Man, I know what I want to do with this story but I can't seem to force myself to do it. This is MUCH longer than I thought it would be...to be perfectly honest, the main story I was planning on making this about well...hasn't even really happened yet. Well, it kinda has. It has at least started. So I'm getting the vague idea that this story has a mind of its own. ^_^ It's bizarre. Oh well, I guess the story knows what it's doing because it isn't turning out half-bad. ^_^

Do you guys want complete honesty? Okay, in all honesty I already have things at least outlined and a lot written up to 38 and plans for way beyond that. I tried not to keep you waiting too long on this. And don't worry; the angst only worsens as Chelsea's demented side rises slowly to the surface. *smiles sweetly*

Adriana- *grins* I'm glad you feel loved! Heehee...I figured you did, but ya never know. ^_^ Lol...sometimes I forget the supreme intelligence I am speaking too. ^_^ I guess I've just gotten so used to the stupid people at my school who only understand 'Justin Timberlake,' 'Eminem,' 'Ashton Kutcher,' 'Demi Moore,' 'Britney Spears,' etc. etc...They don't know the TRUE good peeps out there...*glowers* Stupid ingrates...*clears throat* Anyway. OOH COOL! I wanna go sled-riding! *giggles* Two feet of snow?! SWEETNESS! I WANT SNOW! I WANT SNOW! That's SO not fair...I'm jealous. Oh how cool! Happy belated birthday! *tosses confetti up in the air and dances around, singing loudly* HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY TO YOU! HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY TO YOU! HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY DEAR ADRIANA! HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY TOOOO YYYOOOUUU!!! *grins* I can't wait until you update again! You're leavin' me hangin' here! ^_^ I know how you feel. I like have a major heart attack whenever I get a B. ^_^ Wow, I'm so much like you it's scary. I never study either...heeheehee...in fact, as I'm typing this I SHOULD be studying for finals tomorrow. But alas, I am not. Lol...my parents don't really get mad at me about grades, I'm more of a self- pressure kind of person. ^_^ I'll beat myself up over a grade long before my parents do. Lol...ermm...no pun intended...lol. I just realized that was a dumb thing to write in a close vicinity to this story but oh well. Lol. ^_^

Kate-Love-Ya-Bunches-But-Still-Waiting-On-Your-Fic- Purple hills...yellow trees? ...Works for me! ^_^ Randomness rocks my technicolor toe- socks...Lol...yeah. The school was pretty strict. ^_^ Little kindergarten Chelsea was feeling behind. ^_^ *kindergarten Chelsea grins, feeling loved even though she couldn't read yet*...*'Happy-Charlie' blinks confusedly and nods, repeating after Kate and patting 'Abused-Charlie's head* Lol...yeah, sorry if I traumatized anybody with the 'Abused-Charlie' Barbie thing. o.O...That was a totally random thought that kinda just appeared in your little paragraph of review-reply-ness. Lol, yes. First Aid class tends to warn against big pieces of wood sticking out of bloody hands. ^_^ *giggles* I almost made George say "Charlie, I am your father" at the beginning but decided against it. ^_^ I really did consider it though. ^_^ Heehee...I'm a pretty big Star Wars fan too...lol...I'm a dork. *grins cheekily* Just kidding. ^_^ Yeah, the Convenience Store People would be kinda weirded out. I know I'd be! ^_^ My my, that IS convenient! ^_^ Lol...loved hearin' from ya Kate! ^_^ Whenever I need cheering up I can always depend on my lovely reviewers to give me the warm fuzzies! *grins* I LOVE YOU ALL! *hugs*

DodgerMcClure.aka.Drama-Queen- Ouch. Lol...I can't say I've ever punched anything solid. Pillows don't count. ^_^ Lol...they should. But they're slow. Don't worry; they'll come around eventually. Charlie in pain is sad.

Katie- Yeah, we still love Charlie even throughout all his loving stupidity. ^_^ Yes, good things shall come...maybe...someday...if I'm in a good mood. ^_^ Oooh, thank you! *grins*

Banksiesbabe99- The world may never know...if Chelsea doesn't write it soon. ^_^ Worry not, you shall know soon. Lol...I'm proud of you for restraining yourself. ^_^ Hehehe...yeah. George is a jerk-face...Don't worry. Gordon and the Ducks will come soon. I'm not through with them yet. ^_^ *evil laugh*...

Sloane Miette- *giggles* ^_^ Lol, I shall supply to your demand. ^_^ Not all at the same time, but they will be supplied at some point. ^_^ lol...thanks for reviewing! ^_~

Sophie- Wow, I stunned you with my sudden burst of graphic violence? You're still stunned? Cool...lol...yeah, I can just picture George in all his evil glory playing bingo with a bunch or old people...and then when he loses he breaks his plastic cup and stabs the old person with a plastic spoon...o.O...ermm...on second thought, maybe that's not such a mucho great idea...Don't worry. His time will come. Charlie will have a moment of weakness...someday...no tellin' when, but it'll come eventually! ^_^ Yeah...it is kinda cruel...Wow! I get to be Angst Queen?! YIPPEE! *giggles and does happy dance* That makes me feel so dang special! I love you Sophie! *hugs Sophie* I'm glad to know I made it realistic. *still shaking from excitement* You really like it! *grins* you don't know how good your review made me feel about me story, even though it wasn't particularly funny or happy. It still made me BEYOND happy! *hugs Sophie again* And thank you for updating! You're my new best friend! *grins*...*still grinning ear to ear from compliments* I LOVE YOU!!! I feel so over-whelmed with happiness that you like it!!!

Liz- *blushes* you're' such a sweet big sister! *slips ten bucks under the table*...*whispers* good job at making me look good...Lol...^_~ Ooh, it's dramatic? *grins* Yippee! Lol...yeah, George is an umm...dork-face! ^_^ It's okay, I didn't tell you about it because I updated right before church on the 14th, so I wasn't on. Then I just forgot. ^_^ No hard feelings! ^_~ *twitches at the mention of Portman/Julie*...*twitch twitch*...*twitch twitch*...I let it slide this one time...*twitch twitch*

Disclaimer- I don't own the Mighty Ducks. Don't sue.

-Chapter 26-

Charlie heard footsteps behind him as he sat at the table. He didn't care who it was. He just kept staring blankly forward, trying to drown out his sore head, back, face, etc.

"Charlie?" he heard a female voice say quietly from behind him.

"Halley." He said simply, not bothering to turn around.

She let out a sigh and sat down next to him, knocking away the binder and books that had been there.

Charlie remained silent.

"I'm sorry about yesterday. They shouldn't have talked about your friends like that. Anyway, I'm- what happened to your face?!" she exclaimed as soon as she noticed the gash across his forehead and various fresh bruises decorating his face.

"Gee, thanks." He said sarcastically.

"No, seriously. What happened?" she asked softly, gently caressing the deep cut on his forehead.

He winced at the touch. Her face turned sympathetic as she cupped the side of his face in her hand.

"Charlie?" she asked again, probing with her green eyes.

"I don't really wanna talk about it." He said, jerking his face out of her hand and swatting at her arm with his hand.

"Why not?" she asked, her voice taking on more of a motherly tone then before.

He knew as long as he didn't look her in the eye then he could pull off the lie without any trouble.

"I got jumped, okay? Some guys who live in my neighborhood don't like me much so they made sure I am perfectly aware." He said, allowing the lie to slide off his tongue.

"Really? Are you okay?' she asked, still worried.

"Do I look okay?" he asked sarcastically.

Before she could reply, he waved her off. "Yes, I'm fine. You should probably get back to your little friends before they spontaneously combust." Charlie said bitterly.

She frowned. "Charlie-"

"Really, I'm serious." He said. He hadn't looked at her the entire time she had been there.

After a few moments she folded her arms across he chest. "Nope. I can't, in good conscience, allow such a poor, wounded animal such as yourself to sit by himself." She said with a tinge of humor.

He allowed a small smile to form on his lips. "Wounded animal, huh? Thanks a lot."

"Anytime." She said simply before finishing her lunch, again offering him her chips.

He declined her offer, knowing good and well that if he were to eat anything he would end up throwing it back up. That wouldn't be pleasant.

~~~*~~~

Charlie walked outside of the building, dragging his feet and staring at the ground. He seemed to be kicking an imaginary rock.

He REALLY didn't want to go home...

If he went home, he had to face his father. If he DIDN'T go home, he would have to face his father once he DID go home, thus making the punishment for his absence much worse.

It was a lose-lose situation...

His mind then drifted to his last period class. His teacher had taken one look at his face and sent him straight to the nurse's office. After a long, drawn-out protest, he finally gave in and trudged down the hall for a visit with the school nurse. He found out his first period teacher had told the other teachers about his less-than-stellar appearance. Why couldn't they just mind their own business?

Charlie had tried to tell them that some guys in his neighborhood had jumped him, but the nurse remained suspicious. Just as the teacher had, the nurse had gone ahead and let him go. She just told him the next time something like that happened, she wouldn't let him off as easy. She seemed visibly concerned.

Charlie let out a sigh and tossed the melted bag of ice into a trashcan as he passed.

He thought he heard his name being called so he slowed down to listen.

"Charlie!"

He knew he heard it that time. He turned back and saw Halley running after him. He raised his eyebrows as she skidded to a stop next to him, pausing to catch her breath.

"I thought I'd NEVER catch up to you! For a guy in your condition," she started with a grin, "you sure walk awful fast."

He allowed himself the comfort of a half smile. "My condition, eh?"

"Yes, you're all somber and depressed and have a large cut on your forehead. I worry for you, Conway." Halley said, finally able to breathe normal again.

He let out a semi-laugh. "Well I thank you for your concern, but I assure you that I am fine." He said, patting her on the head and attempting to walk off. If he WAS going home, he needed to at LEAST get home on time.

"Do you want to hang out for awhile? Before you go home, ya know. It doesn't have to be anything big, just if you wanted too." She said, feigning nervousness. She had done it countless times but she felt bad doing it to Charlie. He was only a poor little Freshman and already she had been roped in. But he was just so dang ADORABLE!

"Well, I would be lying if I told you I had anything better to do." He said jokingly.

"Okay." She said, allowing a smile of triumph to dominate her face. "What are we gonna do?"

~~~*~~~

Halley and Charlie stepped out of the movie theater and into the cold, crisp night air, laughing.

They got in Halley's car and drove to Charlie's house. Halley joked about how it seemed their roles were reversed in their semi-quasi-date. She was the one with the car and he was the little Freshman she was driving around and dropping off. Charlie, of course, was insulted but soon got over it.

"That, was definitely the dumbest movie I have EVER seen..." Charlie said, shaking his head and calming his laughter as he stepped out of the car.

"I agree." Halley said, laughing and getting out as well.

Slowly their laughing subsided. Charlie actually felt something resembling happiness. He figured maybe this could be his way of dealing with his psychopathic father.

She leaned in and planted a chaste kiss on his lips. As she pulled away, she looked into his blue eyes and leaned back in, kissing him again.

Halley's hand snaked up around his neck and began playing with the shorts curls where his neck and skull connected. She slowly slipped her tongue into his mouth and pinned him up against the car.

Before he could respond, Halley pulled away and got into her car, smiling at him. She gave him a swift wave goodbye as she drove off.

Charlie stood in shock, trying to register what had just happened.

What HAD just happened?

He was trying to sort through his scrambled thoughts as he walked through the door, completely forgetting about his father.

He twisted the knob and walked in, relieved that the door was unlocked.

In his daze he didn't notice the form of his father leaning in the kitchen doorway; that is, until he tripped over one of those pesky, $1500 tables that ALWAYS seem to get in the way...

After muttering a few obscenities, he opened his eyes to see a shoe looking him back in the face. All of a sudden the shoe looked like it was getting closer...

WHACK!

"OWW!!!" Charlie yelped, clutching his nose.

Grabbing the boy by his hair, George yanked his son up to eye level.

"WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN? And who was the little slut out there?! Huh?! Is that where you've been?! ANSWER ME BOY!" George said, throwing Charlie out of his grip. Charlie stumbled back and fell over the table again, this time knocking into a table with a fancy vase on it, sending the object flying.

Charlie covered his head just in case. Luckily fate was on his side and the vase didn't go anywhere near his head. That's a first.

"Well if you'd let me answer." Charlie muttered bitterly under his breath. He had been in far too good a mood. He didn't want to let his father ruin his happy/dazed/confused little moment!

"What was that?" his father growled, barely audible.

"Nothing." Charlie snapped.

"Regaining that little mouth of yours, aren't you?" George said, kicking Charlie solidly in the face.

Charlie ignored the painful throbbing sensation on his cheek and grabbed his dad by the ankle and knocked him down. George Conway hit his head on the table as he fell to the ground, now seething with anger.

George punched Charlie square in the jaw and pinned the boy down. "Don't you dare talk back to me again, you ungrateful little brat! I didn't HAVE to bring you here!" he said angrily.

"Yeah, you didn't have to kill mom either!" Charlie spat, his eyes burning and tears threatening to spill.

A crack echoed throughout the house as George punched Charlie in the side of the head again, throwing his weight into it. Charlie saw spots for a moment as he struggled to get away. George leaned down, pinning Charlie's neck to the ground with his forearm as he leaned in a few inches from Charlie's face.

"*I* did not kill you mother." He said threateningly, his eyes boring into Charlie's.

Charlie's defiant composure was threatening to give in, but the boy managed to keep it in check.

"Liar." Charlie whispered back with spite.

George gave him another hard slap across the face before resuming the earlier position.

George then got off Charlie. Before he could continue the ranting, Charlie stormed up the stairs.

"Where do you think you're going? Do think I'm gonna let you get away with that?!" George ranted, whipping the boy around to face him, nearly knocking the boy down the stairs.

Charlie's cold, hateful gaze could've frozen Hades but it was no match for George. The older man took a few steps until he was face-to-face with his son.

Charlie could once again smell the distinct stench of his father's alcohol breath. It wasn't pleasant either. What worried Charlie was how often it was occurring now. He almost kinda missed stalker-dad. At least THEN he was a safe distance away...

Well, relatively speaking.

Charlie nearly gagged on the overwhelming stench of alcohol when his father backhanded him, sending him against the wall.

The more often these outbursts became, the easier Charlie found it to block it out. But that didn't make him feel any better about it. He was beginning to wonder if this was why his father had fired Alyssa and the others...

His father's elbow colliding with Charlie's back snapped him back into reality. He let out a muffled grunt as his knees buckled.

"Is your mouth not working now? Huh? What happened to RESPONDING?!" his father bellowed as he kicked Charlie again.

Charlie stood up and prepared to push his father out of the way. His father saw the movement and swung his arm out, hitting Charlie in the chest. The movement sent the boy off balance and he lost his footing. His shoe got caught behind his ankle and he fell backwards down the stairs, ending in a loud thud.

The house was silent for a moment as George looked at his son, his face void of emotion. He turned and walked up the rest of the stairs, leaving Charlie at the bottom.

When he moved his arm, he felt a searing pain shoot through it. His left arm was twisted in an abnormal position and he felt hot tears stinging his eyes.

The doorbell rang and Charlie struggled to get up. He could tell his father had no intention of answering the door and Charlie felt he couldn't even move. Maybe they would just go away...

Charlie began to panic as he heard the lock click. The door slowly opened and four faces poked in. The four women gasped as they saw Charlie struggling to sit up.

"Charlie! Charlie what happened?" Alyssa cried as she dashed over to the teenager.

"I'm...fine. Just...fell down...the stairs." He managed to get out as she tried to hold up the deadweight of his nearly six foot frame.

Karen helped the smaller girl support Charlie.

"Where's your father?!" April barked.

"Don't...know. Upstairs probably." He said. "Why?"

April stormed over to the stairs, getting ready to scale them and give George Conway a piece of her mind.

"April. Save it. Not now." Agatha ordered, staring deep into April eyes with a warning glance. She placed her hand on the younger woman's shoulder. "Not now."

"I just...fell down the stairs. It isn't a big deal." Charlie said as convincingly as possible, still wincing. His arm was being used to hold him up and he didn't know how long he could stand.

"Isn't a big deal? What about this?" April nearly yelled, pointing to the cut across his forehead.

"Neighborhood kids. We didn't start off on a good foot." He muttered automatically, reciting the line he had been saying the entire day. Even after what had just happened, he couldn't bring himself to admit it. To let them think he couldn't handle it himself.

"Bull! It's all bull! Charlie, tell us the truth!" April said, flinging out her arms and tears forming in her eyes.

Alyssa looked at him with compassion but he just looked away, his face hardening. "I am." He said coldly.

April's face dropped even more. Before she could say anything in reply, they heard footsteps barreling down the stairs. "What's all that racket?" they heard a voice call out.

Charlie subconsciously tensed and adverted his gaze. He tried to struggle out of the two woman's grasp but they held firm. They knew he would collapse if they let go.

"Your SON fell down the stairs." April barked.

"Well, he's still alive. That's good news. What are you four doing here anyway?" he asked, not even feigning interest. He figured these four were no threat anymore.

"You forgot to give us our paycheck when you fired us. We also decide to pay Charlie a visit. It's a good thing too. He doesn't seem to be in very good shape." Agatha said sharply.

Charlie bit his lip and looked away. He could feel his father's hot gaze on him. He knew somehow the blame for this would be pinned on him so he mentally prepared himself for round two.

"Yes, yes. Pesky kid's always getting himself in trouble." George muttered darkly. "You shouldn't have come. I was planning on mailing your checks next week. So if that's all you needed, you can leave now."

"We're taking this child to the doctor, Mr. Conway. He needs medical attention." Agatha said, matching his tone.

"*I* will take him later. He is fine for now. I suggest you get out of this house and off my property before I call the police." George warned them menacingly.

Alyssa just watched Charlie grow increasingly nervous and uncomfortable. He knew the second they left he would pay for the four women's intrusion. He was shaking slightly with apprehension.

"Maybe you guy's should just go." He said softly.

April's face fell and Alyssa looked shocked. Karen gave him a questioning glance.

"Are you sure?" Karen asked.

He nodded numbly, just wanting it to be over with.

Agatha and April gave George a final glance as they led Alyssa and Karen out the door, out into the crisp night air. Charlie leaned up against the wall and watched with dread as they closed the door, leaving him and his father alone again.