Almost Home ~K.C.

"Home"

When we get to the house we are greeted by Stacia's husband Karl. Alvaro and Rio walk away to the kitchen, leaving Gio and I alone with Karl.

"You must be Stacia's new brats." He says. I look at him and scoff.

"And you must be her new sugar daddy. Can't wait until she drops you like every other man whore she's had. Don't worry though, she'll take your money first!" I reply. He pushes me against the wall and glares.

"Don't disrespect me darling. With one snap I can convince Stacia to drop you off at the nearest whore house for quick cash." He says. I kick him in his groin and he drops to the floor.

"Anything beats living here with you and your crack whore." I whisper in his ear. Gio runs over and hugs me.

"What the hell?! Rebecca Lorraine Romero, how dare you hurt Karl!" Stacia yells. I scoff.

"Maybe he should have thought about that before insulting me and Gio and then threatening me." I reply.

"He pushed her against the wall too! She has bad headaches! Too much impact on her head could kill her!" Gio yells. I turn to him and kneel down.

"Gio it's okay. I'll deal with this." I say calmly. He nods and walks upstairs.

"Rebecca I'm so sorry! Karl will leave as soon as he gets done packing his shit!" She says. I nod.

"It isn't your fault Stacia. I shouldn't have dealt with it the way I did. I'm sorry that I caused issues not even an hour after my arrival." I reply. Stacia shakes her head.

"No you are my daughter, I should have protected you from this." She says. I sigh.

"I'm going to help Gio settle in. I'll see you all at dinner." I say as I turn to walk away.

"Wait!" Stacia yells. I turn.

"Yes?" I reply.

"I'm sorry I was such a bad mother to you Becca. I really want to fix things." She says.

"We are way past fixing Stacia. I'm here for Gio, not for you." I reply, walking away. I walk into Gio's room and help him unpack before going into my room and doing the same. I pull out a photo of me and Gio standing next to my father and his ex wife in the front yard of our grandmother's house. I sigh and put it on the desk.

"Knock knock." Kairi says, walking into my room. I look up and then continue unpacking.

"Can I help you?" I ask. He scoffs.

"So sassy. Anyway, why do you hate your mother so much?" He asks, sitting on a beanbag I had in the corner of my room next to my vanity.

"She is not my mother. She is the woman who gave birth to me, my mother died a year before my father." I reply. He looks at me confused.

"What do you mean?" He asks.

"My step mom. Her name was Lorraine. She was my father's childhood best friend and the woman I was named after. She died of an asthma attack a year before my father was diagnosed with cancer. No one was home and the paramedics didn't make it in time. She's gone. Now I'm stuck with Stacia." I reply as I finish packing. He grabs my hand and I look up confused.

"But why do you hate Stacia?" He asks, slowly pulling me over to him and setting me in his lap.

"She sent Gio and I away. Didn't want Alvaro and Rio to be distracted or held back from being the very best athletes and scholars." I reply as I try to stand up. He holds me down and looks into my eyes.

"Weren't you undefeated in dance, track, and soccer last year? Not to mention you've been on the honor roll every year of school." He says. I raise an eyebrow.

"How did you know that?" I ask. He smiles and tucks a piece of my hair behind my ear.

"I did my research so we could maybe become friends." He replies. I smile and hug him.

"That's cute Kai." I say.

"Kai?" He asks. I nod giggling. He rolls his eyes and someone walks in.

"Beck I have your Philly Bear." Gio says as he walks in holding my favorite teddy bear. I stand up and grab it.

"Thanks Gio." I reply. He nods and walks out.

"Philly Bear?" Kairi asks. I laugh.

"My boyfriend took me to Philadelphia for vacation and we went to a fair. He won this bear for me and I have had it ever since. It helps with my nightmares." I reply, setting the bear on my bed.

"Nightmares?" He asks. I nod slowly.

"Ever since the car accident, I've had them. Everytime I go to sleep the whole scene replays in my head." I reply.

"What was his name?" Kairi asks. I turn around and look at him.

"Hayden, he was my duet partner for dance and my biggest supporter." I say. Kairi nods and sighs.

"I should get going. The boys are probably wondering where I'm at." I nod and he leaves. I grab my phone and see I have a few texts from Adam. Just as I'm about to text back, he calls me.

"Hello?" I say, answering the call.

"Hey Rebecca! Did you make it home safely?" He asks.

"Yeah, I just finished unpacking actually." I reply.

"Want to meet up?" He asks.

"Sure when and where?" I ask. He is silent for a few seconds.

"Tomorrow morning at the mall on the southside of town." He replies.

"Alright see you then!" I say.

"Alright. Bye Becca!" He replies. I say it back and hang up.

"Beck dinner is ready." Gio says as he walks in. I nod and follow him downstairs. We sit next to each other at the table and sit silently and eat.

"So Rebecca, do you want to go with me to the fair tomorrow?" Rio asks. I look up.

"Sure what time though because I have plans tomorrow morning." I reply.

"With who?" Kairi asks.

"Adam, the guy from the airport. We are going to the mall on the southside of town." I reply.

"Oh good you already made friends!" Stacia says. I nod.

"Well we can go tomorrow night. It's more fun that way and the lights are beautiful at night." Rio says. I nod as I finish eating. I stand up and wash my plate.

"Goodnight everyone." I say. They all say it back and I walk upstairs to my room.