That evening, Denise came home from soccer practice. She wanted to walk into the living room, but something stopped her. She listened closely, and heard someone crying.

"It's just..." she heard Lin's voice say, "I can't take it anymore. She keeps shutting us out, and gets mad at the most random moments!"

Denise froze as she realised what she had just heard. Realising that now, she couldn't just walk into the room pretending to have not heard a thing, she stepped a little closer to the door.

"I really don't know what to do with her. I know that she's a highly troubled kid, but I had never expected this! Vanessa, what do I do?"

So I'm a highly troubled kid, huh? Denise thought, That's why I stayed in that group home for so long! No one wants a highly troubled kid.

Now Denise heard Vanessa's voice. "We could always give her back?"

Denise froze, of all people, Vanéssa suggested this?! She would have never seen that coming!

Totally confused and shocked, Denise ran away.

A few minutes earlier, Lin was sitting on the couch, with Tobi on his lap. 'Vanessa?' he asked, 'Can we talk?'

To his own surprise, he started crying. Vanessa immediately walked towards him, and put her arm around him.

'Hey,' she said, 'What's wrong?'

'It's Denise,' Lin said.

'What about Denise?' Vanessa asked, even though she thought she already knew the answer.

'It's just... ' Lin sighed, 'I can't take it anymore. She keeps shutting us out, and gets mad at the most random moments! I really want to be a father figure to her, but I can't. I really don't know what to do with her. I know that she's a highly troubled kid, but I had never expected this! Vanessa, what do I do?'

Vanessa smiled. She understood Lin's problems, but he had to realise what he was saying. 'We could always give her back?' she suggested with a smile.

'No!' Lin answered, shocked that Vanessa would even suggest that.

'Exactly!' she said, 'I'm convinced that Denise just needs time. It's going to be alright, baby.' With that, she wanted to stand up and leave, but Lin stopped her.

'Easy for you to say! She seems to trust you, or at least more than she trusts me!'

'Lin...' Vanessa tried to stop him.

'She keeps ignoring me and it's frustrating as hell! Why does she hate me so much?!'

'Lin-Manuel!' Vanessa shouted, 'Enough!'

Lin sat down: 'I'm sorry.'

'Damn right you're sorry,' Vanessa said angrily, but then she calmed down. 'What if we go talking to Denise? She needs it. And you clearly need it too.'

Lin nodded: 'Good plan.'

Denise sat down on her bed. They didn't want her. It hit her like a bullet. They didn't want her. She thought she had finally found people who loved her, but apparently she was wrong. It was probably her own fault. She had kept shutting them out. Well, that wasn't her fault, was it? She wasn't used to this thing called love. She didn't know how to handle it! And after all, she still had the Rules. They were probably going to give her up. Her eyes fell on her backpack. Or...

Lin heard the door slam.

Vanessa shouted: 'Denise?! We're in the living room!'

Silence.

Vanessa looked at Lin: 'I'll go get her. She probably went to her room.'

Lin heard her rummaging in Denise's bedroom. A worried-looking Vanessa came back: 'She's gone!'