It was a Friday in school the bell just rang and all the students were going from 3rd to 4th period. Sarah Baker walked out of her 3rd period class and met up with her new best friend Lisa.

"hey girl" Lisa said to Sarah as she approached her.

"hey, what are we doing later?" she asked hoping her and Lisa would hang

"you should come with me and my sister were going to get burgers at the local Max, will pick you up" Lisa suggested.

Sarah answer was she'd have to ask and she's get back to her. Sarah knew her father doesn't really like any of his children getting in cars with anyone but him, his wife, Charlie, or Nora. The bell rang Sarah went to 4th period.

The 8th period bell rang at the high school so Lorraine and Charlie got the stuff they needed for the weekend then went and got in the car, he drove to the Jr. High School which was right down the street and picked up Henry and Sarah then proceeded home, Tom and Kate always picked up the other kids after school. The 4 older kids got home and went to their rooms Sarah called Lisa and said "what time should I meet you at the Max?"

Lisa responded "I thought Becky and me were picking you up Becky was gonna let me drive I wanted to show you how good I was?"

Sarah stated she hadn't asked yet she would ask and call her back. Kate and Tom arrive home with the other 7 kids. About 20 minutes after being home Sarah walked into Tom and Kate's room and asked "Dad can I go out with Lisa and her sister Becky tonight, were going to the Max to get burgers, Becky said she would pick me up and drop me back off by 10?"

The immediate answer was "no I can drop you off tho"

Sarah begged "please dad, you're so not cool, Becky has red convertible it so much cooler than our family van"

" no I said" Tom roared, Sarah then ran out of their room with tears forming in her eyes. Charlie saw her run past his room with tears in her eyes and yelled "Sarah, come here."

Sarah walked in his room with attitude saying "what do you want?"

"what's wrong?" he asked his sister as she was wiping the tears away

She began "I hate him; he never lets me go anywhere, I'm suppose to go get a burger with Lisa and her sister and no he won't let me go he acts like I'm lying to him or something"

He realized what was going on and said he would talk to their parents to see if they would give him permission to drop her off.

Sarah jumped with excitement and pleaded "thank you thank you thank you Charlie I love you!" and ran to her room to call Lisa.

The phone rang then Lisa answered "hello"

"hey Lisa it's me Sarah, I got good and bad news, my dad is letting me go but, Charlie has to drop me off" announced Sarah

"oh that's a shame" Lisa started " Becky changed the plans she wants to go to the point that's where all the cool kids hang out she says"

Becky asked Lisa what was going on Lisa turned to her sister and said " she can go only if Charlie drops her off and he's not gonna want to take her to the Point." Becky grabbed the phone and said "Sarah, all is good, just get Charlie to drop you off at the Max then we will pick you up at the Max go to the point then drop you back off before ten, if we eat fast I might even let you drive around the parking lot a few times." Sarah agreed she didn't care what was happening she just wanting to go.

Mean while Charlie went into his parent's bedroom and said "Dad I take full respond ability for Sarah tonight I will drop her off and pick her up tonight, I'm gonna go pick Beth up any way hang out for a little, then pick Sarah up after she's done drive Beth home and bring Sarah with me so the rides not as lonely like every other time. "Tom agreed and said alright make sure your back before Midnight. Charlie walked out and went into Sarah room and stated "were good for tonight."

Sarah jumped up and shrieked "Thank you Harlie, I love you" she used to call him that when she as little. He smiled and walked out.

Around 6 O'clock Becky and Lisa told Sarah to meet them at the Max it was 5:45 they got their early Becky told Lisa they would go get gas by the time they got back she should be there, she let Lisa drive. It was 6 o'clock and Charlie dropped Sarah off he said to go get a table or something just don't wait outside, Sarah just stood there looking at the street, he asked "are you planning on leaving?"

she barked "no"

Charlie then said "go get a table then cause your gonna be waiting forever on a Friday night?"she then turned around. Charlie knew she was up to something but didn't press the issue. Charlie drove away; Sarah came back out and waited. Charlie was about to get on the turnpike to head to Beth's house but realized he forget her necklace he got her. He ran home and got the necklace; he was heading back toward the turnpike and saw the traffic was backed up from the gas station to the Max where he dropped Sarah off. He saw there was an accident. He couldn't get over to the Turnpike so he went home. He told his parents there was an accident and if he had to go get Sarah he would have to leave now to get her. Instead, Tom went to pick up Sarah he knew a back way. As Tom was coming up to the street with the Max he saw a red Car which he knew belong to Becky and Lisa it was wrapped around the telephone pole, He saw one girl in a body bag the other look like she was dead as well but she was laying on a stretcher, the one on the stretcher was Becky. Tom turned the corner to the Max and got out of the car and ran up to Sarah, he said he was so sorry, Sarah wonder why he was even there. Tom gasped "Sarah, honey".

Sarah cut him off " dad I'm so sorry I will never do this again, I was waiting for Becky and Lisa to pick me up, we were just gonna go to the point, but they never show I guess because some accident right up the street I was just gonna wait here till Charlie got back". Tom continues "I'm really sorry sweet heart but the accident was them, she's gone." Sarah started crying so hard she fell to the ground, she felt paralyzed, like she couldn't breathe, she got into the car cause she didn't want to make any more of a scene then she already did. There was a long quiet drive home. At the house Charlie called Beth and told her he couldn't make it, everyone was home by the time Sarah and Tom got home they had already heard on the news that Sarah's best friend Lisa died. When Sarah got home she ran up to her room, she just laid on her bed and cry. A few hours had past and everyone tried talking to Sarah the only thing she said was I don't feel like talking. The whole night Charlie was thinking he thought what if his sister had died, it would have been his fault his sister lied to him. Charlie tried so hard not to be mad at his sister when she was so hurt but he couldn't help but think if she was in that car she might have been dead.

Saturday morning Tom and Kate woke everyone but Sarah telling them it was their family cleaning day once a month the second Saturday of the month was their cleaning day, everyone had to clean their own rooms on top of that boys had outside girls had inside. Tom and Kate figure Sarah could do it later.

After Charlie was done mowing the lawn he had to help his brothers Henry, Jake, and Mark paint the shed. They were all most done all they had let was the door Charlie figure they could finish went inside got in the shower than turn on his music and started cleaning his own mess of a room. Henry came in and asked Charlie if he could borrow his midland hat (it was Charlie's favorite one). Charlie turned down the music and replied he could.

Henry then again asked "are you sure, you never let me?"

"yes don't ask again or I'll change my mind" Charlie muttered turning back up the music. Lorraine was about to walk into Charlie's room and ask why his music was so loud but stop and heard Henry say "all right, then when are you so mad at me?"

Charlie's final words to Henry were "I'm not mad at you I'm mad at Sarah"

Lorraine then came through the door shut off the music and questioned Charlie "your mad at Sarah mad about what?"

Charlie came right back at her "I think Sarah was going out with those girls there weren't going to the Max."

Sarah heard Charlie starting to yell so she went out in the hall way to hear him, the rest of the Baker children were still doing chores or sitting in Jake's room trying to think of a way to cheer Sarah up.

Lorraine defended her little sister by saying "you don't know that"

Charlie started getting louder " yeah I do, it was written all over her face when I drop her off but I didn't press her on it, she was trying to trick me, I mean how do you think I would felt if she had been in that car, she could have been kill too."

Sarah had enough she came in yelling at Charlie saying "you think I don't know that, you think I don't know if they hadn't been on there way to pick me up Lisa would still be alive and she wouldn't have died." Sarah ran out of Charlie room headed toward her own room. Charlie grabbed her and shouted "Lisa died cause she was driving a car and a kid ran out in front of her"

Now with tears running down her face she spoke "I know that, and that's my fault to its all my fault." She broke away from Charlie

Lorraine grabbed her and said "Sarah don't"

Sarah shoved her off as well and screamed "stay away from me"

At this point everyone was in the hall way now all 10 siblings that lived with her and her parents, Kate worryingly scream "what's going on?"

In front of 12 members of the Baker family Sarah was bawling her eyes out yelling "I knew that Becky let Lisa drive the car and I didn't tell anyone, it's my fault I didn't tell anyone" all of her siblings were starting to get upset that their sister was crying. Tom tried to calm her down "Sarah"

Sarah started again "if I would have told someone she might have still been alive, if I haven't told them to pick me up she might still be alive"

Kate then responded "Sarah no don't blame yourself"

Sarah started screaming "Noooooooooooooooo, leave me alone"

Kate was yelling right back at her "Sarah please no please we can't we can't leave you alone, this is not your fault it's not"

"it is my fault" she protested as she look around and saw her family members scared for her, Lorraine couldn't bare to see her sister like this she turned and put her face into Charlie's chest, Jessica and Kim feeling the same way turned to hug Henry, Jake grabbed Kyle and Nigel to let them know it was going to be ok, Mark and Mike turned to each other with a sad lookon each of their faces. Sarah stated again "it's all my fault, nothing will ever be the same again, nothing" then she fell to the ground. Kate went to grab her but Sarah wouldn't let her, she pushed her away. All the Baker children had tears in their eyes they couldn't stand seeing their sister that way. Tom bent down to comfort Sarah, Sarah pushed him off as well but Tom didn't break away he grabbed her and let her cry in his arm in the middle of the floor with all of his children watching. Everyone stood there in silence for quite a time then Sarah got up and went back to her room, where she cry even harder. A few hours later Lorraine tried giving it another shot, she knock on Sarah door and went in, Sarah was on the bed. Lorraine asked "sweeties are you ok?"

Her responds was "yes I'll be fine but can you just sit in here with me?"

Lorraine shock that her sister ask her to stay felt tears forming in her eyes and said "yea I'll stay as long as you like"

After an hour or two in quiet Lorraine started the conversation by saying "I just wish there was something I could do for you"

Sarah response brought more tears to Lorraine eyes when she said "this is helping really"

Then Lorraine asked "well you don't look like this is helping, are you sure you don't want me to get Mom or Dad?"

She answered "no please don't" they stop talking for a while.

Mean while Tom and Kate are trying to figure out what to do for their child she looks so helpless they didn't know what to do. The rest of the kids still felt bad for Sarah but wanted to get off the topic. Nigel, Mark, Kim, and Jessica played dizzy dizzy dinosaurs, while Kyle, Henry, Jake, and Mike went to Dylan's house to swim. Charlie felt bad that he cause his sister to make the scene they had earlier but he still couldn't get out of his head what if Sarah would have been dead it would be his fault. Around 10 o'clock that night everyone was home Lorraine took a break from sitting in Sarah room she went and got a shower, Sarah stared blankly at her walls for 20 minute she was thinking that Charlie was right if she had died he would have never forgiven himself. Charlie was on his bed with his talking computer to Beth when he heard a knock at his door, he said come in thinking it would have been his Mom, Dad or Lorraine. He saw Sarah standing at the door and a little tear came to his eye, he tried acting like a man and said "hey, what's up?" as he close the computer and put it on the floor next to his bed.

Sarah didn't answer him; she walked over climbed in his bed and gave him a hug. She whispered in his ear "I'm sorry, and I love you." He couldn't help but let a tear slide down his face. He held his sister all night, into the following morning they didn't talk much, but just knowing he was there to support her, and knowing she wasn't dead, started a bond between Sarah and Charlie Baker that would last forever.