Jenny peered out into the starry dark night sky. There was a full moon above from where she watched from the large upstairs bay window. Maybe the full moon would explain everybody's crazy behavior and what had happened that day. All Jenny knew was there was no one there to pick her up from Field Hockey practice so she'd had to catch a ride with Amy. No one was home when she had been dropped off and when they did start arriving, chaos had ensued. Jake had arrived, a whirling dervish of nerves. Lucas had been in and out, stone faced and sullen. Haley was next and she had been hysterical, crying and whimpering at times so hard she could barely stand. And then there was Peyton. Jenny had never seen Peyton like that. Her face was…blank, void of emotion and expression. She had lost all color and she walked around like some sort of zombie in a trance.

Then there was Amanda. She had walked into the house with a saunter, a strut almost. Like she owned the place. She seemed satisfied, proud almost. But whatever happened, the teenager had immediately walked up to her room and shut the door. A few hours later, she was packed. One of those social worker people came over and interviewed the present adults behind closed doors and in hushed whispers. Then the Gillespie family pulled up in their car and Amanda disappeared inside, bags and all. Jenny watched the tail lights pull further away until once again it was just darkness.

"Dad", she said in a quiet voice when Jake came up the stairs alone.

He was startled to see the small figure of his daughter hidden in the shadows. In his haste and in the events that had happened, he had forgotten all about Jenny.

"Hey you", he sat beside her.

"Hey."

"Where have you been?"

Jenny shrugged.

"I don't know. Just up here, in my room and stuff. I know I'd just be in the way and stuff downstairs."

Jake rubbed his tired eyes. He felt bad.

"You're never in the way, Jen."

"Yeah right. I've been around long enough to know when to stay out of the way…trust me", she mumbled.

"You mean with Nikki?"

"Yeah."

Jake shook his head.

"It's not like that anymore. I told you, you're safe here. This is your home."

"What's going on? What happened?"

The million dollar question.

"A bunch of stuff. Look, Jenny…"

"Is Amanda gone? I mean for good and stuff."

He nodded.

"Looks that way."

"She did something, didn't she? She pulled one of her mean tricks and she finally got caught, huh?"

"Yeah", he sighed.

"Does Peyton know?"

"She knows."

"Now what?"

"Jen, look, I told you, no I promised you that I would always be honest with you no matter what. Remember that?"

"Yeah."

"I never want to break my word to you."

"Then don't."

He looked at his little girl, still so young but wise beyond her years because of life experience, experiences that no child that age should have had to ever gone through.

"I know this is confusing and scary for you. And I know you want to know what's going on. And you deserve to know the truth but…"

"But what?"

"I…I can't tell you."

"Why not?"

"Because it's about grown up stuff."

"And you think I'm too young?"

"Well, yeah."

"Whatever", she rolled her eyes.

"I just want to protect you, Jen."

Jenny scrambled to her feet.

"I'm going to my room."

"Wait. Did you get something to eat yet?"

"I'm not hungry."

"It doesn't matter. You still have to put something in your stomach, bug. You have to eat."

"Fine. I have Pop Tarts in my room."

"You need more than a Pop Tart."

"No, I don't. I'm not hungry. I already told you. Just leave me alone. Go back downstairs and take care of Haley and Brooke and Peyton. I'll be up here reading Curious George and listening to my Walt Disney show tunes", she said sarcastically.

"Jenny…"

"I don't want to talk anymore."

"Haley and Peyton found Amanda in Nathan and Haley's bed…with Nathan", he said with cheeks flushed.

Jenny was more mature than the average kid her age but she was still a kid and more importantly she was his kid. Sex was still an uncomfortable and awkward subject.

"What?" Jenny asked, stopping dead in her tracks.

That would explain the mass confusion downstairs.

"It happened earlier today. Um, Haley might be staying here with us for a while. Or at least for tonight."

Jenny shook her head.

"I can't believe it."

"Jen, it's okay to be confused…"

"I'm not confused. I'm pissed off. That's pretty low…even for Amanda."

"Jenny…"

"She really sucks. I mean, Nathan and Haley are pretty together people, you know? It's like they're really happy. It's almost sickening sometimes. Why would Amanda want to mess that up?"

"I don't know. But it gets more complicated. Um, Amanda is only 15. She, she's a juvenile. And Nathan is an adult. That…that means…"

"It means if it comes out that Nathan and Amanda had sex, he's gonna be in pretty big trouble."

Jake took a deep breath.

"Yeah. That's exactly what it means."

"Will he go to jail?"

"I don't know. Maybe."

"But he could?"

"Yeah, he could."

"Is he…is Nathan okay?"

Jake looked in Jenny's eyes.

"No. No, he's not, bug."

"So what's gonna happen now?"

It was Jake's turn to shrug.

"I don't know. Nobody knows. I guess we just wait."

"It's not right."

"No, it's not right. Look, I don't know everything that happened but…"

"Don't believe her", Jenny whispered.

"What?"

"Don't believe her, Dad. I wasn't there and I don't know what happened but I know Amanda. Nothing happened. She probably just set it up to look that way."

"Why would she do that?"

"Why did she do any of the stuff she did?"

Jake nodded. Good question.

"Nathan says nothing happened."

"You should believe him."

"You do?"

"Yeah."

"Why?"

"Just take a step back and look at the situation. We know Amanda and what she's done. Look at all the bad stuff that has happened since she got here."

"Yeah…"

"And look at Nathan. I know I'm mean to him and he's sort of a dumb jock but he's a good guy, I guess. And he loves Haley. Anybody could see that. He wouldn't hurt her. I just know it."

"How do you know?"

"I just do. I just feel it inside", Jenny looked at him. "And you should too."