Spark Into a Flame

Pippa

I had a gut feeling that Joey was going to break curfew, so I was surprised when she walked in the door around 8:00 looking upset. I could tell she'd been crying. She avoided us and went straight for her bedroom. I looked at Lin and sighed.

"Trouble in paradise?" I guess as he worked at my bare feet with his talented hands. He sighed with a little groan. When there was drama with Joey, there was really drama. Most of the time she was fine, but every once in a while there was a big blow up. This time it probably involved my son.

"I'll give her a minute then go back there," he decided.

"Well, if it's boy drama she probably won't want to talk to you about it," I pointed out. Lin and Joey were close, but some things were definitely better for girl talk. He sheepishly admitted it, pulling up his phone to look at a text message.

I got up to get more wine. As I neared the fridge, I could hear sobbing coming from down the hall. I couldn't let her just sit in there and cry, so I wandered down the hallway and pushed her door open. She was curled up on her bed, facing the wall as she cried.

I gently made my way over and sat on her bed, then began rubbing at her arm. "Oh, sweetheart," I cooed. "What happened?"

"Elliott got mad at me and told me I should go home," she reported, choking on her sobs. "He said I was acting immature. But there were all these girls just openly flirting with him! Was I supposed to just sit there and take it?"

"That sounds upsetting," I sympathized. Joey had a tendency to get a little jealous. I'd seen it before, but now wasn't the time to point that out. "Has he texted you?"

"No," she said, rubbing at her eyes. She laid on her back and wiped away tears as she started to calm down. I laid on my side next to her just for moral support. No matter your age, guy drama was hard. Being a teenager made it even worse. "What if he breaks up with me?"

I breathed out and rubbed at her arm some more. "Well, a lot of high school couples do that when one goes away to college," I acknowledged. "A lot of times they just grow apart, and that's okay."

"I can't stand to think of him there, flirting with other girls," she went on. "Maybe that's immature of me, but that's how I feel."

"The distance is hard," I said simply. "You're used to seeing each other every day so this is a big change."

She nodded and sighed, letting her eyes close.

"Give it some time and see how it goes," I urged her. "If it's meant to be, it'll be."

She took in a deep breath and let it go through her mouth.

"Want me to run you a bubble bath?" I offered, sitting up. She gave me a small smile and nodded her head. I went to the bathroom and drew a bath for her, checking the temperature to make sure it was just right. I poked my head back in her room to tell her it was ready, then joined Lin again with my wine.

"She okay?" he asked as I sat down.

"Drama with Elliott," I reported. "She said he was flirting with other girls and he got upset and said she was being immature."

Lin sighed out. "She can be a little possessive."

"She can be," I agreed, taking a sip of wine. "We'll see if the drama dies down or if they decide to call it quits."

"I think it'd be good for both of them to explore their options," Lin said, setting his phone to the side again. "Joey was only fourteen when they started dating. She's already changed so much since that."

After her bath, Joey joined us in the living room. She needed some cuddle time with us. The teenager scooted her way between us, laying her head on a pillow in Lin's lap. She was still very much a daddy's girl. Lin lovingly stroked at her hair as we watched a comedy on the TV.