Peyton turned the key in the lock and exhaustedly tossed her things on the living room sofa. She'd made a mad dash to leave school and beat the beginning of rush hour traffic in order to make it home on time. Jenny always arrived before her but it was no surprise when the girl was not seated at the kitchen table studying.

"Hey, babe", a sweaty Jake came in, fresh from one of his four mile runs.

Peyton looked at her watch.

"Is Jenny home?"

"Yeah. She's upstairs."

Peyton rolled her eyes.

"Well, she's not supposed to be. You know the rules. I want her at this table right after school."

"Alright. Damn, babe. I didn't think it was a big deal…"

"It's a very big deal, Jake."

"Peyton, fine. Just, just don't act like a warden. Okay?"

"Excuse me."

"You're being too hard on her."

"Someone has to", she walked off.

"Pey…"

She ignored him and made her way upstairs. Music was blaring from Jenny's room. Peyton knocked.

"What?"

"Jenny, open the door right now."

The music turned off and Jenny stalked over to open the door.

"What?"

"You know the rules. Downstairs, please."

"Whatever", she grumbled, grabbing her bookbag.

Peyton made a face. Something wasn't right.

"Jenny, I smell smoke."

"I don't smell anything", the young girl brushed past her, avoiding eye contact.

The two went down to the kitchen where Jenny laid out her lesson and Peyton kept one eye on her and the other on the dinner she was preparing. After a shower, Jake joined them.

"How was school today, Jenny?"

"Fine", she didn't bother looking up.

"What homework do you have?"

"Science and a stupid spelling assignment."

"You need help?"

"No", she muttered.

"Listen, I was thinking…maybe you'd like to come down to the arena with me on Saturday. You know, watch the guys practice."

"Fine."

"Don't sound so excited about it", he quipped. "You can even get Shaq's autograph."

"Oh goody", she said sarcastically.

"Shaq is a pretty cool dude. It could be fun."

"I am not impressed with over grown, rocks for brains, over paid athletes who make their living putting a stupid ball in a stupid hoop."

"Well, you should come on down anyway. You could bring a friend if you like. Have you, you know, met anyone cool?"

Jenny sighed.

"I don't know. There's this one chick. Her name is Amy. She's cool, I guess."

Jake and Peyton exchanged glances. Could it be a miracle? Could their daughter have made a friend?

"Awesome, Jenny. Invite her with us."

"Okay."

Jake was excited and so was Peyton but she was more skeptical. She wanted to know more about this Amy person.

"That's nice that you made a friend, Jenny. How'd you meet Amy?"

"School."

"In class?"

"Yep."

"Which one?"

"Math", Jenny huffed.

"What's she like?"

"She wears all black, drinks pig's blood, has slept with all the boys in seventh and eighth grade, has four tattoos and is currently on probation", Jenny quipped.

Peyton tried to ignore the obvious attempt at sarcasm.

"What kind of family is she from?"

Jenny rolled her eyes and slammed her pencil down.

"I don't know, Peyton. Tomorrow I will ask for her social security number and then I'll bring it home and you could do a background check. Would that make you happy?"

"Jenny…"

"That's enough, Jenny", Jake interjected as he grabbed Peyton aside and whispered into her ear. "Babe, she made a friend. Just be happy. Let it go for now. I'll find out more and I'll meet the girl's parents."

Peyton took a deep breath.

"Dinner is almost ready."

"I'm done", Jenny announced.

"Let me check over your work."

She leaned over her stepdaughter's shoulder and was appalled at what she saw. Almost every single answer was wrong.

"What?" Jenny asked.

Peyton took a seat.

"Jenny, this is all wrong. The spelling and the sentences…everything."

"No, it's not", she looked away.

"Yes, it is."

It wasn't just wrong. It didn't make sense. It was almost as if the person who had completed it was illiterate.

"Can I be excused?"

"No, you can't. Read this line to me right there", Peyton pointed to a random paragraph from the report on Oliver Twist.

The words seemed simple enough…

"In such a neighborhood, beyond Dockhead in the Borough of Southwark, stand Jacob's Island, surrounded by a muddy ditch, six or eight feet deep and fifteen or twenty wide when the tide is in, once called Mill Pond but known in the days of this story as Folly Ditch..."

But as Jenny took a deep breath and began to read, it sounded nothing like what was actually written.

"In such a neeg-bor-hood, beyond Dockhead in the Bor…Bor- ruff of Sothewark, stand Jacob's Is-land, soo-round by a moody dits, six or egat feet deep and fifeteen, fifteen or tweny wide when the tide is in, onca called Mill Pond but kanown in the days of this story as Foley Dits…"

Jake and Peyton looked at each other, stunned. Jenny couldn't read.

"Jenny, sweetie did you have trouble reading at your last school?" Peyton began carefully. "Did you have a tutor?"

"No."

"When you see the words, are the letters all jumbled and mixed up?"

Jenny's face reddened.

"You think I'm a retard!"

"No, Jenny", Jake said. "We don't think that."

"Yes, you do. She's making fun of me. You guys are laughing at me just like they do in school and in my last school and Nikki and her stupid boyfriends!"

She jumped up from the table, causing her bag to tumble. The contents spilled out and along with books, note pads, pencils, pens and markers, came a pack of cigarettes and a lighter.

"Jenny…"

"Leave me alone! I hate you! I hate you all!"

She fled to her room, leaving them there.

"Let her go for now", Jake sighed. "I'll go up and talk to her later."

Peyton couldn't believe it.

"Oh my God. She can't read. Jenny can't…"

"I heard her, Pey", he sighed.

"Unbelievable. Damn that Nikki. I mean, did the girl ever go to a school? And if she did, what kind was it?"

"I don't know…"

"We need to get her some help, Jake."

"I…I know but we have to be careful. She's embarrassed. We don't want to make it worse."

"I know but we have to do something", Peyton sighed. "Okay. I'll talk to Haley and see if she can help me get a hold of some software for reading. I'll work with her."

"Okay. I'll have a talk with her teachers and stuff. Maybe that's why she hates school. It's because she has such a tough time with it and the other kids pick on her."

"What are we gonna do, Jake?"

"We'll figure something out", he said in a quiet tone.

"What about those?" Peyton motioned towards the pack of Marlboros. "I thought I smelled smoke in her room earlier."

"She's just acting out."

"Jake!"

"What, Pey? Damn, what do you want me to do?" he asked desperately.

"Well, we can't have her smoking in the house. What's next? Kicking back after a long day of Math and relaxing with an ice cold beer?"

"Peyton…"

"What?"

"Look, I'll take care of it."

The blonde folded her arms.

"How? When?"

"I don't know, I just will, okay? Let me think."

He grabbed his keys and headed for the front door.

"Where are you going?"

"Out."

"What about dinner?"

"Save me a plate."

Peyton was furious.

"Jake!"

"I'll be back", he mumbled as the door slammed behind him.

And he was gone. Just like that. Sulking and pouting God knows where while his daughter did the same thing upstairs. Peyton rubbed her aching temples. The hardest part was not being able to reach either one of them.