( chapter ten ! )
𝟢𝟣𝟢． 𝗌𝗐𝖾𝖾𝗍 𝖼𝖺𝗋𝖺𝗆𝖾𝗅

It was the first time that Carmen and Jackie spent Lucy's birthday alone. It felt so weird for them to be celebrating without her.

  They had always celebrated Lucy's Birthday together with a big party, or at the very least just the five of them.

  It was hard for them to adjust to not celebrating with Lucy anymore.

  Carmen could tell Jackie was feeling especially down because Lucy was her best friend.

But Carmen was also down because her sisters were everything to her.

  She had felt lost with life since Lucy and her parents passed. Like she had lost part of herself and the world had lost part of its warmth.

Then again — she wasn't the only one grieving, she still had Jackie. And Jackie still had her pain.

  She woke up to Jackie unboxing the teapot Lucy bought, it was a tradition between them two.

  "You kept it?" Carmen blurted out before she could even think about her tone and choice of words.

"Why wouldn't I?" Jackie replied still smiling, she was turned facing away from her sister but Carmen knew she was saddened by her comment.

The silence came over the two as Carmen opened her phone, a memory from her photos came up.

A picture of her and Lucy appeared on the screen, she took a deep breath in not wanting to make a scene.

"Hey" Isaac knocked on their door, "Breakfast is ready." He smiles letting the sisters know.

His eyes travel over to Carmen who looked down at her phone sad, "Carms, you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm good." Carmen shakes her head, pulling away from the trance.

Isaac gives her a reassuring nod before leaving the door to go downstairs. "Carms?" Jackie questions with a smirk.

"Just shut up." Carmen smiles rolling her eyes at her sister with a soft smile.

.•° ✿ °•.

The two girls walked down the stairs — Jackie holding onto the blue teapot extremely carefully.

And they could already smell the food from their room before they left.

All the kids surrounded the kitchen doing their own activities which consisted of eating, cooking, school work and playing around.

Jackie successfully made it over to the kitchen sink without damaging the teapot.

"Yum." Carmen smiled as she took a bite of Isaac's breakfast before he could pick it up.

"Hey!" He groaned as he watched the girl steal his food and Carmen sarcastically pouts as she continues the eat his breakfast.

"Good morning." Katherine smiled at Jackie as she squeezed past her and Jackie nods in return.

  As the two greet each other, Parker runs into Jackie without noticing and causes Jackie to drop the teapot.

  Silence broke over the household as they watched the incident unfold.

  "Jackie." Carmen spoke up as she turned to her sister as the table.

  "It's fine!" Jackie shouts, her voice sounding like she was about to burst into tears.

  She instantly runs up the stairs and back into their room, slamming the door.

  "Should I?" Carmen turns to Isaac for help who simply shakes his head no.

  Maybe letting Jackie be by herself was for the better? At least that's what the other Howard sister hoped for.

.•° ✿ °•.

Carmen was back for another week of school. It wasn't like she didn't go to school back in the New York, it's just here — the days felt longer and longer.

After school there wasn't much for Carmen to look forward too. So she couldn't distract herself which made the school days feel like hours and hours.

"Boo!"

Rory jumps behind Carmen scaring her as they walk into school.

"Rory!" Carmen smiles.

She hadn't talked to Rory in what felt like days so it was nice to see her friendly face once again.

  Thankfully, they had their first class together. So Carmen would be able to catch her best friend up to speed on her dreamy situationship.

  "You fell asleep on his shoulder!?" Rory exclaims taking a seat.

  Carmen nods as she drops her bag off her shoulders and pulls out a seat next to Rory. The bell rings as the door have settled down.

  "Good morning class." The professor says as he enters his classroom speedily.

  After only five minutes, Isaac comes rushing in late. "Sorry, I'm late." He sighs out of breath.

  He stands at the door as the professor gives him a disappointing look on his face, slightly shaking his head at him.

  "And what's your excuse this time, Mr Garcia?"

  Isaac chuckles, "You know sir." He pulls the front of his jacket forward.

  "It's professor. And no. I don't not know why you are late." He says as he removes his glasses.

  "I couldn't find my jacket." Isaac sighs in a lower tone. A few students were able to hear him and began to giggle at his excuse.

  The professor shakes his head, "Please just- sit down, Mr Garcia."

  Isaac scans the room looking for a seat and his eyes fall onto the empty seat next to Carmen. She already had a feeling that he was going to sit there.

  That's why she left it.

  He pulls the seat out and takes a seat at the table next to the girl as the teacher continues his lesson. "Hey." Isaac grins.

  "Hi." Carmen smiles in return while Rory gives him the middle finger.

.•° ✿ °•.

Carmen and Rory sat down at the lunch table joining Lee and Isaac as the cafeteria was quickly filled up with students.

"So are you gonna do anything for her birthday?" Rory asks.

She sets down her lunch tray on the table and sitting down on the left side with Carmen doing the same on the left.

  "I haven't really thought about it."

  Carmen's gaze turned down as she mushed around her food on the tray repeatedly. She knew it was the right decision to do something for Lucy.

  It was just hard to imagine what she throwing Lucy a party without her being there. She didn't know if she would be able to handle it.

"Well, I will a hundred percent have your back with whatever decision you make." Rory smiled softly.

Somehow Rory's words made Carmen feel better, she made her feel much better than what she did before.

Carmen's eyes trailed over to Jackie who stood in line to get her lunch, "Hey guys, I'll be back."

  "Are you okay?" Carmen asked her sister as she stood beside her in the line.

  "I'm fine." She nods, "Why wouldn't I be?" She curiously asks.

  "Just after this morning. With Lucy's teapot." Carmen spoke abruptly without any hesitation.

  Jackie mood quickly changed as her head shifted away from her sister. She took a deep breath in before replying, "Everything is fine."

  That smiles may convince Katherine but it surely would never, ever convince Carmen.

- alisha's notes !

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