Say No To This

11

Pippa's POV

It wasn't long before Lin and I were actually looking for a new apartment together. I wasn't going to be giving up my old one though. I wasn't going to tell him that either.

"This is a great place. Neighbors are great, tons of space, school isn't too far away." The real estate agent smiled as she took us through the huge apartment.

"Mommy it's bigger than home." She whispered in awe.

"I hear the school is great as well." The agent said while looking down at Scarlett. "She's adorable. How old is she?" She asked.

"I'm seven!" Scarlett giggled.

"Wow. Second grade." The woman laughed. "You must be very proud of her." She smiled at me.

"Thank you. I am." I said while looking down at Scarlett.

We eventually signed the agreement for the new place, setting everything up. I smiled while watching Lin get more and more giddy with the idea of us sharing a place. It was spacious. Four bedrooms. A little too spacious... Really.

It wasn't long before we were fully moved in either. I was glad to finally be done with packing, moving, setting everything up. It was a little crazy at first, but we managed.

"Mommy!!! I can practice here!" Scarlett giggled while standing on the tile in the kitchen.

"No you will not!"I said sternly. "I'll figure that out for you. But you will not be practicing your tap dancing in the kitchen. You'll ruin both your shoes and the tile." I sighed.

"Quick with those words." Lin laughed.

"I have to be. Or she will tap dance on the nice tile."

After about a month of moving into the new apartment, things seemed to be great. Lin and I were thriving in our relationship and I seemed to have a better hold on my depression. Scarlett on the other hand was not liking her new school...

"I hate it!" She cried into her pillow. "It's awful!" She sniffed.

"Can you at least tell me why?" I frowned.

"All the other kids already have friends." She frowned. "I don't have any." She sniffed.

"That will change honey. It's gonna be okay." I sighed. Private schools seemed cliquey to me. And my suspicions were correct. None of her dance friends were at her school. And none of them seemed even remotely interested in her hobbies either.

"How is she holding up?" Lin frowned.

"Not well. She's excelling academically, but socially... Not good." I explained while shutting her door.

"Maybe she just needs more time. It's only been two weeks." He shrugged.

"I don't know. Maybe taking her out was too soon. She needs that social skill Lin." I frowned.

"I know. But what are we going to do? Homeschool her until then?" He frowned.

"We can't do that. You know that." I pointed at him. Our schedules were going to be hectic soon anyway. I was beginning to look for work again, and Lin was helping with shows and doing cameos on them.

"I'll figure something out." I sighed.

A few more days had passed and Scarlett seemed to be incredibly bored both at home and school. I felt terrible for it all, feeling like a terrible parent in a way.

"Hey Scar, come here." I motioned for her to come join me on the couch.

"Yeah?" She sighed.

"I've been thinking.. You've done so good in school, and you've been a great help around the house... Do you want a pet?" I whispered. I watched as her eyes lit up and nodded rapidly. When I was her age, my parents got me a puppy. Of course, I couldn't get her a puppy because of pet dander...

"I want a kitty!" She giggled.

"A cat? Honey, you're allergic to the fur..." I sighed.

"Oh... Can we still go?" She asked.

"Of course." I smiled. "Go get shoes on."

We left the apartment quietly as Lin was napping. Didn't want to wake him. He was up in the middle of the night writing something that came into his head while he was sleeping. That man was crazy sometimes.

We got to the little pound near the house, yes I was prepared for this day. We walked through the lobby and met with one of the workers. He guided us through to the cages in the back, showing us all of the dumped animals that were approved hypoallergenic.

"What's that?" Scarlett asked while pointing at a smaller cage.

"That is a Sphynx kitten." The worker smiled. "Poor thing is blind in one eye. Owners dumped him because he wasn't perfect. That and he's hairless." He shrugged.

"Mommy I want him!!" Scarlett frowned.

"Are you sure?" I asked while looking at the wrinkly kitten.

"Yes! He's got problems like me!" She smiled.

"Is he litter trained...?" I asked the worker.

"Yup. Chipped and fixed too." He smiled.

"Perfect. I guess we'll take him then." I smiled.

It was another few hours before we were home, stopping off to pick up needed supplies at the pet store with her new friend.

"Where did you guys go?" Lin asked when we got in.

"Mommy got me a cat!" Scarlett announced proudly while carrying the small box.

"A cat?" Lin frowned. "I thought we agreed on a puppy..." He whispered.

"She didn't give the puppies the time of day. And besides, she is in love with Dobby already." I smiled.

"Dobby?" Lin frowned.

"He didn't have a name and that's what she named him. You know, the house elf in the second Harry Potter book." I smiled. "Our child is a nerd. I love it." I slightly squealed.

"But Dobby? Why not any other characters?" He asked.

"Because he looks like Dobby!" Scarlett giggled while holding up the kitten.

"What the—?!" Lin gasped. "Was the poor thing shaved?!" He frowned at me.

"No! He's blind in one eye and doesn't have fur! So I can cuddle him all the time!" She giggled.

"Oh boy..." Lin sighed.