unpretty

September 2043 - Robert Stanton is 43, Jenny Johnson is 42, Libby Stanton is 15, Jodie and Sadie Stanton are 12.

For Libby's fifteenth birthday, Robert buys an old clunker for them to fix together. He could afford to buy her a new car, but Libby loves engineering just like him, and he thought it would be a fun project for them to do together.

Libby has always been a daddy's girl, but it's becoming even more apparent as she gets older. Jenny comes over to see the girls once or twice a week, but Libby uses the car as an excuse to avoid her.

"Jodie and Sadie are inside," Libby says, not even bothering to look up from her tools.

"The car looks great," Jenny offers.

"Thanks," Libby mumbles.

"Do you want to join us?" Jenny asks.

"Uh, Dad went out to get some parts, but he'll be back soon. I should get this finished so I can help him when he gets back."

Unlike Libby, Jodie and Sadie like spending time with their mom. They were too young when their parents divorced to remember what life was like before. In their minds it's normal to have a mother who they only see a few times a month and who acts more like a big sister than a mom.

Robert brings up her mother one morning during their regular run. "Your mother is really trying to reach out to you," he says. "I think you should let her."

"Why?" Libby asks. "We don't have anything in common. She doesn't even know me. And she left us."

"She's your mother. And she's trying to get to know you."

One night while Ricky is working late at the restaurant that night, Jenny ends up staying for dinner. Somehow, after all of these years, Robert and Jenny are back to being friends, or at least friendly. Robert has always been the kind of man to put others' needs ahead of his own, and he really thinks his teenaged daughters need a mother.

Libby doesn't like her mother, but she loves her father and would do anything to make him happy. So she decides to make an effort with her mom, just like he wants, and says, "Can I come shopping with you guys?"

Her mother and sisters are surprised, but Jenny immediately encompasses her in enthusiasm. "Of course honey! We'll have a girls' day!"

Libby is wary of going shopping with her mother. She doesn't want any flowers or frills, and definitely no pink. Jenny seems to understand this, and all of her suggestions are simple and classic, but nicer than her usual T-shirts, and all of them in her standard blue.

"I like it," she says with a smile.

Jodie doesn't go too crazy on their shopping trip, but Sadie ends up getting new jewelry and some new makeup, which her mom shows her how to apply it. Her dad isn't thrilled about his youngest daughter wearing makeup, but Sadie loves her new look.

Jodie and Sadie are still best friends, but a canyon is starting to grow between them. Jodie is the same girl she's always been; she loves the outdoors and playing games, she thinks boys are stupid and wants to spend her weekend playing with her twin sister and their friend Jamie Smith.

Sadie, on the other hand, may only be twelve but she's already started noticing boys, particularly Christopher Long. Jodie and Jamie love to tease her about her crush.

"Whatever," Sadie says. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Mostly when they hang out they talk about the same things they talked about back in elementary school: nature, sports, games, and school. But even if Sadie is the only one noticing boys so far, they're all getting older and turning into teenagers.