Not-So-Sweet Charlotte

Study Hall.  Students are allowed to talk quietly.

Taylor:  You had this whole conversation with her last night?  Wow.  

Gabriella: Yeah, it looks like she's as done with her mom as I am.  Her older brother - he had a different mom - is suing for custody because Charlotte is such a hag.  The part I'm not getting is the bit about when she was pregnant with Max. Mom said both Charlotte's pregnancies were totally healthy. 

Taylor: Well, as self-involved as Charlotte is, I think Mary-Kate is onto something with the getting fat angle.  If I was that vain, I know I'd cry a lot at the thought of stretch marks and extra weight.  

Gabriella: Uncle Billy already had the two boys from his first marriage, so it couldn't have been about him wanting a son.  I'm pretty sure the Mary-Kate pregnancy was how she trapped the poor guy into marrying her, but Max just doesn't make sense. Especially if she was crying in bed the entire pregnancy.  

Alex: My dad said your aunt is nuts.  Like, asylum crazy.

Gabriella: Your dad knows Charlotte? 

Alex: Both of my parents do.  They graduated with her.  

Frustrated, Gabriella waits until Jenny has gone to bed before confronting her parents.  Joe and Batgirl exchange a knowing glance, sigh heavily, and call Courtney into the room. 

Batgirl: I knew Kaden was trying to get custody of his younger siblings.  His lawyer has been in touch with me.  I hoped to spare you girls the drama, but since you had to have Taylor track down Mary-Kate and she's told you about it...  I'm not mad.  I should have known this would happen.

Batgirl: The fact of the matter is that your aunt Charlotte has never been entirely stable.  She spent a good part of her teen years in and out of the Psych Ward.  She simply isn't as resilient as I am and the abuse we grew up in hurt her a lot worse than it did me. 

Joe: She even went after a guy with a knife once.  I'm not gonna tell you who it was because you know the guy, but Charlotte almost went to prison over it.  Shortly after that, she left town for good.  We didn't see her again until she was married.

Courtney: Should we be scared of her?

Joe:  Haven't you noticed we never let you be alone with her?  So many times the two of you wanted to spend the night with Mary-Kate and we couldn't let you be in Charlotte's care.  Broke our hearts to tell you no.

Batgirl: Broke our hearts to let your cousin go home with her.  But she had the older boys and, of course, a nanny to protect her.  You two only had us.

Gabriella: She must have been off her meds while she was pregnant with Max!  That's why she cried in bed the entire pregnancy!  

Batgirl: Both her pregnancies were probably as hard on her mentally as mine were physically.  But it's what she felt she had to do to get the things out of life that she wants.  I really question her priorities, but...  Anyway, that's all you need to know.

Gabriella: Can I tell Mary?  Mary-Kate, I mean? 

Batgirl: Might as well.  She'll hear it eventually.  

***********************

Note to readers: This story in in conjunction with the Facebook page Our Toy Story.  

For the Mary-Kate side of the action, or just for the fun of it, check the "Almost Famous" album.