Befallen childhood- Adopted by Hamilton

-27-

"That's everything in here." I say, standing up and putting Liv's drawings on my dressing room table.

"Three downstairs." Pippa says.

"Two in dressing rooms." Jazzy says.

"That's twelve drawings. There's more at my place."

"Still. Fifty gone." Pippa says, sadly. I pick the sketchbook back up and flip through the now dry, crumply, tearing/teared and smeared pages.

"This one is okay." I study it. It's shades drawing of a child in just shorts and an adults hand across one side of her chest, wrapping around her waist. The adult stands behind but above. His torso is there but his chest is cut off by the page. The girl doesn't look like her, at least. I don't think she would put herself through that. She is crying in the picture though. I shut my eyes and take a breath before reopening them.

"It's an amazing drawing." I begin tearing the page out carefully. I pass it to Anthony and start looking for another.

"Are you okay, Lin?" I find another one that isn't destroyed. It's a flower. I pull it out and put it down. "Lin?"

"I'm not the one any of us should be wondering about."

"I love Liv but yeah, she has issues. A lot of them." Pippa says. "It's hard to deal with sometimes."

"Well nothing will make me stop."

"I know. I'm not ever gonna ask you to. You won't because you love her."

"Yes."

"You'll never make her as happy as you want her to be."

"No parent can for their child. No one wants to see their child hurt. They want then as happy as they can be."

"And for Liv, It's always gonna be less then other kids."
-
Livs POV
"Prométeme." I sing. "Promise me you'll stay beyond the sunrise." I shade beneath the nose of a drawing of Noah. Noah's older brother sits next to me, looking at the lyrics as the song plays quietly. We are sitting in his room on the ground, him against the wall, us against the bed, Ashely and Aleigha on their way. I've always liked Josh. He's nice to me. He's not really a jerk like so many boys. He's a great singer and sang with me a few times. "I don't care at all what people say beyond the sunrise." I've found a great comfort in singing. Especially songs like this.

"Bésame."

"And how do you say 'always.'"

"Para siempre."

"I will be there. Al amanecer." Noah drops his phone and claps. I smile.

"Great. But ew."

"Bésame." I sing. We laugh because he four or five years older then me and that actually is gross, when you're a kid.

"I will actually ask you this time. Can I post a video of that?"

"You sounded good." Josh says.

"Thanks. So did you."

"So can I?" Noah asks, again.

"Sure." My phone starts buzzing during the movie we watch when Aleigha and Ashely get here and I see Anthonys name.

"Be right back." I step into Noah's room and answer.

"Who's the kid?"

"What?"

"The video Noah posted."

"Oh, his brother."

"Does Lin know this?"

"No."

"I'm about to save that kids ass. Quickly, who else is there?"

"Aleigha and Ashely."

"Okay. Have fun. Not too much with them."

"Ew."

"Bye!" I hear him yell Lin's name as he hangs up.

Lin: WHO IS THAT KID

He's sent a screenshot of the video of us singing.

Me: i have to thank you for being so overprotective but yikes.

Lin: ohhhhhh. Anthony told me. Okay have fun. I laugh. At least someone cares. We watch the rest of the movie and play games until dinner time when I go back to Lin and Vanessa's.

"I made pasta." I look at the meal on the table and put my bag down. I feel her watch me while I watch Sebastian. I take two bites feeling okay. Then I start pushing it around and bouncing my leg. I force myself through a few more slowly and Vanessa and I make small talk. Well, she talks. I nod and shake my head or just listen.

"Can you try to eat a little more, please?" I nod and lift up my fork. Then I shake my head and put it down. "Why not?"

"I can't."

"Why can't you."

"I just can't." I can't describe it.

"Why don't you come back in a little while to have some more. Can you try that?" I nod, knowing I most likely won't eat any more tonight.