Spark Into a Flame

Pippa

A\N: I am sans computer right now so I wrote this chapter on my phone. 😆😆😆 I visited the ITH set Friday afternoon and watched Anthony Ramos film a scene. I'll post pics when I get my computer back. That video of Lin playing the colorful piano Friday? I was literally two blocks from there and went as soon as I saw it but of course he was gone. Going back Monday with another LMM fan I made friends with. 😊😊😊

It had been two weeks since Elliott and Joey had broken up. I'd spoken to my son a couple times but college guys generally weren't ones to call their mothers frequently. I bit the bullet and called Steven to see if he'd heard anything from him and he hadn't. They'd never been that close though.

Lin was starting to get worried about Joey. She wasn't eating much and slept a lot. She'd always been super motivated about school but now she was disinterested. It wasn't like her at all. She was a Miranda and Mirandas were overachievers.

We didn't know how bad it had gotten until Lin got her midterm grades by email. She was usually a straight A student but now had almost all B's. Her grades weren't bad but they weren't her at all.

The final straw, though, was when she decided to quit soccer. She loved soccer.  And she didn't even tell us. Lin found out from another soccer parent.

"Joey," Lin's tone was firm as she walked in one afternoon from school. I worked on my laptop at the table as Lin started dinner.

"What?" she asked, sounding tired. Looking at her from a bit of a distance she looked thin. None of this was good.

"When were you gonna tell me you quit soccer?" he asked her.

She shrugged. "It's not like I was going to get a scholarship anyways."

"That's not why you play," he reminded her, crossing his arms. "You love it."

"Not anymore," she said, walking towards her room.

"Hey!" he called and she stopped and sighed, looking at him. "What is going on with you? You're getting almost straight B's, you quit debate AND soccer and you've definitely lost weight."

"Don't talk to me about my weight," she retorted. Teenage girls and weight was a testy subject so I stood up, butting in.

"Joey, we're worried about you," I said, stepping around the table.

"Don't be," she told us, looking back and forth. "I'm gonna go shower."

We let her go and Lin and I just looked at each other, unsure what to do. She didn't seem to think there was a problem but there certainly was.

"She's depressed," I concluded, walking over to get a drink of water.

"I'll say," he agreed, opening a cabinet to get out some more ingredients. 

"We should make her a doctor's appointment," I suggested. "Maybe she needs to get on some meds."

"She's not gonna like that," Lin said.

"Well something's gotta give. She's not snapping out of this."

"She might take it better coming from you," he said, and I agreed.  Girls weren't very apt to talk about health concerns with their fathers. Her mother was too far away so it fell on me. I was glad to step in but Joey wasn't always completely open to my suggestions.

I decided I'd talk to her after dinner. A while later, Alex and Jack came home from Lin's parents'. It was certainly convenient to have free child care when needed.  We managed to get the kids' hands washed and seated at the table and Joey wandered out, already in her sweats.

We began eating and not five minutes into the meal Joey concluded she was done. She stood up to leave.

"No," Lin said firmly. "Sit back down."

"I'm not hungry!" she protested.

"I don't care," he told her, pointing to her seat. "Eat more."

"No!" she raised her voice. "If I'm not hungry I'm not gonna keep eating.  That's why obesity runs rampant in America."

Well at least she still had her sass.

"Josephine-"

"Fine!" she slammed her plate down and Jack covered his ears. "Is this what you want me to do?"

She began shoveling food in her mouth. "Eat until I throw up?!"

"Stop it," he told her firmly. She spit out some of the barely chewed food back on her plate and glared at her father. Joey then picked up her plate and took it back to the counter. Lin didn't protest, seeing this was going to become a battle of wheels. We were all silent as she stormed to her room and slammed the door.

Jack, who was probably the most sensitive of all the kids, started softly crying. I gently pulled him into my lap and wrapped my arms around him.

"It's okay, buddy," I tried to soothe him. "Joey's just upset."

"She's upset all the time," Alex chimed as she stabbed some broccoli with her fork.

"I know," I acknowledged, glancing over at Lin. He'd stopped eating and just stared blankly at the table in thought. "Daddy and I are gonna try to help get her better."

Lin and I cleared the dishes and let the kids go play.

"I'll see if she's ready to talk," I told him, giving his shoulder a squeeze.

"Thanks," he said, sounding defeated. I padded back to Joey's bedroom, finding her already under the covers hibernating with a book. I sat on the edge, giving her a small smile.

"I'm sorry if you felt like your dad and I were pouncing on you," I told her. She sighed and marked her page. "It's just that we're worried. You've lost weight and you've quit your activities. Your grades have dropped. What's up?"

"I don't know," she crossed her arms, seeming guarded. "I just don't feel like doing all that much. What's the point?"

"Well, the Joey I know takes a lot of pride in everything she does," I told her. "She freaks out when she gets less that an A. She pours her heart and soul into soccer and debate. Now you're just quitting? Joey, it's like you've lost your spark."

"Well maybe I have," she admitted. "But I just need some time to think by myself."

"That's understandable but I think you've reached the point where it's become unhealthy," I told her honestly. "It's been a couple weeks now with no improvement so I think it's time we went to see the doctor."

She rolled her eyes and sat up. "I don't need to see the doctor."

"Well, your father and I beg to differ," I countered. "I'll make you an appointment tomorrow."

She growled as I stood up. I gave her arm a rub. "Hang in there."

Joey could be very stubborn so I only hoped she'd be receptive to the doctor. I paused outside the door, closing my eyes, hoping our little family could make it through the tribulations ahead.