A/N: Here's chapter 4. Not really what I had in mind for the title of this chapter, but it was the only thing I could come up with.

Chapter 4

After a few minutes of talking on the phone, Oliva sighs as Vanessa got up and went into the kitchen. I wonder who she's talking to. It better not be my dad because I really don't want to talk to him, at not now, Vanessa thought as she got a bowl out of the cabinet and opened the freezer.

"I don't think she will want to talk to you," Oliva said still on the phone.

"Please put her on the phone, sis. I want to talk to her," Vanessa's dad said.

"Okay, but if she hangs up then I'm not going to do anything about it," Oliva sighs as she laid the phone down next to the lamp and goes into the kitchen, "your dad is on the phone. He wants to talk to you."

"Do I have to talk to him?" Vanessa asked hoping she didn't have to.

"No, you don't, but it would be the right thing to do."

"Okay," Vanessa sighs as she grabs her bowl of ice cream and went into the living room to the phone, "hey dad."

"Hey kiddo, how are you doing?"

"I'm doing pretty good and you?"

"That's good. I'm doing alright. I'm sorry about this whole thing, you know being taken away and put in a city you know nothing about away from your friends and all."

"Aunt Liv says 'sometimes sorry doesn't cut it in this world' and she's right dad it doesn't. You knew eventually they would come and take me away. Maybe that's what you wanted all along, but could never quite figure out how to get rid of me, so you thought by continuing to do drugs and crap like that that social service would eventually come and take me away. I hope you're happy," Vanessa said as she held back her tears, all while trying not to yell at her dad.

"You know…" her dad started to say, but was cut off by her.

"Yeah right dad. If it wasn't true then you would've stayed clean four years ago," she said and hung up before her dad could say anything else.

Oliva came out of the kitchen when she heard Vanessa slam the phone down, "what…" before she could finish Vanessa was already out the door. Oliva sighed as she sat down on the couch and turned off the movie. I knew it wasn't a good idea to let him talk to her. Oh well I'll give her an hour and she'll be back, I hope, Oliva thought as she looked at the clock on the wall.

Vanessa ran down the stairs as tears started to run down her cheeks. She saw Jason who was talking to a girl with auburn color hair, so she wiped her tears away as she ran passed them hoping that he didn't see. But he did see and he wanted to wipe her tears away and wrap his arms around her telling her everything would be okay, but he knew he couldn't. Or could he? He looked at the girl he was talking to, "I'll call you later okay?"

"Okay," she replied. He walked her out and got a taxi for her then headed down the sidewalk looking for Vanessa.

Vanessa kept on running until she came to the park. She sat down on a nearest bench and cried. After crying for a little while she felt a hand on her shoulder, at first she was scared to look afraid that it might be someone that would hurt her then she recognized the voice to be Jason's, "you okay?"

Vanessa wiped her tears away as Jason sat down next to her, "yeah I'm okay or at least I will be as long as I don't have to talk to my father ever again." She tried to hold back her tears again, but they came anyway whether she wanted them to or not. Jason wrapped his arms around her and rubbed her back as she cried into his chest, "everything's going to be okay," he whispered into her ear.

After crying for about fifteen or so minutes, Vanessa stopped crying a little and looked at him, "thanks. Sorry I didn't mean to cry on you like that, I guess I've just been holding it all in since I left Mississippi."

"It's okay. Anytime you need to cry then I'll be there for you," Jason said as he wiped her tears away smiling at her, "so, want to tell me what's wrong or do you want me to play the guessing game?"

Vanessa smiles back a little then sighs not really want to talk about what was wrong, "guessing game."

"Okay. Lets see…" he stared at the ground for a moment then he spoke up, "well, from you said while ago you couldn't have had a fight with Oliva so that means it has something to do with your dad, right?"

"Yeah," Vanessa sighs, "social service placed me with my aunt because of my dad. He started doing drugs and stuff like that again four years ago and he kept telling them that he'd get clean and everything, but he never did. They believed him the first two years then they got suspicions of him last year, but they couldn't really prove that he was still doing drugs until this year when they caught him buying some, so that's how I ended up here. But I know that's not what you want to hear," she sighed again as she looked at the ground, "you want to know why I was crying."

"I do want to know why you were crying, but only if you want to talk about it."

"Was talking to my dad on the phone even though I didn't want to, but my aunt said it would be the right thing to do so I talked to him. He asked how I was then he said that he was sorry about what happen, you know being taken away and put in a city I know nothing about away from my friends and all. And I don't know I just sort of snapped at him about my aunt being right about being sorry and that he knew that they would take me away and that maybe that's what he wanted all along," she said as a few more tears ran down her cheeks, "he started to say that wasn't true but I cut him off by saying if wasn't true then he would've stayed clean four years ago."

Jason turned Vanessa's head towards him so she was looking at him and wiped her tears away again, "if he wanted you gone then he's an ass. I think your better off living with Oliva, plus I'm glad you're here."

"Thanks," Vanessa said as she hugs him then she looks at him, "my aunt wants me to stay away from you."

"I'm guessing she told you about two years ago and my DUIs. But I haven't gotten a DUI in a month so that's a new record for me. You have to believe me though I had nothing to do with the rape of that young lady."

"Yeah she told me about all of that so that's why she wants me to stay away from you. And I do believe you didn't."

"Thanks, so with that being said how about we go out for lunch tomorrow?"

"Wish I could, but I can't, my aunt and I are going apartment hunting tomorrow. And you know we can't really stay in that small apartment of hers."

"I understand. What about a movie tomorrow night?"

"And say to my aunt 'going to the movies with Jason be back later'? Yeah she'll take that really well. Not."

"Good point," he said as he laughed a little then got serious again, "you could tell her that you're meeting Maureen at the movies."

"I could, but I really don't want to lie to her," she said, "but I'll think about it."

"Okay, I'll take that as a maybe."

Vanessa smiled at him then look at her watch, "I guess I better get back before my aunt starts making calls and thinking I'm missing or something," she said as she stood up.

"Yeah, and I don't want her thinking I had anything to do with your disappearance," he said jokingly as he got up.

As they started heading to their apartment building, Jason grabbed Vanessa's hand hoping she didn't pull her hand away, but to his surprise she didn't. I wonder if she has a boyfriend, but if she did then she would've probably mention him or something, he thought. Before he could stop himself from asking he already asked, "So, do you have a boyfriend? I mean back in Mississippi."

"I was dating this guy for about two years then we broke up last march, but then got back together that summer and then we broke up again a day before I came here. I think this is a permanent break up though because he didn't come say good-bye to me the day I left there. What about you? You got a girlfriend?"

"Nope, she broke up with me last Christmas. Best Christmas present I've ever gotten in my whole life," he said jokingly with a smile in an attempt to make Vanessa laugh.

Oliva looked at the clock on the wall again and saw that it was nearly nine thirty, where is she? She's been gone nearly two hours now. This is all my fault, I should've just told him that she didn't want to talk to him and now she's gone, she thought as she sat back down on the couch, if she's not back in twenty minutes then I'll go find her. She looked at the clock again then got up to get some water and a little snack.

As Jason and Vanessa entered the building they let go of each others hand then she gave him a kiss on the cheek and started up the stairs and turns around, "I'll see you tomorrow."

A/N: Hopefully this chapter is better than the last one. Didn't give her dad a name (only because I couldn't come with one) because this the only time he's in the story until around chapter 13 or 14 when he actually makes an appearance instead of a phone call.