Catherine Masters irritably shoved open the front door as anger pulsed
through her veins. While she slammed her keys down on a nearby stand, her
only son uneasily shut the door.
Turning to face Jason, Catherine flailed her arms and demanded, "What were you thinking? Honestly, Jason, you're behavior is getting out of control."
"What?" challenged Jason. "Have you lost your mind, Mom? I've gotten into less trouble this year than ever before. And, I'm passing all my classes."
Catherine shook her head angrily and stormed down the hallway toward the kitchen. As Jason reluctantly followed her, Catherine exclaimed, "Jason, you're a smart boy. Just passing your classes isn't enough. Of course, if you weren't so busy being arrested, you might have more time to study. There is no reason for someone with honor roll potential to be satisfied with C's and D's.
Jason considered reminding his mother that he actually had a B+ in Psychology, but Catherine obviously wasn't in the mood to be corrected.
Carrying on her rant, Catherine said, "Do you realize that I was in the middle of a very important meeting when your principal called? What on earth possessed you and your little friends to hijack the school's P.A. system?"
"Mom," groaned Jason. "It was just a prank, Principal Cohen didn't even suspend us."
"Oh," Catherine countered as she irately scrubbed the spotless kitchen counter with a damp cloth. "I have a feeling that if it hadn't been for Philip's father, you boys would have gotten into a lot more trouble."
"You're blowing this whole thing way out of proportion," said Jason as he slipped off his coat and draped it over a chair. "It's not a big deal."
"Just like being arrested on Saturday wasn't a big deal?" Catherine sardonically inquired. "I suppose I should just be thankful I wasn't at work when I got that phone call."
Fuming with anger and frustration, Jason yelled, "Yeah, God forbid one of your kids actually interferes with work."
Catherine roughly tossed the cloth into the kitchen sink and turned to glare at Jason. Her jaw clenched with mounting anger, Catherine replied, "Don't you dare speak to me in that tone. Do you think it's been easy raising you and Erin by myself?" Motioning toward Jason and the clothes he was wearing, Catherine demanded, "Do you think you would have any of that if it weren't for my professional dedication? It's not easy raising two kids on your own."
Jason, unimpressed with his mother's argument, gave a crude snort and rolled his eyes. "Yeah, well, as I recall you never really raised any kids. Erin's been living with grandma and you've never given a damn about me."
It was only with the greatest of self-control that Catherine managed to keep her cool as the tension continued to escalate. With her jaw still clenched, she stated, "I called your father from the car when I went to pick you up. He made a suggestion that is becoming more and more outstanding in my opinion. He and I both feel that you've begun to spiral out of control these past few years. Marcus found an exceptional boarding school less than an hour from his house. Your dad said it is designed for teenagers like yourself."
Jason looked at his mother with hollow eyes. He felt certain that he must have misunderstood. With clear uncertainty, Jason responded, "You want to send me off to some boot camp boarding school?" The silence that greeted Jason fully answered his question. Walking toward the back door, he shouted, "The hell you will!"
Without another word, Jason stalked out the back door, loudly slamming it behind him.
~ * * ~ * * ~ * * ~ * * ~ * * ~
"This is ridiculous," groused Chloe with an almost false sense of annoyance.
Taking a quick peek over at the passenger seat as he drove, Brady replied, "Chloe, don't tell me you have a problem with wearing that blindfold. A lot of girls would find it a turn on."
"Yeah, well, a lot of girls would be stupid enough to fall for your so- called charm – I'm obviously not one of them."
Knowing that Chloe couldn't see the expression on his face, Brady allowed himself to smile. Chloe's sarcasm never failed to amuse him – or attract him. "Now, Mrs. Black, I went to all the trouble of making the arrangements for our new home. The least you can do is play nice while blindfolded."
"Fine, but if I feel something scamper across the toe of my shoe, I'm tearing off this blindfold and running away from whatever apartment you got for us." While Brady softly chuckled, Chloe seized the chance to change the flow of conversation. "So, did you ever figure out why Zach seems so familiar to you?"
"Nah," answered Brady. "But, this morning when he and Shawn were about to come to blows, I got hit by deja vu all over again. And, I've spent all day trying to figure out what triggered that feeling that I knew him."
Chloe tried to recall the conversation they had with Zach that morning. "It seems like he had just told you that what happened was a mistake or mix-up or something along those lines. Then, he said something about how he had to bear a . . . charmed life? Was that it?"
"Yeah, something like that." Dismissing the nagging thoughts, Brady said, "I'm not going to worry about it. I'm sure I'll remember who he reminds me of." Stopping the jeep, Brady said, "Besides, we've arrived at our destination."
"So, can I take the blindfold off?"
"Not quite yet," said Brady before slipping out the driver's side and walking around to help Chloe out of the jeep.
Taking Chloe by the hand, Brady slowly led her toward their new home. He paused outside the door to retrieve the key from his pocket. Unlocking the door and pushing it open, he said, "Welcome home."
With careful steps, Chloe allowed Brady to lead her indoors, "Hmm, we didn't walk up any steps, so I'm going to guess that you've landed us a ground-level apartment. I'm right, aren't I?"
"Not quite," chuckled Brady as he removed the blindfold from Chloe's face.
When Chloe blinked open her eyes, she found herself speechless. Her gaze slowly roamed the cozy living room. Truly awestruck, Chloe stated, "Brady – this doesn't look like the inside of an apartment. It looks like a house."
Brady laughed and gently tapped Chloe on the nose with his forefinger. "That's because this is a house. Well, it's probably more the size of a cottage. But, I thought that we could sacrifice square feet for this location."
"This location? Brady, where are we?"
Before Brady could answer, there was a knock on the front door. With a broad smile, Brady took a peek out of the peep hole. "Chloe, it looks like our next-door neighbor has stopped by for a visit. How about you greet our first guest?"
Chloe timidly approached the front door and swung it open. Her jaw falling just slightly, Chloe questioned, "Shawn?"
Before Shawn could enter, Chloe walked past him and stood in front of her home. Looking to her left, there was the home of Bo and Hope Brady. Looking back at Shawn, Chloe asked, "We're neighbors?" When Shawn nodded, Chloe happily wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him into a hug. "That is perfect!"
As his wife and cousin finally stepped inside and shut the door, Brady acknowledged, "It was actually Shawn that really got this place ready for us."
"It wasn't a big deal. I just stopped by on Saturday for a few hours to get things finished up for you two." Turning his attention to Chloe, Shawn continued, "Brady thought it might make the transition to married life a little easier if you could still be close to your friends."
Chloe looked past Shawn and stared at Brady. With a look similar to admiration filling her eyes, she said, "I really appreciate that."
As usual, Brady shrugged off the compliment. After all, the role of white knight was not one that he necessarily liked. He was far more comfortable as the rebel . . . with a heart.
~ * * ~ * * ~ * * ~ * * ~ * * ~
Jason haphazardly kicked over a water bucket that had been left near the flower beds. Stalking over to where the hammock hung between two small trees, Jason furiously pulled the object to the ground.
Leaving the hammock in a demolished pile on the ground, Jason approached the grill. Pushing aside the happier memories of the barbeque at the beginning of the school year, Jason threw his fists against the top of grill while kicking the bottom of it.
As pain shot up Jason's right leg and through both his hands, he began to loudly curse.
From several feet away, an annoyingly calm voice observed, "Hmm, looks like that hurt."
Rubbing his tired face, Jason asked, "What do you want, Jack?" Before the elder man could respond, Jason muttered, "Never mind. I don't want to know."
Jack chose to ignore Jason's peevish attitude and commented, "You look like you're having a rough day."
"Yeah, well, that's because I am," grumbled Jason. Massaging his sore fists, he added, "In fact, I feel like my whole world is falling apart."
Leaning up against the fence, Jack said, "You sound as though you're defeated. Yet, from what I've seen since meeting you, you're hardly a young man to give in so easily."
Jason felt almost uneasy with the rare seriousness that Jack was showing. "I never used to let anything get to me. But, now, I've started sharing my feelings and doing all that bonding-like stuff. I gotta tell you, I've actually started to scare myself."
"If I didn't know better, I'd say you were admitting that you were human – maybe even an almost nice one."
"Me, nice? Ha," retorted Jason. "And, I'm not going to let anyone make the mistake of thinking that again. I'm sick and tired of being considerate and noble."
Jack chuckled and said, "Oh, yes. It must be hard being such a selfless humanitarian. Honestly, Mr. Masters, how do you do it?" Continuing with his sarcasm, Jack stated, "Really, young man, my eyes are brimming with fresh tears as I merely think of how wonderful a person you are. I bet there's not once selfish bone in your body. In fact, I better go call the Pope so I can nominate you for sainthood. Just think, a hundred years from now, people will bow before your shrine and thank the almighty Saint Jason."
Untouched by Jack's mockery, Jason grumbled, "I never said I was perfect." Lowering his voice to hardly more than a whisper, he added, "But, even I don't deserve to be sent away to some home for troublesome teens."
His humor fading, Jack interjected, "Wait! What's this about you being sent away?"
Jason slowly approached the fence and stood a foot and a half from Jack. "My mom went psycho because of this thing that happened at school today."
"I can't say that I've even met your mother, but I'm sure that she wouldn't go psycho over nothing. Start at the beginning and tell me what happened."
"Well, I guess it started yesterday when I asked a few friends to help me." After a pause, Jason corrected himself, "Actually, I suppose the trouble started on Saturday. To make a long story short, Mimi, Zach, Belle, and I all got arrested for a crime we didn't even commit. By the time those idiots at the station figured out they had arrested the wrong people, my mom had already been called. Anyway, she didn't care that it was just a mistake and flipped out."
"Then what happened?"
"Then," began Jason with increased hesitance. "I tried to take some advice from some friends of mine and it blew up in my face. I decided to do something really stupid for some girl. That was my big mistake. I completely humiliated myself for this chick, and when I finally got to leave the principal's office, she wasn't even there waiting on me. Instead, she sent Belle Black to tell me that she wished I would quit embarrassing her."
"Just how much trouble did you get into for this mistake?"
Shrugging indifferently, Jason answered, "The principal gave me and two of my friends detention for the rest of the week. But, my mom's decided that I'm some teen rebel who needs to go to boot camp or something."
"Maybe she'll change her mind once she's cooled off. Speaking of cooled off, you certainly must be. Shouldn't you get inside where it's not so chilly?"
For the first time, Jason noticed that he wasn't even wearing a jacket. Though it was still fairly mild for the second week of November, it was just cool enough to make a coat necessary when outdoors.
However, before Jason could take a single step toward the house, his mother walked out the backdoor with his jacket in hand. "I swear, Jason, you're only going to make things worse by standing outside in some tee-shirt . . ."
Noticing their neighbor for the first time, Catherine quickly ended her sentence and tried to give her most congenial smile. "Jason, please tell me that you're not bothering our neighbors." Catherine turned her gaze to Jack and said, "I apologize if my son was causing you any problems."
Anger once again began to erupt within Jason. There were few things he hated more than someone apologizing for him – especially if he hadn't done anything wrong.
"Actually, Jason and I were just having a little chat. You know, man to man." Extending his arm over the fence, Jack greeted, "Hi, I'm Jack Deveraux – neighbor-extraordinaire."
Catherine hesitantly shook Jack's hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you Mr. Deveraux. I'm Catherine Masters."
"Nice to meet you as well," returned Jack while Jason watched with a mixture of boredom and disgust. "In fact, I'm quite glad you stepped outside – it saves me a phone call."
"Oh, really?"
His mind scrambling for a way to assist his young friend, Jack stalled, "Yes, it does." After a rather lengthy pause, he said, "You see, I'm a reporter for a local newspaper. Anyway, my assistant is being promoted, so I'm in desperate need of someone who can run errands and such for me. Jason immediately came to mind."
Both Jason and Catherine looked at Jack with genuine surprise. Quickly collecting himself, Jason asked, "You really want me to work for you?"
"Only if you're interested. I would need you for an hour or two in the afternoons three or four days a week and then most of the day on Saturday."
As Jason was about to accept the unexpected offer, Catherine said, "We'll have to think about it." Glancing at her watch, she continued, "It looks like it's time for Erin to be picked up from Quiz Bowl practice. Do you think you can actually make it to the school and back with getting into any more trouble?"
His voice tense, Jason curtly answered, "I think I can manage."
The moment Jason disappeared inside, Jack commented, "Don't you think it would be better for the boy to stay here in Salem and work part-time for me than to be shipped off to some school he would hate?"
Never losing her calm appearance, Catherine replied, "I take it Jason was unloading his problems on you. In fact, I'm sure he made it sound as though I were some horrible monster who only wanted him to suffer."
"Actually, you were hardly mentioned. It seems the world doesn't revolve around only you." Continuing before his neighbor could respond, Jack said, "The kid mentioned making a mistake today. He also mentioned getting into some trouble over the weekend. It sounded like he was sorry either ever happened. Maybe you should just give him a break."
"And, maybe you should mind your own business," declared Catherine before turning away and returning to the safety of her own home.
"My, my, what a temperamental clan."
Turning to face Jason, Catherine flailed her arms and demanded, "What were you thinking? Honestly, Jason, you're behavior is getting out of control."
"What?" challenged Jason. "Have you lost your mind, Mom? I've gotten into less trouble this year than ever before. And, I'm passing all my classes."
Catherine shook her head angrily and stormed down the hallway toward the kitchen. As Jason reluctantly followed her, Catherine exclaimed, "Jason, you're a smart boy. Just passing your classes isn't enough. Of course, if you weren't so busy being arrested, you might have more time to study. There is no reason for someone with honor roll potential to be satisfied with C's and D's.
Jason considered reminding his mother that he actually had a B+ in Psychology, but Catherine obviously wasn't in the mood to be corrected.
Carrying on her rant, Catherine said, "Do you realize that I was in the middle of a very important meeting when your principal called? What on earth possessed you and your little friends to hijack the school's P.A. system?"
"Mom," groaned Jason. "It was just a prank, Principal Cohen didn't even suspend us."
"Oh," Catherine countered as she irately scrubbed the spotless kitchen counter with a damp cloth. "I have a feeling that if it hadn't been for Philip's father, you boys would have gotten into a lot more trouble."
"You're blowing this whole thing way out of proportion," said Jason as he slipped off his coat and draped it over a chair. "It's not a big deal."
"Just like being arrested on Saturday wasn't a big deal?" Catherine sardonically inquired. "I suppose I should just be thankful I wasn't at work when I got that phone call."
Fuming with anger and frustration, Jason yelled, "Yeah, God forbid one of your kids actually interferes with work."
Catherine roughly tossed the cloth into the kitchen sink and turned to glare at Jason. Her jaw clenched with mounting anger, Catherine replied, "Don't you dare speak to me in that tone. Do you think it's been easy raising you and Erin by myself?" Motioning toward Jason and the clothes he was wearing, Catherine demanded, "Do you think you would have any of that if it weren't for my professional dedication? It's not easy raising two kids on your own."
Jason, unimpressed with his mother's argument, gave a crude snort and rolled his eyes. "Yeah, well, as I recall you never really raised any kids. Erin's been living with grandma and you've never given a damn about me."
It was only with the greatest of self-control that Catherine managed to keep her cool as the tension continued to escalate. With her jaw still clenched, she stated, "I called your father from the car when I went to pick you up. He made a suggestion that is becoming more and more outstanding in my opinion. He and I both feel that you've begun to spiral out of control these past few years. Marcus found an exceptional boarding school less than an hour from his house. Your dad said it is designed for teenagers like yourself."
Jason looked at his mother with hollow eyes. He felt certain that he must have misunderstood. With clear uncertainty, Jason responded, "You want to send me off to some boot camp boarding school?" The silence that greeted Jason fully answered his question. Walking toward the back door, he shouted, "The hell you will!"
Without another word, Jason stalked out the back door, loudly slamming it behind him.
~ * * ~ * * ~ * * ~ * * ~ * * ~
"This is ridiculous," groused Chloe with an almost false sense of annoyance.
Taking a quick peek over at the passenger seat as he drove, Brady replied, "Chloe, don't tell me you have a problem with wearing that blindfold. A lot of girls would find it a turn on."
"Yeah, well, a lot of girls would be stupid enough to fall for your so- called charm – I'm obviously not one of them."
Knowing that Chloe couldn't see the expression on his face, Brady allowed himself to smile. Chloe's sarcasm never failed to amuse him – or attract him. "Now, Mrs. Black, I went to all the trouble of making the arrangements for our new home. The least you can do is play nice while blindfolded."
"Fine, but if I feel something scamper across the toe of my shoe, I'm tearing off this blindfold and running away from whatever apartment you got for us." While Brady softly chuckled, Chloe seized the chance to change the flow of conversation. "So, did you ever figure out why Zach seems so familiar to you?"
"Nah," answered Brady. "But, this morning when he and Shawn were about to come to blows, I got hit by deja vu all over again. And, I've spent all day trying to figure out what triggered that feeling that I knew him."
Chloe tried to recall the conversation they had with Zach that morning. "It seems like he had just told you that what happened was a mistake or mix-up or something along those lines. Then, he said something about how he had to bear a . . . charmed life? Was that it?"
"Yeah, something like that." Dismissing the nagging thoughts, Brady said, "I'm not going to worry about it. I'm sure I'll remember who he reminds me of." Stopping the jeep, Brady said, "Besides, we've arrived at our destination."
"So, can I take the blindfold off?"
"Not quite yet," said Brady before slipping out the driver's side and walking around to help Chloe out of the jeep.
Taking Chloe by the hand, Brady slowly led her toward their new home. He paused outside the door to retrieve the key from his pocket. Unlocking the door and pushing it open, he said, "Welcome home."
With careful steps, Chloe allowed Brady to lead her indoors, "Hmm, we didn't walk up any steps, so I'm going to guess that you've landed us a ground-level apartment. I'm right, aren't I?"
"Not quite," chuckled Brady as he removed the blindfold from Chloe's face.
When Chloe blinked open her eyes, she found herself speechless. Her gaze slowly roamed the cozy living room. Truly awestruck, Chloe stated, "Brady – this doesn't look like the inside of an apartment. It looks like a house."
Brady laughed and gently tapped Chloe on the nose with his forefinger. "That's because this is a house. Well, it's probably more the size of a cottage. But, I thought that we could sacrifice square feet for this location."
"This location? Brady, where are we?"
Before Brady could answer, there was a knock on the front door. With a broad smile, Brady took a peek out of the peep hole. "Chloe, it looks like our next-door neighbor has stopped by for a visit. How about you greet our first guest?"
Chloe timidly approached the front door and swung it open. Her jaw falling just slightly, Chloe questioned, "Shawn?"
Before Shawn could enter, Chloe walked past him and stood in front of her home. Looking to her left, there was the home of Bo and Hope Brady. Looking back at Shawn, Chloe asked, "We're neighbors?" When Shawn nodded, Chloe happily wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him into a hug. "That is perfect!"
As his wife and cousin finally stepped inside and shut the door, Brady acknowledged, "It was actually Shawn that really got this place ready for us."
"It wasn't a big deal. I just stopped by on Saturday for a few hours to get things finished up for you two." Turning his attention to Chloe, Shawn continued, "Brady thought it might make the transition to married life a little easier if you could still be close to your friends."
Chloe looked past Shawn and stared at Brady. With a look similar to admiration filling her eyes, she said, "I really appreciate that."
As usual, Brady shrugged off the compliment. After all, the role of white knight was not one that he necessarily liked. He was far more comfortable as the rebel . . . with a heart.
~ * * ~ * * ~ * * ~ * * ~ * * ~
Jason haphazardly kicked over a water bucket that had been left near the flower beds. Stalking over to where the hammock hung between two small trees, Jason furiously pulled the object to the ground.
Leaving the hammock in a demolished pile on the ground, Jason approached the grill. Pushing aside the happier memories of the barbeque at the beginning of the school year, Jason threw his fists against the top of grill while kicking the bottom of it.
As pain shot up Jason's right leg and through both his hands, he began to loudly curse.
From several feet away, an annoyingly calm voice observed, "Hmm, looks like that hurt."
Rubbing his tired face, Jason asked, "What do you want, Jack?" Before the elder man could respond, Jason muttered, "Never mind. I don't want to know."
Jack chose to ignore Jason's peevish attitude and commented, "You look like you're having a rough day."
"Yeah, well, that's because I am," grumbled Jason. Massaging his sore fists, he added, "In fact, I feel like my whole world is falling apart."
Leaning up against the fence, Jack said, "You sound as though you're defeated. Yet, from what I've seen since meeting you, you're hardly a young man to give in so easily."
Jason felt almost uneasy with the rare seriousness that Jack was showing. "I never used to let anything get to me. But, now, I've started sharing my feelings and doing all that bonding-like stuff. I gotta tell you, I've actually started to scare myself."
"If I didn't know better, I'd say you were admitting that you were human – maybe even an almost nice one."
"Me, nice? Ha," retorted Jason. "And, I'm not going to let anyone make the mistake of thinking that again. I'm sick and tired of being considerate and noble."
Jack chuckled and said, "Oh, yes. It must be hard being such a selfless humanitarian. Honestly, Mr. Masters, how do you do it?" Continuing with his sarcasm, Jack stated, "Really, young man, my eyes are brimming with fresh tears as I merely think of how wonderful a person you are. I bet there's not once selfish bone in your body. In fact, I better go call the Pope so I can nominate you for sainthood. Just think, a hundred years from now, people will bow before your shrine and thank the almighty Saint Jason."
Untouched by Jack's mockery, Jason grumbled, "I never said I was perfect." Lowering his voice to hardly more than a whisper, he added, "But, even I don't deserve to be sent away to some home for troublesome teens."
His humor fading, Jack interjected, "Wait! What's this about you being sent away?"
Jason slowly approached the fence and stood a foot and a half from Jack. "My mom went psycho because of this thing that happened at school today."
"I can't say that I've even met your mother, but I'm sure that she wouldn't go psycho over nothing. Start at the beginning and tell me what happened."
"Well, I guess it started yesterday when I asked a few friends to help me." After a pause, Jason corrected himself, "Actually, I suppose the trouble started on Saturday. To make a long story short, Mimi, Zach, Belle, and I all got arrested for a crime we didn't even commit. By the time those idiots at the station figured out they had arrested the wrong people, my mom had already been called. Anyway, she didn't care that it was just a mistake and flipped out."
"Then what happened?"
"Then," began Jason with increased hesitance. "I tried to take some advice from some friends of mine and it blew up in my face. I decided to do something really stupid for some girl. That was my big mistake. I completely humiliated myself for this chick, and when I finally got to leave the principal's office, she wasn't even there waiting on me. Instead, she sent Belle Black to tell me that she wished I would quit embarrassing her."
"Just how much trouble did you get into for this mistake?"
Shrugging indifferently, Jason answered, "The principal gave me and two of my friends detention for the rest of the week. But, my mom's decided that I'm some teen rebel who needs to go to boot camp or something."
"Maybe she'll change her mind once she's cooled off. Speaking of cooled off, you certainly must be. Shouldn't you get inside where it's not so chilly?"
For the first time, Jason noticed that he wasn't even wearing a jacket. Though it was still fairly mild for the second week of November, it was just cool enough to make a coat necessary when outdoors.
However, before Jason could take a single step toward the house, his mother walked out the backdoor with his jacket in hand. "I swear, Jason, you're only going to make things worse by standing outside in some tee-shirt . . ."
Noticing their neighbor for the first time, Catherine quickly ended her sentence and tried to give her most congenial smile. "Jason, please tell me that you're not bothering our neighbors." Catherine turned her gaze to Jack and said, "I apologize if my son was causing you any problems."
Anger once again began to erupt within Jason. There were few things he hated more than someone apologizing for him – especially if he hadn't done anything wrong.
"Actually, Jason and I were just having a little chat. You know, man to man." Extending his arm over the fence, Jack greeted, "Hi, I'm Jack Deveraux – neighbor-extraordinaire."
Catherine hesitantly shook Jack's hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you Mr. Deveraux. I'm Catherine Masters."
"Nice to meet you as well," returned Jack while Jason watched with a mixture of boredom and disgust. "In fact, I'm quite glad you stepped outside – it saves me a phone call."
"Oh, really?"
His mind scrambling for a way to assist his young friend, Jack stalled, "Yes, it does." After a rather lengthy pause, he said, "You see, I'm a reporter for a local newspaper. Anyway, my assistant is being promoted, so I'm in desperate need of someone who can run errands and such for me. Jason immediately came to mind."
Both Jason and Catherine looked at Jack with genuine surprise. Quickly collecting himself, Jason asked, "You really want me to work for you?"
"Only if you're interested. I would need you for an hour or two in the afternoons three or four days a week and then most of the day on Saturday."
As Jason was about to accept the unexpected offer, Catherine said, "We'll have to think about it." Glancing at her watch, she continued, "It looks like it's time for Erin to be picked up from Quiz Bowl practice. Do you think you can actually make it to the school and back with getting into any more trouble?"
His voice tense, Jason curtly answered, "I think I can manage."
The moment Jason disappeared inside, Jack commented, "Don't you think it would be better for the boy to stay here in Salem and work part-time for me than to be shipped off to some school he would hate?"
Never losing her calm appearance, Catherine replied, "I take it Jason was unloading his problems on you. In fact, I'm sure he made it sound as though I were some horrible monster who only wanted him to suffer."
"Actually, you were hardly mentioned. It seems the world doesn't revolve around only you." Continuing before his neighbor could respond, Jack said, "The kid mentioned making a mistake today. He also mentioned getting into some trouble over the weekend. It sounded like he was sorry either ever happened. Maybe you should just give him a break."
"And, maybe you should mind your own business," declared Catherine before turning away and returning to the safety of her own home.
"My, my, what a temperamental clan."