The second Martin saw the expression change on Alison's face, he knew something was wrong.
"Ali, you okay?" The older man asked his 13 year old daughter after stopping the 2005 dark blue Honda Accord outside the Castillo house, Ali showing Martin the text.
'Jake Ballard shoved me down earlier, Miguel was defending me! Please have your mom call me and I'll explain it.- Roni'
"I'll talk to Gina, you go check on Miguel." Martin says after they get out of the car, Ali shoving her phone into her skinny jeans pocket. Unlike Miami Beach Senior High, Miami Springs Middle School didn't have a uniform that students had to wear. Martin and Ali walked into the house and Ali walked upstairs, setting her backpack in her room before grabbing her phone again, dialing the Ballard's house number.
"Hello?" Caroline answers.
"I need to talk to your son, it's important." Ali says, getting straight to the point.
"Jake, it's for you!" Caroline shouted into the living room, 16 year old Jake walking to the phone and holding it to his ear as Caroline walked outside to go call Alicia on her cell phone.
"Hello?" Jake says.
"You've got some nerve hurting my brother and my friend, you little punk!" Ali growled angrily, startling Jake.
"I don't know what you've heard-" Jake says, trying to keep Ali from getting angrier.
"Don't bother starting off like that, Jake! Did you think I wouldn't find out what really happened, that you were bullying Roni and Miguel was protecting her?! Seriously, what has gotten into you and Alicia that makes you two think you can behave like vicious little brats?!" Ali says angrily, Miguel standing in the doorway and finding himself shocked. He had seen his baby sister get angry but not like this, not even when Jake pulled Ali off the monkey bars 6 years ago and Ali ended up breaking her right arm.
"Gotten into us?! How the fuck are we the ones who fucked things up?!" Jake yells.
"Jacob Alexander Ballard, no swearing!" Bob says warningly after walking into the house, having gotten a phone call from Sonny, who had talked to Rico and Trudy. "Now you sit down and you tell me exactly what happened and why Rico and Trudy's daughter is at home with an ice pack on her right shoulder!" He says.
"You can bet your scrawny ass that you won't hear the end of this, Alison Elena Castillo!" Jake says, Miguel taking the phone from Ali after closing the door.
"You threaten my sister again, you'll end up with more than a few bruises, Ballard!" Miguel says, both hanging up and Miguel setting Ali's phone down by her backpack.
"How much of that did you hear?" Ali asks.
"Enough to know that you won't tolerate anyone you care about being pushed around." Miguel says.
"I hope Roni's okay, I heard Mr. Ballard say that Roni messed up her shoulder when Jake shoved her down." Ali says, unaware that Gina was listening after just getting off the phone with Rico.
"They said she's okay, just bruised it… Miguel, I am so sorry that I didn't let you explain your side of the story and Ali, I hope you didn't hurt your throat any worse, you just got back into choir practice." Gina says, remembering that Ali had her tonsils removed a week and a half ago after a bad case of Tonsillitis.
Ali was about to remind her mom that she had dealt with worse ailments but knew how protective Gina could be.
Meanwhile, Jake was explaining what had really happened, Caroline reminding herself to call Gina and apologize.
Jake then walked upstairs and into his room, closing the door. He heard a knock a few minutes later, assuming it was one of his parents and opened the door, finding Alicia's friend Britt Wheeler.
"You look like hell. What happened?" Britt says.
"Let's talk outside." Jake says before they walk downstairs and into the backyard, sitting down at the table on the patio.
"Alicia told me what happened. How the hell did Miguel Castillo manage to kick your ass?" Britt says.
"Kid got in a lucky shot… but it's his little sister I pissed off. Once she told me off, I started cussing her out and my dad overheard… then I had to tell the truth." Jake says.
"Well, Ali's always had a bit of a temper… got everyone fooled into thinking that she's so sweet and innocent." Britt says, an evil idea in her mind.