Part Seven:
The next day, Joey was at work. He knew perfectly well that if Craig really wanted to, he could break his punishment and easily sneak out.
But Craig didn't. As Joey told him, he stayed home. He was actually a little relieved to have some time away from Carrie: it was all beginning to be too much. He'd called her the night before to tell her what happened.
"Well, we'll just have to be more careful from now on," she'd said carelessly. "So, you're still coming over tomorrow, right?"
"I can't," Craig said patiently. "I told you, I'm grounded."
Carrie had actually laughed at that. "Grounded? Um, okay."
"I have to stay home this week."
"Craig? Doesn't your stepfather work during the day?"
"Yes..."
"So, just leave and pretend you were home all day," Carrie said impatiently, as if that were the most obvious thing in the world. "How's he ever going to know, anyway?"
"He's going to call every hour," Craig lied. "Besides, he's not taking my sister to daycare this week, to make sure I stay home to watch her."
"Well..." Carrie sounded defeated. "How about I come over?"
Craig actually considered it...for about a millisecond. He knew how horrible that would be, to betray Joey by inviting his secret, older girlfriend over. "Can't, my sister..."
"Oh." There was a long silence. "Well, I guess I'll see you in class next week..."
"Yeah. Maybe we could get together afterwards?"
"Sure." Carrie was suddenly in a big hurry to get off the phone. "Um, I'll call you tomorrow, Craig, okay?"
"Yeah, 'bye." Craig felt a little guilty for lying to her: he really cared about her, a lot. He actually wondered if he loved her...but he didn't think so. Still, she did mean a lot to him. But we don't have to get together EVERY DAY, Craig told himself. This is for the best, we both need a break.
So, Craig stayed at home the next day while Joey was at work and Angela was at daycare. Craig offered to watch her, but Angela had been intent on going. "Well, maybe I'll pick you up early," Craig said, which made both Angela and Joey very happy: Angela, because this probably meant ice cream and a trip to the park, and Joey, because it meant that Craig was going to fulfill his punishment.
When they'd been gone for awhile, Craig decided to give Sean a call. As he suspected, Tracker told him that Sean was grounded (Joey had called him the night before), but he agreed to let Craig have a short talk with him.
"Hello?" Craig had never heard a more pissed off "hello" in his life.
"Hey, that 'hello' nearly killed me, man."
"What do you want? To tell my brother more lies about me?"
"Dude," Craig said in a whisper, "go into another room."
"What?"
"I have something to tell you, but..." Sean got the message and took the cordless phone to the bathroom.
"Okay, now what is it?"
Craig took a deep breath and launched into the story about his photography class, and his relationship with Miss Roberts, aka Carrie. Sean was in a stunned silence during the whole thing. When Craig was done, there was a long silence. "Um...Sean? Still there?"
"Um...yeah. I am." Sean let out a breath. "Wow, that's..." He wasn't sure WHAT it was. Suddenly, his tone changed: "Um, what the hell does this have to do with you getting me grounded."
"Carrie...urm, Miss Roberts...she likes to smoke and drink, and Joey smelled it on me last night, and-"
"My name came up," Sean finished. His tone was as cold as it had been when he'd picked up the phone.
"Look, man, I'm so sorry-"
"What, like I was a convienant alibi or something?" Sean said coldly. "Oh, that's right: Jimmy or Marco would never do anything like this." His tone was sarcastic.
"Look, it's not like that," Craig said impatiently. "I didn't mean to make you sound like a bad guy-"
"Well, congratulations, buddy, 'cause that's exactly what you did."
"Look, will you just LISTEN to me?" Craig yelled. "Your name was just the first to pop into my head, that's all. If it had been Jimmy or Marco, they'd be in the same boat as you right now."
"No, they wouldn't," Sean said, almost as louded as Craig. But he lowered his voice because his brother was in the other room. "Look, none of them have ever had a probation officer, none of them have-"
"I said I was sorry," Craig said in a quieter tone. "That's all I can do. I wasn't thinking, but...I couldn't exactly tell Joey the truth, could I?"
Sean sighed. "No, you couldn't."
"I really am sorry, dude," Craig said again. "You're my best friend, and I'm really glad that I told you what's going on. I can't trust anyone eles."
Sean was quiet for a minute. "Thanks, man."
"Are you in big trouble?"
"Nah," Sean said casually. "Tracker just grounded me for a week, but said that if I'm caught with "that shit" again that he'll tell my probation officer." He sighed again. "I better go now, man, Tracker's starting to knock on the door."
"Alright. Call me later?"
"No problem." But before Sean hung up, he asked one last question: "Um, what about Ashley?"
It was Craig's turn to sigh. "I don't know."
The next day, Joey was at work. He knew perfectly well that if Craig really wanted to, he could break his punishment and easily sneak out.
But Craig didn't. As Joey told him, he stayed home. He was actually a little relieved to have some time away from Carrie: it was all beginning to be too much. He'd called her the night before to tell her what happened.
"Well, we'll just have to be more careful from now on," she'd said carelessly. "So, you're still coming over tomorrow, right?"
"I can't," Craig said patiently. "I told you, I'm grounded."
Carrie had actually laughed at that. "Grounded? Um, okay."
"I have to stay home this week."
"Craig? Doesn't your stepfather work during the day?"
"Yes..."
"So, just leave and pretend you were home all day," Carrie said impatiently, as if that were the most obvious thing in the world. "How's he ever going to know, anyway?"
"He's going to call every hour," Craig lied. "Besides, he's not taking my sister to daycare this week, to make sure I stay home to watch her."
"Well..." Carrie sounded defeated. "How about I come over?"
Craig actually considered it...for about a millisecond. He knew how horrible that would be, to betray Joey by inviting his secret, older girlfriend over. "Can't, my sister..."
"Oh." There was a long silence. "Well, I guess I'll see you in class next week..."
"Yeah. Maybe we could get together afterwards?"
"Sure." Carrie was suddenly in a big hurry to get off the phone. "Um, I'll call you tomorrow, Craig, okay?"
"Yeah, 'bye." Craig felt a little guilty for lying to her: he really cared about her, a lot. He actually wondered if he loved her...but he didn't think so. Still, she did mean a lot to him. But we don't have to get together EVERY DAY, Craig told himself. This is for the best, we both need a break.
So, Craig stayed at home the next day while Joey was at work and Angela was at daycare. Craig offered to watch her, but Angela had been intent on going. "Well, maybe I'll pick you up early," Craig said, which made both Angela and Joey very happy: Angela, because this probably meant ice cream and a trip to the park, and Joey, because it meant that Craig was going to fulfill his punishment.
When they'd been gone for awhile, Craig decided to give Sean a call. As he suspected, Tracker told him that Sean was grounded (Joey had called him the night before), but he agreed to let Craig have a short talk with him.
"Hello?" Craig had never heard a more pissed off "hello" in his life.
"Hey, that 'hello' nearly killed me, man."
"What do you want? To tell my brother more lies about me?"
"Dude," Craig said in a whisper, "go into another room."
"What?"
"I have something to tell you, but..." Sean got the message and took the cordless phone to the bathroom.
"Okay, now what is it?"
Craig took a deep breath and launched into the story about his photography class, and his relationship with Miss Roberts, aka Carrie. Sean was in a stunned silence during the whole thing. When Craig was done, there was a long silence. "Um...Sean? Still there?"
"Um...yeah. I am." Sean let out a breath. "Wow, that's..." He wasn't sure WHAT it was. Suddenly, his tone changed: "Um, what the hell does this have to do with you getting me grounded."
"Carrie...urm, Miss Roberts...she likes to smoke and drink, and Joey smelled it on me last night, and-"
"My name came up," Sean finished. His tone was as cold as it had been when he'd picked up the phone.
"Look, man, I'm so sorry-"
"What, like I was a convienant alibi or something?" Sean said coldly. "Oh, that's right: Jimmy or Marco would never do anything like this." His tone was sarcastic.
"Look, it's not like that," Craig said impatiently. "I didn't mean to make you sound like a bad guy-"
"Well, congratulations, buddy, 'cause that's exactly what you did."
"Look, will you just LISTEN to me?" Craig yelled. "Your name was just the first to pop into my head, that's all. If it had been Jimmy or Marco, they'd be in the same boat as you right now."
"No, they wouldn't," Sean said, almost as louded as Craig. But he lowered his voice because his brother was in the other room. "Look, none of them have ever had a probation officer, none of them have-"
"I said I was sorry," Craig said in a quieter tone. "That's all I can do. I wasn't thinking, but...I couldn't exactly tell Joey the truth, could I?"
Sean sighed. "No, you couldn't."
"I really am sorry, dude," Craig said again. "You're my best friend, and I'm really glad that I told you what's going on. I can't trust anyone eles."
Sean was quiet for a minute. "Thanks, man."
"Are you in big trouble?"
"Nah," Sean said casually. "Tracker just grounded me for a week, but said that if I'm caught with "that shit" again that he'll tell my probation officer." He sighed again. "I better go now, man, Tracker's starting to knock on the door."
"Alright. Call me later?"
"No problem." But before Sean hung up, he asked one last question: "Um, what about Ashley?"
It was Craig's turn to sigh. "I don't know."