Chapter 1

Shawn strode quietly through the long hallway, hearing the sounds of his cowboy boots and his car keys hanging from his front pocket. His boots echoed down the hall for a long time until he finally made it to a large room, entering the doorway and closing it behind him. He walked over to a set of chairs and sat down in the chair close to a large desk, sighing as he began to feel his legs ache from all the work he had done on the ranch all day. He really wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone, especially the Principle. He began rubbing his sore legs gently as he looked around the place, the same old things where they were the last time except for the small globe on a small table nearby.

Just around the corner, a woman in a black dress came through the door on the far side of the room.

"You know the drill, Mr. Michaels."

Shawn got up slowly and walked over to the woman, who smiled lightly at him as she held the door open for the Hall of Famer.

"How was your day?" Shawn asked.

"Good." The Woman said in a smart tone.

Once Shawn entered the room, he was greeted by a tall man wearing a suit and had short black hair. This was the Principle. He motioned to the chair in front of the long desk and Shawn quickly sat down, wanting to relieve his aching muscles again.

Shawn sighed. "What happened this time?"

"Well, your daughter got caught skipping class today." The Principle said, folding his hands.

"Look, I've already talked to her about this. She know's better than-"

"And, not to mention, she was caught making out with her boyfriend in the women's locker room."

Shawn closed his eyes tight, then opened them to look straight in the Principle's eyes. "I wasn't aware of that part. All they told me was that she was skipping again."

The Principle leaned back in his chair and quickly reached under his desk and pulled out a brown folder with papers coming out of the sides. He pushed them back in and opened the folder completely. Shawn leaned forward in his seat and saw that the folder was his daughter's school records. He sighed and leaned back, knowing what this meant.

"The last time we met, I told you that your daughter was at risk of suspension. Is that really what you want for your daughter?"

Shawn peered up. "The question is, Mr. Peterson, is that what you want?"

The Principle looked at Shawn with eager eyes. "Listen, Mr. Michaels, your daughter is a bright girl, but she needs to stop this foolishness and get serious on her studies, being her grades have also slipped within the past three weeks."

"I assure you," Shawn sighed. "It won't happen again. I'll take care of this."

The Principle leaned back in his chair. "We could offer her some counseling here at the school. I think that would help her a little."

"A little piece of 'The Belt' helps, too. Let me be the one to handle this."

"Mr. Michaels," The Principle folded his hands. "Maybe disciplining isn't always the answer."

"Back in my day, it was."

As Cheyenne sat quietly in the chair next to the front desk, she watched quietly as her Dad was talking with Mr. Peterson. Again.

She didn't understand what she did wrong. All she did was invite Derek to see her. No big deal. Yet now she felt trapped between the school she hated so much and the Dad she wished she didn't have around.

She pulled out her cell phone and quickly noticed a text from Derek himself. She smiled and texted him back, finally getting something good out of this horrible day.

Just then, a shadow engulfed Cheyenne's body and she quickly looked up, seeing the angry face of her Dad before anything else. She lowered her phone and looked at him with a puzzled look, as if she didn't do anything at all.

"What?"

"Don't talk to me like that, young lady. Do you know what you've gotten yourself into?!"

Cheyenne looked around the room, seeing a couple of other students and a few employees looking at her. She wished this wasn't happening. She closed her eyes as her Dad kept yelling.

"...And another thing, why are you making out with your so-called boyfriend? Do you know that is un-called for? In the women's locker room nonetheless?! You've gotta be kidding me!"

Cheyenne opened her eyes and saw her Dad head straight out the front door and down the hall, his boots stomping madly down the hall. She sighed and looked down, knowing those in the room was still looking at her. She could hear the whispers and chuckles to prove her theory.

Even at seventeen, Cheyenne wished she didn't have to deal with her Dad everyday.