Teenage Kicks
Chapter Two
Summary: Michelle Witter, Amy Leery and Frankie Sheldon have all started Capeside High together. Michelle is nervous about the life that awaits her and meets a boy she knows she shouldn't be with.
Author Note: Thanks so much to the reviewers, it makes this harder to write! To paceyandjoeyfan4eva and pj4eva, yes, you're right, there could be a little Michelle/Alex relationship going on, but it may take a while to heat up - you'll see why soon! This fic is mostly Amy centered. I will be switching to different characters throughout each chapter to give insight on all of them. Keep reading and reviewing!
"Hey, mom, I made breakfast." Amy sat a plate of pancakes and a glass of orange juice down in front of her mother.
"Thanks, sweetie. Why don't you invite Frankie down?" Her mother, Jen Lindley asked, smiling.
"Frankie?" Amy tried to act shocked and then gave in. "I'm sorry, mom." She batted her eyelids at her mom.
"It's okay, because I trust you. If he wants to stay over in future, that's fine, but he can sleep on the couch, Amy. I will not have you sharing a bed with him at fifteen, no matter how innocent it may be. And," she continued. "he has to clear it with Audrey first in future. She gets worried too, y'know."
"Yeah, I know. I'm sorry. I understand." She ran over towards where her mom was sitting and kissed her on the cheek and headed for the door. Two seconds later, though, she popped her head back in. "Mama, when's Dad coming home?"
"I don't know, sweetheart. He's still over in L.A. He promised to be back in time for your shoot, though." She smiled at her daughter, but Amy could tell that she wasn't completely sure, or happy, either.
"I don't think my Dad's coming home." Amy confided in Michelle and Frankie on the way to school that morning.
"Tell her." Frankie urged Michelle, widening his eyes at her.
"Tell me what?" Amy asked, a confused look spreading on her face.
"Um, Amy, your Dad is staying at my Aunt Bessie's BnB. He has been for three days now. I'm really sorry, my mom told me not to say anything, until he called Aunt Jen, but I'm sorry!"
The BnB? Whay hadn't he come home to his wife and daughter where he had built a home? They were a family. That's where he should be; not at some BnB.
"You guys cover me, I'm bunking off for a couple of hours."
"Amy, it's only our fourth day!" Michelle shouted after her as Amy quickly ran in the opposite direction, turning to wave her arms to them.
"Okay, then." Said Frankie, continuing to walk. "I guess I'll just have to put up with you all day on my own."
"Shut it, butthead." Michelle warned him, hitting him playfully across the head.
"Butthead? You have the cheek to call me a butthead, Potter?"
"Last one to the school is a loser!" Michelle yelled over her shoulder, running to the large building that stood omniously in front of them.
It would have been a short walk to the BnB if she hadn't stopped of at the Ice House for one of her uncle Pacey's special breakfast muffins; but she just couldn't resist. She figured that if she was bunking off school, she would do it in style - that and she needed some courage before confronting her father.
"Hey there, sport. School cancelled?" Michelle's Dad, Pacey asked suspiciously with a slight grin on his face.
"No." She answered blatently. "I just ... I'm bunking. I'm going to see my Dad."
"Oh, so I guess you've came around here asking for money?"
"What do you mean?" Amy asked him, puzzled.
"If you're running away to L.A. I was a little younger than you when I decided to run away to L.A with your Dad. He decided that he was going to pitch a few scripts to Hollywood and make his first million by the time he was fifteen and I wanted to be a rock star. Only problem with that was, we had about $3.00 between us and I could neither sing, nor play an instrument. Then when Joey discovered our plans, she threatened to tell your Grandad because she hadn't been invited. Girls, huh?" He smiled at her, handed her a ready-made strawberry milkshake with extra cream - just the way she liked it and pushed the $5 bill back to her that she handed him.
"Cute story, Uncle Pacey, but Chelle just told me that my Dad's at the BnB."
"Oh. You know, that girl has never yet learned to keep her mouth shut. She's just like her mother."
"Hey, Aunt Joey ain't so bad. Chelle though ... there are times I could strangle the girl!" Amy laughed, picking up the milkshake and taking a long drink.
"You know, the best thing you could do is just to leave your Dad until he goes see your Mom. You should get yourself to school. Don't worry about your parents. They're strange things, you know. I have two."
"Uncle Pacey, are my mom going to get a divorce like Aunt Audrey and Uncle Tommy did? I don't want that. I mean, Frankie stays at mine a lot now because he doesn't like going home, but if my parents get a divorce, then where will I stay? Hey, I guess you could always take me in and adopt me! You could teach me how to make a ecent omelate and I could teach you how to squirt orange juice out of your nose."
"You know what, Leery? Talking to you is always enlightening. You make me feel like I'm ten again. But as tempting as that may sound, I already have two kids and another on the way. I don't think I could afford your expensive tastes, Ms.Leery. On the subject of your parents, though, I don't know, Amy. You'll have to ask them. You are alwys welcome at ours though. With all the kids I've got, I don't think either me or Joey would notice another once at the table."
She smiled, thanked him and left the $5 bill sitting on the counter top when she left.
"Amy?" Dawson Leery turned to see his daughter standing in front of him."What are you doing here?"
"I came to ask you two things, Dad. How come you've been in town for three days and you haven't come home or even told us that you're here? And secondly, is Isabel the reason that Mom's been so down lately and you haven't called? Are you leaving us for her again?" She hadn't meant to blurt it all out at once, but when she saw him, she couldn't help but want to tell him what was on her mind. "And did you actually remember that it's Grams' anniversary today? You know how bad it effects Mom. Did you even care to remember that, Dad?" She realized that she was yelling at him and tried to calm herself back down. Unfortunately, being quiet wasn't one of Amy's best qualities.
"Amy ... " He stopped after saying her name, obviously not knowing what to say. "Amy," He started again and stopped. "Isabel ... I haven't seen Isabel in months now. You know that is over. I was just trying to think of the right time to come back. Your mother and I had words before I left for L.A and I just wanted to get things sorted before I said anything stupid again. I was coming round tonight, I swear. Amy, sweetheart," He walked towards her and held her hands. "I love your mother very much, but things are hard right now. We're trying our best."
"Is that the best you can do!" Again, she realized she was yelling, but this time found no need or want to tone it down any. She figured that he had to hear the anger in her voice. "My mom is trying her best, but how can she when you leave her for some two-bit tart of an actress and don't even call when you're in town? Let me go!" She screamed, pulling away from him. "All you have ever done is hurt us Dad and I hate you for that! I hate you!"
Tears were still falling from her eyes as she sat huddled up next to the tree in the park across from school. She didn't know why she had said those things to her Dad. Sure, he was angry at him for the way he had treated her mother, but she didn't really hate him. Did she?
She wiped the tears from her face. She could allow anyone to see her cry. Amy Leery never cried. That was just something she didn't do. She was the fun, hard-as-nails girl who no one messed with. She liked people to see her as individual. Full of life, but a little stand-offish. After all the bad things that had happened to her growing up, she had learned that in order to survive, she had to be strong and independant. Life was about survival of the fittest and Amy wasn't about to let anyone identify her weaknesses.
"Hi. It's Amy, right?" A small girl with bleach blonde curls was standing in front of her. "I'm CindyJo Freeman. I sit behind you in English and in front in chem. I hope you don't think I'm being weird or anything. I just noticed you looked a little bit upset."
"No. But you can sit if you like." Suddenly her defences were shattered and all she could do was smile and talk. CindyJo had ruined her act.