"Dad, you go help her."

       As the sound of those words rang through the air, I quickly made my way to Beth, heading back outside. "That isn't necessary. I'm certain I could manage on my own." Beth gave me a small smile, "Nonsense. Rick can help you. Afterwards, once you've got yourself settled in, why don't you join us for dinner?"

       She wasn't going to give in, I could tell. "Dinner would be lovely, Beth, thank you very much." I forced a smile onto my face as I watched her head back to her house, followed by three of the four family members she had brought along.

       "So, where's a babe like y-eugh-ourself coming from?" I watched, astounded, as Rick belched through his sentence and addressed me as babe before placing his flask inside his lab coat. "Well, Rick, I'm only a days drive away from home, so I don't feel the need to tell you where it is that I'm coming from. And I'm not 'babe' to anybody. It's (F/N)."
       "Touchy."

       I pinched the bridge of my nose, shutting my eyes in frustration, before I made my way into the house and over to the boxes. "These," I began moving a few towards the garage, "are not to be handled by anybody but myself. They hold every bit of equipment I've been able to get my hands on after eight years of tracking them down. I need them intact."

       In response, I got a suspicious yet curious glance from Rick before he grabbed boxes. "Each box is labeled for whatever room it belongs in. The kitchen is through the doorway right in front of you. The bedroom, bathroom, and storage room are up the stairs to your right. The dining room is through the doorway behind you, and, of course, you're standing in the living room. Please be gentle with my boxes."

       In a mocking tone, I received a 'yes, ma'am' before Rick went about placing boxes in their rooms.

-x-

       In under twenty minutes, each box was where it belonged. "Now it's just the furniture. Would you grab that end of the couch and help me move it to the center of the room?"

       "Oh, now eugh we ask politely." I rolled my eyes, walking towards my end of the couch. We dragged it towards the center of the room, set up a table on either end of it, and placed the tv on the stand in front of it. We did the same thing for each room until all of the furniture was put in its place.

       The last thing to do was unpack the boxes of my personal belongings. "You can go home now and tell Beth I'll be over as soon as I finish unpacking these, if you'd like."
       Rick stood, "I can't leave until it's eugh all done or Beth will bitch." He grabbed the boxes for the kitchen. "Plates go in the cupboard to the right of the stove." I put away the cups, bowls, and silverware, while Rick placed pots and pans in other cupboards, following my instructions.

        Together, we carried the last four boxes up to my room. My books were the first to be unpacked. I placed them on the shelves. Rick set my electronics up on my desk and began to plug things into the only outlet in my room, while I made my bed.

       Rick began to reach for the last box, the largest out of them all. It held my clothing. I didn't want him peeking at my undergarments. "I'll handle this one, thank you."
       Shrugging, Rick made his way to my bed, taking a seat as he pulled his flask out again. I unboxed my clothes and put them away, having folded them or placed them on hangers before we left. While putting them away, I set aside a dress and a pair of shoes from the bottom of the box.

        "Finally." I threw all of the smaller boxes into the larger box and ran it over to the supply room, consisting only of spare pillows and blankets, and ran back to grab my outfit for dinner with his family. I stole a peek at my phone, checking the time. 5:57. I had a few spare minutes to change and head over.

       I laid my lab coat on the back of my desk chair and went into the restroom. "I'll be right out. I'm going to change first."
       "Cool."

         I looked at the dress in the mirror, making sure it wasn't too high on my legs, and threw my hair into a bun, leaving the bathroom in just under five minutes. "You're one of the faster girls, huh?" He smirked.

       "I don't see what you're getting at." I pulled my sandals on, grabbed my phone, and went down the stairs, Rick trailing behind. "You're eugh one of the girls that doesn't take an hour to apply make-up or anything."

       Once outside, I shrugged, "I never saw any use for it." Rick gave a short 'hmm' in response before we made our way over to Beth's.

      Their house was very nicely decorated. Walking in, I found myself standing in what appeared to be a simple front room. Beth arrived from a room to my left, "This way, come on in. Don't worry about your shoes either." Smiling and nodding politely, I followed Beth. Unfortunately, I wound up sitting next to Rick. "I hope you like chicken, (F/N)."

       Beth gently grabbed a silver platter cover, lifting it to reveal a beautifully roasted chicken. "That looks absolutely marvelous, Beth!"
       "Well, I'm sure your mother probably cooks just the same." Beth shrugged off the compliment. "Actually," I looked down at my thumbs, spinning them around each other, "I've never had my mother's cooking. Ever since I was born, I was lucky if I saw them for a few hours a year. So I don't know what she cooked like. But I'm sure she would've been as skilled as you are."

       Beth looked like she didn't know what to say at first. "Oh," she folded her hands together, "I'm sorry to hear that. Will you see them anytime soon?"

        "I'm afraid not. They were killed two years ago, on my birthday." I chuckled to myself, "I actually forgot my own birthday." Beth gave me a sad look, "well, we could always celebrate it if you'd like. Would it be a late party or an early party?"
        "You don't have to do that, honestly. Today I'm officially nineteen." Beth looked shocked to hear that. "You look and act much more mature for your age. I'm... very impressed."

        "I appreciate that, Beth, thank you. I get that a lot. Three years ago, when my principal announced me Valedictorian of the senior class, he said the same thing." This time, all around the table, jaws dropped in awe. "Y-you graduated at sixteen? As Va-Valedictorian?!" The sudden sound of Morty's pre-pubescent voice made my skin crawl.

       "Yes, Morty. And I hope I didn't upset you guys with my comment on my parents. They weren't around enough for me to remember much, so it wasn't difficult to adjust to their permanent absence."

        "Well, you've come a long way. Congratulations on all that you've achieved, and happy birthday (F/N)."
       "Thank you, Beth." I couldn't remember a time I'd smiled this much. Beth was like the mother I always wanted. As we began to eat, discussing the neighborhood, I looked around me and saw everything I needed.

       This move was the best decision I've made.

-x-

       After dinner, I'd somehow accidentally agreed to let Summer use me as a make up model. She refused every attempt I'd made to get out of the situation, and I found myself being prodded with countless beauty products. "How does a girl put herself through all of this?" Summer gave me a shrug as she attacked my face with a sponge covered in powder.

       About fifteen minutes later, I was looking at myself in a mirror. "That's... me?" Summer nodded, proud of herself. "I've never worn make up before. Can I touch it, or will it rub off?"
       "You shouldn't touch it. I don't have enough money to buy smear proof." Summer ran over and grabbed my arm, "Let's go show my mom!"

       Instantly, I was being dragged back downstairs and placed in front of the television. The rest of the family had been watching a show when their attention was diverted to me and the small girl gripping my shoulders and holding me in place. "Guys, guys, guys! Look!" Summer refused to release my arms, probably knowing I would run away as soon as she did. Beth obviously loved it.
       "Aw, (F/N)! It's absolutely stunning on you!" I gave her a small, thankful smile, glad she thought so because I'd been beginning to worry. "You know, you should look into modeling."

       I turned towards Jerry, and remembered what everybody kept bringing up at the dinner table.
       "You know, Jerry, you might be on to something. You should also look into getting a job." I watched in amazement as the entire family, excluding Jerry, began to laugh at my joke. Jerry just scowled, staring at his feet.

       A short while later, I returned home, thinking about what Summer had said. "I don't have enough money for smudge proof." Maybe I could get her a nice present for doing my make up, even though I consistently asked to get out of it.

        "I'll pick it up for her tomorrow." I finished washing the makeup off my face, threw on some pajamas, and went to bed, thinking about finally getting to set my lab up tomorrow.