Hey guys, Fallout here. I just wanna say, I meant to get this up earlier, but with the holidays... things sorta got away from me. So, sorry for keeping you guys waiting. On another note, I'm still looking for a beta, so if you would be up for that, PM me and we'll talk.
I don't own Modern Family or any of the characters from the show, enjoy.
The 13th of July, 10:47 pm. Claire's POV.
"I can't believe he would do something as stupid as bring drugs into our home." I say, shaking my head.
"Maybe he's just holding it for a friend." Phil says, looking between Clayton, Haley and I.
The four of us were talking about what should be done about Luke and the marijuana, Phil wasn't being much help. He didn't want to believe Luke would bring drugs into our home or that he had been smoking weed. Clayton and Haley were still here, because Clayton had grown close to Luke over the last few months and Haley was here, because... well, I knew she would make sure Clayton was telling me the truth.
"Phil." I say, shooting him a look. "Really?" I ask, shaking my head at him.
"We have no reason to believe this, is his." Phil says, pointing down at the bag of weed.
"Except that we found it in his room." I say, crossing my arms over my chest. "Do you think Luke's been smoking?" I ask, looking over at Clayton.
"Oh, yeah." Clayton says, like it's obvious, nodding. "I thought you guys knew." He adds, with a shrug.
"You thought, we knew?" Haley asks, crossing her arms over her chest, shooting Clayton a look.
"Yeah, I mean. I thought you guys were okay with it." He says, looking between us all.
"Why would we be okay with our fourteen year old smoking pot?" I ask, looking over at him.
"I don't know." Clayton says, looking uncomfortable. "I was doing a lot worse when I was his age." He says, looking down at the kitchen table, rubbing the back of his head.
Haley grabs one of his hands and gives it a squeeze, he looks over at her.
"What are we going to do?" I ask, shaking my head.
"Sorry, Mr. Phil, Mrs. Dunphy. I really fucked up, I should've said something." Clayton says, looking between Phil and I.
"It's okay, you didn't know." I say, reaching across the table and patting his hand. "Next time, just say something, okay." I say, with a small smile.
"Yes ma'am." He says, with a nod.
"So, should we ground him?" Phil asks, looking over at me.
"We can't just ground him for bringing drugs into our home, Phil." I say, shaking my head. "I think we need to do something a little more serious than ground him." I say, with a sigh. "Do you think grounding him's going to work?" I ask, looking over at Clayton and Haley.
"I don't know." Haley mutters, with a shrug.
"When my father found a brick of green in my room, he kicked me out of the house." Clayton says, looking over at me.
I feel a pull in my chest at his words, pity for him welling in my stomach. Haley looks over at him, a sad look on her face. I grab his hand and give it a squeeze, he shrugs. Clay gives us a small smile, before looking down at the table again. A full minute passes, all our eyes on Clayton, his eyes on the table. Phil is clearly trying not to cry, finally Haley looks over at Phil and I.
"So, are we kicking Luke out?" Haley asks, with a small smile, clearly trying to lighten the mood.
"No, honey, we're not." I say, with a small smile.
"Damn." Haley says, getting a chuckle from me.
There's a knock at the door and we all look over at it.
"Clayton would you, please." I say, looking over at him.
"Yes ma'am." He says, standing and going down the hall.
"A brick of green?" Phil asks, leaning in close to me.
"Marijuana, Phil. Green means marijuana." I say, shaking my head.
I hear muffled voices talking in the hall, followed by multiple footsteps coming down it and into the kitchen. My Dad, Gloria and Manny come into the kitchen, behind Clayton. Manny looks terrified, while my Dad looks angry and Gloria looks upset. Clayton comes back over to the table, but doesn't sit down.
"Manny got a text from Luke." My Dad says, holding up a cellphone in one of his meaty hands. "They know man, they know. Flush it all, man." He says, reading off the cellphone.
I look over at Manny, not believing he's in on it too. Luke, I can see smoking marijuana, as much as I don't want to admit it, I can see it. But Manny? Not Manny, he's suppose to be the smart one. But he was doing it too, him and Luke were doing it together. They've been running around smoking marijuana for god knows how long. I'm a terrible mother, Clayton thought we knew. It was that obvious to him, that Luke had been smoking and he thought we knew.
I've been so wrapped up with Haley and her pregnancy, that I've been neglecting Alex and Luke. If I had just been paying more attention, maybe... my baby wouldn't be in this situation, maybe he wouldn't be acting out. Haley, Phil and even Clayton look surprised, as they look over at Manny.
"I was just holding it for a friend." Manny says, looking between all of us.
"Oh, shut up and sit down." My Dad says, looking over at him.
Manny sighs and sits, running his hands over his face and through his hair.
"So, what are we going to do about this?" My Dad asks, looking between all of us.
I don't speak up, trying to think of a good punishment. Something fitting, a punishment to fit the crime. We can't just ground them, they brought drugs into our home. But, what can we do? I rack my brain, trying to think of something, anything, that would work. I look over at Clayton and Haley, he's standing behind her, with her holding onto one of his large hands. That's when it hits me, I smile at him and he gives me a small smile back.
"Are you still looking for helpers, Clayton?"
The 14th of July, 10:57 am. Luke's POV.
"My whole body hurts." Manny says, putting the wood he had been carrying down.
I put mine down too, on top of the stack. The stack of wood comes up to my waist and was wide enough for me to lay across it, without my feet touching the ground. This is what me and Manny had been doing for the last few hours. My Mom found my weed last night and this morning Clay had woke me up bright and early, telling me I was going to work with him. We picked Dylan and Manny up along the way, Manny wasn't thrilled about working with Clay and Dylan. I kinda was, til I was told I wasn't getting paid. Me and Manny are going to spend the rest of the summer working for Clay, for free.
That was our punishment for the weed, I thought it wouldn't be that bad. You know, working with Clay, getting to know him a little better. But we got to work at seven-thirty and it's not even twelve yet and I'm already tired. So, maybe working with Clay was going to be bad.
"Yeah, me too." I say, rubbing my arms and looking over at Manny.
"Tweedle Dee, Tweedle Dum." Clay says, walking into the backyard.
We're working in a nice neighborhood, not too far from my own home. It was a two story house, with faded blue siding. It's a nice place, just not well kept. Clay comes over to us, eying the stack of lumber. Clay is wearing a pale blue shirt, over a white long sleeve shirt, worn out jeans and work boots. His black baseball cap is pushed up slightly, showing more of his face.
"Yes?" Manny asks, wiping his hands clean on his hoodie.
Manny was wearing a gray hoodie, old jeans and a pair of brand new looking sneakers. It was weird to see him wearing a shirt without a collar. I grab my shirt and wipe my face, taking a few steps towards Clay. I'm wearing a red shirt, with a robot on it, jeans and old sneakers. I didn't want to get any of my nice clothes dirty, so the shirt is a few years old and the sneakers are a size too small.
"You're gonna stay back here and help Dylan with anything he needs, you got it." Clay says, pointing at Manny. He then looks over at me. "You're with me." He says, turning and walking away.
"Good luck." I say, looking over at Manny.
He just sighs and goes over to Dylan. I shove my hands into the pockets of my jeans and head out to the front yard, over to Clay, who standing in the middle of the yard. He's standing next to a pair of sawhorses. It's a chilly morning, with angry looking clouds floating overhead. I hope it rains, maybe we'll get to go home early.
"Do you know what I'm going to do?" Clay asks, putting some wood on the sawhorses.
"Cut wood." I say, looking up at him, with a small smile.
"Yes, smart ass." Clay says, picking up a circular saw. "Hold the wood, bud." He says, revving the saw.
"What?!" I shout over the sound of the saw.
"Hold the wood!" Clay shouts, with a smirk.
I slowly grab the wood and hold onto it, shaking slightly. I can't help but fear Clay missing and cutting me. Clay slowly and steadily cuts, not messing up once. It's kinda amazing, watching him work. I close my eyes and look away, as little bits of wood and sawdust blow towards me. Clay seems to be good at everything he does, cooking, fighting, shooting and dancing. He finally stops and I open my eyes again and look back, as he sets the wood aside and puts another piece on the sawhorses.
"Don't I get safety goggles or something?" I ask, wiping sawdust from my face.
"You want a tampon too?" He asks, with a chuckle.
"Yeah, yeah, you're hilarious." I say, shaking my head.
"Yeah, there's a pair in the truck." He says, nodding towards the truck, with a smirk.
I flip him off, getting a chuckle from him. I turn and go to the truck, I pull one of the doors open and look around for the pair of safety goggles. All I see is tools, a gym bag, empty bottles of water and sport drinks. But I don't see the safety goggles.
"I can't find 'em!" I call over my shoulder.
"Under the passenger seat!" Clay calls back.
I dig under the seat and pull out a pair of thick safety goggles, that look pretty new. I put them on and go back to Clay.
"How did you know they would be under the seat?" I ask, walking up to him.
"I got 'em this mornin', when we got the lumber." He says, looking over a piece of paper, which I know has his measurements on it. "There's another pair for Manny too." He says, not looking at me.
The front door opens and an older man comes out, followed by a girl. The man stands about five-eight and is thin. His hair is a graying brown, which is neatly combed. He's clean shaven, with a small nose and a pointed chin. He has friendly brown eyes, which look a little small for his face. He's wearing a buttondown shirt, jeans and brown shoes. The girl is maybe nineteen or twenty, she stands five-seven or five-eight. She has the same color brown hair as the man, her hair is tied back in a ponytail. She's really hot, with a sharp nose, full lips and brown almond shaped eyes. Her face isn't the only thing hot about her, she's built. She has big boobs, which she's showing off in a very tight tank top and I notice she has a great ass, as she turns to close the front door. Thank god for yoga pants.
"Clay." The older man says, walking up to us.
His voice is soft and kind sounding.
"Yes sir, Mr. Marksman." Clay says, turning to them.
"I see you got a few extra hands, this morning." Mr. Marksman says kindly.
"Yeah, this is my girl's brother, Luke and the other is his friend, Manny." Clay says.
They stop talking and Clay pops me on the chest, I look over at him. Him and Mr. Marksman are shooting me looks. I had been staring at the girl, I realize, seeing her wearing a proud smirk. I couldn't help but stare, due to the 'nippy' morning air.
"Nice to meet you, sir." I say, holding out my hand to him.
Mr. Marksman shakes my hand, with a tired look on his face. I can see Clay's still shooting me a dirty look.
"Their mothers asked me to put 'em to work." Clay says, shaking his head. "They been up to no good, ya get me?" Clay asks, with a small smile.
"Oh, I see." Mr. Marksman says, shooting me another look. "I trust you'll keep an eye on them?" He asks, looking back at Clay.
"Yes sir, but I wouldn't worry." Clay says, popping me on the chest again. "They're good kids, for the most part." He says, looking back at Mr. Marksman.
"Alright." Mr. Marksman says, with a nod.
He shoots me another look, before moving past us and to a black town car.
"Morning, Clay." The girl says, grinning at Clay.
"Hey, Heather. How are you this mornin'?" He asks, with a weak smile.
"Fine, a little bored. But, fine." She says, putting a hand on Clay's arm.
"Heather, let's go!" Mr. Marksman calls from the car.
"Well, I better get going." The girl says, smiling between me and Clay. I can't help but smile back, when she smiles at me. "You boys better not have too much fun." She says, with a playful grin.
She then goes to the car, I watch her leave. I'll say it again, thank god for yoga pants. She waves goodbye and I wave back, grinning. The car pulls away and goes down the street, before disappearing around a corner. Than I feel a sharp pain from my ear, I quickly turn, holding it.
"Ow, fuck man, what was that for?" I ask, staring at Clay.
Clay flicks my other ear, with one of his sausage size fingers. He could flick unbelievably hard too. I take a step back, holding the other ear.
"The second one was for usin' the F word." He says, shooting me a dirty look.
"And the first?" I ask, rubbing my ear, still feeling the sting.
"I'm just gonna give you a word of advice, bud, never stare at the daughter of the guy who's payin' ya." He says, staring down at me.
"I wasn't staring." I mutter, still rubbing my ear.
"You were, bud." He says, with a chuckle.
"But come on, did you see her?" I ask, with a smile. "She had her high beams on." I add, smirking.
He flicks the first ear again.
"Ow, why?"
The 14th of July, 1:34 pm. Haley's POV.
"So now, they're working for Clay." I finish, running a hand through my hair.
"And how's he taking it?" Morgan asks, sounding weary.
I honestly wasn't sure. Despite all these months of opening up and talking with me about how he feels, Clay is still hard to read most of the time. All those years of hiding how he felt, had made him very good at keeping most of his thoughts and feelings to himself. He could be angry, scared or even sad and all you would see is that small smile of his.
"I don't know." I say, honestly, running my hand through my hair again. "You know how he is." I add, with a shake of the head.
"Yeah, I know." She says, with a sigh. "I remember, he was probably thirteen and I caught him and two of his friends, smoking behind his father's house. God, I was so angry at him." She says, with a soft laugh.
"Really?" I ask, with a laugh of my own. "What did you do?" I add, smiling slightly.
"I yelled at him, I probably screamed my head off for the better part of an hour." She says, with a slight sad tone to her voice. "But that's about all I could do, without Bruce finding out." She says, with another sigh.
"Bruce is his father, right?" I ask, biting my lip.
All these months of talking with Morgan, neither of us had brought up Able's and Clay's father. Not directly at least. We've mention him here and there, but never talked about him. So, for me the man was still ,in a lot of ways, a mystery. I know he served in the army during Vietnam and that Morgan hated the man, but that's about it.
"Yeah, that's him." She says, softly. She's quiet for a few moments, before speaking again. "I guess, we've never really talked about him, have we?" She asks, making me feel uneasy.
I wanted to know about him, but part of me felt bad for wanting to know. Like I was betraying Clay somehow for wanting to know. It was silly, I know. But after these eight long months, after telling him that I'm pregnant, telling my family that I'm pregnant, my Mom bringing home Dylan, the fight at the gym, the fight at the party and Clay finding out about my family knowing about his father. After all those things, I didn't want anything else getting in our way. But still, that thought sat at the back of my mind, who was his father?
"No." I say, softly.
"He wasn't always an asshole." She says, with a slightly sad tone to her voice. "He was always a hard man, but he really loved Willow and Able. And anytime he started to lose his temper, Willow would be able to calm him down." She says, her voice still sounding sad. "After Clay was born though, something changed in Willow. She was... different." She says, sounding near tears. "Than, when she... Well, Bruce blamed Clay... Able did too." She finishes, making tears well up in my eyes.
It wasn't fair how cruel life could be, how cruel life had been to Clay. Growing up I felt like a screw-up, a disappointment. Like I was nothing, besides a pretty face. But all that was just in my head, my parents were always there for me, they were nothing but supportive. But for Clay, he was being told that he was stupid, ugly, worthless to his face everyday, by his own father.
"Sorry." She says, after I don't say anything for a few moments. "I know how... hard being in our family can be." She adds, with a bitter laugh.
I let out a soft laugh.
"Does it get easier?" I ask, running a hand through my hair.
I think about what Clay was put through a lot, some nights I just stare at the ceiling thinking about it. Wondering what that must of been like, not feeling loved or wanted in your own home. My parents' house is a safe place, where I know I'm always wanted. Clay didn't have that, his father's house was just a place full of bad memories for him. As selfish as it may sound, it was hard to live with the things Clay told me. Knowing what he's been through, it weighs on me. Earlier this week, I was at the grocery store and one of Clay's stories popped into my head and I had to fight not to cry.
Before I dated Clay, I knew people were put through horrible things. But having someone you love and care about telling you about their father beating them senseless, weighs heavy on your heart. I, of course, can't tell Clay this. Because he would just shut me out again, Clay wouldn't want me going through this. Clay wants to protect me and make me feel safe, be strong for me. But it's my turn to protect him, make him feel safe.
It's my turn to be the strong one.
"Yeah, once it's all out in the open, it gets easier to deal with." She says, making me breathe a little easier. "I promise, you'll see." She adds.
"I know, it's just... I don't know what I am doing." I admit, wiping at my eyes
"Honey, I felt the same way when Able first got back from Iraq. I didn't know what to say or do, I know it's hard. But most of it is just being there, Haley. I promise, it will get easier." She says, softly.
"Thank you, Morgan. I needed to hear that." I say, letting out a breath.
"I have to go, my break is up." She says, with a sigh. "Sorry, I'll call you later." She adds.
"It's okay, I get it." I say, with a small smile.
"Give Clay a kiss for me." She says, making me smile more.
"I will."
The 14th of July, 4:24 pm. Clay's POV.
I walk the length of the deck, smilin' down at our work. It was just the base, with no rails or the stairs. So, it was really only a tall wooden box. I look over at Dylan, who's watchin' me. I give him a smile and he smiles back. These last few months, I've been teachin' him everything I can about construction. From hangin' drywall, to buildin' a deck. He was startin' to get the hang of it, which is good. It was nice havin' someone else I could count on.
"Looks good." I say, noddin'. "Nice work, Dylan." I say, givin' him a nod.
"Thanks man." He says, grinnin'.
I take my cap off and wipe the sweat from my forehead, lookin' up at the glarin' sun. It's fuckin' hot, like really fuckin' hot. I had took off my shirts a few hours ago, leavin' me shirtless. I was covered head to toe in sweat, makin' me miss Michigan. I can't remember it ever gettin' this hot there, but maybe I just blocked it out. I look over at Manny and Luke, who are both sittin' under the shade of a tree. The two of them had trouble hangin' with me and Dylan, specially Manny. Neither had worked a day in their lives, I remind myself. I've been workin' for as long as I can remember, from sun up to sun down. But not everyone's me. Even when I was workin' with my brother's crew, I was always the first guy on the jobsite and the last to leave, I worked the hardest and only stopped for water or to use the restroom. Some of the guys hated me for it and a few respected me because of it, at least that's what my brother told me.
The guys who didn't like it, tried to jump me after work one night, but they didn't know just how hard a young man I was. There was four of 'em, all of 'em over forty. But none of 'em could hit as hard as my father, so they were pretty easy to kick the shit out of. My brother broke up the fight and they said I started it, I told the truth, but my brother didn't believe me. Able cut my pay and gave me the hardest and dirtiest jobs, no one else wanted. I hated him for it, I still do.
I hop off the deck and look over at Dylan.
"Get Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum to pack up the tools, we're goin' to call it a day." I say, poppin' him on the chest.
Usually I would work til the sun went down or the client asked me to leave, but with this heat and the boys, I was goin' to call it a day. I didn't want to work the two idiots to death.
"Make sure they drink some water, you too." I add, givin' him a nod.
"Yeah, I got it, man." He says, with a nod.
I take my cap off and wipe the sweat again, walkin' over to my shirts. I put my cap back on and pick up my blue t-shirt, I wipe the sweat from my face, chest, armpits and arms. When I finish, I turn and look over at Luke.
"Hey, bud." I say, getting him to look over at me.
I toss him the t-shirt and he catches it.
"Oh gross, man." He says, lookin' disgusted.
I chuckle and shake my head, takin' my cap off and pullin' on my long sleeve shirt. I put my cap back on and turn, goin' towards the backdoor. I reach it and knock lightly, before lookin' over my shoulder. A few seconds pass, before the door opens. I turn back and give Heather a small smile, she grins back.
"Come in." She says, steppin' aside.
I come in and look around the kitchen, old cabinets, worn counters and an old hardwood floor. Most of it looked like it was straight out of the seventies, it reminded me a lot of the kitchen in my father's house. The kitchen is clean, besides a few dishes in the sink. I take a few steps deeper into the kitchen, lookin' around, hopin' to spot Mr. Marksman. But, my eyes fall on an old cookie jar shaped like a owl. My father had one that looked just like it. I remember he broke it one night, when he had been drinking.
'I didn't do it, sir.' I say, fear wellin' up in my stomach.
'So, it just broke on it's own?' He asks, glarin' at me.
I want to tell him, he did it. But, I know that will only anger him.
'I don't know, sir.' I say, shakin' slightly.
'You don't know, he doesn't know.' He says, noddin'.
I see his grip tighten on his glass in his hand and he pulls back, throwin' it. The glass flies past me and hits the wall behind me, explodin' into hundreds of pieces. A piece cuts me on the cheek and the back of my neck, but I don't dare raise a hand to check for blood. My eyes are on the floor, so I look up, only to see a fist heading for my face. It lands hard on my right cheek, making me fall to the floor. The taste of blood fills my mouth, as I will myself not to cry.
'Look at me. Look at me, you little pussy.' He says, his voice cold.
'S... sir." I manage to get out, looking up at him.
'Get up, you weak little waste of space.' He says, makin' me slowly get to my feet. I'm slightly shaky and the room seems to be tilting back and forth. 'Now, did you break my mother's cookie jar?' He asks, his cold eyes on me.
'I did, sir.' I say, hoping he will just drop it, if I just say it was me.
'That's what I thought.' He says, putting one of his meaty hands around the back of my neck, dragging me out of the room.
I know where we're goin' and begin to panic, tryin' to get free.
'Please Dad, I'm sorry!' I scream, tears slippin' down my face. 'Please!' I beg, lookin' up at him.
He just ignores me and goes down the hall, to the closet.
'No, please.' I say, as he pulls the door open.
He tosses me in and I hit the wall at the back of the closet, then he slams the door shut. The darkness swallows me, as I go to the door.
'Please, I'll be good!' I scream, scrapin' at a short little nub, where a door knob should be.
I pull and twist, hopin' I can get the door open. But nothing happens and after a few minutes, I stop. I put my back to the door, slidin' down to sit. I stare into the blackness, seein' monsters and demons starin' back.
"It's kinda creepy, right?" Heather says, with a nod towards the cookie jar.
"Yeah." I say, gettin' pulled from my memories. "Um... is Mr. Marksman here?" I ask, lookin' over at her.
"Yeah, he'll be down in a minute." She says, bitin' her lip. She's eyin' me for some reason, makin' me feel slightly uncomfortable. She looks at me like most girls do and a few guys do, like they couldn't take their eyes off me for some reason."You want something to drink?" She asks, smilin' up at me. "You looked pretty hot out there..." She trails off, blushin' slightly, for some reason. She looks down at her feet, smilin' slightly, a slight blush still to her cheeks. "I mean, it looked hot out." She says, lookin' back up at me.
"Yeah, it's pretty hot out." I say, with a nod. "Water, please." I add, givin' her a small smile.
She smiles back and goes over to a cabinet, grabbin' a glass.
"Ice?" She asks, lookin' over her shoulder at me.
"No, just water's fine." I say, givin' her another nod.
She gives me a smile and nods, turnin' back to the sink. She fills the glass and comes back over to me, smilin'.
"Here you go." She says, holdin' it out to me.
"Thank you." I say, takin' it from her.
She lightly grabs my hand, her eyes on it.
"A triskelion." She says, lookin' up at me, with a smile.
"Yeah." I say, surprised she knew what it is.
She grins at me, pullin' her tanktop down a little, showin' more of her chest. Tattooed over her heart is a faded green triskelion.
"I got it to remember to 'always live free', how about you?" She asks, smilin' up at me.
"The Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost." I say, holdin' up my hand with the glass in it. "Than this one's 'mind, body, spirit'," I say, holdin' up the other hand.
"You have two, didn't noticed that." She says, grinnin'. "Didn't peg you as religious, thought you were a heathen like me." She adds, puttin' a hand on my arm.
"Yeah, my father sorta beat it into me."
The 14th of July, 4:47 pm. Luke's POV.
"Man, my hands are killing me." I mutter, looking down at them.
They're stiff, red and slightly swollen, with a dozen little cuts covering them. My whole body was hurting, something I told Clay and Dylan. Who shared a look, before laughing. A mix of the work and heat had made the day rough, real rough. Manny was worse off than me, given he didn't workout like I do. About an hour after lunch, I started seeing Manny slow a bit. He was having trouble keeping up with me and I was having trouble keeping up with Clay and Dylan, so Manny was barely keeping up at all. I could see Clay biting his tongue, trying to be nice. But it was easy to tell, Clay was getting frustrated. I hated it, I started today thinking I was strong like Clay. But I ain't, I'm still just a pussy.
"You'll get used to it, bud." Clay says, looking back at me, before looking back at the road. "Right." He says, popping Dylan on the chest.
"Yeah, you will, man." Dylan says, looking back at me, giving me a nod.
"Yeah, you two will get the hang of it." Clay says, looking back at us again. "You two... did well today." Clay says stiffly, looking back at the road, clearly lying.
But I'm thankful for it all the same, at least he's trying to be nice. He could be mean, if he wanted to. Me and Manny had been pathetic today, we had been barely able to keep up. We were suppose to be their helpers, we were there to make their jobs easier. But, it was clear by the end of the day we were only getting in the way. I had wanted to impress Clay, but all I did was embarrass myself. I sigh and stare out my window, not saying anything back to Clay.
Over the next forty or so minutes, the cab of Clay's truck is mostly quiet, besides the radio and Clay and Dylan talking to each other. Clay and Dylan would joke back and forth, once in a while talking about the musician on the radio. When we drop Dylan off, Clay gets out and goes into his apartment and stays for a few minutes before coming back out and getting back into the truck. We drop Manny off next, with my Grandpa waiting outside for him. Him and Clay share a few words, that I can't hear, watching from the truck.
After that I climb into the front seat and we're on our way home.
"What's up, bud?" Clay asks, after ten minutes of quiet.
I look over at him and shrug, before looking out my window again.
"Come on." He says, lightly punching me in the arm. "Don't act like that." He says, getting me to look back at him.
I sigh and look down at my hands.
"I'm sorry, I should've done better today." I say, with another sigh.
"You did fine." Clay says, with a shake of the head.
"No, I didn't." I say, anger in my voice. I'm more angry with myself, than Clay . "I'm pathetic." I say, looking back out my window.
The truck comes to a stop at a light. I can feel Clay's eyes on me, but I don't look. I thought I was strong, tough. But I couldn't even work a few hours with Clay, without being exhausted. I thought after all these months of working out with Clay, that I could be tough like him, strong like him. But I'm not, I'm just some pathetic pussy. Tears burn in my eyes, as I stare out my window. I hate myself for it, I'm nothing but a big pathetic pussy.
"You ain't got nothing to prove to me, bud. You know that, right?" Clay asks, with a slight sad tone to his voice.
He feels bad for me, which only makes me more upset. I don't want him to feel bad for me, I want him to see me as strong. I look back, anger winning out.
"You don't have to be nice, I wasn't any help today." I say, trying to hold the tears at bay. I look back out my window, as a few tears slip down my face. "I'm fucking pathetic." I mutter, with a bitter bite to my voice.
"How the hell are you pathetic?" He asks, an angry bite to his own voice. "It was hard work and it was fuckin' hot, you did well." He says, as the truck starts moving again.
"I couldn't even keep up with you and Dylan..." I start, looking back at him.
"Dylan has been doin' this for a few months now and I've been doin' it since I was like six, give it a couple of weeks. You'll get the hang of it, bud, I promise." He says, looking over at me, then back at the road.
"No Clay, I won't." I say, his eyes back on me. "I'm not strong like you, Clay." I say, looking back out my window.
A chuckle leaves his lips, making me look back at him. He's shaking his head, smiling lightly.
"You think, I'm strong?" He asks, looking back at me, pointing at himself. "And you think, you're pathetic?" He asks, looking back at the road, shaking his head. "I'm in love with your sister, I love her more than anything, anyone." He says, shaking his head. "And I have for a long time, but it took her pushin' me, for me to actually say it." He says, keeping his eyes on the road. "Because, I spent years tryin' to get my father to love me. Spent years tryin' to be the son he wanted, but I couldn't." He says, not taking his eyes from the road. "I spent so long, believin' something was wrong with me. I mean my own father couldn't love me, so how could anyone else." He says, finally looking back at me. "I spent so long tellin' myself, I wasn't worth anyone's time, that I wasn't good for anyone, that I was poison." He says, shaking his head.
He falls quiet for a few minutes, his eyes on the road again.
"Your sister loves me, I know she does. But there are times, that I think there's no way she can. Why would she." He says, letting out a bitter chuckle. "That's how pathetic I am." He says, looking over at me, then back at the road. "I'm still holdin' onto all that shit he did to me." He says, letting out a sigh.
We come to another light and stop. Clay leans back, putting a hand over his mouth and his other on my shoulder, his eyes still on the road ahead. I watch him for a few moments, wondering what he's thinking. Finally he looks over at me, removing the hand from his mouth.
"You're stronger than I ever could be, bud."
I would like to thank SideshowJazz1 for reviewing again. Yes, he is and the next few chapters will have him dealing with his punishment. Well, I had never heard of Lily Allen or her song "Alfie" before your review. But, yeah it is. Thanks again, Jazz.
I would like to thank the guest who reviewed on 12/10/13. Thanks man, that's kind of you to say. Hopefully you enjoyed the aftermath, I know that it probably wasn't what you were hoping for, but it felt fitting. Yes, the baby will be coming soon and Clayton's probably going to be a mess. Thanks again, whoever you are.
I would like to thank Atfab27 for reviewing. Thanks, man. No, we still got a few chapters to go. Thanks again for reviewing, Atfab.
I would like to thank ODA for reviewing again. Thanks, man. Good to hear, cause you will be seeing more of Haley and Morgan together, as well as Clayton and Luke. Yeah, I'm very happy with Phil in the last chapter, especially since you guys seem to have enjoyed it so much. Thanks again, ODA.
I would like to thank TigerBB161 for reviewing again. Thanks man. Yeah, Luke's growing up and becoming quite a handful for his parents, making mistakes and making stupid decisions. But we all make stupid decisions when we're young. Hell, I'm still making stupid decisions. Good, because you will be seeing more of Haley and Morgan together. Yeah, it won't be long til Haley will be giving birth.
It's kinda bittersweet for me, if I'm being honest. I have thought about this story, the characters and Modern Family everyday since I posted the first chapter. So, it's a little sad that it's coming to an end. I plan on writing more, but at this time I'm not sure what that will be. Thanks again, Tiger.
I would like to thank 927398614 for reviewing again. I'm very happy that all you guys seem to really enjoy the ending of the last chapter. It had to eventually end, right? I have put a lot of thought into the ending, It's going to be rough. So, bear with me. Thanks again.
I would like to thank Taylor for reviewing. Thank you, Taylor. Your review made my day, really man thank you. Well, we are getting closer and closer to the end... it's going to be rough, but I hope you stick with me and this story till the very end. As for what I'm doing next, well... I don't know just yet, but I know it won't be a Modern Family story.
But, that said, I am going to write another Modern Family story down the line, I can promise that. I already know what I want to do, I don't want to say too much. But it will be sorta a spinoff of this story. Thanks again, Taylor.
I would like to thank A.K.A. Producer Sam for reviewing. Done and done, hopefully I didn't keep you waiting. Thanks, Sam.
I would like to thank April Dennis for reviewing. I have and I will. Thanks again, April.
I would like to thank Daffodil431, StephieMarie23, Adre24, Lolqwertyuiop0 and DarkPhoenix713 for following, thanks guys.
And now I would like to thank you all for reading and finally don't forget all reviews are appreciated.
