My Family (A Brooke Hyland Fanfic)

Chapter 24 - Expelled

Chapter 24

We walked into the dressing room and everyone was cheering, except Abby who wasn’t here yet, we got a clean sweep. There was something underneath though, we couldn’t really celebrate the win because of what I had said before the solos. I looked at everyone in the room they all tried to look busy. Abby burst into the room “Brooke!” she shouted I spun around to face the door I saw the others look as well “Why did you do that?” She demanded, I shrugged my shoulders “I should expel you from my company-”

A voice behind me interrupted her “If you expel her, you’ll lose me too” I saw Paige step beside me and grab my hand.

“Everyone’s replaceable” Abby said dismissively, I wasn’t sure if she was seriously kicking me out or not.

“If Brooke goes I go” Chloe said stepping up to my other side

“I go too!” Maddie said ducking under my arm next to Chloe, I put my arm over both their shoulders.

Someone shoved my legs apart I looked down to see Mackenzie crawling through them “Me too! I can’t lose my sister” I smiled down at her as she grinned back at me.

“I’ll leave as well” Kendall said standing next to Paige

“And me.” Nia said standing next to Chloe, it suddenly hit me that all of the girls had just threatened Abby.

Abby glared at us before smiling “This is what I call a team. You would risk your dance careers for a teammate, I couldn’t be more proud of you all. Now come here, I wasn’t really going to expel her.” We all smiled and hugged Abby, the moms looked confused as they packed up our things.

I waited until the others had gone back to helping the moms pack up “Why would really have expelled me?” I asking in a small voice.

She grabbed my shoulders “Don’t you dare think for a second I would ever do that to you. I love you like a daughter.” She pulled me into a hug.

“Everything’s going to change now isn’t it?” I asked pulling away from her hug.

“It is, for better or worse that’s up to you” she said pointing at me.

“Brooke, what are these?” mom said holding up my letters I quickly ran over.

“Nothing” I said as I pulled them out of her hand and shoved them in my carry on.

I looked over at Kelly who was smiling. Maybe she noticed some of them where open. I sat on a chair and waited for everyone to finish packing up our things. We were leaving tonight so that we don’t have to waste a whole day on the bus tomorrow.

“Great!” I say loudly “Now it’s more awkward than before!”

I banged my head on the table in front of me. “Did you expect it to just be somehow work itself all out?” Mom asked.

“Well I kinda hoped it would” I replied sheepishly

“Really? Well we’re going to fix it so Kelly, you bring your family and Brooke, Chloe and I will meet you at the coffee shop on Monday.” Mom said in a tone that said things were final.

I shrugged “What time?” Kelly asked

Mom thought for a minute “Well dance starts at 4 tomorrow, so we could meet at 11?”Mom said, Kelly nodded “You okay with that Brooke?”

“Whatever” I replied shrugging

“I give up with you!” mom said exasperated

“Listen up everyone! The bus is outside, we will be back in Pittsburgh by about 10 tomorrow morning!” Abby yelled across the room. Everyone collected their things and we made our way to the lobby and then out to the bus. We loaded our things into the storage space and piled onto the bus.

I decided I wanted to sit alone so I sat at the front of the bus. The girls where down the back already fighting over who was going to sit where, what movies they were going to watch and who was getting the snacks, the mom and Abby sat in the middle each in a separate seat all facing each other deep in conversation.

I leant back against the seat, my headphone in listening to my ‘Coldplay’ playlist. We had been on the bus for about half an hour before I remembered I still had the letters. I pulled out the next on from 2001.

January 30th 2001

Dear Brooke,

3. Today you turned 3. Happy Birthday, I hope you do lots of fun things for your birthday. I saw your grandparents a few days ago. I hadn’t seen them in over 2 years, they came over and the first thing the asked was ‘where is the baby?’ really shows what a great relationship I have with them. When I said you weren’t here they left. At least I have a good relationship with Randy’s parents, they are more like my parents now than my own.

It would be confusing for you, a lot has gone on for us to get to this point. When I told them I was pregnant with you they kicked me out. At the time I was 16.I lived with Abby until you were born. After I gave you away I moved back in with them. Things where tense, they never asked about you. Maybe they thought you were staying with Randy.

Sincerely

Your mom/ Kelly Hyland

I carefully folded the letter back up and decided it would get some sleep. I got up and walked down to where mom was sitting. “Can I have my pillow?” I asked

“Sorry honey, it was packed in the suitcase” mom said

“Fine, I guess I’ll just sleep here” I said as I sat down and made myself comfortable. I closed my eyes and tried to fall asleep, I just couldn’t, I stayed like that waiting for sleep to take me when the moms started talking.

“I don’t think she likes me very much” I heard Kelly say as mom rubbed my arm.

“She doesn’t like change, did you really not want to talk to her?” mom asked

“I did, still do. It’s hard, you’re her mom. She was 7 when I first saw her, that day Paige and Chloe both started dance. The way she looked at you when she told you she did a chin stand. She won’t ever look at me like that. I may be her mother through blood but you will always be her mother” I heard Kelly say, her voice cracked and I knew she was crying.

“You can still have a relationship with her, I know she wants to have one with you.” Mom replied

“I ruined it, the day they showed us the trio was they day she told me she knew and do you know what I did? I continued to walk. I made her feel like I didn’t care, and that is my second biggest regret” Kelly said

“Then what would be your biggest?” Melissa asked from across the aisle.

“Giving her up in the first place, I wanted nothing more for the past 15 years than to hug her and tell her how much I love her” Kelly was crying heavily now. I couldn’t take it anymore, I opened my eyes, climbed over the seats and hugged Kelly. At first she didn’t do anything, she sat there until she wrapped her arms around me and cried onto my shoulder. 

I looked over at mom and she smiled at me, Kelly was whispering to me “I love you, I always have and I always will” I squeezed Kelly tighter and closed my eyes as tears spilled out of them. Soon enough I drifted into unconsciousness.