Chapter three

Dico had finally been able to catch Rake Jr. and put him on a leash. He held firmly onto the leash as the dog sat there near his feet. Rake Jr. wiggled and tugged trying to break free from the leash. He was the kind of dog who wanted nothing more than to run around and bark happily, but now he was being made to sit and be good. He hated the leash with a passion because it kept him from straying far from his master. Dico gave the leash a little tug once Rake Jr. started to make an attempt at chewing at the leash.

"You're not going to make a break for it. I just got you to settle down." He looked up toward the ramp where the two girls were. After watching them skate for a minute he went up to the ramp, practically dragging the dog behind him "Jade! What are you doing up there?"
Jade stopped skating and scoffed "Dad I'm skating with Ava. What do you think I'm doing?"
"You're about to fall and crack your head open! Where's your helmet?"
"Dad you're embarrassing me!"
"No I'm not! Now you go put your helmet on!"
"Dad I'm an adult, okay?"
"No you're not. You're only sixteen; you won't be technically an adult for a couple more years. But that doesn't matter since I'd be telling you to wear a helmet even once you're twenty-five! Now you go to the car, get your helmet, and put it on before you start skating some more! You hear me?"
Jade sighed, aggravated, and rolled her eyes "Yes FATHER. But Ava doesn't have to wear a helmet when she's skating." She said as she hopped down off of the ramp
"AVA isn't my daughter. Besides the Margera's are crazy, just look at Bam for that proof." He said as he gently pulled her along

It didn't take very long before the others showed up and gathered in the backyard. Dunn and his daughter, Brianne, were amongst the last ones to arrive. Brianne tossed her strawberry blonde hair over her shoulder after getting out of the car, and reached into her purse for a card. Dunn reached around from behind her and snatched up the card from her hand and began to walk away. She caught up to him trying to get the card away, but he held it from her reach.

"Dad!"
"What? Is this yours?" He asked with a smirk
"Yes! Now give it to me!"
"I don't think so." He opened the card and held it close as he cold to his face, squinting to read what was written inside. "Bree what the hell did you write in here? I can barely make it out."
Brianne lightly smacked him in the back of the head and took the card out of his hand "Dad, mom and I have been telling you for months that you need glasses."
"I do not! The light's just bad out here."
"Uh-huh." She said skeptically "You don't need to know what it says, it's not for you any way."
"Who's it for? Darren?" He smirked
"Dad you know we broke up a long time ago." She scoffed while rolling her eyes "It's a birthday card for Christene."
"Christene? Kind of late for her birthday, isn't it?"
"Yeah I know, but we missed each other's birthday this year."
"Oh I see."

Brianne Dunn and Christene Raab were best friends. They were born exactly one day apart, Christene being born first, and since they were little they had a tradition to give each other a special birthday card for their birthdays every year.

The blonde-haired girl watched the footage on the video camera she held in her hands as she walked. She didn't care if she was about to run into anything or any one. All she cared about at that moment was watching what she recorded on the way over to Bam's house. She glanced up from the screen for a second and spotted Bam.

"Bam! Yo Bam!" She shouted, trying to get his attention "Yo! Turn up your hearing aid you old man!" She laughed, starting to approach him
Bam turned around to face her once she was close enough "What do you want?" He smiled at the seventeen year old girl "Oh why if it isn't Raableen Herself! What do you have there?"

Christene grinned at Bam. She always kind of hated that nickname, yet she adored it at the same time because it was yet another thing she had in common with her father. She showed him the screen on the camera.

"Check out what I shot on the way over here."
"Is that from the car?"
"Yup."
"How did you get than angle?" He asked, impressed
"I was in the backseat lying down and I just aimed my camera until I got a good picture. Check it out you can hear my dad laughing at me in the background!"
Bam laughed "Yeah you can. Hey you've really improved on your camera work. Where are you going to work on your next movie?"
"As soon as a good idea comes along."
"Well Brianne's the writer; she'll be able to come up with something. As soon as you have a movie finished I want to see it."
"Sure thing! Hey can I use your computer? I want to edit this footage. I got a couple other tapes that I want to edit too." She said as she held out the camera bag that hung over her shoulder
"Sure. You know how everything works. Probably better than me."
"Thanks!"

Christene ran up to the house only stopping to tackle Brianne and Dyllan to the ground. Brianne stood up and glared at her while Dyllan remained on the ground in a bout of laughter.

"Hey!" Dyllan laughed "What the fuck was that for, you bitch!"
Christene just laughed and went inside.

Brianne and Dyllan smirked at each other devilishly. Dyllan gave her a nod and then whispered.

"You thinking what I'm thinking?"
"My idea probably sucks compared to yours, but what's new?" She whispered back
"Whatever. Let's just go in and get her back." He glanced over at Jason "Yo Jase! C'mere!" He whispered loudly
Jason walked up to them "What s it?"
"Shh!" Dyllan hushed "We're going to play a prank on Christene. You in?"
Jason perked up with an evil grin that made him look even more like his father "Oh hell yeah! What's the plan?"
"Uhm…" Dyllan looked at Brianne, who just shook her head with a shrug "I dunno yet. But I think she went in to edit some film."
Jason's face lit up as if a light bulb hung above his head "Hey, Dyl, you still got that box of fake spiders and shit?"
"Yeah, uh…" He grinned "Oh! Come on it's up in my room. Let's go."

Dyllan ushered Jason and Brianne inside and up to his room. Meanwhile, Bam, Dico and Dunn stood back watching their offspring. Dico chuckled and shook his head.

"They're up to something good. I can tell." He said
"Yeah. Sure brings back memories, doesn't it?" Asked Dunn
"Sure does. They are so much like we were when we were that age." Bam let out a little sigh "Why don't we do that kind of stuff any more? Playing pranks on each other and shit?"
"We're too fucking old! That's why!" Dunn laughed
"Hey you two are older than me. I can still handle it."
"Yeah right, Bam. I tried pranking you a few weeks ago, remember with that rubber snake? You damn near had a heart attack!" Dico laughed
"Yeah, yeah, yeah I remember. Very funny Dic." Bam rolled his eyes
"Dad!" Came the shout of a familiar female voice

All three men turned their heads toward the voice, a habitual reaction to the word "dad". Bam smiled broadly and approached her. Immediately he wrapped his arms around her, giving her a bear hug and a big kiss on the cheek.

"Sam I missed you so much! Don't leave me for that long again little girl!"
She blushed a little as she smiled, pulling away from her father "Nice to see you too, dad. And please stop calling me a little girl. I'm a nineteen year old fully grown woman in case you haven't noticed."
Bam sighed, his smile fading a little "Yeah I noticed. But can't you just let me pretend? Besides you're always going to be my little girl."
"Yeah I know." She gave him a kiss on the cheek and touched the end of his nose with her index finger "I really don't mind."

This caused Bam to smile and his heart to skip a beat. He just adored his daughter, and still would do any thing for her if she needed it. To him she was still a miracle. She came into his and her mother's life shortly after Jenn had a miscarriage and Bam had beaten cancer. Bam and Jenn had given up trying for another baby after the miscarriage, but much to their surprise, Jenn found out that she was pregnant. Sadly, however, shortly after their daughter Samantha was born, Bam and Jenn's relationship started to fall apart. Bam knew that Samantha looked just like Jenn, except she had his eyes and smile. She had much of Jenn's personality as well, the "good parts" of her personality as Bam put it. Bam admitted before, though during a fight with Jenn, that their daughter was the only good thing that she ever gave to him, the only thing that he could remain happy and grateful for after he and Jenn broke up.

Jenn came walking up to them with a grin on her face and an envelope in her hand. She looked right at Bam and held the envelope in between her fingers, moving it from hand to hand.

"Hello Bam."
He looked at her seriously and gave her a nod "Jenn."
"So um," She bit her lower lip and extended her hand, handing him the envelope "I know your birthday isn't for a few more days, but I got this for you any way."
"You got me a card?"
"Yeah, well, I was thinking about you and had to get it."
"Mom, I reminded you on the way over here that Dad's birthday was coming up."
"Really?" Bam replied, with an intrigued tone as he took the envelope
Samantha looked at him "Yeah, she stopped at the drug store on the way over here just to get it. She didn't even take the time to look through the cards first. I'm not even sure if she signed it."
Bam looked at the card in his hand, turning it over a couple times, and then looked at Jenn "So you really didn't care about me. I should have known."
"I care about you! If I didn't care, I wouldn't have even taken the time to stop at the store, now would I?"
Bam looked at the card again and sighed "You really shouldn't have gotten this for me, Jenn."
"Bam, please, just accept the card. I'm trying to be nice for once."
"Hmmm…" He handed her the card back "No."
"No?'
"Yeah, I'm not accepting the card, Jenn."
"When are you going to appreciate something from me?"
"Well let's see, when you stop being a bitch, when you stop treating my wife like shit, when you stop trying to tell my son what to do, when you stop using our daughter to get what you want, even though she's a fully grown woman." He paused long enough to look over at Samantha letting her know that he finally acknowledged that fact "Oh and what am I forgetting? When you apologize for all of the times when you scared my ex-girlfriend Missy half to death, by coming into MY home drunk and screaming things directed to her, and for the times when you broke your restraining order. When you apologize for the times you made me look like an asshole liar just because you were all bitter about our breakup. And lastly when you finally realize that the two of us are never going to be able to have what we had even before we started going out. Does that make it clear to you?"
"Well fine, Bam! Have your own way as always!" She said, red in the face with fury "I'll just take this fucking card and leave right now. I'll do you a big fucking favor and you'll never have to see me ever again, Brandon Margera!"
"Good! Get off of my property!"

Jenn stormed away and got in her car, speeding away without looking back.