Author's Note- Ok, I've decided that Craig's father is alive, for the purpose of the story, and his name is Albert, because I think that's what his name was. Also, if you didn't figure it out, Manny got pregnant, had an abortion, and never told Craig. So read, review, and give ideas and thoughts! THanks
Riley stared at the large mirror on her wall, and then she wrinkled her nose in distaste. "I can't wear this, Mother. I look like a bloated cow."
Her mother shook her head firmly as she began lacing her earrings through her ears. "Nonsense, darling. You could stand to lose a few pounds, but I think that dress looks fine on you."
Riley rolled her eyes as she stared at her reflection. The black, strapless dress she was wearing was tight and hugged every curve, and Riley didn't think she looked fat at all. Riley's mother liked to subtly insult her daughter, and she always knew exactly what to say to piss Riley off. "I don't think I need to lose weight. If anyone needs to lose weight, it's you. You've been getting soft in certain places, if you know what I mean," Riley said with a smirk, and she reached out and pinched her mother's stomach.
"What? Are you saying I've gained weight?" her mother asked in horror, shoving her daughter aside so she could check out her own reflection in the mirror. "Oh, don't be ridiculous. I can't be more than 120. Now…let's talk about your hair…."
"What's wrong with my hair?" Riley snapped. Her mother smiled kindly and reached out and stroked her daughter's loose, silky blonde hair. "Oh, it's fine, sweetie. But don't you think you should pull it back? Maybe a sophisticated twist or something."
Riley really wanted to tell her mother to just fuck off, but instead she just shrugged and stepped away. "Um…pass. I like it like this, thank you very much."
"It was just a little suggestion, sweetie. You don't have to get such an attitude," her mother said with a haughty sniff. "I'll meet you in the limo in a few minutes, alright?" Riley nodded, and her mother grabbed her purse and walked out of Riley's room. Riley turned back to the mirror, and appraised herself again. I think I look damn hott, she thought with satisfaction. She tugged at her revealing dress, and smiled. Almost slutty, but not quite. Perfect. With that, Riley turned and hurried out of the room.
A half hour later, Riley was standing in the corner of the large ballroom at the local country club, slurping down champagne and critically eyeing all the other well-dressed people gathered in the room. What a waste of perfectly good time, she reflected, sipping on her champagne. I could really use a joint right now. She saw her mother spot her, and she waved her daughter over. Riley rolled her eyes and slumped over to her mother and her small group of friends.
"Honey, be social, for god's sake!" her mother exclaimed when she approached. "You remember Mrs. Bernstein, and of course Rosemary."
"Why, what a stunning dress, Riley," Rosemary said. Riley wrinkled her nose in distaste as she stared down at her dress.
"I hate this dress," she said. "It's so tacky. My mother picked it out." Her mother budged her in the rib, and Riley rolled her eyes. Stupid bitch, she thought. "Mom, how much longer is this thing?"
"Honey, this is a charity event for the diseased children in Nigeria," her mother said in amazement. "It's very important."
"So you're telling me that by dressing up and standing around a ballroom, we're actually helping children in Nigeria?" Riley asked with a smirk. "Please. This is clearly a fraud."
"Honey, why don't you go talk to your father," her mother said immediately, clearly irritated with her daughters sarcasm. She subtly bumped her daughter in the hip, giving her a clear signal she wanted her gone. "He's over there. See."
Riley didn't bother to respond, and she just walked over to her father, a tall, tan man dressed in a tall tuxedo. He was talking to two couples, and they seemed to find him extremely funny. Suck- ups, she thought bitterly. Just because he's one of the richest men in town, suddenly he's absolutely hysterical.
"Riley!" her father said when he saw her. Her excused himself from the group and walked over to her. "Darling, you look stunning. Much older than seventeen." He kissed her lightly on the cheek. Riley smiled and shrugged. He didn't really need to point that out- she knew it already. "Here. There are some people I'd like you to meet." He took her arm and steered her over to a small group of people.
"George!" one man said, raising his drink. "We didn't think you would make it tonight."
"I always have time for charity," he said, patting the man on the shoulder. "This is my daughter, Riley. Riley, this is Ben Harmon and his wife Rebecca." Riley put on a large, fake smile and shook the older man's hand, and then his wife's.
"And this is Calvin Turner and Georgia Turner," he said, gesturing to the other couple.
"Hello, Riley," Calvin said, sticking out his hand. "I've heard so much about you."
Riley smiled slowly, subtly giving Calvin the once-over. He looked young- late-twenties, early thirties, and he was extremely handsome, with tan skin and dark, deep eyes. Riley had heard about him, too- he was a successful lawyer. Riley shook his hand firmly. "It's nice to meet you, too."
The band started playing again, and Riley saw her father smile. "Ah. My favorite. Georgia, would you like to dance?" He held out his hand, and Georgia took it and the waltzed onto the dance floor, leaving Calvin and Riley. Calvin turned to Riley. "May I have this dance?" Riley stared at him skeptically, and he chuckled. "Don't' worry- I'm not that old."
A minute later, they were dancing to a slower song, and Riley realized it was time to turn on her full charm. A little harmless flirting couldn't hurt, could it?
"The way your father described you, I thought you were a little girl," Calvin said. Riley smiled and tilted her head to one side.
"I'm not that little, you know. I think I'm old enough, don't you?" she said provocatively, stepping a little closer to him. Calvin smirked and nodded.
"Enjoy your youth while it lasts," he told her. "I'd do anything to be a teenager again."
"You act like your sixty or something," Riley teased, stepping an inch closer. "Let me guess….you're….twenty-seven?"
"You flatter me. Actually, I'm twenty nine."
"Well, you're not over the hill yet," she joked. "A few more years, and you'll be ready for a mid-life crisis."
"A mid life crisis?" Calvin replied with a smile. Riley nodded
"You know…getting a motorcycle….piercing something to seem cool…fooling around with younger girls," she said quietly into his ear. She was satisfied to see him squirm a little, and she knew she had made him uncomfortable. She giggled silently to herself, knowing she was totally pushing the limits, but who cared? She had to do something to make sure she didn't fall asleep standing up or something at this stupid "charity" event.
"You're certainly not Daddy's-Little-Girl, are you?" he said, sounding a little flustered. He stepped back slightly.
"Nope," she said flippantly. "You're wife's really pretty, you know." She nodded toward her father and Georgia. "I think my dad likes her-a lot." Calvin squirmed even more. "He doesn't usually dance, but tonight…well, he's a dancing up a storm with your wife."
Calvin laughed nervously. "What are you implying, girlie?"
"Like I said before, I'm not a little girl," she said firmly. "What do I have to do to prove it to you?" She flipped her hair over her shoulder and stared at him. Calvin seemed to have relaxed a little, and he smirked. "I don't know- what did you have in mind?"
Riley bit her lip and glanced around. "Well…." She stepped closer to him. "I'm going to go to the one of those rooms on the second floor, and think about it." She whispered, referring to the rooms on the second floor that were supposedly for people to rest in. Usually, they were used by people who had too much to drink, couldn't drive home, and needed a place to crash. "If you want to join me in ten minutes, I'll be in the second room on the right." Then she winked, turned, and walked away, leaving Calvin staring after her in wonder.
Riley sat down on the bed, running her fingers over the soft comforter. She glanced at the clock and smiled slowly. Sure, there was always a chance he wouldn't come, but she had seen the way he was looking at her- he would come. Riley leaned back, and sighed happily. The night had started off boring as hell, but now it was finally looking up. Sure, Calvin was married and a friend of her father, blah, blah, blah, but so fucking what? If Riley had a conscience or an actual sense of right and wrong, she might have just got up and left. But of course, she didn't.
Fifteen minutes later, Riley glanced at the clock and sighed. Maybe he's just a pussy who obviously didn't understand what he was going to miss. Riley stood up, ready to leave. She wasn't going to sit around like a loser and wait for some guy. Just then, she heard a light knock on the door. Riley smirked, jumped back onto the bed, and got into her sexiest pose. "Come in," she purred. The door opened, and Calvin stepped in. Riley smirked. "I thought you weren't coming."
Calvin shrugged sheepishly and walked up to the side of the bed. "What can I say? I just had to find out how you were going to prove to me you weren't a little kid anymore."
Riley nodded and sat up. "Well…I thought about it carefully," she said, crawling over to the edge of the bed on her knees. "And I think I came up with something." With that, she reached over and unbuckled Calvin's fancy leather belt. After that, she sat back and smiled up at him.
"You aren't a little girl."
'I told you," Riley said, smiling in satisfaction. She jumped off the bed and walked over to him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him firmly on the mouth. After a minute, Calvin pulled away.
"I have a wife," he said in a low voice, and Riley could see the guilt that was creeping into his gorgeous eyes. Riley bit her lip. Do something- fast!
"I promise I won't tell," she breathed, and she kissed him again. As she did, she felt him hesitantly reach around her back, and unzip her dress. Riley hardly noticed as if fell to the floor around her feet…..
Paige ran a comb through her hair as she stared at the mirror over her vanity, and made a face. "I think I need to dye my hair. My color is so…blah," she said, flipping her long blonde hair over her shoulder. She turned in her seat to stare at her best friend Hazel, who was sitting on her bed, flipping through a magazine. Hazel shrugged and barely looked up.
"I think its fine," she said distractedly, flipping to another page. Paige rolled her eyes.
"Hazel, I didn't invite you to spend the night so you could read a magazine. I invited you so you could shower me with compliments and make me feel better about myself," Paige joked, standing up and walking over to the bed. She plucked the magazine out of her friend's hand and smiled. "Ok, gossip time!" she cried, jumping onto the bed. "Got anything juicy for me?"
Hazel bit her lip, grabbed a pillow, and squeezed it in her lap. "Actually…there is something I kind of wanted to talk to you about."
Paige shrugged as she reached over and picked up her bowl of ice cream from the bed-stand. "Ok. Shoot." She dipped her spoon into the bowl and took a large scoop. Hazel bit her lip, and stared at the ground.
"Well…I think Jimmy's cheating on me. And I think I know with who!" Hazel blurted out. Paige nearly choked on the ice cream in her mouth, and she dropped her spoon into her bowl. She swallowed the ice cream quickly and smiled weakly.
"Well….I'm sure that's not true!" Paige said quickly. "What makes you say that? Who do you think it is?" Oh, god. Please don't say me. Please don't say me.
"It's just…" Hazel began. "He doesn't seem as interested or something. Like…distracted. I just have this feeling there's another girl involved. And I think he's been seeing Amber Wilkins, that tall girl on the girl's basketball team?"
Paige felt herself sigh in relief. "Oh," she nodded quickly. "She is such a total slut. I mean, a big ho. I wouldn't be surprised if she was messing with Jimmy." She saw Hazel's face fall. "Oh, not that he is….I mean…if he was going to cheat on you, it would be with someone you totally don't know, not like a friend or anything, because…" Oh, just shut up, Paige! She yelled at herself. You might as well just slap a sign on yourself professing that you've been seeing Jimmy and are the worst friend in the history of the world.
Hazel bit her lip in worry. "Yeah….I don't know. What do you think?"
"I-I think you're just imagining things," Paige said casually, waving a hand dismissively, as if the whole idea was completely bogus. She swallowed hard and fiddled with her spoon. "Maybe…he just doesn't like you anymore." Paige immediately winced, realizing that probably wasn't the best-friend-support that Hazel was looking for. Hazel frowned harder.
"Do you think so?"
"I really don't know…but I think you should dump him!" Paige said. She bit her lip, telling herself to just stop, but she couldn't. She was totally trying to sabotage Jimmy and Hazel's relationship simply because she was so jealous of the two she couldn't see straight. "I mean…you deserve so much better."
Hazel shrugged. "I've been thinking about it…but I want to give him a few more chances. I really, really like him," she said, smiling. "Hey, do you and Spinner want to come with me and Jimmy to The Dot tomorrow? Maybe then you can see if I'm totally just being paranoid or something."
Paige shrugged. "Actually…I don't think so. I think I'm pretty busy tomorrow." Actually, she was completely open, but she really couldn't stand the idea of having to watch Jimmy and Hazel on another date. It made her practically nauseous. Paige felt like a totally horrible friend, but she couldn't help it. I think I'm in love with Jimmy, she realized. Problem was, so was Hazel.
"Oh. What are you doing?"
Paige said the first thing that came to mind. "I have this thing with the Spirit Squad."
Hazel frowned. "But Paige…I'm on the Spirit Squad, and I never heard about anything going on tomorrow."
Paige mentally kicked herself. Damn! How stupid was she- of course Hazel was on the Spirit Squad- the two had co-founded it together. Paige really needed to start thinking before she actually talked. Paige smiled weakly and shrugged.
"Oh, that's next week. Sorry. I have to help my Mom with this thing…" Hazel shrugged.
"Ok. That's cool. Maybe some other time."
Paige gulped. "Yeah…maybe some other time." Maybe like…never?
"Are you ok?" Craig asked Manny, taking her hand across the table and smiling gently at her. "You look a little nervous or something."
Manny smiled weakly and shrugged. "No. I'm totally fine. I just…I don't want your father to hate me," she whispered to her boyfriend. They were seated at the dining room table in Craig's house, and Manny could see Craig's father pulling the pot roast out of the oven.
Craig smiled and shook his head. "Don't worry. No one can hate you, Manny."
Manny bit her lip. Actually, she could think of about ten people who had literally despised her at one time- Emma, Ashley….pretty much every girl in school whose boyfriend had ever flirted with her. That thought depressed Manny, and she sighed. Craig was still smiling brightly at her, as if his life couldn't possibly get better than it was at that exact moment. Manny knew Craig was all excited because he was spending time with his Dad, even though he still lived with Joey. Manny tried to return his happy smile, but it was as if her face muscles refused to move in the upward direction.
"Ok! Dinner is ready!" Craig's father called as he brought the roast to the table. He set it down and then took a seat at the head of the table. Manny smiled a little when she her nose caught whiff of the meat, but she wasn't really hungry. She folded her hands neatly in her lap and waited while Albert, Craig's father, began cutting into the roast.
"This smells great," Craig said enthusiastically, rubbing his hands together. Manny cracked another smile at Craig. If anyone else had been acting this upbeat and happy, Manny probably would have punched them in the face. But when Craig did it, it was simply adorable- everything Craig did was adorable.
"So, Manny, you like meat?" Albert asked her. Manny nodded eagerly.
"I'm not a vegetarian or anything," she said quickly. "If God didn't want us to eat animals, then he wouldn't have made them taste so good…right...?" she trailed off, realizing how stupid that just sounded. "I mean…I love meat!" That wasn't much better, Manny, she thought bitterly.
"Well, a girl that likes her meat. You pick them well, Craig."
Craig blushed slightly as he served himself some peas. "I didn't know you were so enthusiastic about meat, Manny," Craig said, shooting her a strange look. Then, he smiled, and mouthed to her "Calm down." Manny nodded.
The three made pleasant small-talk for a few minutes, and Manny forced herself to eat something. Since she had started snorting cocaine, her taste buds just weren't the same.
"So, how was work today, Dad?" Craig asked, taking a sip of his water. Albert sighed and shook his head.
"Not that exciting. Well, actually, this girl came in this afternoon. She must have been about fifteen or sixteen- turns out she's pregnant," he said, shaking his head in disapproval. "She was in a car accident, and had no idea she was expecting until they told her. She decided to get an abortion, I guess. It's a shame, really, for the baby. Someone that young should never get pregnant."
Manny stared at her plate uncomfortably, pushing her peas around with her fork. She could feel her face grow hot, and she hoped that it wasn't turning all red. That story sounded horribly familiar- probably because it was basically the same thing that had happened to Manny.
"That is too bad," Craig said casually. "I can't understand how she could get an abortion. I mean…you're killing a baby. A human being. That's just plain wrong, if you ask me. If I were a girl, I'd feel so guilty afterward. Doesn't she feel bad? Doesn't she think she should take the responsibility for getting pregnant and at least give birth, not just kill it?"
Yes! Yes! Manny wanted to scream. She had felt all that. She had always been so scared what Craig would say about abortion, because she had never really asked him before. But hearing him actually say that….it made her feel even more horrible and disgusting.
"Abortion is a serious issue in this country. What's your opinion, Manny?" Albert asked. Manny swallowed hard.
"Well…I think you shouldn't really judge so fast, you know?" she said. "The girl was probably scared and confused…she probably wasn't ready to be a mother, you know? Being pregnant is really hard and really scary for a teenager…I don't know," she shrugged. "I'm not really against it or anything. Can I have some more peas, please?" she asked, holding out her plate, desperately hoping to change the subject. Albert nodded and smiled.
"That was great meal, Dad," Craig said, leaning back in his chair. Manny sighed in relief.
"Yeah. It was fabulous, Mr. Manning," she agreed quickly.
A half hour later, Mr. Manning stopped his car in front of Joey's house, a preoccupied frown on his face. "Well, here you are…at Joey's," he said a bit bitterly. Craig unbuckled his seat-belt and reached for the door, but his father put a hand on his arm. "Craig," he said in a low voice. "I wouldn't have to drop you off like this if you just moved back with me."
Craig swallowed hard and glanced at Manny, who was climbing out of the car, pretending not to notice. "Not yet, Dad," he said, and then he got out. His father nodded and waved. "Bye, Craig. Bye, Manny. It was nice meeting you."
Manny smiled brightly and waved from the curb. "It was nice meeting you, too." Then Mr. Manning went speeding off. Craig put an arm around Manny's shoulder and the two walked to the front door. Craig opened it and they both stepped inside. Craig quietly shut the door behind him.
"Well, that was nice," Manny said, shrugging off her jacket. "You're dad seems really nice, Craig."
Craig's smile faded, and he shrugged as he took off his own jacket. "Yeah. He seems nice…" he thought, and suddenly an image flashed in front of his eyes- his Dad viciously beating him with his belt. Craig shook his head, and told himself to forget about that. His dad was different now…wasn't he?
"So…is Joey home?" Manny asked. Craig smiled. How can you be thinking about your father when you have your gorgeous girlfriend standing in front of you in your conveniently vacant house? "No. He's visiting his mother with Angela. So…we're all alone." He reached out and took Manny hand. She grinned at him, and they silently headed up the staircase. A minute later, they walked into Craig's room. He turned on the light, and then dimmed it. He leaned over and kissed Manny, wrapping his arms around her slim waist. A few minutes later, they were lying on his bed, and both had removed their shirts. Craig reached for the waist line of her flip skirt, and Manny suddenly grabbed his hand.
"Wait," she breathed. "Do you…you know?" She wiggled her eyebrows, hoping he'd get the message.
Craig frowned, looking clueless. "Uh…just because you wiggle your eyebrows doesn't mean I know what you're talking about."
Manny sighed in frustration. "Do you…have a condom?"
Craig scratched his head. "Um…wait right here." He jumped up and ran out of the room, and went straight into Joey's bedroom. He ruffled through his drawers and everywhere he could think of that Joey might keep a condom, but he came up empty. Joey was either not interested in safe sex or just simply wasn't having sex. Craig raked his hands through his hair in frustration. This wasn't happening. He hurried back to his bedroom.
"Um…I don't really…have any," he said, jumping back onto the bed. He kissed Manny on the neck. "But…we don't really need one, do we?"
Manny thought for a second. She was tempted to just say fuck it and just have sex with him. But after already getting pregnant and having an abortion, she'd have to be a complete idiot to not demand Craig use a rubber. She bit her lip, knowing what she had to do. She pushed Craig away gently.
"Sorry, Craig. I love you, but I just can't…not without a condom," she said smiling apologetically.
Craig looked completely disappointed, but he nodded and sat up. "Ok. I understand."
Manny smiled, so happy that Craig was such a complete gentlemen. She scooted over and cuddled up next to him. "Tomorrow night. I promise, ok?" Craig finally smiled.
"Alright. I can wait. So, you want to go and watch a movie or something?"
Manny laughed and kissed him again. When she leaned back, she realized something- she was totally and completely in love with Craig Manning.
Sean clasped Emma's hand lightly in his as the couple walked through the well-lit streets of their town that evening. Sean looked at her and smiled, and she smiled back. God, he loved her. He really did. Even when they had broken up after Sean had started hanging out with Jay and his crew, Sean had tried so hard to stop caring about her, but it was literally impossible.
"It's such a nice night," Emma said happily, swinging his hand as they walked down the sidewalk.
"It's perfect," Sean agreed. "Hey, do you want some ice cream?" Emma nodded eagerly, and they headed over to the ice cream stand. As they got closer, Sean saw a familiar figure standing near it- a girl with long, dark-blonde hair. Sean frowned, just as the girl turned around.
"Riley!" Emma called, waving and hurrying up to her friend. "What are you doing here?"
"My mom was having this party-thing that she forced me to go to, but I just had to get out. I told her I was running out to get the mail. She is such an idiot. Who gets the fucking mail at nine o'clock at night?" she said, rolling her eyes. "Anyway, I was craving ice cream, so I came here. What are two love-birds doing?"
"Just hanging out," Emma replied, kissing Sean on the cheek.
"You two are so disgusting with your "relationship" crap," Riley said, rolling her eyes. Sean smirked.
"You're just bitter because no guy wants to actually have a relationship with you," he pointed out. "They just want a good time, and then they leave....and laugh."
Emma nudged him in the side. "Sean!" she hissed. She glanced at Riley, who was narrowing her eyes at her boyfriend. There was always tension between Sean and Riley, and Emma totally couldn't figure it out. "He's just kidding, Riley."
Riley snorted and shrugged. "Whatever. Not that it's any of your business, Sean, but I am seeing someone," she lied, folding her arms over her chest. "He's older and much more mature than silly high-school boys like you."
Sean smirked again. "Oh, yeah? And where did you meet this unfortunate fellow?"
"I met him at a charity event for diseased children in Nigeria," Riley said, thinking that made it sound more important. "He was absolutely taken with me."
"Oh, was it at one of your "rich-girl" events that you go to?" Sean asked. "Let me guess- you got a room upstairs and showed him how incredibly easy you actually are?"
Riley sniffed. That was pretty much exactly what had happened, but she wasn't about to admit it to Sean. "No. I'm a lady, Sean Cameron." Sean opened his mouth to reply, but Emma held up a hand.
"Ok, guys, enough of your playful banter," she said sarcastically.
Riley tossed her hair over her shoulder. "Whatever. I have to get back to my "rich-girl" events," she said, glaring at Sean. "See you later, Emma. Bye Seanny," she said, using the nickname she had always used whenever they were "together". Sean winced. Riley gave a little wave and pranced off.
Emma turned to him. "Why do you two always fight?'
Sean pretended to think. "Um…because she's a spoiled bitch!" Emma shook her head.
"Sean…" she bit her lip. "Did something happen between you two?"
"What?!"
"Just tell me," Emma pleaded. "Something happened between you two. I know it."
Sean sighed. Might as well come clean…before Riley opens her fat mouth. "Um…yeah. Kind of. Before you and me," he said quickly, which wasn't exactly true. "But it was nothing. Really. It didn't mean anything to me." That wasn't really true either. Riley had been so exciting and so different from Emma….but Sean had decided that his feeling for Riley were just a phase.
Emma looked hurt. "You never told me."
"I know! I didn't want to hurt you or ruin your friendship with Riley," he said. "It was nothing. I love you, Em."
Emma thought for a second. "Alright. It's fine. I'm just…a little surprised. But I understand," she said, wrapping her arms around his neck. "But you haven't been with anyone else, right? Except Amy and Riley. And you never cheated on me, right?"
Sean swallowed hard. "Of course not, Emma," he lied. Emma smiled happily and squeezed him tightly, and suddenly, Sean felt like shit.
Spin lay in his bed late that evening, bouncing a ball against the ceiling. It was getting late, and he had school tomorrow, but he simply couldn't sleep. He had gone out with Paige earlier that night, and it had gone ok, but Spin still felt something was off- almost like Paige was completely there. He frowned. Maybe he should do something totally romantic- although Spin wasn't exactly Mr. Romance. He scratched his head. He had to think of something really good- Paige wasn't just another girl. She was…well…Paige.
Spin threw back his covers and hopped out of bed. He rubbed his eyes and walked across his dark room, and pulled open the door. He padded down the hallway in his socks to his sister's room. The door was closed, so Spin pushed it open….and saw his father leaning over his sister's bed.
"Hey! Get away from her!" Spinner yelled, charging across the room. He shoved his father away from a terrified Kendra, who was hunched under her covers. His father stumbled back.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" his father roared, a slight slur to his voice. He threw us his hands incoherently and waved them around. "I'm your fucking father, damn it!"
"You're a pervert! You're a gross, drunk, perverted old man that-" Spin began to yell, but his father stopped him by grabbing him by the collar and hurling him across the room. Spin fell into Kendra's desk, but managed to punch his father right in the jaw. The minute he did, Spin regretted it. The look in his father's eyes wasn't angry…it was deadly. Spin gulped, and went flying out of the room. He knew his father would follow him, and he didn't really care- just as long as his father got out of his sister's room.
Spin raced into the upstairs den, and his father hurried after him. Spin tried to close the door, but his father reached out and shoved it open. "I am your father, you little jerk-off! What gives you the right to touch me, huh?" he shoved Spin back against a bookshelf. "I'll show you to hit me!" He roared, raising his hand.
So Spin did the only thing he could do- he grabbed a book from behind him, and swung it around right at his father's head. The book hit him with a loud thump, and Spinner's father fell straight into his desk next to him. His face slammed into its ragged edge, and he fell to the floor. Spin dropped the book in horror.
Just then, Spinner's mother rushed in, wearing her silk robe. "Oh, God! What happened?"
Spinner's father grabbed onto the edge of the desk and staggered to his feet. He had a large gash on his chin. "Call the damn police!" he yelled.
"But-but-"his mother stammered, glancing back and forth between her husband and son.
"Do it, damn it!" he yelled, gently touching the gash on his face. "I'm pressing charges."
Spinner swallowed hard.