So Hollow • •

[presley monroe pan]

Presley hated leaving work early, but when it came to her siblings there was nothing more important. It was the reason why she kept her cell on her at all times. Holliday was her biggest worry. The youngest sibling might have been the best behaved, but she was so introverted that it made her a target for bullies and those who would have no problem taking advantage of her meek personality. She was a bright kid, and could do amazing things, but the lack of confidence held her back when she was outside of the family home. Presley could feel her heart racing with anxiety as she wondered what could have happened to Holliday. The teacher didn’t go into much information on the phone call, just telling Presley in a monotone voice that there had been an incident and he would like to see her at the school that afternoon. She’d be lying if she said she wasn’t just a little pissed off. The school knew all about Holliday’s situation. Presley made a point of keeping them informed since Holliday had been so affected by the hurricane that was their mother. They knew that Presley was the guardian of all her siblings. They understood that Holliday was uncomfortable with having such an abnormal upbringing. And yet, there were still instances like this or stories from Holliday about how the other kids were able to say and do things without a teacher paying them any mind. Presley had half a mind to switch schools, but she knew Holliday would only struggle with the change. At least here she was only up the street from Chanel and Montana, and the three of them went home together.

Presley was buzzed through at the reception area, and she only waved to the very nice lady there before making her way down the hall to the office. This wasn’t her first rodeo. She had been here before, not just for Holliday but with Montana before he moved on up to high school. There were countless illnesses, fights and tough days over the last few years. Presley had held herself together so her siblings could lean on her, but there were plenty of nights when she fell into her bed completely drained and wondering how she could keep doing this. Then she’d remind herself that she had raised the three of them even when their mother had been on the scene. Julie hadn’t exactly been mother of the year. She saw her kids as free cash and better parking spots. After that it was dumped on Presley to do most of the caring. They had grandparents, but they lived so far away now and ill health meant travelling to the city wasn’t something they could do outside of the holidays. The court system had wanted to send Chanel, Montana and Holliday to them, but her grandparents had supported her petition for guardianship. They knew they couldn’t look after three growing kids – at least not to give them the life they deserved. Presley wasn’t exactly leaps and bounds better, but they listened to her, showed her respect if it wasn’t before 8am, and they knew what to expect with her. There could be no nasty surprises to upset their development. Presley was hardworking and dedicated. She had been in their situation and come out of it showing that they could have the college life and get the steady, fulfilling job.

She squeezed Holliday’s hand when she sat down next to her outside of the office. In whispered voices she told Holliday that no matter what had happened she wasn’t going to be mad at her. Presley would probably celebrate if Holliday had done something like stand up to a bully or storm out of a bad situation. However, when she was called into the office, once again correcting the Principle that it was Miss Pan and not Mrs, she sat down to listen to a man tell her that her sister had been saved from bullies by some hero of a kid. Of course, he never phrased it like that, but Presley interpreted it that way. Holliday had no friends that she spoke of, so for anyone to leap to her defence made Presley’s heart swell. “I hope you plan on giving this kid a medal, some award? Because I’ve made it quite clear that this school has a bullying problem and you’ve done absolute shit about it.” She kept her calm, but her eyes were filled with a cold fury. She had never been a big vocalist when she was in school, but she didn’t sit back and let others gets picked on. Since she had guardianship it had seemed like teachers were afraid of stopping bullying more than anything else. “Kids will be kids” did not roll with Presley. “Personally, I want to buy him or her a milkshake. Holliday? How about it? Should we get them a milkshake and let them know how grateful we are?” Holliday, a girl of very few words, simply grinned and nodded her head. Presley knew her siblings got a kick out of it when she confronted teachers and their idea of discipline or classroom methods. Presley felt like she had more to prove as the sister and not the mother, so she stepped it up when she had to and held the right people accountable. They weren’t some family of bums who made excuses and slacked off. Hell, Presley would love to have a break and not need to worry about the other three, but it wasn’t possible, and likely wouldn’t be for another good few years.

• • •

TAGGED! Morrissey Thomas Miller
WORDS! 944!
LYRICS! Young Lovers - - - City And Colour
NOTES! <3

[Morrissey Thomas Miller]

There was never a dull moment in the city the world had nicknamed the Big Apple. He didn't know where the nickname had come from or why it was what it was but Morrissey liked the quirkiness of it; much like he loved the quirkiness of the entire city. It all just matched so well and he wasn't as strange in a city so diverse as he'd been back in North Carolina, especially in his fairly small hometown where the population had not yet reached ten thousand residents since the area had first been settled. His entire family seemed to be on the quirky side though none of them felt out of place in their home. It was out in the town that they each had their own issues and troubles to work through. Morrissey had gotten fairly lucky since he was the youngest born Miller child. In fact, it was probably a shock to the world that was Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina that he wasn't actually gay. It wasn't a bad thing, of course not but he wasn't gay and yet he loved playing with his older sister's makeup sets and brushes. And yet, people of the small town had still expected it of him. Morrissey didn't really mind. He knew who he was and he had friends who liked him just as he was. He'd had girlfriends throughout all of high school, guy friends on several sports teams, and not just because he'd played alongside them but because he had always been able to make friends easily.

However, Kill Devil Hills had not been big enough for Morrissey or five of his sisters as they'd mostly scattered across the country, with only one of them leaving the country altogether. Two of his sisters, Stevie and Lake, had attended school in New York and had stuck around after they'd graduated, Morrissey and his twin, Palmer had followed after them. Lake had gotten a promotion at her job and was transferred to London, England and the West coast had called to Summer so she'd packed her bags and moved to the other side of the country. Morrissey loved having so many of his sisters in the city, it meant family meals more often and he'd missed them when he'd first moved away from home. They'd made the transition easier since they'd been in the city for a while before he'd moved there, had families already and welcomed him over whenever he needed the family connection. He even loved it when his sisters called on him to collect his nieces or nephews from school from time to time. He loved spending time with the little demons and occasionally dragging them along to work with him. They always behaved well and never really got into trouble. Hendrix seemed keen on following in her uncle's footsteps and Morrissey was just fine with that; he loved what he did after all.

Morrissey had been at the studio, working on concept drawings for an upcoming horror he'd been signed on for when Stevie called freaking out on the line. Something had happened with Hendrix at school and the school wouldn't tell her what it was over the phone but she wasn't even in the city, having had a meeting in Connecticut and her husband had been on a business trip in Chicago. It was up to Morrissey to go and he didn't mind. He quickly hollered at his boss that he needed to take some time to run to the school but that he would be back and would finish the sketches. He was a good employee and his bosses were pretty damn awesome and understanding, have children of their own. Rushing off to a school meeting didn't happen often but it did happen and those were cases that didn't require an explanation. Showing up at the school took a bit of time but Morrissey hadn't been bothered by it, though it had irritated him to find out they'd tossed his niece into the backroom of the office because no one had shown to collect her immediately. He asked the woman at the desk where he could find his niece and was escorted to the door of what appeared to be a spare teacher's lounge and was told to just go in, that someone would be around in a few minutes to collect them. He found Hendrix sitting at a table with her school work about her, hard at it. Grinning, Morrissey leaned against the wall and watched her for a second. He hadn't been told what she'd done but by the way she was just sitting there, she hadn't found anything wrong with her actions. "What did you do this time, Demon Spawn?" He asked, smiling.

His niece looked up from the textbook in front of her with a grin on her face, proud of what she'd done. "I stood up to a bully and he didn't like that it was a girl who fought back. I didn't hit him but I said things that the teacher didn't like." She explained with a roll of her bright blue eyes. Her mother, along with the rest of them, had grown up with a strong sense of right and wrong and had all been for fighting for the little guy. He'd lost count how many times his parents had been called into the various schools when he'd been so young. They'd been just as proud of their children as the next generation was of their own kids; and those few, he and Palmer, who didn't have kids yet, were quite proud of their nieces and nephews who continued to stand up for those who weren't ready to stand up for themselves. Morrissey's grin widened as he walked up to his niece for a high five. He didn't need to know what she'd said or who the bully was, only that she'd done what any of them would have. That was what mattered.

A few more minutes went by while Hendrix detailed everything that happened and how the boy who was verbally abusing the other girl had hardly gotten into trouble when the woman at the desk returned, asking them to follow her to the Principle's office. After Hendrix quickly shoved her things back into her bag, Morrissey threw his arm over her shoulders and walked with her to the nondescript and yet intimidating office door of the man in charge. He was immediately called by the wrong name, which just proved that the people running the school had no idea who they were talking to. "Miller." He corrected and smirked when the man behind the large desk questioned him. "My name is Miller. Not Rhodes. My sister and brother-in-law are both out of town and while none of that is your business, I'd rather not be misrepresented." He said as he leaned on Hendrix's chair, finally looking at the other two people in the office. Hendrix had immediately taken the spare seat next to the other young girl, who must have been the one being bullied in the first place. She looked like a sweet if shy, young thing and Morrissey instantly understood why his niece had gotten involved. A girl like that needed a friend like Rix. Then his eyes roamed to who he could only assume was the girl's mother. She was young and fierce-looking, Morrissey appreciated that look in her eye; she wasn't going to stand for the trauma either.

"Now, I understand Rix here got into an altercation that should never have occurred in the first place and that the male student involved in this was basically let off with little more than a warning," Morrissey said, returning to look at the haggard man behind the desk. He appeared to be trying for intimidating and was failing quite miserably at it. "I am well aware that this is not the first time this student has verbally attacked another student and walked away with nothing more than a stern look. Is he your child, is nepotism the reason you're going easy on him? No, I'm speaking." He said when he saw the man open his mouth. Morrissey wouldn't lie, he enjoyed how red the principle's face was getting. It seemed that no one had dismissed him quite like that before. "I don't know about this girl's guardian but I can tell you right now that we'll be filing a complaint with the board. Yes, I am going above your head to make sure your superior is well aware of what is being brushed under the rug in this school. You will be held accountable for this and everything else you've let slide on your watch. You're meant to be taking care of these children. It's horrendous and we're leaving now. If you're going to suspend Rix for standing up to a bully, you had better be ready for the hell that will follow." He patted Hendrix's shoulder and she stood, smiling triumphantly down at the other girl and reached her hand out for her to take. Hendrix would not be leaving that office without her and if that meant his speech lost a little something, he was okay with that. It seemed to him that Hendrix had found a friend and she wasn't the sort to leave them behind.

♦ ♦ ♦

TAG; presley monroe pan
WORDS; 1 556
LYRICS; Sunshine and Whiskey --Frankie Ballard
NOTES; <3

[presley monroe pan]

Presley knew that most people were shocked at her life, but to her it was nothing but normal. She had raised her siblings long before she had guardianship over them. Her childhood was not one of trips to the park and toy stores. She took her sisters and brother there when she was old enough to walk the distance and also watch over them, but it hadn’t been about her having fun and savouring that innocence. Presley had been flung into a world of responsibilities long before she should have. There were times when she wished she had enjoyed certain experiences – especially now with Chanel talking about senior prom. Presley had been babysitting through hers, making sure Holliday’s fever didn’t spike after she came down with a bad viral infection. Presley wouldn’t change their situation though. She was glad the court had given her custody of her siblings rather than splitting them up and getting someone lost in an unfair and unbalanced system. She loved having such a close relationship with the three of them. Her only rules in the home were that they tell her if they were ever in trouble, they were all home by 11pm, and they chipped in with the cleaning on a Saturday morning. She never shouted at them, never judged them, and she felt that was why they were so open and honest with her. If Chanel was going to be late home she called and without Presley needing to ask told her where she was and who she was with. Presley knew that despite some teenage tantrums every now and then her sister and brother were both sensible enough to look after themselves. Holliday wasn’t quite at the teenage tantrum stage yet and lingered in the space of checking in with Presley before doing much of anything.

She hoped Holliday would come out of her shell some more in the next few years. Presley knew she was smart and witty, but that was a side that only seemed to come out in their living room when Holliday was snuggled under a blanket and there was no one else who could see her besides her siblings. She knew Holliday could do with a confidence boost, but Presley wasn’t going to force it upon her, nor was she happy when teachers basically complained. Her current teacher was wonderful with her, understanding that childhood events had shaped her. She was patient and took time in class to talk to her about the lessons without putting her on the spot with her peers. Presley got updates and calls and most were positive, the rest were questions asking if things would be okay or if Holliday would benefit from extra assistance on field trips or when there was a special event at the school. Presley liked that she aired on the side of caution, even if it meant she was being messaged over little things that Holliday wouldn’t even worry about. Presley preferred it when people cared too much instead of not at all.

Presley watched the man who accompanied the other girl into the office. She was glad she wasn’t the only one annoyed by what had transpired here today. She worked in education herself, even if it was at a higher level. She knew how things should be done, how procedure operated typically and fairly. Holliday’s school had lacked much of this in recent years, with Presley feeling grateful that she was moving up to middle school come the summer. She knew that school was much better at handling situations after coping with Montana and his time there. Her brother wasn’t the worst kind of troublemaker but he could be mischievous and a bit of a joker. Presley hoped Holliday would thrive there. Although that might start sooner if Holliday was about to make a new friend from this mess of a situation. The other little girl seemed keen for Hol’s attention, but Presley knew it might take some time. It was the whole reason why friendships and Holliday didn’t take too well. Many kids didn’t have the patience to stick with her, to understand that the silence from Holliday wasn’t disinterest, but rather that she only spoke when she had something to say. “We were actually just saying that we’d like to buy you a milkshake.” Presley said, making it clear that she was on the same side as the man and the child he represented. Presley wasn’t a conventional guardian and she knew she wasn’t the only one in the world. That was why she never assumed that everyone with a child was their parent. God knows hers had never been with her or her siblings. “Then maybe we can put that complaint in writing.” It wasn’t something she would have done if he hadn’t mentioned it, but Presley didn’t know how many other students were in Holliday’s place; being bullied and ignored by those who were supposed to protect them. Holliday might be moving on, but she was sure there were others who still had years in elementary school hell. Presley smiled as Holliday briefly took the girl’s hand before hopping off the chair and getting her things together. For Holliday that was a huge step; even with Montana and Chanel she only briefly hugged or touched them – and they were two people she trusted.

• • •

TAGGED! Morrissey Thomas Miller
WORDS! 894!
LYRICS! Young Lovers - - - City And Colour
NOTES! <3