(violet's outfit for this chapter)

It was time for Jackson's history final. Violet was waiting to wish him good luck before he left for summer school. She had helped him study for it and he was ready for it. He knew the answers like the back of his hand.

When Jackson texted her he was beading over, she met him outside on the front porch. She smiles at him, her eyes bright and warm as she looked at him. "You got this, babe. You're going to do amazing."

Jackson grins at her. "Thank you for helping me study and for believing in me." He cupped her cheeks and kissed her.

"Of course." She murmurs when he pulls away, her hands resting on his wrists as she looked into his eyes. "Now, go. You can do it." She gave him an encouraging smile and gently pushed him back, making him walk backwards as he smiled at her.

"Wish me luck!" Jackson said.

"Good luck! Go crush it!" She encouraged him. She waved at him before she stepped back inside and closed the door.

****

Later that day, she went next door to help DJ put up decorations in the kitchen. Violet knew Jackson had to ace this test. He was actually prepared for it this time. And he got every question they went over right. So Violet was helping DJ with a few things.

"Thanks for helping me out, ViVi." DJ smiled.

"No problem, Deej. I'm happy to help. Besides, I got nothing else to do. I already finished my summer reading list." Violet shrugged as she chuckled.

DJ laughs, shaking her head fondly. "Only you would be able to finish all of that in less than a week. How did you get through all those books so quickly?"

"Well, it helps to be a fast reader and I had a lot of free time. Plus I love to read so I couldn't stop." Violet explained, her eyes lighting up as she talked about books and reading.

"You're such a bookworm." DJ chuckled, reaching out and ruffling her hair playfully.

Violet laughs, batting her hands away. "Yeah, but a cute one." She grinned and continued helped DJ putting up streamers.

"Aren't you supposed to be at work?" A confused Kimmy asked when she walked down the stairs and noticed DJ was already home.

"Oh, I'm on lunch. When Jackson comes home from school, we're throwing him a party." Dj replied and stepping down from the chair she had been standing on to put up.some streamers in front of the entrance to the basement.

Kimmy stares at her with confusion. "Just for finding his way home? You'll throw a party for anything."

Violet giggles, rolling her eyes and didn't bother to correct her. She went back to helping DJ with the decorations as Ramona and Fernado walked in. "Great news! We crushed it!" Fernando cheered. That reminded Violet that Ramona had auditioned for a dancing school and she knew she was going to get in. Why would she not? Ramona was the best dancer she knew. She knew Ramona would get in.

"I won't know if I got in for a couple weeks, but I crushed it!" Ramona cheered and hugged her mon.

"Honey, I'm so proud of you!" Kimmy smiled brightly.

"And are you proud of me?" Fernando asked hopefully.

"What did you do?" Kimmy raised her eyebrows and tilted her head to the side.

"I drove her down there." Fernando pointed out and Ramona nodded, pointing at him.

"Fine, I'm proud if you too." Kimmy shrugged.

Fernando grins. "There, was that so hard?"

"Mom, you threw a party for me?" Ramona's face lit up after seeing the decorations and Violet grimaced. She felt bad now. She didn't think this would happen, but she felt bad Ramona was getting excited for nothing. 

"Oh, no, Mona, it's not—"

"Sure, did." Kimmy interrupted her, lying through her teeth and smiling at Ramona. Violet shared a look with DJ, sharing a look of disbelief with her. 

She leans over to DJ and whispers, "Is Kimmy seriously going along with this?"

DJ shrugs, whispering back, "I guess she doesn't want to disappoint Ramona."

Violet bit her lip, feeling torn. She didn't want Ramona to be upset, but the party was supposed to be for Jackson. Before she could say anything else, Ramona was beaming at the decorations, clearly overjoyed.

"Then why does this cake say 'Congratulations Jackson'?" DJ questioned, showing the cake she held. Ramona frowned and glanced at her mom.

"That's the worst typo I have ever seen." Kimmy grumbled.

Violet chuckles. "I'm happy for you, Ramona." She admits, smiling widely at her friend. "I'm sure you will get in, Mona." She assured her friend and pulled her in for a side hug.

Ramona smiles at her. "Thanks, Vivi."

"Hello, everyone." Jackson greeted the group as he walked in with a smile.

"Oh, there's my summer school star!" DJ grinned, heading over to him with the cake.

"Oh, mom! You threw a party for me?" Jackson asked with surprise and excitement, smiling widely. Violet couldn't help the smile on her lips at seeing him so happy. She always loved it when his face lit up like this.

"Sure did! Read the cake!" DJ sends a look to Kimmy, who looks confused and looks behind her while Ramona glances at her mom. "Vivi helped me decorate." DJ added as Violet walked over to her boyfriend.

Violet smiles at Jackson, intertwining her hand with his and earning a smile back from him as he leaned over to kiss her head. "I'm beginning to think this not my party." Ramona realized.

"In that case, we shall take our Dancing Queen to her Burger King." Fernando dramatically said and Ramona grinned.

"Where we can have it our way." Kimmy stubbornly spoke and followed them out the door while DJ put the cake down on the kitchen island.

"So, how'd it go?" DJ eagerly asked Jackson.

"I think somebody made history in their history class." Jackson smirks. "As in my first 'A'!"

DJ beams at him. "You got an A?"

"Which I've been told is the highest letter you can get." Jackson continued with a wide smile.

"I knew you would ace it!" Violet grins, squeezing his hand. She cringes when Jackson sends her a look. "Okay, honestly I had some doubt. But not a lot!"

"You doubted me?" Jackson asked with mock offence, holding his hand over his heart.

Violet bites her lip, nodding her head. "Maybe just a little bit."

"That's okay, you're cute, and I really like you a lot so you're forgiven." Jackson smiled and kissed her nose, making her scrunch it up and giggle.

Violet smiles at him and kisses his cheek. "Really, I'm proud of you."

"Thanks, Vi." Jackson smiles fondly at her, his heart fluttering as he squeezes her hand. He glances at his mom, who had been watching their interaction with a fond look. He blushes, almost forgetting his mom was still there. "The results should be online."

"Oh, I'm so happy!" DJ comments, sitting down at the table. "Where do you want to go for your dinner?"

"Arby's!" Jackson immediately replied and Violet couldn't help but giggle.

"Anywhere at all." DJ assured him, not looking too thrilled about that suggestion.

"Arby's!" Jackson repeated.

"Any place you want." DJ tried again, hoping to get a different answer this time. But it didn't work.

"Arby's!" Jackson exclaimed happily, a wide smile on his face.

Violet laughs, glancing at DJ sympathetically. "I think something tells me he really wants to go to Arby's."

"Looks like it." DJ sighed.

"Hey, is there a chance I could get into Har-Vard or Dart-Mouth?" Jackson suddenly asked.

Violet giggles at that. "If you pronounce them like that, then probably not."

Jackson playfully glares at her, and poked her sides a few times where she's ticklish. Violet squeaks, laughing loudly as she tries to squirm away. "I'm just kidding! Of course you can!" She said, trying to stop his hands from tickling her sides. Jackson chuckled and finally stopped, leaning over to kiss her cheek. She smiled, her face flushed as she leaned into his side.

"Honey, it's Harvard and Dartmouth." DJ corrected Jackson.

Jackson shakes his head, looking confused. "Nah, that doesn't sound right."

"Hey, this can't be right." DJ frowns, staring at the computer with furrowed eyebrows after searching up the results of his history test. "Jackson, it says you got an 'F'."

"What?" Jackson exclaimed, stepping closer to get a better look as his eyes widened with disbelief. Violet stared at the computer with wide eyes, not believing what she was seeing. Jackson was actually prepared this time. He knew the answers. There was no way he could have gotten an F. Something wasn't adding up.

"How is this possible? You knew that material inside and out." DJ commented.

"I don't know what happened." Jackson sighed, frowning while Violet rubbed his back to comfort him.

"Something isn't right. And I'm gonna get to the bottom of it. Come on, Jackson, we're gonna go down to your school right now. Oh, I am so upset!" DJ admits, grabbing her purse. "I mean, I may exceed the speed limit by three to five miles an hour." Violet shares a look with Jackson, the two knowing she wouldn't. "But I probably won't." DJ added and Violet nodded, chuckling a little.

"There she is." Violet mutters. "I think I'm gonna stay here."

"Okay, I'll see you later, babe." Jackson sent her a small smile, kissing her cheek before he followed his mom out of the kitchen. Violet's heart fluttered at the action, still feeling giddy each time he did a sweet gesture. She decided to head out back where she knew Stephanie was at with Becky, who she found out had arrived earlier that day with Pamela, her and Jesse's baby they had adopted recently. Violet had met Pamela already and she was such a sweetheart. She thought it was so sweet they named her after an important member of the family had past away. She She smiled at seeing Pamela and Tommy playing in a ball pit with a toy slide in the backyard. Stephanie was knelt by the ball pit as Becky stood by them. "Hey, guys. How's it going?" Violet asked, smiling while she walked over to the group.

"Violet, hey! It's going good. It's great to see you again. I didn't see you earlier when Pamela and I got here." Becky responded, pulling the teen girl in for a hug.

"Yeah, I was at home and then congratulating Jackson for his history final he had today." Violet answers, smiling as she hugged Becky back. When they pulled away, she knelt down next to Stephanie, who was keeping an eye on the little ones. "Though, things took a turn when we found out about his history grade."

"Uh-oh, what happened?" Stephanie asked, glancing up with concern.

"Well, he thought he got an 'A,' but the school system says he got an 'F.' DJ and Jackson went to figure it out." Violet sighs, still a little worried. "Something's definitely wrong though. Jackson studied hard for that test, and 'm sure he nailed it."

Becky raises an eyebrow, concerned as well. "That sounds frustrating. Hopefully, they can sort it out."

Stephanie nods. "I'm sure they will. DJ's on the case, and she won't rest until she gets answers."

Violet smiles at that and chuckles a little. "Yeah, she's pretty determined when it comes to her kids. So, what has been going on with you guys? Besides this cute play date." She added, smiling at the two toddlers having fun in the ball pit.

"Becky convinced me to go get a pelvic ultrasound to see if I can have kids even though I already have been told I can't." Stephanie explained and Violet nodded in understanding, her face softening.

"And speaking of that, you were awfully quiet on the way home. Are you okay?" Becky asked Stephanie with concern.

"Uh, yeah. Yeah, I've just been thinking, you know. I mean, what if I go to all this trouble and find a donor, and then a surrogate, and after all that, it still doesn't work?" Stephanie worried as she stood.

"Oh, Steph. It's one thing to look back and say 'I wish this would have worked.' But you don't want to say 'I wish I would have tried'. Because who knows? You might just get..." Becky walks over to pick up Tommy with a grin. "One of these!"

Stephanie smiles as she holds Tommy when Becky handed him to her. "Come here, you." Violet smiles at seeing Tommy kissing Stephanie's cheek. Stephanie smiles widely at that and kisses Tommy's cheek. "Well, that's not fair. I don't even know how much all this costs. I mean, it's got to be expensive."

"Before you make a decision, get all the facts." Becky suggested.

"Alright." Stephanie nods. "But...Can we keep this between us?" She glances at Violet. "You too, can you keep this a secret? I don't want to get everyone's hopes up. Especially mine."

"I understand." Becky nodded.

"Yeah, of course. My lips are sealed." Violet promises, pretending to zip her lips shut and throwing away the key. "But really, Steph, I think this will work. And I know you will be a great mom someday." She added, her eyes sincere.

Stephanie smiles at Violet's encouragement, her eyes reflecting both hope and a touch of anxiety. "Thanks, Vivi. That means a lot."

Violet smiles softly. "No problem."

"Besides, if anyone can keep a secret, it's me, Violet, and Tommy. Right, Tommy?" Becky questioned, bringing her finger up to her lips as she shushed. Tommy did the same thing, causing Violet and the other two women to chuckle and smile. 

Stephanie put Tommy down and he went over to the slide again while Pamela stayed in the ball pit. Violet smiled at the adorable scene and felt a wave of warmth and happiness watching the kids play and having fun. She felt a sense of calm and contentment as she watched the toddlers play. The laughter and joy of the kids were a comforting contrast to the earlier stress of Jackson's grade issue. She was grateful for these moments of peace and joy and she knew it was moments like these that would get her through the harder times.

****

"Get your party hats on." DJ handed party hats to Violet, Kimmy, Becky, and Joey later when she and Jackson got home. Joey had arrived earlier that day with his four kids, who Violet had heard from Ramona, had been a nightmare to deal with, and that she and Max were glad they would be leaving soon. Violet didn't blame them. Joey's kids were always a handful. She liked them, but she didn't like being around them for a long time. She couldn't imagine how exhausted Ramona and Max felt with dealing with them. "I had Jackson wait in his room until we were ready. Jackson! Your surprise party's starting again! Act surprised!" DJ called out while putting on a green party hat.

Violet puts on a purple party hat, smiling as Stephanie walked in. "Hey, guys." Stephanie greeted.

"Hey, Steph." Violet replied while the others greeted her.

"Congratulations?" Stephanie said with confusion after noticing the banner up. "Becky, Violet, you told them there's a chance I would have a baby?" As she asked this, Violet tried signaling to Stephanie that she and Becky didn't, but she wasn't quick enough. She grimaced and leaned against the kitchen island with a sigh.

"Stephanie..." Becky started, but Stephanie continued.

"This is exactly what I was afraid of. You guys would make way too big a deal out of it, with balloons and party hats," Becky picks up the cake for Jackson to show Stephanie to get her to realize what this party was for. "And a cake that says 'Congratulations, Jackson!'" Her eyes widen and her jaw drops. "Oh! You know, never mind." She nervously muttered and crossed her arms while Becky put the cake back down.

"There's a chance you could have a baby?" DJ asked hopefully.

"And I'm going to Disneyland?" Joey chimes in with a grin. Violet raised her eyebrows, confused by that but glanced at him with amusement. "What a day!" He used his party horn out of excitement.

"Well, there's a possibility with the help of a surrogate, that Stephanie can have a baby." Becky explained.

Everyone congratulated Stephanie though she was quick to cut in. "No, just hold on, okay? Don't get too excited because I've decided that I'm not doing it." Violet frowned at that, joining in everyone's confused questions while Stephanie went downstairs to her room. And of course at this moment, Jackson entered the kitchen, pretending to act surprised.

"Wow! A Jackson-is-a-genius party? I had no idea. Oh, you guys." Jackson grins, waving a dismissive hand. He pauses when he noticed the solemn looks on everyone's faces. "Hey, if I'm gonna act surprised, you guys can at least act happy."

"Sorry, babe." Violet apologizes, smiling apologetically and walking over to kiss his cheek. "I'm very happy for you and proud of you."

Jackson smiles at her, squeezing her hand after interlacing their fingers together. "Thanks, Vi." He knew he could always count on Violet to be supportive, and it meant a lot to him. He felt lucky to have someone so amazing by his side.

****

Eventually with Becky's advice and support, Stephanie decided to try this out with getting a surrogate to have a child. Everyone went to congratulate her and Stephanie decided to give the surrogacy process a try, thanks to the support and encouragement from Becky, Violet, and everyone else. Despite her initial reluctance and the mixed emotions surrounding the situation, Stephanie was hopeful that this could be a step towards fulfilling her dream of becoming a mother. 

The news brought a renewed sense of excitement to the group, and everyone gathered to celebrate both Jackson's achievement and Stephanie's decision to explore this new possibility. As the evening continued, the party atmosphere was uplifted with laughter and shared stories. Jackson, despite the initial confusion, was the center of attention, basking in the joy of his success. Violet was by his side, beaming with pride and feeling grateful for the supportive community around her. She couldn't imagine being happier than in this moment, surrounded by the people she loved most and knowing that whatever challenges came her way, she could face them with their help and support.