Manny and Craig walked silently to the park. Manny saw a nearby bench
underneath a big willow tree and sat down. Craig followed the suit. "So
what can I do for you?" "I'll tell you in a minute. First, you have to
promise not to tell anyone, especially Emma. Craig, I'm being really
serious here, no one can find out." "Okay, okay, I get it. So what's up?"
"Um..." Manny wasn't sure if this was her greatest idea. Because if Craig
was actually unable to help her out then she would have told another person
and Sean would not be very happy. Manny hesitated, trying to think about
how to best put this. "Okay. Sean's brother beat him up pretty bad.
And...and he still thinks that it's nothing and that he is going to go back
and live with Tracker after it's all over, like nothing has
happened."Manny...that's a touchy subject. I don't know what to tell
you...you can't change his mind..." Manny broke him off. "No, you don't get
it! He put him back in the hospital! And then he just left him lying on
their living room floor." "Tracker took off?" This seemed to change things
now.
"How do you know all this?" Craig asked. "I was in his area, just walking around and I heard him." Manny didn't want to say that she was actually only about fifty feet from his doorstep. "And trust me, Craig, he was in pretty bad shape." "Wow...I can't believe Tracker would do that. He always seemed so cool." Manny nodded in agreement. "I know." "So...what can I do?" "Oh...well...don't get mad...but since I heard that your dad...you know...that you would be able to relate. You know, try to talk some sense into him."Craig's face dropped. "Where did you hear that?" he asked, somewhat stiffly. "Um...I...well..." "Tell me, Manny." "Emma let it slip once, okay!" Manny blurted out. "But it was an accident. But she mentioned how she and Sean helped convince you not to go back to your dad! So, I just thought..." Manny stopped. "I'm sorry, Craig. I just thought that maybe you could help and would want to after what Sean did for you. But it's okay, you don't have to."
Manny got up. "Wait, Manny." She sat back down. "I want to help. Sean's my friend." A smile crept to the corners of Manny's mouth and she had to let it show. "Thanks, Craig!" "Sure. Now, what did you have in mind?" Manny went into a full blown explanation of her idea. While all this was happening...
Emma was walking quickly to Sean's. He had been on her mind all day and since she hadn't really been able to talk to Manny much today, she needed just to talk to someone! She walked into his front yard and saw that Tracker's bike was gone. "That's weird." Emma said to herself. Tracker shouldn't be gone while Sean was injured. Emma knocked and then entered. "Sean!" she called. "Sean?" Emma looked through the whole house, only to find that he was missing. Emma went into the living room. Emma put her hand over her mouth. It was a total disaster. Furniture was turned over and everything was thrown everywhere. Emma looked down and gave a small gasp. There was a good size patch of blood soaked up into the carpet. "Oh my god...oh my god." Emma went into her panic mode. Where was Sean? Emma grabbed the phone and dialed 9-1-1. She started ranting on to the person about the torn up house. "What's the address there?" the person on the other line asked. Emma told him. "Okay, let me check...yes, we went by there yesterday...we took a teenage boy to the hospital." Emma was screaming inside her head, "Oh my god, thank you so much!" Emma hung up the phone and took off for the hospital. Meanwhile...
Craig and Manny entered the hospital together. Manny led the way to Sean's room. Craig entered first. Sean turned to look. His face dropped into a nervous look. "Hey Manny....Craig." "Hi." Manny was quiet. She felt a little guilty for telling Craig, but she thought it was for the best. "Man, you look awful...again!" "Yeah, I know. Craig do you mind if I talk to Manny alone for a sec." "No problem." Craig walked out. "Okay, Manny, what are you doing? What's with Craig?" Sean asked, his voice wavering. "I'm sorry! I had to tell someone and I thought Craig would help you!" "How?" "Well, basically do for you what you did for him! You know, talk some sense into you! You're not going back to him." "Manny..." Sean said in an angry voice. He sounded like he was getting ready to yell. Thankfully, Craig popped his head in. "Done yet?" "Yeah." Sean said, looking hard at Manny. "Man, she's right. You need to tell someone...get new living arrangements and all. Trust me man, they say it'll never happen again but it always does." "Maybe for you but Tracker will never do it again." "Sean you don't know that!" Manny yelled at him.
"Know what?" All three of them looked at the door. Emma was standing there. "Emma!" Manny said, positively blushing. "Manny, Craig, what are you doing here?" "Umm...visiting Sean?" Manny said. "So...you knew he was here." Opps, Manny thought, wrong thing to say. "Um...sort of...yeah." She was very uncomfortable. She knew that Emma was trying hard not to explode. "Why wouldn't you tell me?" "Umm..." Manny looked at Sean worriedly. "Emma." Sean said, trying to calm her. "Whatever." Emma said. She turned on her heel and left. "Wait, EM!" Manny called, running after her. The door slammed shut and Craig and Sean were left alone.
"How do you know all this?" Craig asked. "I was in his area, just walking around and I heard him." Manny didn't want to say that she was actually only about fifty feet from his doorstep. "And trust me, Craig, he was in pretty bad shape." "Wow...I can't believe Tracker would do that. He always seemed so cool." Manny nodded in agreement. "I know." "So...what can I do?" "Oh...well...don't get mad...but since I heard that your dad...you know...that you would be able to relate. You know, try to talk some sense into him."Craig's face dropped. "Where did you hear that?" he asked, somewhat stiffly. "Um...I...well..." "Tell me, Manny." "Emma let it slip once, okay!" Manny blurted out. "But it was an accident. But she mentioned how she and Sean helped convince you not to go back to your dad! So, I just thought..." Manny stopped. "I'm sorry, Craig. I just thought that maybe you could help and would want to after what Sean did for you. But it's okay, you don't have to."
Manny got up. "Wait, Manny." She sat back down. "I want to help. Sean's my friend." A smile crept to the corners of Manny's mouth and she had to let it show. "Thanks, Craig!" "Sure. Now, what did you have in mind?" Manny went into a full blown explanation of her idea. While all this was happening...
Emma was walking quickly to Sean's. He had been on her mind all day and since she hadn't really been able to talk to Manny much today, she needed just to talk to someone! She walked into his front yard and saw that Tracker's bike was gone. "That's weird." Emma said to herself. Tracker shouldn't be gone while Sean was injured. Emma knocked and then entered. "Sean!" she called. "Sean?" Emma looked through the whole house, only to find that he was missing. Emma went into the living room. Emma put her hand over her mouth. It was a total disaster. Furniture was turned over and everything was thrown everywhere. Emma looked down and gave a small gasp. There was a good size patch of blood soaked up into the carpet. "Oh my god...oh my god." Emma went into her panic mode. Where was Sean? Emma grabbed the phone and dialed 9-1-1. She started ranting on to the person about the torn up house. "What's the address there?" the person on the other line asked. Emma told him. "Okay, let me check...yes, we went by there yesterday...we took a teenage boy to the hospital." Emma was screaming inside her head, "Oh my god, thank you so much!" Emma hung up the phone and took off for the hospital. Meanwhile...
Craig and Manny entered the hospital together. Manny led the way to Sean's room. Craig entered first. Sean turned to look. His face dropped into a nervous look. "Hey Manny....Craig." "Hi." Manny was quiet. She felt a little guilty for telling Craig, but she thought it was for the best. "Man, you look awful...again!" "Yeah, I know. Craig do you mind if I talk to Manny alone for a sec." "No problem." Craig walked out. "Okay, Manny, what are you doing? What's with Craig?" Sean asked, his voice wavering. "I'm sorry! I had to tell someone and I thought Craig would help you!" "How?" "Well, basically do for you what you did for him! You know, talk some sense into you! You're not going back to him." "Manny..." Sean said in an angry voice. He sounded like he was getting ready to yell. Thankfully, Craig popped his head in. "Done yet?" "Yeah." Sean said, looking hard at Manny. "Man, she's right. You need to tell someone...get new living arrangements and all. Trust me man, they say it'll never happen again but it always does." "Maybe for you but Tracker will never do it again." "Sean you don't know that!" Manny yelled at him.
"Know what?" All three of them looked at the door. Emma was standing there. "Emma!" Manny said, positively blushing. "Manny, Craig, what are you doing here?" "Umm...visiting Sean?" Manny said. "So...you knew he was here." Opps, Manny thought, wrong thing to say. "Um...sort of...yeah." She was very uncomfortable. She knew that Emma was trying hard not to explode. "Why wouldn't you tell me?" "Umm..." Manny looked at Sean worriedly. "Emma." Sean said, trying to calm her. "Whatever." Emma said. She turned on her heel and left. "Wait, EM!" Manny called, running after her. The door slammed shut and Craig and Sean were left alone.