2 weeks later
Alison POV:
"Hey, babe?" Emily says, walking into the kitchen.
"Yeah?" I ask.
"There is a swim competition in Colorado next week that the school is sponsoring. And I'm so the swim coach, so obviously I have to go." She says quickly.
"Next week?!" I exclaim.
"...Yes?" She hesitates.
"And when did you find out about this?" I demand.
"Last night after you were asleep. Principal Hackett set it up." She tells me.
"I'll help you pack." I say.
"It sounds like you want to get rid of me. What are you hiding?" She asks suspiciously.
"It came out the wrong way. I mean...I don't know." I say, sighing.
"Hmmm...Okayyy? You aren't cheating on me, are you?"
"What?! Hell no!" I shriek.
"The way you're acting isn't making me fell any better." She frowns.
"I'm sorry." I tell her, and kiss her lips.
"I'm not cheating on you. And I never will. Who would cheat on you?!" I declare. "Only someone with a mental problem." I add.
[...]
The next week
"Bye, babe." I say to Emily, and kiss her. She gives everyone else a kiss on the head, and a hug, before boarding her plane.
-
"Who wants lunch?" I say excitedly, and all of the kids give me blank expressions.
Brighton attempts to climb on one of the adult chairs, but fails, and falls backward right on her ass.
She tries it again, and ends up with the same result. She looks at me with expecting eyes.
I sigh, and sit her down on the chair.
When I sit her down, she turns around, and stats chewing and sucking on the chair. She bites it, pulling back.
"What are you trying to do, child?! Pull your head off?!" I laugh.
She looks at me as I give everyone a plate of macaroni.
She grabs the cup of water, which has been sitting out all night and all afternoon.
When she takes a sip, she makes her sour face, and turns back around, spitting it all out onto the floor.
"Gwoss." She mumbles.
"Brighton Estelle!" I exclaim.
She looks at me giving me a glare, and throws the cup onto the floor.
"Yuck!" She exclaims.
"You are such a brat!" I groan.
"Bwat." She says, mocking me.
I put her plate of food in front of her, and she pushes it away.
"No." She says.
I sigh, and clean up the water on the floor.
As I'm cleaning, I see macaroni falling on the floor in front of me.
"Gwoss." Brighton says each time she throws macaroni on the floor.
"Brighton!" I whine.
"Mama!" She says in the same tone.
Luckily, Ellie comes over, cleaning up the mess. But, of course, when Brighton sees Ellie, she just stars hand feeding her from the table.
