(violet's outfit for this chapter)

Violet was waiting outside the house with Jackson, Ramona, and Max after they got their signal from Stephanie to come in. She was introducing their achievements they've done recently and Violet was still buzzing with excitement because of what happened with her. She had finally finished writing a song, something she had been working on for months and with Jackson's encouragement along with everyone else's encouragement, she made a YouTube channel and posted it there. She made a video of her playing the ukulele and singing the song. And she was surprised by the positive feedback she received. People were commenting on her video, praising her talent and expressing how much they enjoyed her music. It was a surreal feeling for Violet, knowing that her music was reaching people and resonating with them.

She had always loved making music, but had always been self-conscious of her own voice and felt like she wasn't good enough. So she had always kept it to herself and never shared it with anyone. Until now, of course. She had always shared her music with Jackson, though. Because he was one of her best friends, he had been encouraging her and pushing her to put her music out there. And it had paid off, it seemed. But he had always been the one she was most comfortable with sharing her music with. He had always been a supportive friend to her.

But with her video, she had prerecorded the backup vocals and she had edited so she was seen playing each instrument she used in the song as she sang. She always been good with technology, but this video really showcased her skills in a new light. And the response she received was overwhelming in the best way possible. She was an overnight sensation, her video had millions of views and her channel had gained many subscribers, much more than she thought she would have after posting that video. That video made her realize people did like her music, she really was talented and good enough to try to be a musician. She felt so accomplished, so happy. And she was grateful for the support her friends gave her.

She did kind of hope she would get some support or at least a message from her parents about it, but once again she got nothing from them. She shouldn't be surprised, but it still stung that they didn't care about her dreams. She was starting to realize that maybe her parents never cared about her, and if they did, it was a very low bar. It made her feel sad, but also angry. Why couldn't they be like Jackson's parents? Or Romana's parents? Why couldn't they actually show they care about her? Why couldn't they show that they actually wanted her? It was infuriating and upsetting, but something she had to live with and sadly was used to by now.

Stephanie's voice brought her out of her thoughts. "And now I would like to introduce the girl next door who became an overnight sensation with her hit song, Violet!"

She takes a deep breath, pushing the thoughts about her parents to the back of her mind and put on a bright smile on her face as she walked inside the house. She did a little happy dance as Stephanie played some up beat music from her phone and the others had cheered for her. When she was done, she grinned at the Fuller's and Gibbler's, pulling her phone out and showing them her video on YouTube that became popular over night.

"Guess who became an overnight sensation! I did." She beams excitedly, looking at the family. "Still can't believe this is real, but it's happening. I'm actually getting fans for my music. People like it. Like, really like it. It's surreal." She rambled happily, grinning brightly at them.

"That's amazing, Violet!" DJ smiles widely at her and walks over to her to get a closer look at the views on her video "Wow, that's really good." She praised.

Kimmy grins at Violet. "We knew you were going to make it." She told her.

"Totally." Stephanie agrees with a bright smile. "This is great, Violet. Congratulations. I had a feeling you were destined for big things in the music world."

Violet's smile widens at their words of encouragement and support. It meant the world to her to have such amazing friends who believed in her talent. "Thanks, guys. Your support means everything to me." She felt a surge of gratitude and warmth in her heart, knowing that she had a family in them, even if they weren't blood-related. She walked further into the living room, standing by DJ as Stephanie introduced Jackson.

"And last but not least, the newest member of the Fuller Overachiever's Club, Jackson Fuller." Everyone cheered and clapped for Jackson as he some not so great dance moves in Violet's opinion. She found his dancing moves amusing though and had to cover her mouth to stifle a snicker.

He pauses half way into dancing, glancing at his aunt with confusion. "What, no music?"

Stephanie's eyes widen in disbelief. "Oh, that was dancing?"

This time Violet couldn't hold in her laugh, her hand flying up to cover her mouth as she laughed. "I'm sorry." She giggles, unable to stop. "No, I'm not sorry." She adds. "That was terrible. I'm sorry."

Jackson looks offended at her statement and glares playfully at her. "Excuse me, my dancing was awesome." He told her.

Violet snorts, raising an eyebrow. "Sure, if you consider this," She copied the whip, nae nae move he did but she did it more dramatic than he did. "Dancing." She grinned when everyone laughed and Jackson shook his head at her, clearly unamused.

"I thought my dance was cool." He mumbled, crossing his arms.

Violet snickers, nudging his shoulder. "It was...Interesting." She told him, smiling a little.

Jackson rolls his eyes but smiles. "Thanks. That means a lot coming from you, Vi." He teases, making her roll her eyes and playfully shove his shoulder as she chuckles. "Anyway, guess who got all A's this semester!" He pulled out his report card from his backpack to show everyone. Violet tried not to be so shocked and in disbelief, but she couldn't help it. Jackson was not the studious type, so hearing that he actually got all A's was definitely surprising.

"All A's?" She repeated, staring at him with wide eyes.

"Wow! That's unbelievable!" It seemed like DJ felt the same way as she holds her oldest son's report card, staring down at it with wide eyes. After realizing how that sounded, she looks up at him with a sheepish smile. "I...I mean, it's not unbelievable, it's just...Really surprising." When she gained a look from her oldest son, she quickly chimes in with, "I mean, it's not surprising, I mean...Congratulations, honey."

"Nice save." Violet muttered, her voice low so only DJ could hear her. The woman gave her a look and Violet held her hands up in defense, a smile forming on her face.

DJ hugs Jackson as he thanked her. "And tonight, Stephanie is gonna throw Stephanie's first annual gifted student pizza party." Stephanie announces with a grin before she leans over to her older sister to whisper, "Stephanie's gonna need our credit card."

Violet chuckled a little before she followed her friends into the kitchen, chanting 'pizza party' along with them excitedly. She was always down for pizza and any party really. She was really glad Stephanie was throwing a party for them, they really deserved it after all their hard work.

****

She now sat at the kitchen island by Max, eating a slice of pizza as Jackson walked over to the fridge. "Check it out, I finally made the fridge with something other than a hand turkey." He proudly said, replacing a hand turkey picture with his report card.

Violet grins, walking over to him. "Look at you, being responsible." She teased, making him glare playfully at her.

"I'm always responsible, Violet." He said, crossing his arms.

"Sure." Violet snorts, shaking her head and looking at his report card with a smile. "You did really well, Jax. I'm proud of you." She said sincerely, smiling at him.

Jackson smiles back at her and shrugs. "Thanks, Vivi. You did really well too. You've always been talented with music. I'm not surprised you became a overnight sensation. I'm proud of you too." He told her.

Violet's smile widens and she hugs him. "Thanks, Jax."

He chuckles, hugging her back. "You're welcome."

When they pull away, Ramona had leaned against the kitchen island with her plate of a slice of pizza in hand. She looks at Jackson with furrowed eyebrows. "How did you get all A's anyway? I've never seen you study once."

"Ramona," Jackson leans on the kitchen island by her. "In America, it's not about studying, it's about dreaming big."

Ramona stares at him with disbelief. "Again, how did you get all A's?"

"I asked myself the same question." Max cut in. Violet sat back down by Max and she couldn't help but agree with Max. She was curious too. "'Max, how does a C student become an A student overnight?' And that's when I took a leisurely stroll over to the printer-scanner-copier." Max admits, getting off the chair and walking over to the printer. He leans against it, glancing at his older brother. "Jackson, little tip. In the future, if you wanna change your grades, always remove the original report card from the printer-scanner-copier." He opens the copier part of the printer, revealing Jackson's actual report card. He takes it and shows it to everyone. "J'accuse!"

Jackson walks over to him, furrowing his eyebrows. "What does 'J'accuse' mean?"

"It means I accuse you. In French. A language you claim to have an A in." Max explained, pointing at the report card.

Violet's face softens and she glances at Jackson, who looked nervous and sheepish. "Hey, hey, hey, hey...Woah." Stephanie chimes in, walking over to grab the report card after Max had pulled it out of Jackson's reach when the older boy tried to grab it from him. "Max. Are you saying Jackson altered his report card? Because that does not sound like the honest kid that I..." Her voice trails off while she looks down at the report card. She then nods in realization. "Oh, yeah, he did it."

"So what if I changed my grades? Sorry I'm not good at test-taking." Jackson replied defensively.

"Or at using the printer-scanner-copier." Max quipped.

"Fine. Who cares about getting my stupid report card on the stupid fridge where we keep our stupid food and our stupid drinks. I'm out of here." Jackson then stormed out of the room, leaving the others standing there.

Violet frowns at Jackson's reaction, feeling a mixture of sympathy and disappointment. She knew he was sensitive about his academic performance, but she hadn't expected him to resort to altering his grades. She knew he wasn't the best in school, but she had offered to help him many times and he always refused her offers, saying that he could handle it. But this was not handling it. And it was upsetting and disappointing to see that he had chosen to take this route instead of asking for help or working through it in a different way. She exchanged a concerned glance with Max and Ramona before sighing softly.

"Well, he definitely gets an A in Drama." Ramona remarked.

"I'll go talk to him." Stephanie suggested and walked up stairs.

Violet sighed and finished eating her pizza slice before getting up to throw the paper plate away. She hoped that Jackson was alright and that Stephanie could get through to him. She knew that he was hurting, that was evident enough. She hated seeing him hurt, so she hoped he was okay and Stephanie could help him.

****

When Stephanie came back, Violet knew Jackson was still upset. She had asked Stephanie what the whole problem was and her heart broke when she said Jackson felt like he wasn't special. He felt like everyone in his family was special but him. She could understand why Jackson might feel that way, especially considering the pressure of living up to his family's achievements. But he was special, he was amazing and unique and had a lot of talents and abilities. Just because he didn't achieve what his family achieved, didn't mean he was any less special than they were.

And Violet and the others had a plan to get him to know that. She now stood at the bottom of the stairs by Ramona and Lola as Stephanie called Jackson down. They had called Lola over for a part of their plan, figuring with her there it would be easier to get Jackson to leave his room.

"Jackson, we need you!" Stephanie called out.

"No, you don't!" Jackson replied.

"Lola's here!" Stephanie added.

"Coming!" Jackson's response was immediate and footsteps are heard from above. Violet chuckled, amused by the fact Jackson would come running at the mention of Lola. Though it also hurt, she felt a pang of jealousy. But she didn't let herself linger on it, instead focusing on their plan to make Jackson feel better.

Once Jackson was downstairs, he looks around the group of kids and Stephanie, confused. "Hey, Lola, what are you doing here?" He asked, walking over to her with furrowed eyebrows.

"Your family said you wouldn't come downstairs unless I came over." Lola explained.

Jackson sighs heavily, his shoulders dropping in defeat. "Okay, I'm going back upstairs."

"Not so fast." Violet cut in, standing in front of the stairs to block his way.

Jackson groans. "Can't I just stay in my room and wallow in self-pity and misery?"

Violet shrugs. "I mean, sure, but that's really no fun. We have a much better idea." She told him.

Jackson raises an eyebrow. "Do I even wanna know?"

"Alright, we just wanna talk to you." Stephanie tells him. "Please, take a seat."

Jackson sighs again, glancing between his aunt and his best friend. Violet sends him an encouraging smile and he gives in, sitting down on the couch. Jackson jumped, startled when Max suddenly played a sour note on his trombone he brought out.

"It's fine for the Jackson Fuller Award Show, we're we give awards to Jackson Fuller!" He announced dramatically, pulling Jackson back against the couch by the hood of his hoodie and hugged him from behind. Violet clapped along with the others while Jackson looked at everyone with confusion though Violet noticed a small smile forming.

Stephanie had Tommy on her lap as she sat on the arm chair of the couch, making him clap as well which made him smile. "I'll go first." Ramona speaks up, sitting by Jackson. "Jackson, when I first moved in, you were so sweet to me. You even gave me your bedroom."

"No, I didn't, my mom took it away from me. And then I got so mad that I ran away from home." Jackson muttered which caused Ramona to grimace.

"But eventually you gave me your room. And that was very nice of you." Ramona tries again. "And that's why this is for you." She leans over to pick up a trophy under the coffee table. "'Best New Brother 2016'."

Jackson takes the trophy from her, furrowing his eyebrows when he saw the ballerina on top. "Is that a ballerina?"

"It is. Because you are tutu sweet." Ramona chuckles sheepishly, but Jackson didn't look amused. "Get it?"

"Yeah, I get it. Can I go now, please?" He asked, setting the trophy down and got up.

Stephanie gestures for Max to go next and Max quickly goes over to his older brother. "I have to tell you a story. A long, long time ago, I was seven. And there was a monster in my closet. Everyone told me I was nuts, except you. You believed me! And then you caught the monster in a pillowcase and put him out with the trash."

"So?" Jackson shrugged.

"So..." Max repeats sassily. "You saved my life. And opened up more closet space. And that's why I present you with this." He pulled out a certificate from behind a pillow on the couch and handed it to him.

"This is Cosmo's certificate from obedience school." Jackson realized.

"And now it's yours." Max smiled sheepishly at him.

"Thanks, I guess." Jackson mumbled, setting the certificate on the coffee table.

"Wait, hold on." Stephanie stands, stopping him from walking away again. "This little guy told me to tell you a secret. He said that you're the best brother ever. But not to tell Max." She comments with a smile, causing Max to look offended. "He also said that you give the best tickles in the world. So come on, give the kid a thrill." When Jackson just looked at her, she sighs. "Come on, I woke him up for this."

Jackson sighs and tickles his younger brother, who laughs and smiles in response. Jackson shrugs when he pulled away. "The kid's an easy laugh. He thinks that light bulbs are hysterical." He pointed out.

"Um...I didn't really have anything prepared," Lola admits, walking over to him with a sheepish look. "But you're my first boyfriend and I am very picky. I think you're awesome and you're a really good kisser."

Jackson's face brightens as he blushes. "I-I am?" He stutters, looking surprised and excited. "Wow, I feel so much better!" He admitted, grinning at Lola and pulling her in for a hug.

Violet ignores the pang of jealousy in her chest, instead smiling at her best friend. She was glad he was happy and had forgotten about his problems. He deserved to be happy and have fun and feel loved and she would do anything to make sure he did. "Okay, so I know anything I say or do might not top all of that," She chimes in once the couple pulled away. She pulls out a small box wrapped in wrapping paper with a red bow on top. "But, I did get you something."

Jackson raises an eyebrow, taking the box from her and removing the ribbon before opening it. He gasps quietly, looking down at the bracelet inside. It was a braided friendship bracelet. It was clearly handmade, woven together in a criss cross pattern. It was a mixture of different shades of his favorite color and there was a silver star charm.

"It's a friendship bracelet. I had made a matching one too. See?" Violet holds up her wrist, showing him her own bracelet. Her bracelet had the same pattern, except it was in her favorite colors and there was a purple star charm instead of the silver star charm on his. "I know it's a little cheesy and maybe kinda lame, but I wanted to give you something to remind you that you're special to me, and to all of us," She said softly, her gaze meeting his. "You're my best friend, Jackson. You're important to me and you always have been. No matter what happens, I will always be by your side. You can count on me. So if you're ever sad, just look at your bracelet and remember that I'm here for you. And that you're a star to me."

Jackson was quiet for a moment, staring down at the bracelet before looking up at her. For a moment she's worried that he doesn't like it or that she made a mistake or she went too far or something, but those thoughts were soon washed away when she saw the look on his face. It wasn't an unhappy or displeased look, but a soft look full of fondness and suddenly she's pulled into a tight hug. She was surprised for a moment, but hugged him back just as tightly after relaxing.

"Thank you, Violet." Jackson tells her, his voice muffled by her hair, but she heard him clear as day. "I love it."

"I'm glad. I was worried it might be weird or something." She admitted sheepishly.

Jackson chuckles and pulls away, giving her a warm smile. "It's not weird. It's really cool. And I'm not just saying that, I really do think it's cool. Thank you, Vivi."

"Of course, Jax. I'm always here for you." Violet returned the smile, ignoring the butterflies that seemed to swarm in her stomach. She watched with a fond smile as he immediately grabbed the bracelet and put it on his right wrist, the same wrist she had her bracelet on.

"I'm always here for you too." Jackson tells her, smiling brightly at her. "And you're a star to me too, Vivi. I mean, clearly the world thinks so too since you became an overnight sensation. I know I already said this, but I am really proud of you. I know that you were scared to put your music out there, but you did it and look where it got you."

Violet blushes, shrugging bashfully. "Thanks. It's crazy to think that I went viral. But anyway, Jackson you're special. You're special to all of us, we all care a lot about you and I know this is kind of cliché but you're unique in your own way. Just because you're not like everyone else in your family, doesn't mean you're not special. You are. You're really amazing and special and unique and you're Jackson. You're one of a kind and we wouldn't trade you for the world." She said honestly.

Jackson smiles at her, the same soft and fond smile he had given her earlier. "Thanks, Violet. I really appreciate that. You're the best friend I could ask for. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Me neither." Violet agreed, smiling softly at him and did her best to ignore her heart fluttering at his words. She hated that sting she felt when he called her his best friend, she hated being in the friendzone but he was happy with Lola and she didn't want to ruin that. She didn't want to make things awkward between them. So she pushed her feelings away and tried to ignore them, though sometimes it was harder than other times. Like right now. But she managed and smiled at him, feeling a sense of satisfaction when his smile got wider.

"You see? When it comes to being a great boyfriend, a great brother, a great best friend and a great nephew, you get a A plus." Stephanie said softly, smiling warmly at her oldest nephew. "The way you make people feel is what makes you really special."

Jackson smiles softly and nods. "Thanks." He turns to Lola, his face brightening more. "Really? I'm a good kisser?"

Violet rolled her eyes and chuckled, amused by his reaction. She was happy that he was happy. Yes, it did hurt that he was happy with Lola, but it was worth seeing him smile. Seeing him smile was always worth it.