Fan to Family.

"Everything Okay?"

~Liz~
I tense as Zack steps toward me, closing my eyes and bracing for impact. I'm confused and shocked when he wraps his arms around me gently and carefully, pulling me into his chest. I open my eyes, seeing the fabric of his shirt. I feel his chest rise and tense, and the vibrations of his raised voice. The words sound odd since I'm hearing them though his chest and shirt, not the air, but I can still understand. Once he stops talking in anger to his parents, he pets my hair. I let go of my fists, hesitantly wrapping my arms around his waist.

I turn my head, seeing Madison smiling but tears running down her face. She steps toward Zack and I. I can hear their, well truly my, mother stumbling over her words in an attempt to apologize to Zack. She says how she thought Tyler was the only one who truly cared about me, and that she didn't want them finding out I was around again, because she thought it would be bad for me.

Zack picks up on the lie as fast as I do, saying, "Mom, you knew how I felt. You knew that I was the one helping Tyler try and find her all those years. We, together, searched for years. I might have seemed to give up, but I didn't forget. So what that Maddy and Jay weren't as close to her, look at them. They clearly wanted this, and you were too selfish to see that. Unlike Tyler, I know exactly why you put her up for adoption. I know how you feel about her."

He steps away from me, letting go. I am confused until Maddy pulls me into her own hug. Her's is much shorter then Zack's, and Jay's is shorter then Maddy's, but they are hugs. Caring hugs.

Tyler puts a protective arm around me, seeing how lost I really am.

"Just know that if you can stand here and congratulate me on my engagement, but can't accept the rest of my life, then you can leave. I'd love for my accepting siblings to stay, but if you two can't get yourselves together and realize that this is bigger then you two, then that is where I ask you to leave," He says.

His parents walk out of the room, and he smiles at me.

"That went pretty well."

"That was going well?" Zack asks, looking like he was just slapped with a brick.

I nod, "You weren't there the first time they saw me, and you should've seen the fallout in the Dun family when Josh's parents met me. This is things going smoothly."

Zack's jaw drops, "My god."

"You can call me Liz," I say calmly. Josh is the first to start laughing at me, and then Tyler and Jenna. Soon enough, we've all begun laughing at me.

"That was wonderful," Zack laughs.


The rest of the day is calm, everyone interacting somewhat calmly. The guests filter out and goodbye hugs are given to the other Joseph siblings. Jenna places a hand on my shoulder as we stand on the front porch, watching Tyler and Josh out their bags into the car.

"Ready to go home?" She asks.

I nod, watching Tyler jog back to the porch, "Things might be a little different now, but I'm ready to go sleep in my own bed and head back to school."

She nods, smiling, "I was shocked that you wanted to go back to school until I remembered you have a girlfriend back there and must miss her."

I nod, smiling a bit more. Tyler hops up the steps, asking us if we are ready. We follow him to the car, and Jenna drives us to the airport. It's quite an experience being at an airport with the boys.

Luckily, its later in the day and very few people are around. It'll be back in LA where we have to be careful.



I check the time, seeing that it's only 7:30 California time, shoving all of my finished homework into my backpack for the morning.

"Anxious?" Josh's voice says from the doorway. I turn, looking at him, shrugging.

"No, just a little concerned."

"What for?" He asks, walking further into the room and sitting on the bed beside me. He watches me check the bag over another time an then zip it.

"That I'll forget something, or mix up my locker combination, or that I'll mix up my class order."

He sighs, putting an arm around me, "Well, you know that I'm not doing anything tomorrow, so if something goes wrong, you know how to contact me. I'll come get you if I need too, or I'll do whatever I can to help. Between Tyler and I, we have your schedule memorized and know the names of literally all of your teachers."

"And we sent an email explanation for your absence so if any of your teachers try to give you crap for anything, send them our way," Tyler says from the doorway.

I nod, checking my phone for the millionth time.

~~~~~
"Was it really a good idea?" Dylan asks, walking with me to my fist class.

I nod, "It would've been a bad idea to stay home."

"It would've been a bad idea to stay here with me and keep up with your school work?" Dylan asks, raising an eyebrow, "Was it even worth it?"

"Tyler and Josh are always worth it," I reply, walking into Mr. James' room. "Plus, I did all the work my teachers sent me. Now, the real question is wheather I remembered to bring it all," I sigh, rifling through my bag in an attempt to find my papers for Mr. James. Dylan rolls her eyes, muttering about having better things to do and leaving the room. Mr. James appears beside me.

"Everything okay?" He asks, watching Dylan leave the room.

I nod, "perfect, just looking for papers I swore I had put in here."

He moves so his face is in my field of vision, "I meant with Dylan. Is everything okay with you two?"

I nod, "Of course, couldn't be better."

"That's what someone in a less then perfect relationship would say to try and convince themselves and someone else that everything really is perfect. You can tell me if something is going on."

"It's all fine, I promise. I swore I put it in my bag last night," I continue rummaging though my bag, feeling my pule rise. I slide into my chair, putting my head in my hands.

"Hey, Hey, it's okay. You don't need to give me anything today. I saw the email from your... brother?" he begins, waiting for my nod to confirm who he is, "I understand what's going on, and I'm not going to be hard on you."

"What exactly did he tell you?" I ask.

"He said that there were some family issues, a sick grandparent or something like that, and thats initially why you were gone but then something happened with problematic parents, and you are struggling with that," He says, watching my expression carefully.

I nod.

"Don't worry about the papers, I trust that you did them and that you did well. You are one of my best students," He says. He leaves me to head to the front and begin class.

By the end I have found my papers and turn them into him. He takes my wrist as I hand him the papers, pushing up my sleeve and inspecting the bruising around where my gash had been.

"What happened to you?" He asks.

"It's no big deal," I shrug, having forgotten it even existed.

"Liz," He says sternly.

"I'm telling you the truth. I fell while I was gone and tore my arm, leg, shoulder and chin open on pavement. Its nothing."

He eyes me seriously, waiting for a new explanation.

"If you don't believe me, ask my brother. He's the one who found me and patched me up," I say, pulling my wrist back and jerking my sleeve back down, having flashbacks of Tom questioning me about my foster parents.

"Are you sure? You need to tell me if its something else. I know a little something about your past," he says.

"So your going to treat me like a broken little baby too, aren't you?" I ask, angrily leaving the room.