"Clare DIANA Edwards, what the heck has gotten into you?" Helen was mad now. She made a nice dinner and thought that everyone could just sit around and share about their day. The next thing she knows, it's a screaming match, and Clare just up and leaves the house.

"I needed to get out of here, so I left." Clare's voice was calm. She had enough of screaming for tonight, and she wasn't going to get baited into another round.

"Your behavior has been inexcusable!" Glen started.

"My behavior. I didn't even do anything wrong."

"You just left, instead of …."

"Waiting for everyone to scream at me some more. So let me have it, what did I miss that you didn't get to rant about earlier?"

"Don't talk to him like that!"

"Like what? He takes fault with everything I do."

"Not everything, just you're attitude."

"What attitude? Oh is it that I want to be my own person instead of being dictated to by a patronizing bulwark."

"Clare DIANA Edwards. Go to your room, now!"

Clare just walked upstairs, defeated. She sighed and went to bed.

She called Drew. "I might be grounded, so I don't know about this weekend."

"What happened?"

"Well, I thought they would have cooled down when I got home, but it was even worse this time around. I got sent to my room."

Drew had everything ready for this weekend. "Clare, we're going to the cabin. I don't care what we have to do."

Clare smiled, not that Drew could see her. "I love you."

"I love you too."

Helen and Glen argued after Clare got sent to her room. Glen wanted Helen to forbid her from seeing Drew and to ground her, but Helen was afraid that Clare might run away.

"You're always cowering because of her. You need to lay down the law before she becomes even more spoiled and promiscuous than she already is."

"How can you say that?" Clare was snarky and wasn't a saint, but she did well in school, didn't sneak out at night, dress like a tramp or break the law. As irritating as she could be, Helen still saw her as a good kid, and that was was so troubling. She's not merely bad. She's becoming an adversary and Helen could begin to see why. If this is how Glen saw her, no wonder she didn't like him.

Wednesday

Clare didn't say anything to anyone when she got up that morning. She took her shower, got dressed and promptly started to walk to school. She skipped breakfast and didn't make eye contact with anyone. Jake drove slowly, and stopped along side her. "Get in."

"I don't know. Drew's not here to consent."

"Shut up! I'm on your side, remember."

"Thanks." She got in the car. "How long is this going to continue?"

"I don't know." Jake had no idea what was into his father or Clare's mother for that matter. They got to school. Drew was waiting for her, with breakfast.

"How did you know I skipped breakfast?"

"I had a hunch that things hadn't blown over yet."

"Well, you were right about that." Clare kissed him on the cheek and they were off.

Eli saw them together again. In his play, he had envisioned Drew as the bad guy who conspired with Clara to set up Li and Fritz, but he was having a change of heart. He decided to make Drew the unwitting co-conspirator. He doesn't know what Clara is really planting, and he actually thinks that she loves him. Little does he know that she was Oscar there to replace Drew when he's no longer useful.

Drew walked by. Eli gave him a fake smile. Drew just went on to class.

Clare was sad in English today. She still was nice to everyone, but the pep in her step was missing. Alli asked her what was wrong.

Clare mumbled about home stuff and then she went on to her next class. Eli saw her sadness and wondered if she had a good side to her anymore.

Drew talked with Owen during their free period.

"They got mad that Clare and I went to a paintball field?"

"I know, right. She said this Glen guy was nutty, but he's really out there."

"What are you going to do about it?"

"I don't know."

"Can her dad help?"

"He's in the States now. It seems like he just abandoned Clare here."

"Maybe we can use that to our advantage." Owen had a plan of his own. Clare had been a good friend to him, and he was going to be a good friend back.

He started to write out a script.

"Hello, Mr. Edwards."

"Yes this is Randall."

"This is Clare's friend Owen. She really, really, misses you, and I was wondering if you could send a ticket so she can visit you in Calgary this weekend.

"I would love for Clare to visit … but I don't have enough space and I am way to busy with my new broad."

"That's too bad. Maybe during the summer."

"I would like her to visit me during the summer." (Total lie)

"That's great. I'll talk to you later."

"Yeah. I'll make the arrangements."

They got Adam to help with the phone call. It went just as expected and they recorded the whole thing.

"Now, time to edit it."

"This is Randall. I would love for Clare to visit me this weekend. I will make all of the arrangements. I have missed her so much."

They call and leave the voicemail on Helen's phone.

Adam started to feel bad. "What if Clare thinks this is real?"

Drew's face fell. "I'll text her now and tell her I came up with a way for us to spend the weekend together."

Clare was happy when she got his text. Her peppiness was back.

Drew found her and kissed her. "Let's talk." He told her about the phone call that Owen and he had made to her father.

"You talked to my dad."

"Yeah, we asked if you could visit him this weekend."

"What did he say?" Clare got excited, forgetting that the point of the plan was for her to be with Drew.

"He said he couldn't do this weekend, but maybe you could visit during the summer. Anyway, we spliced the call, so that your mother will think you're with him this weekend in Calgary."

"What! She'll never fall for that."

"Why not. They don't talk. Just say your dad called you and he's sending a car to take you to the airport after school."

"I guess." Clare was really nervous.

"It'll work. I swear." He kissed her nerves away.

Eli saw them kissing. He decided that her sadness was just an act. She's the master manipulator.

During Clare's free period, she decided to write a letter to her father.

Dear Dad,

I hope this letter finds you well. I have been thinking about you a lot recently. Mom has a new boyfriend, Glen, who has a son, Jake. They live with us now. Although I get along well with Jake, I do not get along with Glen. I think he hates me. Everything I do is wrong, and mom is always, well usually, on his side. My grades are good and I do my chores, and am back by curfew, but it is never enough. I know that you and mom don't get along anymore, but I wish that we could spend more time together. You two are divorced, but we're not, and you'll always be my dad.

Love,

Clare

She wasn't sure if she would send this letter at all. She printed it and put it in her backpack.

After class, Clare stayed in the library. She didn't want to go home, and she had to get her work done if she was going to the cabin with Drew. Imogen saw her working. In Imogen's mind, Clare was scheming something terrible. Clare was just doing her chemistry worksheets.

After doing her homework, Clare started to walk home. Jay saw her and offered her a ride.

"Baby Edwards, what are you doing alone?"

"Drew has practice, and Jake is with his girlfriend."

"Get in." He started to drive. His car smelled like McDonalds, and he was listening to Lil' Wayne. "You seem down, what is it?"

"I just got in a fight with my mom."

"About Drew?"

"How did you know?"

"Because you're a teenage girl and that's how it is with moms at this age. Plenty of mothers have fought with their daughters over me."

"Bragging a bit are we?"

Jay laughed. "Well, their mothers might have had a point, but Drew seems like a good guy, much more so than I was at his age."

"He is a good guy, and I'm a responsible woman, but they just see me as a little girl who should only speak when they want her to and say what they want to hear."

"They're not ready for you to be a grown woman yet. You kind of matured quickly. I know you took me and the others by surprise."

Clare started to respond.

"It's not a bad thing. It's just going to take some getting used to, that's all."

She was home now.

"Thanks Jay."

"Anytime."