Heart Attack

1

Dandelion watched with wide eyes as Aurora brought the baby into the hospital room. She had been expecting this moment for nine months, but the reality of it was still overwhelming. Her older sister, only eighteen years old, had a baby.

'Look, Dandy!' Aurora said, her face lit up with joy as she handed the baby to her. 'This is Kensley.'

Dandelion couldn't help but smile at the little one, barely a few hours old. She looked so peaceful in her sleep, and Dandelion was filled with awe.

'Aurora, I can't believe you hid this from us for nine months,' she said, her voice a whisper.

Aurora's face fell and she looked away. 'I'm sorry, Dandy. I couldn't tell anyone, not even Bud. I was so scared.'

Bud, Dandelion's sixteen-year-old brother, had been standing in the corner of the room, his arms crossed over his chest. He looked angry, and Dandelion could tell he was hurt.

'So who's the father?' Bud asked, his voice tight.

Aurora bit her lip. 'His name is Carson,' she said.

Bud's face darkened. 'That's just great,' he said. 'You got pregnant at thirteen and had an abortion, and now you were pregnant again with some guy who's a year older than you. And you almost died in labor.'

Aurora started to cry, and Dandelion stepped in to try and calm the situation.

'We need to figure out who's going to take care of Kensley while Aurora and Carson are at school,' she said.

Bud shook his head. 'I'm not doing it,' he said.

Just then, the phone rang. Bud answered it, and Dandelion could hear their father, Marcus, on the other end.

'What's going on?' Marcus asked.

Bud quickly filled him in on the situation, and Dandelion heard her dad's voice rise in anger.

'We're on our way,' he said. 'Don't do anything until we get there.'

Dandelion felt her stomach drop. She knew her parents wouldn't be happy about any of this.

When Marcus and Rose, Dandelion's parents, arrived at the hospital, they were both clearly angry. Marcus started yelling at Aurora, and Rose said it had been hard enough having two kids by the time she was eighteen.

Dandelion looked around the room, feeling a deep sadness. She thought about how different her life would be if she ever got pregnant in high school. She never wanted to go down that road.

Bud, who had been standing in the corner the whole time, finally spoke up.

'We need to figure out who's going to take care of Kensley,' he said.

Rose looked at him, her face softening a little.

'We'll figure it out,' she said, her voice gentle.

Dandelion looked around the room at her family, and she suddenly felt a wave of love wash over her. No matter what happened, she knew they would all be there for each other.

2

Dandelion nervously tugged on her mom's shirt, waiting for an answer.

'Mom, can I please get the Taylor Swift Speak Now album dress for the middle school dance?' she asked, her voice trembling.

Rose looked at her daughter, her eyes soft. She smiled. 'Yes, Dandy. You can get it,' she said, turning to her husband.

Marcus, who had been quiet, suddenly looked up. His face was sad and his eyes were distant. 'It's alright, Rose,' he said softly.

Dandelion felt a knot in her stomach. She knew what was going on. Her sister, Aurora, had just had a baby. Her brother, Bud, was not happy about it. He had been fuming ever since Kensley was born.

Dandelion glanced at her dad, but he didn't seem to notice her. He was still lost in his own thoughts, and Dandelion knew he was worried about the baby's father.

She bit her lip and looked away, feeling a wave of emotions wash over her. She was relieved that her mom had said yes, but she was also worried about her family.

Just then, her little brother, Milo, came running in. He was all smiles.

'Mommy! Daddy!' he exclaimed. 'Can I get the Taylor Swift album dress too?'

Rose smiled and ruffled his hair. 'Maybe someday, sweetie,' she said.

Milo beamed and ran off to his room, leaving Dandelion and her parents to their thoughts.

Dandelion slowly made her way to her room, her mind still filled with worries. She wanted to be excited for the dance, but her family's current state weighed heavy on her heart. She knew things would get better eventually, but for now, she just wanted to enjoy the moment and be thankful for what she had.

3

As Dandelion stepped into the school dance, the room was filled with light and the smell of fresh cologne. She felt like she was in a dream, wearing her favourite Taylor Swift album purple dress. As she looked around the room, she saw her brother Bud, helping out serving food. She smiled at him, feeling a wave of comfort knowing he was there.

Suddenly, a boy named Landon who was in 8th grade, one year older than her, approached her and asked her to dance. Dandelion felt a wave of excitement and nervously accepted the invitation.

For a while they had fun dancing, and Dandelion felt herself relax. She could feel Landon’s eyes on her the entire time, and a wave of warmth washed over her.

But then, Bud came up to them and said it was time to go home. Landon suggested he could bring Dandelion home later, but Bud was angry, his face turning red. He yelled out “screw you” and stormed off.

Confused and scared, Dandelion accepted Landon’s offer to take her home. As they drove in his UTV, Landon asked Dandelion weird questions about virginity and other uncomfortable topics. She felt uneasy and scared, and wanted to get home as soon as possible.

When they arrived, she quickly rushed into the house and ran to Bud’s room. Bud was waiting for her, and as soon as he saw her he knew something was wrong. She started to cry, and he hugged her tightly.

They stayed up until 3am, talking and crying and laughing. Dandelion felt a wave of relief knowing she had someone to talk to and trust. Bud promised her that he would always be there for her, no matter what.

At the end of the night, Dandelion was filled with a sense of security and love. She felt happy knowing she had a brother who cared for her and would always have her back.

4

Dandelion had been struggling for months, but the day that she decided to cut her wrists was the day that she finally hit rock bottom. She had never felt so low before, and it seemed like there was no way out.

She decided to try something new to lift her spirits. She went out and bought some emo clothes, and when she put them on, she felt a surge of happiness. She realized that this was her way out of her depression.

From that day on, Dandelion decided to dress alternative. She started wearing all black, and she dyed her hair purple. Her parents, Rose and Marcus, weren't sure how to feel about it. Marcus, in particular, was especially concerned.

'You know, I can relate to this,' Marcus said. 'I'm 34 and I'm a grandfather. It's kind of depressing.'

Dandelion nodded. She knew that Aurora, her 18-year-old sister and mother to Kensley, had put a lot of strain on their family.

'I just want to take a break from everyone for a month,' Dandelion said, her voice barely a whisper.

Rose and Marcus exchanged glances. They knew this was serious, and it wasn't something they could ignore.

'Okay,' Marcus said finally. 'You can take a month off. But you have to promise to keep in touch, alright?'

Dandelion nodded. She was relieved that her parents were understanding, and she was grateful for their support. She knew that she needed this break to help her get through her depression.

As she went back to her room, she saw Bud, her 16-year-old brother who was autistic and an atheist, and Milo, her 6-year-old brother who was in first grade. They were both looking at her with concern.

'Hey, Dandy,' Bud said. 'Are you okay?'

Dandelion smiled at her siblings.

'Yeah, I'm okay,' she said. 'I'm just taking a break for a month, okay?'

Milo and Bud nodded, and Dandelion gave them both a hug. She knew that she had a lot of love and support from her family, and it was enough to help her get through her depression.

5

Dandelion sat at the top of the stairs, listening to her parents’ hushed voices from the kitchen below.

“She’s two months pregnant,” her mother said, her voice heavy with worry.

“Our daughter has a three month-old!” her father yelled, and Dandelion’s heart dropped into her stomach.

The words echoed in her head and she scrambled to make sense of what she had just heard. Who was pregnant, and why was her father so angry about it?

She immediately thought of her eldest sister, Aurora. Could it be her?

Dandelion’s mind raced as she tried to remember any signs she had missed. Aurora was already a teen mom to little Kensley, but she was only eighteen and in her last year of high school. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

Shaking her head in confusion, Dandelion went to find Bud, her brother. He was sixteen and in tenth grade, but he was also autistic and atheist. He was the only one who could help her make sense of the situation.

“I heard Mom and Dad talking,” Dandelion said as soon as she found him. “Someone’s pregnant again, and Dad was really mad.”

Bud frowned and stared off into space as he thought. “Do you think it’s Aurora?” he asked.

“I don’t know,” Dandelion said. “But we have to do something.”

They decided to follow Aurora and her boyfriend, Carson, in hopes of finding some clues. But after an hour of trailing them, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. They got back home just as their youngest brother, Milo, was getting ready for bed.

“Did you find out anything?” Bud asked as he tucked his six-year-old brother into bed.

“No,” Dandelion sighed. “But we’ll figure it out.”

Milo nodded and snuggled under his covers. “I hope you do,” he said.

Dandelion and Bud exchanged a look and she knew they were both thinking the same thing. They had to figure out who was pregnant, and why it was such a big deal to their parents. They had to get to the bottom of it, and fast.

6

Dandelion had always noticed the tension in the house. It was like a storm cloud, hovering over the family. It had only grown worse since her sister Aurora had gotten pregnant. Her and her brother Bud had been trying to figure out who was pregnant for the past two months, but had come up empty handed.

Today, they finally had an answer.

'It's Rose,' Bud said.

Dandelion was shocked. She had assumed it was Aurora, but she never would have guessed it was their mother. She took a deep breath and tried to prepare herself for what was to come.

The siblings made their way to their parents' bedroom, where Marcus and Rose were having an argument. As they entered, Marcus let out an angry yell.

'Aurora has a baby!' he shouted. 'And now you're pregnant too? What the hell were you thinking?'

Dandelion could feel her heart racing as the tension in the room grew thicker. Rose, however, remained calm and composed.

'It's not a surprise, Marcus,' she said softly. 'We've been trying for a while, and we finally got lucky.'

Marcus shook his head, but he seemed to be calming down. He looked at Dandelion and Bud, and his expression softened.

'I'm sorry,' he said. 'I know this isn't easy for any of us. We'll get through it together.'

Dandelion couldn't help but feel relieved. Even though it wasn't the news she wanted to hear, it was still nice to know that her parents were still there for them.

'Come on,' Marcus said, motioning for Dandelion and Bud to follow him. 'Let's go talk to Milo. He's been asking about the baby a lot.'

The siblings followed their father to Milo's room, where he was playing with his toys.

'Milo,' Marcus said. 'I have something to tell you. Your mom is going to have another baby soon.'

Milo looked up from his toys, his eyes wide.

'Really?' he asked, a smile spreading across his face.

Marcus nodded, and the smile grew even bigger.

'That's so cool,' Milo said, jumping up and down.

Dandelion couldn't help but smile at her brother's enthusiasm. She was glad that he was so excited about the news, even though it was a difficult situation for everyone else in the family.

Despite the worries of the future, Dandelion couldn't help but feel hopeful. Maybe things would work out in the end, and their family could be happy again.

7

Dandelion glanced over at her brother Bud. She was twelve and in the seventh grade, and her brother was sixteen and in the tenth. She was dressed in her favorite emo clothes, and Bud was dressed in a simple black t-shirt and jeans. Bud was autistic and an atheist, but Dandelion loved him all the same.

Dandelion cleared her throat to get his attention. 'Hey Bud, can I ask you something?'

Bud looked up from his phone and nodded. 'Sure, what is it?'

'Well, it's about the new baby,' Dandelion said. 'You know, with Mom and Dad. How do you feel about having a seventeen year age gap between you and the baby?'

Bud shrugged. 'I mean, it's not that much different than the sixteen year age gap I have with my niece, Kensley. So, it's all good.'

Dandelion smiled and nodded. 'That's true. I hadn't thought of it like that.'

Dandelion got up and walked over to where her little brother, Milo, was playing on the floor. She knelt down next to him and started playing with him.

Milo looked up at her with his big blue eyes. 'Hey Dandelion, why is Aurora a slut?'

Dandelion was taken aback. She looked up at Bud, who was still sitting on the couch, and then back at Milo. 'Where did you hear that?' she asked, her voice tight.

Milo pointed a finger at Bud. 'He said it.'

Dandelion stood up abruptly and glared at Bud. 'What did you say?!' she exclaimed.

Bud held up his hands in surrender. 'Look, all I said was that Aurora was 'living her truth'. That's all.'

Dandelion shook her head and turned back to Milo. 'Milo, that's not a nice word to use. It's not nice to call someone names, okay?'

Milo nodded and went back to playing. Dandelion knelt back down and ruffled his hair. She shot a stern look at Bud before getting back up.

Dandelion sighed and looked at her brother. 'Bud, you need to be more careful with your words. Even if you don't mean to hurt someone, your words still have an impact. Okay?'

Bud nodded and looked away. 'Yeah, sorry.'

Dandelion smiled and patted his shoulder before heading back to her seat. She may be young, but she knew that words had power.

8

Dandelion was so nervous. She always thought that her brother, Bud, was the most accepting of her out of everyone in her family. She liked to dress in alternative styles, and she knew that he was the only one who didn't judge her for it. He was autistic, and he was also an atheist, so she figured that he'd be the most accepting of her sexuality.

She took a deep breath and gathered up the courage to tell him.

'Hey Bud,' she said, her heart pounding in her chest. 'Can I talk to you for a minute?'

Bud nodded, and they stepped into the living room. Dandelion took a deep breath and started.

'I'm... I'm lesbian,' she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

Bud's eyes widened and he looked at her in surprise.

'You sure?' he asked.

Dandelion nodded.

'I'm sure,' she said, her voice stronger.

Bud smiled and gave her a hug.

'That's great!' he said. 'I'm really happy for you.'

Dandelion smiled, relieved that he wasn't mad.

'Thanks,' she said.

She then hesitated for a moment before continuing.

'I wanted to ask if I could dye my hair in the lesbian colors,' she said. 'Pink, white, and orange.'

Bud laughed.

'I think that would be awesome,' he said.

Dandelion smiled, but then her face fell as she remembered her parents' reaction.

'Do you think mom and dad will be okay with it?' she asked.

Bud sighed and shook his head.

'I don't know,' he said. 'They've been pretty strict with us ever since Aurora had Kensley. They don't like us being emo or anything like that.'

Dandelion nodded. She knew that her parents had always been strict, and she didn't want to make things worse by coming out.

'Maybe you can just tell them that you want to dye your hair without actually saying why,' Bud suggested.

Dandelion thought about it for a moment before nodding.

'Okay,' she said. 'I'll try that.'

She gave Bud one last hug before going to find her parents.

When she got to the kitchen, her mom and dad were sitting at the table, talking about something. Dandelion cleared her throat to get their attention.

'Hi,' she said, her voice shaking slightly. 'Can I talk to you for a minute?'

Her parents exchanged a glance before nodding.

'Sure,' her mom said. 'What is it?'

Dandelion took a deep breath.

'I want to dye my hair,' she said. 'Pink, white, and orange. Do you think that would be okay?'

Her parents exchanged another glance before her dad spoke.

'No,' he said firmly. 'We don't approve of those kinds of things. You shouldn't be emo or gay or a furry or anything like that.'

Dandelion felt tears prick at her eyes, but she fought them back.

'Okay,' she said softly.

She went back to her room, her heart heavy with disappointment. She wanted to be able to express herself without having to worry about what her parents thought, but it seemed like that was never going to happen.

She lay on her bed, feeling the tears come. As she cried, she thought about Bud and how accepting he had been. He hadn't judged her or made her feel bad. He had just accepted her and made her feel like it was okay to be who she was.

In that moment, Dandelion knew that she had made the right decision in coming out to Bud. No matter what anyone else said, she knew that she was still the same person she had always been. And that was enough.

9

Dandelion stood in between her siblings, Bud and Aurora, feeling like the odd one out. She was twelve, in seventh grade, and dressed in her usual emo/alternative style. Her older sister was eighteen, in twelfth grade, and a teen mom to Kensley. Bud was sixteen, in tenth grade, and autistic and an atheist. Milo, their youngest sibling, was six and in first grade.

Their parents, Rose and Marcus, were in the living room discussing something heatedly. Rose was thirty four and five months pregnant, and Marcus was thirty five. Dandelion had a feeling it was about her.

Bud nudged Dandelion and whispered, 'What's going on?'

Before Dandelion could answer, Marcus shouted, 'Dandelion, go talk to your mother!'

Dandelion glanced at Rose and could see the pain etched in her face. She walked slowly into the living room and said, 'Mom, what's going on?'

Rose sighed and said, 'Dandelion, your father found out about your TikTok account with Raegen.'

Dandelion's face felt hot and she knew it was turning red. She and Raegen had started the account called @RaegenANDDandy a few weeks ago, and while she was a lesbian and Raegen was bisexual, they hadn't expected anyone to find out.

Marcus' face was fuming. He said, 'How dare you start a TikTok account with a girl without our permission? You know how I feel about homosexuality. I'm disappointed in you.'

Bud stepped in front of Dandelion and said, 'Everyone here is being dramatic. Mom, you're obviously in pain and Dad, you need to calm down.'

Marcus said nothing, but he got up and went to Rose and put his arms around her. Bud made a face and whispered to Dandelion, 'I'm gonna puke if I see this again.'

The two of them stepped away and into the other room. Bud looked at Dandelion and said, 'You know, I have a girlfriend. Her name is Marissa. We just started dating.'

Dandelion's eyes widened. 'Bud! That's great! I'm so happy for you!'

Bud blushed and said, 'I know, it's kind of scary but it's also really awesome.'

Dandelion smiled and hugged her brother. She knew that no matter what their parents said, her siblings would always have her back.

## bonus w/Bud

Bud lay in bed, entwined with Marissa. He could feel the warmth of her body next to his and the smell of her hair in his nose. He felt a strange mix of emotions. On the one hand, he was elated and content, feeling more alive than he ever had before. On the other hand, he was scared. He was scared of what his parents would think if they found out.

He knew his parents would not be happy, especially his father, Marcus. He remembered how angry Marcus had been when his sister, Aurora, had gotten pregnant when she was only 17. Bud was sure Marcus would be even angrier if he found out his 16-year-old son was having sex.

Bud looked up at Marissa, who was still asleep. He was glad that for now, at least, his parents were none the wiser.

The next day, Bud was sitting at the kitchen table, eating breakfast with his family. His younger brother, Milo, was chattering away, as usual, while his mother, Rose, was trying to get him to sit still. His older sister, Aurora, was standing in the corner, cradling her daughter, Kensley. His father, Marcus, was sitting at the head of the table, looking stern as usual.

Bud felt a pang of guilt as he looked at his father. He knew he had to keep his secret or else Marcus would be disappointed.

Suddenly, Dandelion, Bud's younger sister, walked into the kitchen. Bud noticed she was dressed in her usual alternative style. He smiled to himself, glad that his family was so different from others.

Dandelion walked up to Bud and said, 'Hey Bud, I heard you and Marissa slept together last night.'

Bud felt his heart skip a beat. He quickly glanced up at his father, but Marcus was busy talking to Aurora.

Bud leaned in close to his sister and whispered, 'Shhh, not so loud! I don't want dad to find out.'

Dandelion just smiled and said, 'Don't worry, I won't tell.'

Bud smiled back, relieved. He knew he could always count on his sister to keep his secrets.