Oklahoma - Chapter Thirteen
Title: Oklahoma
Genre: Fan Fic/Drama
Pairing: N/A
Characters: Isaac Hanson, OFC, Taylor Hanson, Zac Hanson, OC, Nikki Hanson
Warnings: Language
Rating: PG13
Disclaimer: a strict work of fiction, I own nothing except the original characters and the plot line. In no way am I affiliated to any of it.
Summary: “No matter how much time passes, no matter what takes place in the interim, there are some things we can never assign to oblivion, memories we can never rub away.”
-Haruki Murakami, Kafka on the Shore
Isaac Hanson learned at a young age that life isn't always fair and eventually people really do make mistakes - really big mistakes! No matter how much you try to right that wrong, sometimes you never get that luxury.
Perrie Marshall learned at a young age that life can be hard and life can be lonely, even when you're surrounded by others. No matter how much you try to cling on to something, sometimes you have to let it go and start over again.
Chapter Thirteen
“It's not fair.” Perrie whined into the phone. “I come here expecting to maybe meet my mom, but no.”
“Life is not fair, Peachy.” Ben sighed on the other end. “But, at least you have your dad. Some kids go into foster care and never meet their real parents. If they do, well they're not all as great as your dad.”
Ben had a point. Ben always had a point!
Tragically for Perrie, Ben knew that he always had a few sage words of wisdom for the younger girl on the other end of the phone and sometimes liked to hold it over her head. Whenever she presented an issue to her older brother, Ben would promptly help her come to a positive solution. It had been this way for as long as Perrie could remember. Even now, miles and states away from her, Ben was helping her work out the issues that had been currently troubling her.
“I know, I shouldn't complain but this isn't how I imagined things going.” Perrie sighed heavily.
“On the bright side, you are around people who knew your mom. You can ask them questions, get to know her that way.” Ben suggested.
“You always see the good, don't ya Benny.”
“Sometimes, when you've had a life like mine, you have no other choice.” Ben chuckled softly. “I'm sure if you ask, they'll tell you what they know. Didn't Isaac already tell you this?”
“Yes.” Perrie confirmed her earlier statement to Ben. “But so far, it's just been Isaac telling me about her. I trust him, but I need more and from someone else.”
“Then ask somebody else.” Ben may be on the phone, but Perrie could imagine him shaking his head at her.
“But who? I asked my Uncle Zac, he doesn't know much about her.” Perrie revealed. “Zoe wasn't even born! I don't think I know my Uncle Taylor or my grandparents well enough to ask.”
“Huh.” Ben mulled over Perrie's use of words. She was reluctant to call Isaac anything but, yet she would refer to his brothers as her uncles, and did so in a way that lead Ben to wonder if she even realized she did it. Settling into a family, be it your own blood or strangers, wasn't easy and yet Perrie making that tiny transition said volumes. Ben was pleased.
“Huh what?” Perrie prompted him eagerly and a little frustrated.
“Oh nothing.” Ben dismissed it as casually as he could. If he mentioned it, then it would make Perrie self conscious, Ben didn't want her to think he or anybody else was mocking her. “I was just thinking, about who you could ask. Um, what about your mom's family? Are any of them still in the area?”
Perrie had told Ben a fair bit about her conversations with Isaac, in regards to her mother, but there had been a few details she had left out.
“My grandfather is in Missouri. I'm not exactly sure where, Isaac never said. He told me that he went to visit him, right before I moved.” Perrie explained. “It's how...” she sucked in a deep breath. “It's how Isaac found out about my mom.”
“Ask Isaac, maybe he'll take you to visit or something.” Ben felt he was stating the obvious, but this was Perrie and she didn't always catch things right away. “Your dad seems reasonable, if you ask for these things then he'll probably be willing to help any way he can.”
If Perrie asked then Ben couldn't imagine why Isaac wouldn't agree to allowing Perrie see her grandfather. From what Ben knew about Isaac Hanson, he was a pretty reasonable man. Grady had spoke highly of him and compliments from Grady were hard pressed, if you weren't his wife or two children.
“Um, maybe I'll ask him. Sometime.” Perrie agreed.
“Good! In the mean time, I need to let you go Peachy. Evan is home and we're going...” Ben paused. He didn't want to hide things, yet telling Perrie that he and his roommate were going to visit the Burnham's felt wrong. Being a car ride away made Ben feel lucky, as much as he wanted Perrie to have that advantage he was happier she was with her dad. “Out with friends.” It wasn't a total lie.
Finishing her call with Ben and tossing her phone down on the bed, Perrie sighed laying on her back staring up at her ceiling, Ben's idea of getting to know her mother's family wasn't all that bad. The only little issue seemed to be that Isaac didn't sound overly excited when he had told Perrie where her grandfather was. Gazing up at the ceiling, Perrie tried to sort out her thoughts. If she asked Isaac to visit her other family, what was the worst that could happen? Isaac could say “no” and then that would be that. Perrie was in no position to challenge Isaac just yet.
Still, it would never hurt to try.
Downstairs the house was quiet, Everett and Monroe were at Taylor's for the evening and Nina was never overly loud. Looking for Isaac in each room she passed, Perrie ended her search in the laundry room, it seemed as though Nikki was the only other person, over the age of ten in the house.
“I thought you must have gone to bed.” Nikki spoke as Perrie joined her in the room.
“I was on the phone with Ben.” Perrie answered, handing Nikki a bottle of laundry soap that she would need for the clothes she was putting into the washer.
“How's Ben?” Nikki asked accepting the soap. She hadn't met Ben, yet, but she had heard enough about him.
“He's good.” Perrie answered. “Where's Isaac?” Perrie asked glancing around the room, as if he's magically appear.
“He's at the studio, is there anything I can help with?” Nikki asked Perrie with a warm smile.
“Not really.” Perrie shook her head.
“I can try, you know I won't bite.”
“No, I doubt that you can really help me with this. It's fine.” Perrie brushed it off. “Do you know when he'll be home?”
“I'm not sure.” Nikki answered.
“Oh, can you tell him that I need to talk to him, if he isn't in too late?” Perrie nervously rocked back and forth on her the balls of her feet. She only hoped that when Isaac got home she still had the nerve to ask him if they could go to Missouri.
Nikki smiled. “I can do that.” she complied. “Perrie, I was thinking. Why don't you and I go to lunch tomorrow? We can have lunch and then do something, just you and I.”
Perrie halted her nervous bouncing, slowly rocking back into a standing position she awkwardly fixed her pony tail. “If you want to?”
“I do. I think it would be a great way for us to spend some time together. If you don't mind, I have an idea, but I'd like to keep it a bit of a secret.” Nikki beamed, clearly impressed with herself.
Feeling a bit unsure, Perrie agreed to Nikki's offer. This was clearly Nikki's attempt to show Perrie that she really did want to work on their being friends. Perrie couldn't argue that she didn't want Nikki to like her, because she did. If Nikki had gone and set up something for them, then Perrie would feel bad dismissing the invite.
“Okay, I guess it sounds fun.” Perrie offered shyly. “I'm going to go get ready for bed, now. I guess I'll see you in the morning.”
“Good night, Perrie.” Nikki acknowledged as Perrie muttered her own parting words.
Agreeing to a lunch date with Nikki wasn't what Perrie had in mind, when she had went downstairs. It wasn't the worst thing she could have agreed to. Closing the door to her bedroom, Perrie rested her head in her hands, going to lunch with Nikki was one of the most daunting things Perrie could imagine. Even more so than asking Isaac if they could visit her grandfather in Missouri. Groaning, Perrie walked forward a few feet, flopping onto her bed. Maybe asking Isaac about Missouri was a bad idea too?
Once she was changed into her favourite pyjamas, Perrie set her phone on the desk across the room and climbed into bed with her book. Opening the pages of Mansfield Park, a birthday present that Perrie had received from Laura a few years earlier. Staring at the words on the page, things began to run together distracting Perrie from the story. Her wandering mind wasn't any help to the distraction. After a futile attempt to read the words once more, Perrie sat the book back on the night stand and flipped her lamp off.
Perrie must have been more tired than she had thought, opening her eyes at the sound of a soft thudding on her door she realized that her room was once again lit by the morning sun. When she had gone to bed, her mind had been swirling, probably to the point it had exhausted her and she'd slept without knowing it. Hearing the knock again, Perrie rubbed her eyes and pushed her long hair out of her eyes.
“'ome in.” she muttered sleepily.
The door cracked open and Isaac poked his head around, his usually neatly styled hair was stuck up and dishevelled - a usual morning look. Perrie groaned at him.
“Morning sunshine!” Isaac laughed adjusting his glasses. “Nikki said you wanted to talk to me?”
Perrie paused, mid way through pulling her hair back into a pony tail. She was still half asleep and really didn't want to start her morning off with asking Isaac for slightly insane things. Pulling her hair out of her face, Perrie shrugged. “It's not important.”
“Are you sure? If you wanted to talk, I'm all ears.” he assured, using the door to balance himself.
“No, it can wait.” Perrie dismissed the idea.
“Okay, well you know where to find me if you do want to talk.” Isaac gave her a sleepy smile. “Nikki said you two are going for lunch. That sounds fun.”
Perrie only nodded and rubbed her eyes.
“I'll leave you be, I'm heading downstairs. Rumour is I'm making french toast.” Isaac chuckled, closing Perrie's door.
In the hallway, Perrie could hear his footsteps going toward the stairs. Glancing at her clock, she rolled her eyes, it was 8AM, she shouldn't be this tired this late in the morning. Although she had slept, it was possible that it wasn't that deep of a sleep. A bit more awake than when Isaac had stopped by for a morning chat, Perrie trudged into the kitchen. She was met with the smell of warm cinnamon and maple syrup, it smelled absolutely amazing.
“Morning sleepy head!” Isaac greeted her, Nina in one arm and a plate of food in the other. “Good to see you've decided to join us.” he joked sitting the plate down and then passing the little girl off into a carrier.
“Sorry, I'm not much of a morning person.” Perrie apologized for her lack of communication earlier.
“It's a family trait, I think I'm the only person in my family who is.” Isaac laughed turning to the stove. “Coffee is in the pot, if you want some.” he pointed to the coffee maker. “French toast is being made, make yourself at home.”
Picking up a mug, Perrie poured a bit of coffee into it, making a joke about it being non-alcoholic. Isaac didn't miss a beat, informing her that the whiskey went in the coffee, but not to bother trying it. Perrie smiled a little, sitting her cup down on the table and sitting in chair next to Nina's carrier. Taking a sip of her coffee and making silly faces, Perrie smiled a bit wider when her baby sister - as weird as that felt - would attempt to smile back.
Keeping his back to Perrie and Nina, Isaac went about making breakfast. He didn't want to let Perrie know that he knew exactly what she was doing. The few times he had caught her fawning over the baby had left her scuttling out of the room like her feet were on fire. Perrie was a sweet person, in her own time she'd make a great older sister, but until she settled into the idea in full Isaac would let her adjust slowly.
“Fruit?” Isaac's voice carried over the kitchen.
“Sure.” Perrie nodded, standing up to accept her breakfast. “Is there anything I can help with?”
“We're good.” Isaac informed her, placing his breakfast on a plate and joining her at the table. “Nikki had to run out, but she'll be back in time to take you for lunch.” he noted his wife's absence.
“Okay.” Perrie nodded, shoving a forkful of food into her mouth.
Sitting at the table, Perrie began to pay more attention to the food on her plate than anything else. Isaac seemed to be diving his attention between his youngest daughter and his own food. Staring intently at a piece of melon on her plate, Perrie poked it with her fork a few times before actually eating it. Now would be the perfect time to ask Isaac about an impromptu trip to Missouri, except Perrie had no real idea how she would start that conversation.
“This is nice.” Isaac commented a few minutes into the silence. “I like this idea of being home with you gals. You're quieter and not as wild in the morning, like the boys.” he smirked.
“We could change that, if you really want. Hit it Nina!” Perrie jokingly pointed to the little girl. “No? Okay, well we'll work on that.” she shrugged. Isaac only shook his head and smiled. “Say, do you know what Nikki has in store for this afternoon?”
Isaac paused, his brow furrowing in thought. “No, I can't say that I do, sorry.”
“I guess I'll have to wait and see.” Perrie concluded with a heavy breath.
It was a well known fact that Perrie did not enjoy surprises; if somebody were to write a biography on her, it would be one of the top facts mentioned about her. Surprises were nice, for some people. Surprises could hold good and bad in their clutches, growing up in foster care left anybody wary of such things.
All morning and during lunch, Perrie's mind raced and her palms even got a little sweaty, whenever Nikki mentioned this surprise. It was driving her crazy and not in the good way. During lunch she and Nikki didn't really have much to discuss, they asked each other a few odd questions here and there but nothing hard hitting. Perrie learned that Nikki had grown up in Florida, went to college, and liked sports. In return Nikki had learned that Perrie like fishing, wanted to be a journalist, and felt that mint flavour was out to destroy the world.
It wasn't the most hard hitting lunches, where bonding was involved, but it was something. If nothing else, it was a small step in Perrie and Nikki becoming friends. When they had finished, Perrie quietly followed Nikki out of the small diner and to the car, this was the part that Perrie was going to love - at least Nikki felt that way.
Perrie had told herself that even if she hated the surprise, the least she could do was act enthusiastic, for Nikki's sake. Behind her favourite florescent green sunglasses, Perrie watched the city scape of Tulsa pass as they drove. In the driver's seat, Nikki was talking about how it wouldn't be long before Perrie would be driving, Perrie politely nodded and gave a small smile. She could hardly walk a straight line on her best of days, how did this woman think she was going to be able to drive?
Maybe now wasn't the right time to tell Nikki that Ben and Laura had once let Perrie drive. It wasn't far, just Grady's truck down a dirt road one summer's day. Who knew a person could accidentally go off the road driving no more than 200m?! Grady loved his truck, Perrie had been terrified when Laura told her husband how the front bumper got the giant dent. In true Grady fashion, never getting upset over much, he had laughed it off and told Perrie he was buying bubble wrap for her first car.
It didn't matter because Perrie wasn't going to tell Nikki that story, not today, they'd arrived at their destination. Nikki cut the engine and turned to Perrie, grinning wildly. “We're here!”
The chic building in front of them loomed, it was daunting and elegant all in one. A sleek looking purple and white sign hung on the side of the black brick, above the door.
“A dance studio?” Perrie questioned, her brow raised as she read the sign: Right Step Dance
Nikki grinned, opening the driver's door. “Isaac mentioned that you wanted to try and get back into dancing. I made a call yesterday, I really hope you don't mind.”
“No!” Perrie answered feeling a little too eager and nervous, her emotions were wrapped together. “It's fine.”
“Are you sure? If you don't want to stay, we can go. I'll cancel the appointment.” Nikki offered.
“I'd like to stay, really and thank you.” Perrie concluded opening the door on her side and getting out of the car. Standing a few feet away from the entrance, Perrie wrapped her arms around herself, this was not what she had been expecting at all. This was possibly one of the best surprises Nikki could have given her.
“We have an interview in twenty minutes, with the lady who runs the studio. I've never done this sort of thing, I hope this is what you wanted. Kate helped me set it up, since this is where Junia goes.” Nikki confessed opening the door to the studio and allowing Perrie to walk in first.
Inside was as chic and lovely as the outside, Perrie noticed that black, purple, and white seemed to be a theme here. Taking it all in, she had to keep from bouncing up and down like a three year old on a sugar high. Ballet was more of a hobby for Perrie back in Seattle, there was no reason why it couldn't continue to be a hobby in Tulsa.
“Is Isaac okay with this? I mean dance can be expensive and I don't want to take away from...”
“Perrie.” Nikki shook her head laughing. “He'll be fine with it. You're the child, you don't worry about where or how the school gets money from us. You come here and enjoy it, until you tell us that you don't want this. I promise, Isaac would move the moon and sun if he felt it was going to make you happy.”
Perrie felt herself blush, quickly turning back to look at the dance posters on the wall. A few times Isaac had told Perrie that he was committed, he would do anything for her, and she believed him. Hearing it coming from Nikki made it feel a little more real. Having somebody back those statements up gave Perrie a lot of hope for her life in Oklahoma.
Genre: Fan Fic/Drama
Pairing: N/A
Characters: Isaac Hanson, OFC, Taylor Hanson, Zac Hanson, OC, Nikki Hanson
Warnings: Language
Rating: PG13
Disclaimer: a strict work of fiction, I own nothing except the original characters and the plot line. In no way am I affiliated to any of it.
Summary: “No matter how much time passes, no matter what takes place in the interim, there are some things we can never assign to oblivion, memories we can never rub away.”
-Haruki Murakami, Kafka on the Shore
Isaac Hanson learned at a young age that life isn't always fair and eventually people really do make mistakes - really big mistakes! No matter how much you try to right that wrong, sometimes you never get that luxury.
Perrie Marshall learned at a young age that life can be hard and life can be lonely, even when you're surrounded by others. No matter how much you try to cling on to something, sometimes you have to let it go and start over again.
Chapter Thirteen
“It's not fair.” Perrie whined into the phone. “I come here expecting to maybe meet my mom, but no.”
“Life is not fair, Peachy.” Ben sighed on the other end. “But, at least you have your dad. Some kids go into foster care and never meet their real parents. If they do, well they're not all as great as your dad.”
Ben had a point. Ben always had a point!
Tragically for Perrie, Ben knew that he always had a few sage words of wisdom for the younger girl on the other end of the phone and sometimes liked to hold it over her head. Whenever she presented an issue to her older brother, Ben would promptly help her come to a positive solution. It had been this way for as long as Perrie could remember. Even now, miles and states away from her, Ben was helping her work out the issues that had been currently troubling her.
“I know, I shouldn't complain but this isn't how I imagined things going.” Perrie sighed heavily.
“On the bright side, you are around people who knew your mom. You can ask them questions, get to know her that way.” Ben suggested.
“You always see the good, don't ya Benny.”
“Sometimes, when you've had a life like mine, you have no other choice.” Ben chuckled softly. “I'm sure if you ask, they'll tell you what they know. Didn't Isaac already tell you this?”
“Yes.” Perrie confirmed her earlier statement to Ben. “But so far, it's just been Isaac telling me about her. I trust him, but I need more and from someone else.”
“Then ask somebody else.” Ben may be on the phone, but Perrie could imagine him shaking his head at her.
“But who? I asked my Uncle Zac, he doesn't know much about her.” Perrie revealed. “Zoe wasn't even born! I don't think I know my Uncle Taylor or my grandparents well enough to ask.”
“Huh.” Ben mulled over Perrie's use of words. She was reluctant to call Isaac anything but, yet she would refer to his brothers as her uncles, and did so in a way that lead Ben to wonder if she even realized she did it. Settling into a family, be it your own blood or strangers, wasn't easy and yet Perrie making that tiny transition said volumes. Ben was pleased.
“Huh what?” Perrie prompted him eagerly and a little frustrated.
“Oh nothing.” Ben dismissed it as casually as he could. If he mentioned it, then it would make Perrie self conscious, Ben didn't want her to think he or anybody else was mocking her. “I was just thinking, about who you could ask. Um, what about your mom's family? Are any of them still in the area?”
Perrie had told Ben a fair bit about her conversations with Isaac, in regards to her mother, but there had been a few details she had left out.
“My grandfather is in Missouri. I'm not exactly sure where, Isaac never said. He told me that he went to visit him, right before I moved.” Perrie explained. “It's how...” she sucked in a deep breath. “It's how Isaac found out about my mom.”
“Ask Isaac, maybe he'll take you to visit or something.” Ben felt he was stating the obvious, but this was Perrie and she didn't always catch things right away. “Your dad seems reasonable, if you ask for these things then he'll probably be willing to help any way he can.”
If Perrie asked then Ben couldn't imagine why Isaac wouldn't agree to allowing Perrie see her grandfather. From what Ben knew about Isaac Hanson, he was a pretty reasonable man. Grady had spoke highly of him and compliments from Grady were hard pressed, if you weren't his wife or two children.
“Um, maybe I'll ask him. Sometime.” Perrie agreed.
“Good! In the mean time, I need to let you go Peachy. Evan is home and we're going...” Ben paused. He didn't want to hide things, yet telling Perrie that he and his roommate were going to visit the Burnham's felt wrong. Being a car ride away made Ben feel lucky, as much as he wanted Perrie to have that advantage he was happier she was with her dad. “Out with friends.” It wasn't a total lie.
Finishing her call with Ben and tossing her phone down on the bed, Perrie sighed laying on her back staring up at her ceiling, Ben's idea of getting to know her mother's family wasn't all that bad. The only little issue seemed to be that Isaac didn't sound overly excited when he had told Perrie where her grandfather was. Gazing up at the ceiling, Perrie tried to sort out her thoughts. If she asked Isaac to visit her other family, what was the worst that could happen? Isaac could say “no” and then that would be that. Perrie was in no position to challenge Isaac just yet.
Still, it would never hurt to try.
Downstairs the house was quiet, Everett and Monroe were at Taylor's for the evening and Nina was never overly loud. Looking for Isaac in each room she passed, Perrie ended her search in the laundry room, it seemed as though Nikki was the only other person, over the age of ten in the house.
“I thought you must have gone to bed.” Nikki spoke as Perrie joined her in the room.
“I was on the phone with Ben.” Perrie answered, handing Nikki a bottle of laundry soap that she would need for the clothes she was putting into the washer.
“How's Ben?” Nikki asked accepting the soap. She hadn't met Ben, yet, but she had heard enough about him.
“He's good.” Perrie answered. “Where's Isaac?” Perrie asked glancing around the room, as if he's magically appear.
“He's at the studio, is there anything I can help with?” Nikki asked Perrie with a warm smile.
“Not really.” Perrie shook her head.
“I can try, you know I won't bite.”
“No, I doubt that you can really help me with this. It's fine.” Perrie brushed it off. “Do you know when he'll be home?”
“I'm not sure.” Nikki answered.
“Oh, can you tell him that I need to talk to him, if he isn't in too late?” Perrie nervously rocked back and forth on her the balls of her feet. She only hoped that when Isaac got home she still had the nerve to ask him if they could go to Missouri.
Nikki smiled. “I can do that.” she complied. “Perrie, I was thinking. Why don't you and I go to lunch tomorrow? We can have lunch and then do something, just you and I.”
Perrie halted her nervous bouncing, slowly rocking back into a standing position she awkwardly fixed her pony tail. “If you want to?”
“I do. I think it would be a great way for us to spend some time together. If you don't mind, I have an idea, but I'd like to keep it a bit of a secret.” Nikki beamed, clearly impressed with herself.
Feeling a bit unsure, Perrie agreed to Nikki's offer. This was clearly Nikki's attempt to show Perrie that she really did want to work on their being friends. Perrie couldn't argue that she didn't want Nikki to like her, because she did. If Nikki had gone and set up something for them, then Perrie would feel bad dismissing the invite.
“Okay, I guess it sounds fun.” Perrie offered shyly. “I'm going to go get ready for bed, now. I guess I'll see you in the morning.”
“Good night, Perrie.” Nikki acknowledged as Perrie muttered her own parting words.
Agreeing to a lunch date with Nikki wasn't what Perrie had in mind, when she had went downstairs. It wasn't the worst thing she could have agreed to. Closing the door to her bedroom, Perrie rested her head in her hands, going to lunch with Nikki was one of the most daunting things Perrie could imagine. Even more so than asking Isaac if they could visit her grandfather in Missouri. Groaning, Perrie walked forward a few feet, flopping onto her bed. Maybe asking Isaac about Missouri was a bad idea too?
Once she was changed into her favourite pyjamas, Perrie set her phone on the desk across the room and climbed into bed with her book. Opening the pages of Mansfield Park, a birthday present that Perrie had received from Laura a few years earlier. Staring at the words on the page, things began to run together distracting Perrie from the story. Her wandering mind wasn't any help to the distraction. After a futile attempt to read the words once more, Perrie sat the book back on the night stand and flipped her lamp off.
Perrie must have been more tired than she had thought, opening her eyes at the sound of a soft thudding on her door she realized that her room was once again lit by the morning sun. When she had gone to bed, her mind had been swirling, probably to the point it had exhausted her and she'd slept without knowing it. Hearing the knock again, Perrie rubbed her eyes and pushed her long hair out of her eyes.
“'ome in.” she muttered sleepily.
The door cracked open and Isaac poked his head around, his usually neatly styled hair was stuck up and dishevelled - a usual morning look. Perrie groaned at him.
“Morning sunshine!” Isaac laughed adjusting his glasses. “Nikki said you wanted to talk to me?”
Perrie paused, mid way through pulling her hair back into a pony tail. She was still half asleep and really didn't want to start her morning off with asking Isaac for slightly insane things. Pulling her hair out of her face, Perrie shrugged. “It's not important.”
“Are you sure? If you wanted to talk, I'm all ears.” he assured, using the door to balance himself.
“No, it can wait.” Perrie dismissed the idea.
“Okay, well you know where to find me if you do want to talk.” Isaac gave her a sleepy smile. “Nikki said you two are going for lunch. That sounds fun.”
Perrie only nodded and rubbed her eyes.
“I'll leave you be, I'm heading downstairs. Rumour is I'm making french toast.” Isaac chuckled, closing Perrie's door.
In the hallway, Perrie could hear his footsteps going toward the stairs. Glancing at her clock, she rolled her eyes, it was 8AM, she shouldn't be this tired this late in the morning. Although she had slept, it was possible that it wasn't that deep of a sleep. A bit more awake than when Isaac had stopped by for a morning chat, Perrie trudged into the kitchen. She was met with the smell of warm cinnamon and maple syrup, it smelled absolutely amazing.
“Morning sleepy head!” Isaac greeted her, Nina in one arm and a plate of food in the other. “Good to see you've decided to join us.” he joked sitting the plate down and then passing the little girl off into a carrier.
“Sorry, I'm not much of a morning person.” Perrie apologized for her lack of communication earlier.
“It's a family trait, I think I'm the only person in my family who is.” Isaac laughed turning to the stove. “Coffee is in the pot, if you want some.” he pointed to the coffee maker. “French toast is being made, make yourself at home.”
Picking up a mug, Perrie poured a bit of coffee into it, making a joke about it being non-alcoholic. Isaac didn't miss a beat, informing her that the whiskey went in the coffee, but not to bother trying it. Perrie smiled a little, sitting her cup down on the table and sitting in chair next to Nina's carrier. Taking a sip of her coffee and making silly faces, Perrie smiled a bit wider when her baby sister - as weird as that felt - would attempt to smile back.
Keeping his back to Perrie and Nina, Isaac went about making breakfast. He didn't want to let Perrie know that he knew exactly what she was doing. The few times he had caught her fawning over the baby had left her scuttling out of the room like her feet were on fire. Perrie was a sweet person, in her own time she'd make a great older sister, but until she settled into the idea in full Isaac would let her adjust slowly.
“Fruit?” Isaac's voice carried over the kitchen.
“Sure.” Perrie nodded, standing up to accept her breakfast. “Is there anything I can help with?”
“We're good.” Isaac informed her, placing his breakfast on a plate and joining her at the table. “Nikki had to run out, but she'll be back in time to take you for lunch.” he noted his wife's absence.
“Okay.” Perrie nodded, shoving a forkful of food into her mouth.
Sitting at the table, Perrie began to pay more attention to the food on her plate than anything else. Isaac seemed to be diving his attention between his youngest daughter and his own food. Staring intently at a piece of melon on her plate, Perrie poked it with her fork a few times before actually eating it. Now would be the perfect time to ask Isaac about an impromptu trip to Missouri, except Perrie had no real idea how she would start that conversation.
“This is nice.” Isaac commented a few minutes into the silence. “I like this idea of being home with you gals. You're quieter and not as wild in the morning, like the boys.” he smirked.
“We could change that, if you really want. Hit it Nina!” Perrie jokingly pointed to the little girl. “No? Okay, well we'll work on that.” she shrugged. Isaac only shook his head and smiled. “Say, do you know what Nikki has in store for this afternoon?”
Isaac paused, his brow furrowing in thought. “No, I can't say that I do, sorry.”
“I guess I'll have to wait and see.” Perrie concluded with a heavy breath.
It was a well known fact that Perrie did not enjoy surprises; if somebody were to write a biography on her, it would be one of the top facts mentioned about her. Surprises were nice, for some people. Surprises could hold good and bad in their clutches, growing up in foster care left anybody wary of such things.
All morning and during lunch, Perrie's mind raced and her palms even got a little sweaty, whenever Nikki mentioned this surprise. It was driving her crazy and not in the good way. During lunch she and Nikki didn't really have much to discuss, they asked each other a few odd questions here and there but nothing hard hitting. Perrie learned that Nikki had grown up in Florida, went to college, and liked sports. In return Nikki had learned that Perrie like fishing, wanted to be a journalist, and felt that mint flavour was out to destroy the world.
It wasn't the most hard hitting lunches, where bonding was involved, but it was something. If nothing else, it was a small step in Perrie and Nikki becoming friends. When they had finished, Perrie quietly followed Nikki out of the small diner and to the car, this was the part that Perrie was going to love - at least Nikki felt that way.
Perrie had told herself that even if she hated the surprise, the least she could do was act enthusiastic, for Nikki's sake. Behind her favourite florescent green sunglasses, Perrie watched the city scape of Tulsa pass as they drove. In the driver's seat, Nikki was talking about how it wouldn't be long before Perrie would be driving, Perrie politely nodded and gave a small smile. She could hardly walk a straight line on her best of days, how did this woman think she was going to be able to drive?
Maybe now wasn't the right time to tell Nikki that Ben and Laura had once let Perrie drive. It wasn't far, just Grady's truck down a dirt road one summer's day. Who knew a person could accidentally go off the road driving no more than 200m?! Grady loved his truck, Perrie had been terrified when Laura told her husband how the front bumper got the giant dent. In true Grady fashion, never getting upset over much, he had laughed it off and told Perrie he was buying bubble wrap for her first car.
It didn't matter because Perrie wasn't going to tell Nikki that story, not today, they'd arrived at their destination. Nikki cut the engine and turned to Perrie, grinning wildly. “We're here!”
The chic building in front of them loomed, it was daunting and elegant all in one. A sleek looking purple and white sign hung on the side of the black brick, above the door.
“A dance studio?” Perrie questioned, her brow raised as she read the sign: Right Step Dance
Nikki grinned, opening the driver's door. “Isaac mentioned that you wanted to try and get back into dancing. I made a call yesterday, I really hope you don't mind.”
“No!” Perrie answered feeling a little too eager and nervous, her emotions were wrapped together. “It's fine.”
“Are you sure? If you don't want to stay, we can go. I'll cancel the appointment.” Nikki offered.
“I'd like to stay, really and thank you.” Perrie concluded opening the door on her side and getting out of the car. Standing a few feet away from the entrance, Perrie wrapped her arms around herself, this was not what she had been expecting at all. This was possibly one of the best surprises Nikki could have given her.
“We have an interview in twenty minutes, with the lady who runs the studio. I've never done this sort of thing, I hope this is what you wanted. Kate helped me set it up, since this is where Junia goes.” Nikki confessed opening the door to the studio and allowing Perrie to walk in first.
Inside was as chic and lovely as the outside, Perrie noticed that black, purple, and white seemed to be a theme here. Taking it all in, she had to keep from bouncing up and down like a three year old on a sugar high. Ballet was more of a hobby for Perrie back in Seattle, there was no reason why it couldn't continue to be a hobby in Tulsa.
“Is Isaac okay with this? I mean dance can be expensive and I don't want to take away from...”
“Perrie.” Nikki shook her head laughing. “He'll be fine with it. You're the child, you don't worry about where or how the school gets money from us. You come here and enjoy it, until you tell us that you don't want this. I promise, Isaac would move the moon and sun if he felt it was going to make you happy.”
Perrie felt herself blush, quickly turning back to look at the dance posters on the wall. A few times Isaac had told Perrie that he was committed, he would do anything for her, and she believed him. Hearing it coming from Nikki made it feel a little more real. Having somebody back those statements up gave Perrie a lot of hope for her life in Oklahoma.