Stars ||| ADOPTED BY SHANE DAWSON BOOK 2

One year

"Mom! I got the letter!" Nicole bursts into the kitchen, her book bag is thrown to the floor as she runs in to meet me. The dishes forgotten, I turn to my daughter, her light brown eyes starting to water. "Well don't just look at me, open it!"

Nicole giggles through her worried eyes. A moment passes of her recollecting her thoughts,before she rips the envelope open with shaky hands.

My heart beats from out of my chest. I could feel my daughter's nerves through me. This one letter was going to determine her next step in life..and I should be lucky to witness it.

Except I don't. I haven't been happy in a long time. Today is the first day I actually got out of bed this week.

My daughter's eyes go wide. My stomach drops as I regain focus to Nicole's tears, and her sudden scream. "No fucking way! Mom!"

"What? Did you get in?? Please say you got in!" I give my baby a stare, demanding the truth. She nods,and I drop the wine glass I was washing in the sink,making it shatter.Charles is going to be mad at me for that. "Oh, I just knew you would get in!"

I embrace her into a hug. Heavy footsteps come down the stairs,followed by small light ones. My heart drops for a millisecond as Charles and I make eye contact. Then I see my little girl run down the stairs behind him,as happy as can be. My smile returns.

"Can someone tell me what's happening?" Chris squeals with her hands on her hips like a boss lady.

"Dad, I got in!" Nicole ignored Christine,making her pout.

Charles lets out a loud cheer,making me flinch,before he picks up Chris and twirls her around the air. She giggles at this.

"I'm going to UCLA!" She yells.

We all go into one big Pearson family hug. There's tears,there's laughter, and for the first time this month, I can say that I feel something other than regret and sadness. I feel happy. Cause my baby is going somewhere..she's not going to be a nobody like me. She's not going to spend her life in regret and shame. She's going to be happy.

Next, is this little one. Christine.

Chris:

It's been a year. One whole year filled with being mentally healthy, clean, and happy. Thanks to my dads and my girlfriend, I can confidently say that this year has been the best year of my life.

Sometimes I like to think about last year...the year where everything went down. I like to let my mind go there and then see how far I've come from then. Back then, I was such a sad girl. I was abused, I used self harm as a coping mechanism, I starved myself because I hated the way I looked, and even attempted suicide. It's crazy how those scars never heal, even if u conceal it..even if you know you have healed some.

They still stay...here..forever

On my wrists and forearms are the fading scars from my battles. I wish I was Raven and had them covered with tattoos, but Ryland won't let me get a tattoo until I'm out of his house. So for now, I wear long sleeves, or concealer over it, to hide it. To hide my past.

"Whatcha thinking about, babygirl?" Ryland asks. He's at the kitchen island putting the finishing touches on the chicken Avacado chopped salad.

I shrug my shoulders, "Nothing too important." I glance at my phone. " Hey, when are your people coming over?"

"They're your family too, and ten minutes. Now, stop being lazy and help set up the table for dinner."

"Fineee." I roll my eyes and slump out of the turning stool near the counter. I let my body fall to the floor,and as dramatic as this sounds, I literally crawl all the way to my dad at the island.

"Christine,at least show some maturity before your grandmother gets here."

That's funny, mature and Chris don't go in the same sentence.

I stand up and start on setting the table. Shane walks in the kitchen with his black robe and a tired expression. He stays up all night and day editing.

"It's not fair that he doesn't get to do shit and I have to do all this child labor!" I say. My father chuckles, while Ryland goes over to put the salad on the table next to the homemade pizza from blue apron.

The doorbell rings. I let out a long groan. Shane takes a seat at the table, whilst I set the drinks out on the table. Shane put all the alcohol at the very top of the cabinet so I can't reach it and become a mess up again.i stand on the counter and poor Shane a diet A&W root beer with a mystery alchol I found.

"ooooooh they're hear!!" Ryland exclaims. He takes a look at my arms filled with concealer, before whispering, "Make sure you hide that. Wear a sweatshirt or something, sweetie."

Why, cause you don't want your parents to think that I'm a screw up?

Shane calls me over to the table, where I give him a small hug. He whispers in my ear, "it's okay, just put it on for now. I love you."

"I love you too."

"Chrisssss, your favorite aunt is hereeeeee!" I roll my eyes at Morgan's voice from all the way at the door.

I hurry on up the stairs,but someone grabs me from behind into a tight embrace. "You can't hide from me, you little one!"

"I'm fifteen..." I mumble to the woman with dirty blonde short hair, and the same ocean blue eyes as my dad.

"Awww. You're so beautiful!"

"Thanks.."

Just like that, all my confidence is gone. Whenever I meet either one of my dad's family, it always takes me back to the thoughts of them not really going to accept me for who i am. Or worse, they could know my past.

The rest of the night is at the dinner table, and I found myself only interacting with Morgan, because the adults were too busy talking about boring crap that no one likes.

Once everyone was finished, me being the good daughter that I am, I go ahead and get the plates to put in the sink-

Ryland's mother gives me a look as I reach for her plate. My heart drops as I realize where she's looking.

I should have worn the sweatshirt.

"Y-you weren't meant to see that..er." She doesn't say a word, but grabs my wrist. I snatch my wrist out of her hand,in the action, dropping and breaking the plates I was holding.

The room goes silent. All eyes are on me. I look to Shane, but he's in his own thoughts, anywhere but the present. Then it's Ryland, but all I see is nothing but anger.

"Fuck, Chris! Can you chill?"

"Can you maybe not be such a perfect fucking princess? I'm not you and never will be!" I yell back at Ryland as I storm off out of the kitchen.

"Chris,wait- "

I flip Morgan off, interrupting her sentence. Great, I ruined another family dinner because of my past. Sometimes I just wish that these ugly scars would just disappear and never show again.

Maybe then I'll be fully happy...maybe then..

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A/N: Ayeeeeee!first chapter done!!! Shane is like a ghost in this chapter, my bad lol. Make sure y'all vote and comment. I will try to post two chapters a day!