Scars and all

Taking the napkin, Brittney smiled again. Had she really made some new friends? What a nice way to end what had started out as such a lousy evening. "Thank you. It was great hanging out with all of you."

She hesitated a moment  before finally prying herself away. "I better not keep the driver waiting. Bye..." 

As she left - and almost twisted her ankle again - Kirk chuckled and shook his head. "She's quite the character," he mused. "Nice though." 

Stretching tall, he yawned and glanced at his watch. "So are we staying or going or what? 'Cause if we don't decide, I might accidentally fall asleep."


Hearing the back door open, Garret didn't move. He was tired, and he felt like all the day before had done was open up doors in his mind he should have left closed and locked. He didn't move when Maggie sat down next to him. He didn't mind her, but he just...wanted to be alone today.

As her words hit his ears though, he turned to look at her and started to frown. What was she talking about? He hadn't said no yet. He didn't have time to respond though, before she'd torn the paper in half. What on earth...? He blinked and just looked at the paper, then back at the door as it swung shut again. Beyond baffled, he picked up the pieces so he could read what she'd written on the back...and he felt like he'd just been stabbed in the heart. And he didn't like that feeling at all.

Inside, Laura had caught sight of Maggie headed upstairs quickly, and paused her cooking to glance at Nate. "What was that all about? Was she outside?" She and Nate had just been discussing giving Garret some space today - that maybe yesterday had just been a little too much.

As if on cue, the back door opened and shut again and Garret appeared in the doorway of the kitchen, holding up the torn flyer. "Now what did I do?" He couldn't help the irritation in his voice. He didn't understand and he was frustrated that something he'd done had upset Maggie when he didn't even know what it was.

Laura saw the papers and sighed as she shut off the stove. "Oh Garret..." She glanced at Nate, then back again, cringing a little. "You didn't do anything."

"Then why this? I don't understand."

"Maggie is a sensitive girl. Do you think she didn't notice how you balked at her invitation to the school dance? Or your sudden retreat from us this morning?"

Garret tossed the papers in the waste can as he scowled. "So now I can't spend a few minutes alone 'cause she'll take it personally?"

Laura set a hand in her hip. "That's not what I meant and you know it."

"Well what am I supposed to do? I don't belong at that dance. Or picking her up from school or even here." His frustration was growing and he didn't even know why. "You all are trying to make me a part of this family and I don't fit. I never will! I'm too different."

Laura sidled past Nate, not caring if this was her place or not. "You listen here, Garret Jackson. We're not forcing you to stay. You can walk away any time you want. But the fact of the matter is, you want and need us as much as we want and need you."

"I don't need -"

"Yes you do. And it's about time you admitted it. You better stop feeling sorry for yourself and start realizing that you can actually enjoy life if you'd let yourself."

"By going to a dance?!"

"The dance isn't the point! You don't have to go - I know it's uncharted waters for you, and to be honest, not many people would be comfortable with it. The point is, you're refusing to accept that someone cares about you just the way you are, scars and all. And as long as you can't do that, you'll always feel like you're on the outside looking in. It's time you stop using being different as an excuse and start embracing your differences because that's what makes you the person we care about."

Garret's jaw tightened, but for some reason, despite his agitation, he opted not to argue any further. Not even looking at Nate, he turned on his heel and stalked to the bedroom where he shut the door. 

Laura groaned and put her hands on her head, closing her eyes tight. "Oh, Lord, forgive me. I just couldn't stop my mouth." She half-opened one eye at Nate. "You wanna go make sure Maggie's okay while I figure out how to cut out my tongue?"