(Continued)
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The last block of the day came for Claudia, in her math class, where she was called down to the office with her stuff. All eyes went to her as she gathered her books, slipped them into her backpack, and slung the bag over her shoulder. As she walked past the glass wall of the office, she saw her mother and father standing at the counter fuming. Claudia decided it was best not to say anything, and just let them yell, but they didn't. Pippa walked up to her and pointed to the door, signaling for them to leave, while Lin stood by the desk. Claudia assumed that he was waiting for AnneMarie and followed her mother out. The two stayed silent as they got into the huge SUV and clipped on their seatbelts. With a deep sigh, Pippa looked at Claudia. "Why?" She asked. Claudia bit her lip and shrugged.

"Why did I let her get beat up? Because she thinks that she can do whatever and have no consequences because you let her! She can say whatever she wants to any of us and nothing happens! Allie was grounded for a week for coming in three minutes past curfew. AnneMarie sleeps with my boyfriend and daddy smashes her computer only to turn around the next week and buy her a better one. Nova and I get our phones taken for almost a month because we posted pictures in our bikinis at the beach. AnneMarie sends nudes on Snap and nothing happens. Daddy only told her to stop, but her phone wasn't taken and you sure as hell didn't do anything. So yeah, I let her get beaten to a pulp, because at least in the real world she's gonna have to deal with what happens to shitty people," Claudia ranted. Pippa was utterly in shock and a bit confused as to what her daughter was talking about. However, she couldn't deny that AnneMarie was treated differently from the other girls.

"She's your sister, how could you be okay with this? She's family," Pippa asked. Claudia's nerves finally overflowed, forcing her to come completely clean.

"I FROZE, OKAY! I didn't think Dani was actually gonna do it, but she did and once she started, I froze. I couldn't do anything. But, me leaving her there alone, I had too. She walks all over me. She thinks that just because we are twins I would roll over and help her no matter what. Because that's what you taught us, but at a certain point people break. And I broke a long time ago. We were never best friends, we were never close, but three years ago I might have helped her," Claudia said. Pippa stared at her confused. Claudia, Allie, and Nova made a pact that they would never tell anyone about what AnneMarie said and did on the ten year anniversary of Stevie's death. They deemed the situation detrimental to their family if Pippa ever found out.

"Three years ago? What are you talking about?" Pippa asked. Claudia thought back to the defaced tombstone and ruined memorial. She couldn't get that image out of her head for weeks.

"I'm not supposed to tell you, but remember when we had that memorial service for the ten years since Ana?" Claudia asked. Pippa quietly nodded, trying not to reminisce on old feelings. "Well, AnneMarie was the one who ripped Stevie's picture and broke her tombstone, not Masey. We all were super drunk the night before and somewhere between Dairy Queen and home we lost her. Three hours later she showed up and told us what she'd done. She thought that it was funny and started to make fun of Stevie and it was bad. Nova and I wanted to tell you, but Allie made us swear not to. We knew how much that meant to you and Masey said he did it because he knew you would think he did it out of anger towards his mother and not bat an eye. After that, we never talked about the situation and stopped talking to AnneMarie. She turned nasty after that night and we didn't want a part of it," Claudia explained. Pippa stared in front of her in silence. She didn't know what to do. She wanted to scream and cry and go crazy, but she couldn't. Her head wanted all those things, but her heart was just saddened with a sprinkle of hardened. She was tired of the fighting and tired of the back and forth and just tired of it all. She started the engine to her car and took them home. No words, just thoughts.

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After school, Allie and Nova sat on the back deck smoking blunts and eating cereal. "You know sometimes I forget that you're thirteen. You look so young," Allie giggled. Nova shook her head with a smile.

"Allie, how many blunts have you had today?" Nova asked. Allie held up five fingers with an innocent smile. "Are you in pain again?" Nova asked. Allie shook her head.

"Not anymore," she said. Nova put her blunt out and came around the table.

"Give me," She said with her hand out. Allie rolled her eyes and took her last hit before handing it to her niece. Nova put the blunt out and handed Allie her phone from off the table. "Make the call," Nova said, taking the ashtray with the buds into the house. Allie took a deep sigh and dialed Meredith's number.

"Hey, it's Allie. You told me to call if I was having pain," Allie started.

"How bad is it?" Meredith asked.

"On a scale from 1-10, we need a new scale," Allie answered. Meredith sighed.

"Okay. I'll be over soon," she said before hanging up. Allie locked her phone and slid it into her pocket, before racing to clean up the room she, Nova, and Claudia shared.

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In the big city, Enzo and Feather stared at each other in silence. He sat on the coffee table across from his daughter who was on the couch. "So," he said.

"So," she repeated.

"What should we do about this?" He asked. Feather shrugged and played with her fingers.

"Should we call Nona?" She asked.

"I guess, so," he said. Enzo picked up the phone with the pink slip still in his hand. "Mom?" He said as she picked up.

"Enzo, this isn't really a good time," she tried. Enzo shook his head.

"Momma, this is the only time. Feather and I are in trouble," he said. He hated what he was about to say to his mother, especially since he was trying to be a good father to his daughter, but he knew that this was going to be better.

"Zo, what's going on?" Pippa softly asked. Enzo sat on the couch and pulled Feather into his lap, trying to find comfort in his little human.

"We're losing the apartment. My job isn't enough to support both of us and we need a place to go," he confessed, as he heard Pippa sniffle a bit.

"Come on over. Put your stuff in our empty storage unit in Brooklyn and come to stay with us. Daddy and I would be more than happy to help you guys," she offered.

"Thanks, mom. We'll be over in a couple of hours," Enzo said before he hung up. Feather smiled at her father, proudly, as they got off the phone.

"See, that wasn't so bad. How long have we been in trouble anyway?" Feather asked getting up and grabbing her coloring book off the table.

"Let's just say, I've been in hot water with the landlord for about a year now," he disclosed. Feather gasped as she continued to pack a bag.

"What did you do?" She asked through a giggle. Enzo told the story as he packed up he and his daughter for the hour-long trip they had ahead of them.

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Back in the country, AnneMarie and Lin walked into the house around 6:30 PM. The teenager had a cast on her hand, stitches in her forehead, and a nasty bruised eye. Claudia looked up from her laptop, as Lin pointed to the eat-in island and leaned against the countertop across from the island. "Where's your mother?" He asked. Claudia pointed up without taking her eyes off of her sister and the injuries. "Call her," he whispered. Quickly, Claudia pulled out her phone and dialed her mother's number. In a matter of minutes, Pippa answered.

"Hello?" She asked in a groggy voice.

"Daddy wants you," She said before hanging up. Five seconds later the master bedroom door slammed and Pippa was stomping down the stairs. "You've awakened a beast," Claudia warned. "And you, should not be here," she said to her twin. AnneMarie narrowed her eyes in confusion before realization set in.

"You didn't,"

"I had too,"

"I'm gonna kill you,"

"I promise she's gonna get to you, before you get to me," Claudia said. Phillipa rounded the corner of the stairs, her eyes pitch black, and her demeanor evil. Claudia shut her laptop as her mother stood next to her father and stared at them.

"Not only did you get drunk, but you also defaced a four thousand dollar burial ground and memorial set. Then, you lied about it. How? How do you think I should go about this?" Phillipa asked, in a low growl. AnneMarie bit her lip and played with the hem of her shirt.

"I mean, I just got beat up. I think that we should let that slide," she said. Pippa smirked and slowly shook her head.

"Let it slide? You want me to let it slide?" She asked. Claudia silently giggled as Pippa's face dropped and her eyes went even darker. "I have let numerous things slide with you, but if you think that I'm going to be condoning your behavior any longer you are sadly mistaken. You are grounded for the next six months, maybe longer if I continue to find out anything else you've done. And so we aren't mistaken you're charges are vandalism, underage drinking, sex, cheating on all fronts, disrespect, and insubordination. Now, before we head to your room and retrieve every electronic device you own, is there anything you would like to tell me?" Pippa asked in one breath. Everyone stared at her dumbfounded. They had never seen Pippa use so much authority and Lin was definitely turned on. AnneMarie silently shook her head and Claudia burst out laughing, causing Pippa to whip her neck towards her. "I don't know why you're laughing. You, Allie, and Nova are grounded for a week for lying. And you guys are moving back upstairs. Allie is going back to her room, you and AnneMarie are going back to sharing a room, and Feather and Nova are sharing Ana's room," Phillipa demanded. Claudia gasped.

"Im sorry, what? Feather?" she yelled. "Why can't I take Enzo's old room or move in with Allie?" the twin asked. Phillipa popped an eyebrow and folded her arms. Claudia decided to shut up and head down to the basement to let everyone in on what was going on.

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"Why can't you have Enzo or Stevie's room?" Allie asked as she started to pack her stuff up. Claudia rolled her eyes and continued to throw her stuff in her bag.

"Apparently, Enzo is moving back into his old room and Feather and Nova are sharing Stevie's room," Claudia answered. Nova scoffed as she dropped her clothes into her bag.

"Hopefully, my mom doesn't try to move in or we are definitely screwed," Nova said. The other girls nodded and looked back at her.

"Have you tried to talk to her?" Claudia asked. Nova shook her head.

"She won't answer." The girls started to grow with looks of worry, that Nova had taken notice of. "Hey, don't sweat it. She's probably just angry," Nova sighed, before going back to packing up.

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