When Will You Realize That I'm Your Child Too?

Ariana sat at the table, eating her breakfast and reading a book about global warming. She finished the last of her Fruity Pebbles and rinsed the bowl out in the sink. She sighed, then groaned at the sound of her cell-phone ringing, which she now regretted turning back on, "Hello?" She answered.

"Ariana, where the hell are you!?" Adam yelled into the phone. Ariana winced.

"Ah, shut the fuck up, Adam! It's too early for yelling!" She exclaimed while walking up the stairs to the guest room.

"Where are you?" Adam asked again, more calmly this time.

"Home." She replied nonchalantly.

"I'm at home right now, you're not here!" Adam argued.

"I told you before, Adam, that's your home! Not mine!" She fought back. There was a pause, she could hear voices in the background, "Am I on speaker?" She asked.

"Yeah, Dad says to come home now or we're coming to get you." Adam said.

"Dad? What dad? I don't have a fucking father. You may have one, but I don't. Last time I check, he wanted me to be you." She growled.

"Ariana, just come home! Dad already has fucking plane tickets, he'll go get you himself."

"How? He doesn't know where I am. I could be in Chicago for all he knows. Maybe I'm in Mexico, partying it up with my amigos."

"Stop it! This isn't a fucking joke! You ran off in the middle of the night! I can't live here without you, Ariana! You're my other fucking half! I can't live over here while you're out on your own!"

"You can live fine without me. I'll come visit." She said happily.

"Ugh! You're as stubborn as Mom!" And he hung up.

"Exactly." She growled to the phone, even though no one was on the other line.

Ryan sighed and put a hand over his face to think. He let out a deep breath and watched his son cry for his sister as Spencer and Andy comforted him. He walked over and kneeled down in front of Adam, "Adam, do not worry, okay? I want you to stay here while I go to New York and get your sister." He said.

"No! I have to go! She won't go with you if I'm not there!" Adam protested, still crying.

"Calm down. Don't worry, I'm going to get her. I want you to stay here, though. This is between me and her. The guys will be here to take care of you." Ryan hugged his son before taking the plane ticket from the coffee table. He was originally going to take Adam, but he's decided that he should go alone.

"Bring her back, Dad. Please." Adam begged.

"Don't worry. Before I go I need your grandparents' address." Adam nodded and rattled off the address with a shaky voice. Ryan nodded and hugged his son one last time before grabbing his bag and walking out the door to the taxi waiting to take him to the airport.

Ryan sat in his seat, writing in the little journal he had on his lap. He wrote down random lines that would eventually be the verse to a song on the new album. He sighed and put his head back. He knew he made a huge mistake. He was acting like his father. It was the fact that he never wanted a daughter. He wanted boys to follow in his footsteps. He figured girls couldn't do that. 'How could I have done that to my own daughter? She was a piece of me, and I pushed her away and didn't love her.'

Ariana sat in her room, looking through old family pictures. Pictures of her and her mom, pictures of her brother and her mom, pictures of all three of them. There wasn't one picture of her and Ryan together. Not one. She flipped through the photo album and looked at the various pictures from birthday parties and holiday dinners. She wanted her mom back. She wanted her right next to her at that moment. She wanted her to come and tell her that she loved her and that this was one whole big dream.

Ryan sighed with nervousness as he got off the plane. He went to the baggage claim and picked up his suitcase and walked off to the various taxis out in the front of the airport. He picked the cleanest one and hopped in after putting his bag in the back. He told the driver his destination. The cab sped off out of the parking lot. Ryan leaned his head against the window, staring out into the slums of New York.

Ariana sat on the couch, watching home videos that her grandparents kept when their daughter died. Ariana smiled through tears at the sight of her smiling mother. Her mom worked three jobs and cared for their every need. Not once did Ariana or Adam stay home from school, because Adalae didn't want them to end up working three jobs. Adalae never yelled at her kids, they were too precious to her.

The taxi stopped in front of a duplex. By reading the sign on the door, Ariana's grandparents lived in the main house. He rang the door bell and waited. He heard the sound of feet on the other side of the door, getting closer and closer. He waited with his suitcase next to him for the door to open.

Ariana heard the door bell ring. She tore her gaze away from the home video in front of her and got up from the couch. She figured it was the paperboy asking for his money. She walked down the hall, getting closer to the door. She glanced in the window, she couldn't see a body, only a black suitcase. She sighed and opened the door, her eyes widened.

Ariana gazed up at her father, remorse in his eyes. She scowled and went to shut the door, but he put a hand in the way and held it open, "You're coming home." He said.

"I am home." She growled.

"You're not at home. Your home is in Las Vegas with me and Adam. Just come with me and I won't make this hard." He said, trying to be reasonable.

"Go ahead, make things hard. I'm not leaving." She hissed. He shook his head and pulled out his cell phone.

"Hello, Mrs. Senners? It's me Ryan....I'm here at your house....I want to take Ariana back but she won't listen to me....Thanks...." He handed the phone to Ariana.

"Hello? She answered.

"Honey, go back with Ryan." Her grandmother said sweetly.

"You're taking his side! After what he's done to me! You want me to go back!" Tears filled her eyes.

"He seems very sorry. Just give him a chance. I'll miss you." Her grandmother hung up before she started to cry. She growled and shoved the phone back at Ryan.

"Go pack." He said softy. She turned around and walked up the stairs to her room. She pulled out a suitcase, she didn't bring anything with her, but decided to take some things that she found in her old room that she wanted.

Ryan grabbed his bag and walked into the house and shut the door behind him. He wandered around the halls. The house seemed cozy, decorated with old fashioned Italian pottery and paintings. He wandered into the living room and leaned against the door frame. He crossed his arms and looked at the movie playing on the screen.

He watched as the mother of his children laughed and pushed them on swings and pushed them down slides. He watched as his three year old kids opened their presents on Christmas day, even though they were small, they still laughed with joy and hugged her. He watched as she waved off the twins to their first day of school. He watched his children on the screen. He watched them run around and play. They were so alike in so many ways, but so different. He smiled at the sight of Adam jumping up and down one Christmas when Adalae gave him a Panic! At The Disco poster, and Ariana jumping up and down when she received a Fall Out Boy poster, "That was our last Christmas together." A voice said from behind him.

Ariana stepped in front of him and turned off the T.V. with the remote. Ryan saw the tears in her eyes. She set the remote down and turned around to walk past him, he put a hand out to her, but she moved her shoulder out of the way and kept walking. He smiled sadly and followed her. They walked out of the duplex and Ryan hailed down a cab. They climbed in and drove off towards New York City to the hotel.

Ariana followed Ryan into the room. She set her stuff in the corner and jumped on one of the beds and turned to her side so her back was facing Ryan. He sighed and pulled out his laptop and plugged it into the chord in the wall, providing him Internet. He bought two plane tickets. After the flight time was confirmed, Ryan shut the laptop and turned to Ariana, who's back was still facing him, "Will you at least look at me?" He asked. He didn't receive an answer. All he heard was quiet sobs and whimpering, "Ariana?" He asked. She still didn't respond.

He got up off the bed and walked to the side of her bed and sat down next to her. He looked out the window, trying to find something she might be looking at. He spotted Juilliard, "You really want to go there, huh?" He asked. She just nodded. It was a start, "Our flight isn't till tomorrow night. It was the earliest one I could find," He informed her. She just nodded again. He put a hand on her shoulder, but she shrugged it off, "Why are you acting like this? I'm trying to tell you I'm sorry for everything I did." She turned to face him.

"I don't trust you." She said softly before looking back out the window. Ryan looked at her sadly before getting up and walking to his bed. He flipped on the television. Ariana sighed silently before falling asleep, thinking Ryan wouldn't tell her good night.

Notice how I said thinking and not knowing?

Ryan heard soft breathing coming from the bed next to him. He looked over and stood up. He walked over to the side Ariana was on and looked down, she was sleeping. He smiled and lifted her up, not wanting to wake her, and pulled the blankets back. He slipped off her Vans and set her in the bed. She made a small noise, but didn't wake up. He laughed slightly and pulled the blankets up to her shoulders. He tucked them in around her and bent down and kissed her cheek, "Goodnight, Ariana, I'm proud of you. I truly am." He whispered. He turned off the television and changed into his pajamas. He made sure the door was locked and turned off the light, falling asleep in his own bed.