, the one who named you after an archangel because she was certain you were going to be someone important when you grew up. With your foul mouth and the insulting way you speak to your friends, you will be lucky to hold a job." I released his ear and grabbed his bottom lip. "Open," I ordered in a no-nonsense tone. He had no choice with me pulling on his lip and I didn't hesitate to pour soap into his mouth. I only put in a few drops, but it was enough to get the horrid taste into his mouth

Gabriel yanked free of my grasp and stated spitting, trying to get the soap from his mouth. I stepped back and let him try. "Thousand of kids enter design school every year, certain that only they know what is best for everyone. Very few of their ideas match and they learn a hard lesson. It is not your place to tell someone else how to dress or wear his or her hair. They have as much right to express themselves as you do. That is done by how they choose to dress and fix their hair. If you truly want to be a fashion designer, you will start accepting that the way to have others dress the way you want is to design clothing that they will want to wear. It doesn't matter how good you are, you will never succeed with such a foul mouth and disrespectful way you treat others. If you want Luke and Victor to be your friends again, lose the attitude and try being a real friend in return."

Shan slid his phone out of his pocket and sent a quick text.

Bingo, you called it perfectly.

She came up golden.