------------------------------------------Authors Personal Message------------------------------------------

AngelicInk: okay, thank you .wings.and.claws. for reviewing, okay but i want 2 reviews here okay.

Angel:Go, go, go, go. This chapters quite funny.

AngelicInk: Yeah, Go people, read and REVIEW!!!!!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I walked along, thinking about my recent incidents. it was nice to see that Catherine, had people to protect her, if whoever that man was came back. me, I have no one, except me, I can count on myself. I mean, I did knock that man out in one punch, wow, I never expected it to be so easy. I've never hurt anyone that much except when I broke that kids nose but anyway. Right now I have to concentrate on getting home.i around the corner, my house was on the far end of the street, no.46 pittoll lane, when i reached my house i saw the kitchen light on. uh oh, they are still awake. By 'they' i meant my foster-parents. gently twisted the doorknob, i walked in quietly, slipping off my shoe's i sneaked a peek into the kitchen my foster-dad was there, looking grim and tired. Dark shadows under his eyes, i stood up straight. staring at my foster-dad, even though i didn't really care that much for my foster-parents, i cared more of my foster-dad than my foster-mum. he always showed me more respect , when i got a good grade, my foster-mum Cheryl would just, sneer. At least my foster-dad, John his name was, would pat awkwardly my back, and say 'good' in a low voice, it wasn't great but it helped. And one time when i was 12, on Christmas, i gave them each presents, an little antique cup, for Cheryl, and a miniature ship in a bottle, i knew that john loved the sea, Cheryl had chucked the cup nastily in the bin, whereas John had put his gift on top of the telly, like a little mantelpiece. right now John had his hands clasped around a cup of tea. he looked extremely worried about something.

"John?" i asked walking into the room, he looked at her, and sighed with a slight relief.

"Angel, now where have yer been it's past midnight?" he said in his strong Irish accent.

"I went for a ...walk, and why do you care it didn't bother you before, John?" he scowled.

"Don't call me John, why don't yer ever call me dad."

"I might do if you treated me like a daughter." still scowling he took a sip of tea; I could see I had offended him and that there was something else on his mind. "I'm sorry, I just not used to calling people dad, since mines gone." he sort of half-smiled in an understanding way.

"I know, no need to worry." we sat in silence for a while until angel broke the ice.

"what's wrong?"

"nothings wrong."

"where's Cheryl?"

"not here."

"where is she?"

"would yer be satisfied if I said somewhere."

"where's Cheryl?"

"somewhere."

"John!" he was acting like a child, I have never seen him like this.

"Alright, alright, she staying with her family."

"Why?" he stared at me for a moment.

"we had an argument."

"about?"

"do you always ask this many questions?"

"yes, now what was the argument about?" suddenly he seemed embarrassed, I could tell why. "it was about me wasn't it?"

"What gives you that idea."

" a feeling," John sighed he knew I wasn't going to give up, I would go on and on and on until finally he snapped and told me "well?"

"well what?"

"was it about me?"John seemed suddenly interested in his fingernails obviously trying to prevent the conversation from going any further, but failed again he sighed.

"sort of."

"what do you mean 'sort of'?"

"I mean you were only part of it."

"what happened?"

"do yer always react so quickly to what people are saying?"

"yes, now what happened?" John stared at me he obviously wasn't going to be able to steer this in another direction he had gone too far, so he might as well continue.

"well, earlier before yer came home me and yer mother..." he paused I was staring at him in a slightly angry way, "I mean, Cheryl and I were in the kitchen she was cleaning the dishes and I was sitting 'ere drinking a mug o' tea. You was out then it was past ten o'clock, a when it was half past ten, Cheryl started to go off on one saying all sorts, 'that girl is a disgrace', 'I bet she's out there with her ...crowd," I snorted, typical Cheryl , John smiled and continued, " and I said 'darlin' I isn't sure if she's got a crowd, I mean have yer seen her 'aver any friends round.' and she said ' typical, I'd preferred if you would have just agreed like normal, but no you have to take her side. I bet she's out there vandalising things, stealing cars, smoking, drinking, taking drugs, won't be long before she brings a baby in to this house' and I says 'you mean get pregnant, yer must be jokin' , she's fifteen and she looks right healthy to me.'" he paused to take a sip of tea, now I was grinning he had even used a shrill voice for Cheryl's words, even though it did make his vocabulary better, it did sound weird on a man. "And yer proably guess what she did then."

"She flipped?"

"Yer damn sure she did. shouting the odds, sayin' how I was worse than you, like father like daughter, even if we aren't blood relative. sayin' I was a bad example, and then I got right angry, and it got worse and worse, until finally she said 'right, that's it, I'm out of here, you can raise her by yourself' she got her stuff and cleared off."

H wasn't smiling now neither was I ,talking about the events must brought back some anger. He drained the last dregs of his tea, I picked it up taking it to the sink and cleaning it. pulling up my sleeves to keep them from getting wet, john noticed the bruises on my arms and my blood-stained hand, damn forgot to clean it off.

"what 'appened to yer hand and arms?" I gulped, I had hoped to stay off this subject, but now it looked like I had no choice, I was good at keeping a subject the same, but wasn't very good at steering it another way.

"Um... I was...i-i was...mugged." he sat in silence staring at her for a while wondering what to say, I began to make another cup of tea.

"How many?" he asked as I put the teabag into a cup.

"What? oh ten of them." Steam began to pour out the kettle.

"How long ago?" the kettle boiled, it clicked.

"about 10:30" I poured the water into the cup.

"so what else happened?" then pouring milk into the tea.

"huh?" waiting a moment then taking out the teabag and chucking it into the bin.

"a muggin' doesn't take more than ten minutes at least, what else have you been doin'?" I sighed see I told you I couldn't steer a topic away. I decided to tell him, he listened intensely, nodding and occasionally sipping his tea. When I finished he nodded curtly.

"you knocked 'im out in one punch?"

"yep." just like Catherine's dad he seemed impressed.

"but if you knocked the man out in one punch, why couldn't you fight of the muggers."

"they took me by surprise." he nodded.

"This girls parents, where they grateful?"

"Very."

"So yer 'ave made a new mate." I thought for a second, I hadn't actually considered that, if I saw her again Catherine was bound to want to talk to me, at least I hope she does.

"I suppose so yeah." I looked at John's watch it's said 00:54, John looked at it aswell.

"Right 'bout time yer went off to bed." I nodded curtly getting up I was about to leave the room when John stood up, I stopped John walked towards , and did something he had never done before, he kissed me on the forehead. Rubbing my shoulders gently.

"Well done, Angel, I'm very proud of you." It was the most fatherly thing he had ever done, I smiled, I felt a great ball of happiness inside me, for once I remembered what's it like to have a father. As I turned to leave the room , I stopped looked back at John.

"Goodnight...dad." And with that i left climbing the stairs i quickly got into my room, changing into a pair of pyjamas, I crawled into my bed resting my head into the pillow, I fell straight into an uneasy sleep.

-----------------------------------------------Author's Personal Message--------------------------------------

AngelicInk: Right now, i should be sayin stuff, about how i didn't copy anything and blah, blah, blah...but i can't be bothered cause i just came back from school, after having mock exams.

Angel:ohhh, rough...hey, have i got exams in this story...

AngelicInk: anyway, people hope you like it, review

Angel: You haven't answered my question...

AngelicInk: remember people, i want two reviews at least.

Angel: OI! Tell Me...

AngelicInk: i'll send the next one soon bye

Angel: Noooooooooo, noooooo come back!!! tell me...