Frank stood dumbfounded for several minutes. Joe had dropped his bombshell and then walked out of the room and down the stairs. Frank heard the front door close behind Joe but still he couldn't bring himself to move.
From here on out we are no longer brothers, Joe's words echoed in his head. Why? Why would Joe say something like that? What could have happened to him since yesterday morning to turn Joe against him? Frank shook his head and then looked around Joe's room; his brown eyes searching for some clue, but it was hopeless. He turned out the light and left the room.
By the time he arrived at Callie's his shock had turned into anger. He hadn't done anything to warrant the exile that Joe was perpetrating against him. And even if he had inadvertently done something, why hadn't Joe called him on it instead of behaving in such a childish manner?
Joe needs to grow up! Frank decided, getting out of the van and going to Callie's door. And I know just how to teach him a lesson.
"Hi..." Callie's greeting died on her lips when she noticed the fierce scowl and hard brown eyes of her boyfriend. "What's wrong?"
"Honestly, I don't know," Frank responded, running a hand through his wavy brown hair. "But I do know how to fix the problem."
"Huh?" Callie was totally confused.
"Let's go to the beach," Frank said. "I'll tell you and everyone else about it there," he promised. "I'm going to need everyone's help to make this work."
Frank and Callie arrived at the beach a little over thirty minutes later to find the rest of their friends already lounging under the bright morning sun.
"Where's Joe?" asked Vanessa as Frank and Callie approached. Her blond hair glistened in the sun but her blue-gray eyes were filled with worry.
"Yeah. Is he sick?" asked Tony Prito, an olive-skinned youth of Italian descent. His dark eyes and jet-black hair made him stand out among his friends. "Is that why he skipped Callie's party yesterday?"
"He's not sick," answered Frank. "And I still don't know why he didn't show yesterday," he added, his face still in the scowl he had greeted Callie with earlier.
"Then what's wrong?" demanded Callie, placing her hands on her slender waist and staring at Frank through luscious blond lashes which helped to make her brown eyes sparkle with flecks of gold.
"He told me we weren't brothers anymore," Frank stated, flopping unceremoniously to the sand. "He's exiled me without any reason."
"Are you sure?" Vanessa asked as Callie sat down beside Frank. "Maybe you said something?"
Frank shook his head. "No," he denied. "We were fine yesterday morning. Besides," he continued. "If I have done something to make him mad why not say so? Joe's never been one to keep his anger bottled up."
"Maybe it isn't Joe," suggested sandy-haired Phil Cohen, his blue eyes serious beneath his glasses. "The Network did clone you guys once before."
"I thought of that," Frank admitted. ""So I taped him talking to mom and ran the tape through Dad's voiceprint machine. I also checked the prints Joe left on the banister. It's definitely Joe."
"Maybe he's been brainwashed," suggested Chet with a frown.
"In only a few hours?" countered Frank, shaking his head. "No," he continued. "He's gotten mad for some reason, all right. But the way he's dealing with it is just plain childish."
"You said you knew how to fix the problem," Callie reminded him. "How?"
"Give him a dose of his own medicine," replied Frank at once. "But just my ignoring him won't do it since he's ignoring me. If everyone ignored him then he should realize how stupid he is acting and, at the very least, let me know what's bothering him."
"You really think it will work?" asked Vanessa, frowning. She really hated the idea but it did sound like Joe needed to talk to Frank so they could work things out.
"It may take a day or two," Frank admitted. "Joe is incredibly stubborn. But, yes, I believe it will work."
"Okay," Biff agreed slowly. "I'm in."
"Me too," Chet agreed, followed by everyone but Phil.
"What if something goes wrong?" asked Phil. "It sounds a bit drastic."
"What could go wrong?" demanded Vanessa, her eyes clouding over.
Phil shrugged. "Nothing I can think of off hand," he admitted. He gave a deep sigh. "All right," he finally agreed. "I'm in."
They spent the day surfing and sunning although it was obvious Vanessa and Frank weren't having much fun. Vanessa gave up the pretense and went home but Frank refused to let Joe's tantrum spoil his day.
As the evening tide rolled in, the friends packed up their things and headed home. Frank dropped Callie at her door, after a lingering kiss, and headed home.
"Dad!" Frank exclaimed in surprise when he entered the house and saw his father sitting at the kitchen table devouring a sandwich. "When did you get home?'
"About an hour ago," replied Fenton. He looked at his eldest son curiously with brown eyes that matched Frank's. "Where are Joe and your mother?"
Frank gave a deep, troubled sigh and sat down in the chair opposite his dad's. He told his father about his mom's plans for the evening and then told him about the deep freeze Joe was sending out. Fenton frowned as Frank outlined the plan he had talked his fiends into.
"Are you sure that's wise?" asked Fenton.
"Joe has to learn a lesson," Frank asserted. "I mean if I had done something to deserve it then I could understand. Maybe. But I haven't. And instead of talking about it he just started acting like I didn't exist," Frank explained. "No warning; nothing."
Fenton sighed. "It does sound like your brother deserves a dose of what he's dishing out."
"Are you going to help?" asked Frank a bit hesitantly, looking at his father hopefully. He knew his parents always left him and Joe to work out their own problems but he felt Joe had gone too far this time.
Apparently, Fenton thought so as well. "All right," he agreed. "And I will talk to your mother. With everyone giving him the cold shoulder he will have to cave soon."
From here on out we are no longer brothers, Joe's words echoed in his head. Why? Why would Joe say something like that? What could have happened to him since yesterday morning to turn Joe against him? Frank shook his head and then looked around Joe's room; his brown eyes searching for some clue, but it was hopeless. He turned out the light and left the room.
By the time he arrived at Callie's his shock had turned into anger. He hadn't done anything to warrant the exile that Joe was perpetrating against him. And even if he had inadvertently done something, why hadn't Joe called him on it instead of behaving in such a childish manner?
Joe needs to grow up! Frank decided, getting out of the van and going to Callie's door. And I know just how to teach him a lesson.
"Hi..." Callie's greeting died on her lips when she noticed the fierce scowl and hard brown eyes of her boyfriend. "What's wrong?"
"Honestly, I don't know," Frank responded, running a hand through his wavy brown hair. "But I do know how to fix the problem."
"Huh?" Callie was totally confused.
"Let's go to the beach," Frank said. "I'll tell you and everyone else about it there," he promised. "I'm going to need everyone's help to make this work."
Frank and Callie arrived at the beach a little over thirty minutes later to find the rest of their friends already lounging under the bright morning sun.
"Where's Joe?" asked Vanessa as Frank and Callie approached. Her blond hair glistened in the sun but her blue-gray eyes were filled with worry.
"Yeah. Is he sick?" asked Tony Prito, an olive-skinned youth of Italian descent. His dark eyes and jet-black hair made him stand out among his friends. "Is that why he skipped Callie's party yesterday?"
"He's not sick," answered Frank. "And I still don't know why he didn't show yesterday," he added, his face still in the scowl he had greeted Callie with earlier.
"Then what's wrong?" demanded Callie, placing her hands on her slender waist and staring at Frank through luscious blond lashes which helped to make her brown eyes sparkle with flecks of gold.
"He told me we weren't brothers anymore," Frank stated, flopping unceremoniously to the sand. "He's exiled me without any reason."
"Are you sure?" Vanessa asked as Callie sat down beside Frank. "Maybe you said something?"
Frank shook his head. "No," he denied. "We were fine yesterday morning. Besides," he continued. "If I have done something to make him mad why not say so? Joe's never been one to keep his anger bottled up."
"Maybe it isn't Joe," suggested sandy-haired Phil Cohen, his blue eyes serious beneath his glasses. "The Network did clone you guys once before."
"I thought of that," Frank admitted. ""So I taped him talking to mom and ran the tape through Dad's voiceprint machine. I also checked the prints Joe left on the banister. It's definitely Joe."
"Maybe he's been brainwashed," suggested Chet with a frown.
"In only a few hours?" countered Frank, shaking his head. "No," he continued. "He's gotten mad for some reason, all right. But the way he's dealing with it is just plain childish."
"You said you knew how to fix the problem," Callie reminded him. "How?"
"Give him a dose of his own medicine," replied Frank at once. "But just my ignoring him won't do it since he's ignoring me. If everyone ignored him then he should realize how stupid he is acting and, at the very least, let me know what's bothering him."
"You really think it will work?" asked Vanessa, frowning. She really hated the idea but it did sound like Joe needed to talk to Frank so they could work things out.
"It may take a day or two," Frank admitted. "Joe is incredibly stubborn. But, yes, I believe it will work."
"Okay," Biff agreed slowly. "I'm in."
"Me too," Chet agreed, followed by everyone but Phil.
"What if something goes wrong?" asked Phil. "It sounds a bit drastic."
"What could go wrong?" demanded Vanessa, her eyes clouding over.
Phil shrugged. "Nothing I can think of off hand," he admitted. He gave a deep sigh. "All right," he finally agreed. "I'm in."
They spent the day surfing and sunning although it was obvious Vanessa and Frank weren't having much fun. Vanessa gave up the pretense and went home but Frank refused to let Joe's tantrum spoil his day.
As the evening tide rolled in, the friends packed up their things and headed home. Frank dropped Callie at her door, after a lingering kiss, and headed home.
"Dad!" Frank exclaimed in surprise when he entered the house and saw his father sitting at the kitchen table devouring a sandwich. "When did you get home?'
"About an hour ago," replied Fenton. He looked at his eldest son curiously with brown eyes that matched Frank's. "Where are Joe and your mother?"
Frank gave a deep, troubled sigh and sat down in the chair opposite his dad's. He told his father about his mom's plans for the evening and then told him about the deep freeze Joe was sending out. Fenton frowned as Frank outlined the plan he had talked his fiends into.
"Are you sure that's wise?" asked Fenton.
"Joe has to learn a lesson," Frank asserted. "I mean if I had done something to deserve it then I could understand. Maybe. But I haven't. And instead of talking about it he just started acting like I didn't exist," Frank explained. "No warning; nothing."
Fenton sighed. "It does sound like your brother deserves a dose of what he's dishing out."
"Are you going to help?" asked Frank a bit hesitantly, looking at his father hopefully. He knew his parents always left him and Joe to work out their own problems but he felt Joe had gone too far this time.
Apparently, Fenton thought so as well. "All right," he agreed. "And I will talk to your mother. With everyone giving him the cold shoulder he will have to cave soon."