Featured song: Baby Mine by Evynne Hollens

Lamenta sat on her bed, crying into her knees.

Just then, there was a knock at her door.

"Hey, Little Lamb." said Carmine, walking in. "How was your first day of school?"

Lamenta looked up at her father and just turned her back. He was the last person she wanted to even think about right now. But that only sparked concern in her father.

"Sweetheart, what's the matter?"

"Lammy, tell Daddy I don't wanna talk to him." Lamenta told her lamb as though it would answer.

Carmine was confused. Lamenta had used her lamb plushie to express her feelings before, but never in anger towards him.

"Lamenta... what's the matter? Did I do something?"

Lamenta didn't answer though.

"Is this because I gave you a grapefruit instead of an orange in your lunch today?"

"It's not about my stupid lunch!" Lamenta said. "No one cares about me!"

"Lamenta, is someone picking on you?"

"Like anyone cares! All they want is you! Can you just get out of my room?!"

Carmine was shocked by that outburst. He didn't think he'd experience that kind of behavior from his daughter until she was at least Boba and Omega's age. Or at all from his sweet Lamenta.

"Excuse me?" Carmine gasped.

"I don't want anything to do with Count Crescendo anymore!" Lamenta exclaimed. "I'm done being the Crescendo kid!"

Lamenta Force pushed Carmine, but he caught himself.

"Lamenta Valentine Jinn!" Carmine scolded. "I don't know what's gotten into you, but this is no excuse to disrespect your own father!"

"And who is my father really?" Lamenta said. "People don't even know who my father really is, and yet they love him more than me, and you messed things up for me in school!"

"What did I do?"

"You just had to go and work for the most famous pop star ever, didn't you? And what do people see when they look at me? A free pass to tickets, inside scoops, autographs! They don't see me! No one even knows I exist!"

Lamenta once again Force-pushed her father, this time getting him out of her room, and slamming her hand on the button to shut the door.

"Lamenta-" Carmine picked himself up and knocked on the door. "Lamenta, you'd better open this door, or so help me, I will ground you-"

Except, he couldn't finish that sentence as he heard Lamenta crying again. Carmine took a breath.

"Lamenta, come on, open the door. Please?"

"Go away." Lamenta whined.

Carmine sighed. It was clear Lamenta didn't want anything to do with him at the moment. This looked like a job for a mother.

"Caroline!" Carmine called.

Anakin and Padme went to check on Boba and found his bedroom door closed, but from the other side they could hear what sounded like loud rock music, and there appeared to be... steam coming from his room.

Anakin quickly opened the door and steam quickly filled the air, motivating Anakin to open the window with the Force.

Padme covered her ears at the loud sound of Boba playing his guitar as though unleashing his anger. In the last couple years since Boba started learning the guitar, he started unleashing most of his negative emotions on his guitar. And when he was angry, he tended to resort to playing rock or heavy metal, depending on his level of anger.

And right now, Boba's room looked and felt like a sauna. The steam must have been from a combination of strong anger in Boba and his water magic.

Boba took a lot of heavy breaths as he seemed to have tired himself out from playing so loudly.

"Boba, what's going on?" Padme asked.

"What's got you so steamed?" Anakin asked, fanning away some steam. "No pun intended."

Boba sighed and made the steam go away.

"I didn't get on the cheer squad." Boba confessed, sitting on his bed. "But Omega did."

"Oh, Boba." Padme sat on the bed and hugged her son. "I'm sorry. I know you really wanted to be on the team."

"Yeah, Mom. And I didn't get in because I'm a boy."

"What?" Anakin gasped.

"Sweetie, that's terrible! Are you sure that's the reason?" Padme said.

"Yeah, Mom." said Boba. "I talked to the coach at tryouts, and she straight up said cheerleading isn't for boys, and that I would be a distraction to the girls, and I would be distracted too."

Briars grew in the room as Anakin got really mad.

"Okay, that is not only sexist, but that's also discrimination." Anakin said. "We'll see what the coach has to say when I'm through with her."

"Ani, please tell me you're not going to resort to Force choking." Padme begged.

"Don't worry, Angel. With what I'm gonna do, the coach will wish she were being choked instead." Anakin said. And he left the room and called for someone. "Dad, I need to discuss something with you."

Caroline soon arrived at Lamenta's room and found she wasn't there. So, she checked in Gabby's room, where her niece was brushing her doll's hair while Carousella brushed hers.

"Girls, have you seen Lamenta anywhere?" Caroline asked.

"No, Aunt Caroline." Gabby said. "I tried to talk to her a few minutes ago, but she wouldn't come out of her room."

"Have you checked the corral or the stables?" Carousella asked. "Maybe she's with Crescent."

"Thank you, Carousella." Caroline said.

And just like Carousella said, Lamenta was with Crescent. She was riding him around the corral as fast as the pegasus could run. But no matter how much of the wind flowed through her hair, Lamenta couldn't stop herself from crying again.

That made Crescent stop and lay down, wrapping Lamenta in his wing.

"Don't cry, Lamenta." Crescent begged sadly, nuzzling his rider. "It's gonna be okay."

"No one likes me! How can anything be okay?!"

Lamenta turned invisible and started to run away, that being made clear from her footprints appearing in the grass. And then Wrecker tripped as Lamenta ran past him and the Batcher didn't see her.

"Whoa!" Wrecker exclaimed, and he fell forward onto his stomach. "What was that?"

Pinto's ears perked up and he smelled something.

"Judgin' by the smell of lavender and the sound of cryin', I'm guessin' Lamenta's upset." said the musicorn. "And apparently became literally invisible."

But as the invisible girl was running, she bumped into someone she didn't see despite them being visible. And when Lamenta fell on her bottom, she turned visible again and looked up to see... her mother.

"Lamenta! Are you okay?" Caroline knelt down to her daughter.

In response, Lamenta sniffed and started crying again.

Caroline immediately wrapped her arms around her daughter and picked her up in a hug. She kissed Lamenta's head and gently stroked her on her back, trying to calm her down.

"It's okay, Lammy." Caroline soothed. "Mommy's here. No need to cry."

Caroline carried Lamenta back inside and brought her to the child's bedroom so they could talk alone.

"Lamenta... Sweetie." Caroline started, getting Lamenta to look at her. She looked serious, but also tried to appear as gentle as possible. "Your father told me about a little outburst you had earlier. Can you tell me why you did it?"

Lamenta didn't say anything and just looked down.

"Lamenta...?" Caroline pushed gently.

Still, Lamenta didn't say anything, and she looked like she would start crying again until Caroline grabbed Lammy the sheep and gave her to Lamenta.

"Lamenta... did something happen at school?"

That was when Lamenta did start crying again. But this time, she actually spoke.

"I...I tried to make friends today. And I met three kids from my class. We played in the sandbox together and made a castle. At first, we had so much fun. But then... one of them asked me about Daddy working for Count Crescendo."

Caroline was a bit surprised, though at the same time not so much. She had a feeling what was coming next, but asked more questions anyway to know for sure.

"And what did you tell them?"

"I told them that Daddy does work for Count Crescendo, but then they started asking more about what it's like touring with him and what Count Crescendo is like, whether I get easy access to tickets, private concerts, all that stuff. But they didn't ask one thing about me! It's like no one care that I exist! It's just like when we used to tour all the time! No one wants to be my friend for real. They just want Count Crescendo. No one loves me."

Caroline tearfully hugged Lamenta, she realized she and Carmine should've expected this. But they'd wanted to give her the chance to go to a real school so she could have a normal life. Sadly, with Carmine's double life as a pop star, that was really difficult even without anyone knowing he and Count Crescendo were literally one in the same.

"Lamenta, that's not true." Caroline said. "Gabby and Boba love you."

"They're my cousins. They're supposed to love me." Lamenta grumbled.

"But we didn't know you were cousins when we met them, remember?" Caroline pointed out.

Lamenta thought back to the day she met her cousins and realized her mother was right. Back when Lamenta was much shyer, Gabby was concerned when she saw the former was scared. And unlike so many kids she'd met on tour, the first question she asked her had nothing to do with Count Crescendo. Instead, Gabby was interested in getting to know Lamenta and her alone, and then she introduced her to her friends, and later they became Lamenta's friends too.

And for the days before they knew they were cousins, Gabby spent her every waking moment showing Lamenta all the fun stuff Lamenta had only seen groups of kids do on TV. Pillow fights, pony rides, playing Hide and Seek, and she finally had someone else her age to gaze at stars with and dance ballet. And Gabby was genuinely sad when she thought Lamenta was going to leave, and they might not see each other for a long time. But then they were happily met by the revelation that they were cousins, and Lamenta's family moved in with Gabby's. And shortly after that, she got another new friend. Crescent Mareheart.

"That is true." Lamenta shrugged.

"And do you think Gabby would love you any less even if you weren't related?" Caroline asked.

Lamenta thought and shook her head. "No."

"Exactly. She loves you for you. And so do Crescent, Carousella, your aunt and uncle, you grandfather, and so many other people. Those who have been there for you during your bad times, were concerned when you appeared distressed, and show genuine interest in who you are as a person... those are your true friends."

Lamenta sniffed again, and this time Caroline wiped her tears away.

"How is she?" came Carmine's voice from the other side of the door.

"Daddy?" Lamenta said.

Carmine soon came in.

"Hello, Lamb. Still upset?" He said.

Lamenta ran to her father, hugged his legs and cried.

"I'm so sorry, Daddy! I was never mad at you, I'm mad at those stupid kids who think I'm their golden ticket to Count Crescendo!"

Carmine then picked up his daughter and carried her to her bed and cuddled her closely. Now that Lamenta was calmer, he knew just what she needed to stop crying. This wasn't the first time other kids had hurt his little lamb. And whenever Lamenta was hurt or sad and needed comfort, Carmine had a special song he and Caroline sang just for her. Not for anyone else. His father had his special lullaby, and now he and Caroline had one for them and their daughter too.

Carmine: Baby mine, don't you cry

Carmine got Lamenta to look at him as he wiped her tears away.

Baby mine, dry your eyes
Rest your head close to my heart
Never to part, baby of mine

Lamenta buried her face in her father's chest as he continued to hug and comfort her, and Caroline joined in that hug as both she and Carmine gave their daughter all their love like they did every single day.

Caroline: Little one, when you play
Don't you mind what they say
Let your eyes sparkle and shine
Never a tear, baby of mine

Carmine & Caroline: If they knew sweet little you
They'd end up loving you, too
All those same people who scold you
What they'd give just for the right to hold you

Caroline: From your head to your toes
You're not much, heaven knows
Carmine: But you're so precious to me
Sweet as can be, baby of mine

Oh, baby of mine
Oh, baby of mine

Caroline: Oh, baby of mine

Lamenta started to feel much better now as her parents hugged and kissed her.

"It'll be okay, Lamenta." Carmine said. "Tomorrow is a new day. Starting school is always hard, but it'll get better if you just learn from your experiences."

"It doesn't matter how many friends you make in school." said Caroline. "What matters is the quality of the friends you find, and the ones who stay because they love you for you."

At dinner that night, others noticed most of the Skywalker-Jinn kids seemed distressed earlier, but they seemed calmer now. Still, many were concerned.

"How was your first day at school, children?" Obi-Wan asked.

"I was denied cheerleading because I'm a guy." Boba answered simply.

"Kids asked me about Count Crescendo yet again." Lamenta rolled her eyes.

"I made a friend named Hera." Omega said. "and joined the engineering club and cheer squad."

"What about you, Gabby?" Anakin asked. "You never told us about your day."

"Well..." Gabby started.

"She pretty much the queen of the school now." Boba said. "Little Miss Popular."

"Believe me, it's not as fun as it looked." Gabby said. "I didn't even want that to happen."

That surprised the other kids. Most students would kill to be the most popular in school. And based on what some schools portrayed in TV and movies, some might even do that literally.

"But kids were giving you their cookies and chocolate milk." Lamenta pointed out.

"And they gave you flowers and set out your lunch, and pushed you on the swings." Boba said. "You were getting the royal treatment."

"And that's the problem!" Gabby said. "No one was treating me like a kid. How am I supposed to find friends in school when all anyone sees is my crown? They just let me win at games, which defeats the whole purpose of playing, and I have enough candies and cookies to feed a bear in my backpack. I tried to get to you guys, but I couldn't find Lamenta, Omega was busy with Hera, Boba was with Roya, and no matter where I went, other kids just kept following me or bowing in my presence and not really taking the time to know me as a kid."

"So, I guess, in other words," said Boba. "The only one who had a good day was Omega."

Omega suddenly looked down, feeling guilty. This was the first day of real school for all four kids, and only one of them had a perfect day.

"Now I feel guilty talking about my day." Omega said.

"Don't feel bad, Omega." Lamenta said. "It's not the first time people have been interested in my parents' careers instead of my existence or feelings."

"And I've gotten judged for worse than being a boy." Boba said.

"It wasn't all bad." Gabby shrugged. "That fifth grader who pushed me on the swing really knew how to do it. And I got plenty of apples and sugar cookies to share with Carousella. And I saved a cinnamon bun for you, Big Brother."

Boba felt a little better hearing his sister saved him a sweet treat she'd received.

"Now, children." said Qui-Gon. "I've heard of all the... issues you faced today, and we will do something about them. You deserve a good experience at school as much as any other child."

"Yeah, we didn't put you in that school so you could quit on the first day." Anakin said. "Did we give up when things got tough in the Clone War?"

"No." The kids said.

"Exactly. And the challenges you'll face in school can feel like you're in a battle. But what determines whether you win or lose is how you choose to face those challenges."

That gave Boba an idea.

"Remix, I need you to be my camera stallion." Boba said, getting his phone and heading up to his room to get something.