(Brandi's POV)

"What's on TV?" I laughed flopping onto the edge of the bed. Corey, Reggie and Catie were next to me. Sam had taken over the small couch, while Twist, Nick, Otto and were sprawled out on the top half of the bed. Nikkie sat between Lars' legs against the couch, his arms resting around her waist.

"Hmmm." Reggie said flipping through the guide.

"Oh, Degrassi!" Nikkie screamed seeing the words come up on screen.

"What the hell, people still watch that?" Lars groaned leaning back onto the top of the couch.

"Yeah, it's like the best show ever invented." I told him off, stupid boy.

"Yeah, sure let's turn on something normal." Otto said grabbing the remote and flipping through the channels on the guide. The show was still in the corner of the screen.

"Ohhh my god." Corey dropped his jaw as Manny walked onto the screen. His eyes were wide. The other boys' stared in awe at Manny. It was the episode where Manny got her new look and was wearing her lovely blue thong under those tight jeans that made her ass look oddly misshapen.

"And now we change the channel, I don't like this episode." Reggie said turning on Zoey 101. Nickelodeon was the first channel that came to mind.

"Or why don't we finish that episode?" Otto said grabbing the remote back.

"Or we can watch a movie." Nikkie said grabbing the remote, this charade was hilarious and now I know why I love these people. Nikkie pushed the On Demand button and watched as the content came up.

"But I want to watch tha-" Nikkie cut Otto off before he could even finish his word.

"Too damn bad." She said picking Grandma's Boy and turning it on. It was her favorite movie with Clerks 2 falling close behind.

"I love this movie." Reggie said pulling her hoodie all the way over her head the rest of us followed. The boys' had no shirts on, that made me chuckle a little. I never understood why guys hated having shirts on, but I had no objection to these boys not having shirts. They were sexy as it comes except for maybe Eddie, he was stunning. I had rolled over onto my stomach but my eyes were to the ceiling with my hands propping my head up.

The pictures traced in my head, gorgeous blonde locks on his face covered with a hat. A snake bite piercing much like Lars' but he had two studs in while Lars had two rings in. I looked at Reggie and remembered she had her lip pierced too, she has a blue stud it, she looked better with a ring in though. Eddie's eyes literally shook your soul, pretty blue like an ocean, it reminded me a little of the blue lobsters. Those things were the coolest. I remember seeing him once at school his eyes were so cool at that time they reminded me of Wild Berry Gatorade. You know the dark blue kind that smells really weird but tastes great? But you know something really seemed off about him and I couldn't quite tell what it was. He had a scar on his left cheek, I noticed that but his posture wasn't what you'd expect. He seemed a little scared to see us all and flinched a little. Reggie had told me about his parents being kind of crazy and a marching to their own beat and how creepy they were. Otto had said something about them looking like child abusers'. Maybe Eddie was abused by his parents. I guess it was a good possibility seeing as how he grew up and how he was now.

"What are you thinking of Brandi?" Otto asked sitting into an upright position I had been staring at the ceiling instead of the TV.

"Do Eddie's parents abuse him?" I asked turning around abruptly after not responding for almost two minutes.

"I… Don't know actually." Otto ruffled his hair and thought about it. I don't think he noticed the way Eddie acted or what could have happened to him. The boys' I'm not sure if they sensed or not but they gave me a funny look like why would I assume that or something. Sam had that look in his eyes like he knew the truth but wouldn't tell anyone. The girls turned to face me I think that had gotten that vibe too.

"He seemed so frightened, so afraid we'd hurt him." Nikkie said thinking back to the way he stood. His posture was so strong but he was so feeble and meek.

Catie nodded in mere agreement. I really did think something bad was or did happen to that boy.

"One time he had come here crying. Ray sat and talked to him for almost three hours before he took him home. I didn't hear their conversation I was forced to stay in my room." Reggie said playing with the blanket resting below her. I think she knew truthfully but didn't want to say it for his sake. Maybe that had been another person that came to her in the time of need.

"You mean the time he came screaming and horrified staring over his shoulder as he ran and almost hit the lamp post?" Otto said cracking up. I'm not sure he understood how serious this was.

"Oswald are you talking about Eddie?" Ray grumbled as he walked through the door. "Don't you remember what happened to the poor kid?" He asked tossing his keys on the table as he walked through the door.

"What do you mean? You made Reggie and me stay in our rooms." Otto said looking back at his father. I think Otto was depraved of a brain. That look in Ray's eyes actually hurt me. He cared about Eddie for some odd reason, but he cared.

"He came here crying because his. Never mind Otto. Ask your sister sometime she might tell you what happened." I swear Ray was about to cry, something serious must've happened that day.

"Hi Ray." I said trying to make the mood a little cheerier, it wasn't helping much.

"Hey Brandi." He nodded and left for the kitchen.

"Mr. Rocket do you want any pizza?" Lars asked a little louder.

"Sure." He replied. I watched as Lars grabbed the pizza and disappeared into the kitchen. I wondered what exactly he was doing. I'd never seen him act like this and I've known him for four years already. We had gotten into a huge fight the first day of school, it was pretty funny really. It had been something about how to do a math problem; we ended up with the same answer but two different ways to do it.

(Lars' POV)

"Here Ray." I said handing him the three slices of pizza I had grabbed. He looked at me with a slight bit of dismay. So I hadn't grown up his son or daughter's best friend but I was trying to be better. The look in his blue eyes sent a chill through my spine, was I not supposed to be here? "Sir?" I asked offering over the pieces of pizza. Maybe, he was testing me, I couldn't even tell. He grabbed the napkin underneath the pieces and pulled them close to him.

"What's wrong?" He asked sitting on a chair at the table. Had he known I had cigarettes in his house? Or did he see something in my eyes that I hadn't been able to hide from a father's stare. Frankly, I think he knew all about Reggie and Otto but never said anything to them. This man was damned good at his job as a father. The cold stare had weakened into a somewhat caring look. An eyebrow rose at me as he finished off his first piece of pizza.

Damn I hadn't responded how could I forget to do that? His stare softened a little more, he noticed the paranoia obviously running through my eyes. Why was I still not responding, I can't feel my body anymore. Somehow I had managed to drag my bare feet across the floor to where the closest chair was. I had placed my hand on the back of the chair then looking to him for a nod or some acknowledgment to sit down. The look in his eyes gave it away. Slowly I sat as the chair squeaked a little beneath my stature of one hundred seventy-some odd pounds.

"My parents," I couldn't say much else. The feeling of speaking to a counselor washed over me. Speaking to counselors made me sick I hated how stupid they made you feel and acted like you were supposed to continue talking to them no matter how bad they made you feel. 'How does that make you feel?' It doesn't. Exactly, it never will because I feel nothing when I speak to a scum bag like you. Looking down I realized I wasn't in a shirt, did he care about that? Thousands of questions ruptured my mind. Why the hell wasn't I answering them? Why wasn't I looking at him? My eyes looked up my head did not move though.

"What's going on Lars?" He asked. The terror in his voice sent a chill up my spine. Was he a counselor in his spare time, is that why he was never home? The feeling that had made me feel so sick earlier turned into a tranquil feeling. This man didn't scare me, he never had. Everything had eased in my body; I wasn't jumpy now, or nervous. Fear didn't take over my entire being now. This feeling was one I'd enjoy having a lot more often.

"My mom came back not to long ago. She and my dad are getting along, I assume. They are rarely home though, there's always groceries, always necessities, but I don't know where they are. Even though my mom isn't home I can feel her presence in the house and it makes me hostile, makes me want to scream." Feelings I had never even come to terms with spilled out of me in front of my little brother's, best bro's, father. That was a long title for Raymundo. He wasn't my friend's father, not my girlfriend's father. Reggie and Otto were more then acquaintances; Otto was almost an enemy and Reggie I'm not sure what you'd call us. So he could not be an acquaintance's father, or an enemy's father. He was literally my little brother's, best bro's, father, and that's probably all he'd ever be.

"You haven't forgiven her for leaving have you?" He asked tapping his fingers on the table. The noise bothered me, but soothed me. It made no sense.

"I haven't. But I'm her disgrace of a son because I've had-." I cut myself short. Did Ray know about my hospital visits? I wasn't sure and I don't think he'd want me to influence his kids, he might kick me out. I peered towards him and he nodded his head as if to say just go on. "My seven hospital visits. But she only knows about one, my father never told her about the others." My foot traced the tile on the floor and I stared the way my feet moved. I didn't want to look up, I was scared. "I don't even know if he remembers the visits."

"She doesn't mean it Lars. She loves you and you know that. Don't let your harsh feelings get in the way of love. Let it show, grow, and heal." Ray said as he got up. I watched his body move in fluid like movements. He was getting something; I didn't know what so I stared at the spot where he had been sitting before. The spot reminded me of an empty mob boss seat.

I didn't turn around, I wouldn't. "Why don't you tell them anything about their mother?" I asked staring at my dark, blue pajama bottoms.

"They aren't ready." He responded and headed for the living room to disappear upstairs. His feet hit the first stair and I didn't know whether he was waiting for my response or if he had forgotten something. In his hand was a cookie, that's what he had grabbed when he 'disappeared' behind me.

"They are." I said as I walked by. I didn't want to know if he looked back; the look in his eyes would kill me. The look would show fear and how he still isn't ready to tell them about their mother.

Hopping back onto the bed I sat at the top next to Twister and pushed my way under Nikkie's shoulders. They all just glanced at me and looked away. Why had they given me that look? I didn't understand in the least. Why were they always giving me looks?