Chapter Six: Dancing and Fighting

"Well, who did he think he was?" Charlie asked in disgust as Anne approached and stood discreetly at his side. He noticed this and graciously offered his arm, which she took.

"That was Braddock Zimmerman," Calvin said heavily. "I'd steer clear of him, if I were you. Thinks he's some big shot because of his dad, but he's never achieved anything in his life besides a night with a girl."

"Way to give them the heads up after the fact, Cal," Daniel remarked.

Liz and Charlie laughed in good humor before Charlie turned to Anne. "Want to dance?"

"Dad may not like it…" she replied, trailing off as a wicked smile crossed her face. "So, sure."

As they disappeared into the mass of people and Daniel drifted off to keep his younger sisters company, Calvin and Liz were left standing alone in awkward silence. Finally, Liz murmured, "Thanks for what you did. You didn't have to."

Calvin merely responded by taking her hand and entwining his fingers with hers. He glanced at her, his hazel eyes sparkling. "Dance with me?"

Feeling a blush creep up her neck, Liz nodded and allowed him to lead her out onto the floor. When they reached a clear spot, he turned to face her and pulled her close, guiding her arms around his neck and settling his own around her waist. Liz sighed inwardly as she settled into a gentle sway in time to the music and felt Calvin's cheek touch her own. "So," he murmured at length, "you never told your dad?"

Though he wasn't providing any frame of reference, Liz knew what he was talking about. "No, he would've flipped out. You're two years older than me."

"Two years isn't that much of a difference."

"It is when you're only fifteen," she responded quietly.

Calvin laughed softly. "I'd forgotten that's how young you were. I'm one for robbing the cradle, aren't I?" He was quiet for a minute before he pulled back slightly to look into her face. "Did you know that no girl's ever really appealed to me since?"

Liz pulled a face. "Is that good or bad?"

"I don't know…" he teased, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "I'll have to think about that one…"

"Don't be mean!" Liz scolded playfully.

"D'you want the truth?" he asked, his eyes turning more serious. When Liz nodded, he continued, "What I mean is that ever since I met you, no other girl seems to be –"

"Calvin!" Eliot called out as he darted between the dancers, coming their way. He looked distressed and angry.

Calvin stopped dancing and pulled away from Liz, though still keeping a hand on her arm. "What is it?"

"It's the Zimmermans. Evan won't leave Sarah alone and he set Braddock after me to keep me from helping her." He cast a nervous glance over his shoulder, as if expecting Braddock Zimmerman to come charging through the swirling dancers at him. "I lost him in the crowd, but I know he's still looking for me."

"What about Jake?" Liz asked as Calvin's hand tightened painfully on her arm. Jake and Sarah were inseparable, and she knew that he wouldn't tolerate any boy making trouble for his older sister.

"He went looking for you a while ago, before Evan showed up. Said he needed you for something."

Fury smoldered in Calvin's eyes and he broke away from them, stalking dangerously in the direction from which Eliot had come. Concerned, Liz put a hand on Eliot's shoulder and steered him after Calvin. "I hope he won't hurt anybody," she said anxiously.

"He might," Eliot remarked. "He hates Braddock. Always has."

Liz's responding question died on her lips as they exited the dance floor and she could see Sarah surrounded by Kelly, another girl who could easily be her twin, and a boy about Eliot and Sarah's age. He was wiping a trickle of blood from his lip. "No girl messes with me like that," he growled, advancing on her. Sarah raised her fists for another strike, but Kelly seized her arms and pinned them at her sides. Petite little Sarah could do nothing to resist the bigger girl. Liz glanced around for Calvin, but he was nowhere to be found. He must have gone looking for Braddock.

"Leave her alone!" a fierce little voice cried out as Mike raced in and tried to pummel the boy – Evan, Eliot had called him – in every place he could reach. Before he could inflict any damage though, the other girl caught him roughly and pushed him away.

Her blood boiling, Liz jumped forward to give both girls a piece of her mind, and perhaps her fists, but her forward momentum stopped suddenly as someone grabbed her from behind and pinioned her arms behind her back. "Don't you dare touch my sisters," a voice that she now recognized as Braddock's growled in her ear.

To her surprise, Eliot, who had faded into a group of people a few feet away at Braddock's appearance, materialized at her side and dealt a hefty blow to the older boy's stomach, causing him to buckle and release her. Braddock's retaliatory strike was halted in midair as Calvin crept up behind him and seized his wrists.

By now, they had caused enough commotion to draw the attention of those around them, including several members of the Baker and Murtaugh families. Liz dodged aside as Braddock attempted a swing at Calvin and ran into her brother, Charlie, who had approached with Anne and Jake. Charlie caught her, preventing her from falling and steadied her. "What's going on?" he asked.

"Sarah!" Jake called in surprise. He had noticed the three Zimmermans surrounding his sister by now, and his usually calm, relaxed demeanor evaporated. His shout had drawn Charlie's attention and he swiftly let go of Liz and crossed over to Evan Zimmerman, seizing him roughly by the collar and shoving him aside. Kelly attempted to interfere, but Anne jumped in and deflected her arms, while Henry helped Mike to his feet and stopped Evan from standing back up. Charlie smiled down at his little sister before guiding her back to where Liz stood, now accompanied by Daniel, Lorraine, Becky, Mark and Kenneth.

Beyond them, Braddock still struggled against Calvin's hold and managed to shove an elbow into his stomach. Calvin grunted and his hold loosened. Braddock seized his chance and walloped the oldest Murtaugh across his left cheek. Daniel and Charlie both saw this and jumped Braddock, pulling him away from Calvin, whose lip and nose had started to bleed.

All at once, the room was swarming with the Club's burly staff members, who dispersed the crowd and grappled Calvin, Daniel, and Charlie away from Braddock; Kelly and her sister away from Anne; and Henry, Jake, Mike and Eliot away from Evan. "THAT'S ENOUGH!" one of the security men shouted above the noise of the Zimmermans, Murtaughs and Bakers yelling at each other. Before she could so much as blink, Liz found herself being forcefully escorted outside and up the stairs to where all the adults waited. She could make out her father and mother standing at the top of the steps, both glaring furiously down at them, while Jimmy Murtaugh could be seen just behind her parents, shaking his fists angrily at someone behind her – she assumed it was one of the Murtaughs.

Great, she thought, hanging her head in defeat, we're all in so much trouble…

Another cliffie! Enjoy it! Actually, you probably won't wait long, if at all becauset the next chapter's going up right after this one. Don't forget to drop a little review on your way through!

Oh, and thanks to Donny304 for your faithful reviews! Don't you have any constructive crit, though? I'm not a perfect writer! And thanks to everyone else as well. I don't remember all the names, so sorry. I'll get in the real thank yous when I'm done with the story. :)