"No, no, no, please, no," Joe moaned. He thrashed about for a moment. Frank started over to wake him up but froze when Joe let out a terrified cry. "Please don't make me," Joe screamed, tears flowing from his eyes.
Frank walked over and sat down beside Joe as his bedroom door opened and his parents came rushing in. "What's wrong?" Mr. Hardy demanded, looking at his sons.
"Joe's having a nightmare," Frank replied with a shrug of his shoulders.
Their mother went over to Joe's bedside and shook his shoulder. "Wake up, honey," she said gently. "Joe, wake up," she said a bit louder.
"Come on Joe, wake up," Frank said, and grabbed Joe's arm to give it a little pull. Joe's eyes shot open and he stared unseeingly at Frank, fear oozing form his eyes.
"No, please," Joe said, still in the inferno of his nightmare.
Frank dropped Joe's arm in surprise as Mrs. Hardy pushed the hair from Joe's eyes. "It's just a bad dream, honey," she told him.
Joe woke up and looked over at his mom. He smiled feebly and gave an apologetic shrug. "I'm sorry," he said a bit hoarsely.
"Are you okay, Son?" Mr. Hardy asked, concern on his face.
"What do you care?" Joe asked him, his blue eyes filled with hurt and something Mr. Hardy couldn't put a name to.
"I do care," he assured his youngest son. "I just want you to start being responsible."
"That's what we all want," Frank said.
Joe looked at Frank with undisguised hatred. Frank inhaled sharply as his mother, unaware, stood up. "Back to bed, everyone," she said, ushering her husband out of the room.
"Joe, I.." Frank began but Joe cut him off.
"Don't," Joe stopped him. "There really isn't anything I want to hear you say."
"How about I'm sorry?" Frank asked. "I never should..."
"I said, don't," Joe stopped him from speaking again. "I loved you more than anyone," Joe said. "And when I really needed you, you turned on me." He paused and shook his head with a derisive laugh. "I actually cared enough to give up my self-respect, among other things, just so you would care about me again. But you know something?" he asked, but continued before Frank could open his mouth. "I've come to the conclusion that you never cared about me to begin with. If you had, then you never could have thought what you did about me and Callie. And that means, you don't have what I need. I need someone who will love me no matter what. And you don't."
Joe sat up and grabbed his cover from the floor. Laying down, he pulled the cover over him and turned his back on a speechless Frank.
"Joe," Frank began, but Joe cut him off.
"Close the door on your way out," Joe said.
Frank sighed and stood up. Then he walked back into the bathroom, deliberately leaving the door open. He went back to bed, but not to sleep. He lay awake trying to think what Joe had meant about nearly losing his self respect. It was almost dawn when Frank finally fell asleep.
Frank showered and came downstairs for breakfast, expecting to see Joe there. When he wasn't, he asked his parents where Joe had gone.
"He left as soon as he came downstairs this morning," his mother answered. "He didn't even want breakfast."
"Dad, has Joe tried to talk to you about his history class?" Frank asked, his brown eyes troubled.
"He came home during lunch yesterday and said he was having a problem with his teacher," Mr. Hardy admitted. "Why?"
"Just something Joe said last night after you two had gone back to bed," Frank replied. "I'm wondering if his failing history is his fault."
"Frank, all of Joe's grades have been slipping," Mr. Hardy reminded him.
"I know, but he's really been studying," Frank argued. "Has he brought up the grades on any of his other classes?"
"We haven't seen any recently," Mr. Hardy stated, his eyes growing thoughtful too. He looked over at his wife. "He seems to still be talking to you," he said. "Perhaps you could find out?"
"Of course," she readily agreed. "I do wish I knew what was going on with him though," she said. "When he came home at lunch yesterday, he tried to talk to me about his history class but I told him it was between him and you. I guess I should have listened," she ended with a regretful sigh.
"Well, Joe may not be talking now, but I know of one other person who knows what is going on and I'll find out today," Frank vowed, standing up. He grabbed his backpack, kissed his mom's cheek and left for school.
"Callie!" Frank shouted as she passed by him and hurried down the hallway to her locker. He slammed his locker shut and snapped on his combination lock and ran down to catch up to her.
"What do you want?" she asked angrily, opening her locker and taking out a book.
"I need to talk to you," he said.
"You have said quite enough," she told him, closing her locker.
"I'm sorry," Frank said, putting a hand on her shoulder.
"How could you even for a second think I would do that to you?" Callie demanded. "Forget me," she added. "How could you think that about Joe?"
"I was jealous," Frank admitted. "I saw you two hugging and heard him say I couldn't find out and I..."
"Jumped to the wrong conclusion," she finished for him. "I thought I knew you," she said. "I don't think you even know yourself."
"I was wrong," Frank said. "I admit it. If I could take back yesterday, I would. Please give me a second chance?" he begged her.
Callie shook her head. "I can't," she answered. "Not now at any rate. I'm still too angry."
"Please?" Frank begged again.
"Look, forget about me for now, and take care of Joe," she advised him. "He needs you."
"He won't talk to me," Frank said. "He hates me."
"Do you blame him?" Callie retorted.
"No, not really," Frank replied with a downcast look and a heavy sigh.
"Help him anyway," Callie urged.
"Help him what?" Frank asked. "What's going on with him?"
Callie shook her head. "I promised I wouldn't tell," she said.
"If he's in trouble, then you have to," he stated.
"I can't tell you," she insisted, watching Frank's eyes grow hard. "Look, I'll try and talk to Joe, but I can't tell you."
Frank nodded and backed away from her so she could precede him down the hallway to her class. "Your class is the other way," she reminded him.
"Yeah," he agreed. "But I'm going to keep begging and nagging until you forgive me," he threatened her. Callie shook her head and went inside the class room, leaving Frank in the hallway.
Frank walked back down the hallway toward his class. He came to a stop at the doorway of Mrs. Peterson's English class and saw his brother sitting in the back, his book on his desk, staring out the window. Frank frowned. Joe usually was cheerful and cutting up before class, but he was totally ignoring what the other kids were doing. Frank jumped when a hand fell on his shoulder.
"Did he talk to you last night?" Biff asked when Frank turned around.
"Oh, yeah," Frank admitted. "He hates me."
"If that were true, then why did he let that creep touch him?" Biff demanded.
"What?" Frank asked.
"You still don't know what's going on," Biff observed, frowning.
Frank shook his head. "He had a nightmare last night," he informed Biff as they started into class. "When he woke up, he didn't want anything to do with me."
"That's good," Biff said brightly, walking away from Frank and sitting down.