Becky was alone in the house. Her parents had taken Darlene and D.J to the mall after school. Becky wasn't allowed to go because she was grounded. She'd huffed and stomped and complained about that … but it was just an act. She wanted the house to herself and this was the first time it had happened in days. But she didn't want her parents realising that - then they would have taken her with them for sure.

Once they were gone, she gave them ten minutes to make sure they didn't forget something and turn round to get it, and then she crept down the stairs and into the kitchen. She got herself a glass of water, pulled a chair over to by the phone … and dialled Mark's number.

He picked up after a few rings. That was a relief, he was home - not in jail … or out with some other girl.

'Yeah?'

'Hey - Mark, it's Becky.'

'Oh - Bec - Hi…'

She heard the noises of him moving around down the other end of the line - and imagined him clearing stuff off his couch so he could settle down and talk to her. 'So … how're you doing?' She asked him.

'I'm OK.'

He wasn't giving anything anyway. He wasn't just going to tell her what was going on - she was going to have to force it out of him. She took a deep breath, 'Mark, listen … What happened the other night? With Bobby?'

'Nothin'.'

'We need to talk about this.'

'There's nothing to talk about.'

She sighed. 'He said you attacked him - burned him with your cigarette - twice. On the face!' She blurted out.

There was a long moment of silence. 'Do you believe him?' Mark asked at last.

'It's what he told his mom.'

'Yeah - and it's what his mom told the cops. But I didn't ask that. I asked if you believe him.'

'Well I don't know what to think!' her voice was louder than she had intended, it burst out of her along with her frustration. 'All I know is my mom found out, I'm grounded and you ended up with the cops being called on you. And now you won't even tell me what's going on.' There was another pause at the other end of the line. 'Mark?'

'It wouldda been nice if you could have had some faith in me, Becky - rather than believing the worst. Like everybody else.'

'Well how can I believe you if you won't tell me your side of the story? … Are you in trouble with the police?' She twirled the phone wire around her finger anxiously, as she waited for his answer.

'Nah - cops showed up, took one look at my shiner and asked if I wanted to press charges against Bobby.'

'Bobby attacked you?' She felt the relief like a great weight being lifted from her chest.

'Him and two of his buds.'

'Oh my god - are you OK?'

'I'll live.'

'Mark - I don't understand. If Bobby and his friends attacked you then you should have told someone …'

'I don't nark.' The truth was there was no one for him to tell. Unlike Bobby, he didn't have a mom at home to notice or care that he was bruised and cut.

'But you have to clear your name - everyone thinks that you're this thug…'

'Yeah, well - no difference to usual there.' His voice sounded bitter, maybe he realised - because he changed his tone. 'Honestly, Becky - I don't care what people think about me … as long as you believe me.'

She smiled, and felt herself growing warm - inside her chest and flushing all through her skin. 'I believe you, Mark.'

'But you're grounded? So I'm guessing our Friday night plans are cancelled?'

'We'll have to call a rain-check … 'til next decade. My parents are really angry, I don't know when I'm gonna be able to get away from them again.'

'But - uh - when you're not grounded anymore... you still wanna go out?' He sounded hopeful - but nervous.

'Yeah - if you'll wait for me.'

'I'll wait.'

'I think I've had my three strikes. This one could be a life sentence,' she joked. He breathed a laugh, and Becky could hear the smile in his voice when he spoke. She could imagine it on his face, as well. 'If that's as long as it takes,' he promised her, 'I'll wait.'

'Then I guess I'll act extra sorry and do all my chores without complaining - try and get out of Roseanne jail all the quicker.'

'Will that work?'

'Not with my mom - but maybe my dad. He's more of a pushover.'

There was a choke of surprise down the phone line - as Mark heard the gigantic man who had threatened him at the lobo described as a 'pushover'. Becky giggled. 'He is!' she insisted. 'He gets mad real quick but it all blows over. Roseanne though - she can hold a grudge for months. But you just gotta know how to handle them...'

The back door slammed - and the D.J and Darlene came running through the porch. For some reason they were dripping wet. 'I better go,' Becky said - and immediately hung up the phone, hoping he'd understand. 'How come you're back so early?... and what happened to you?'

'This little snot pressed the fire alarm bell in Rodbells,' Darlene said, grabbing D.J by the shoulders. 'The sprinklers came on - everything got soaked, we all had to evacuate - the fire brigade got called out. Mom figured we better make a run for it before her boss worked out who was behind it.'

Becky stared at her little brother, 'what did you do that for?' He shrugged. 'It said "press here" so I did!'

'It said "press here in case of fire" you deficient little troll,' Darlene said to him.

He twisted his neck to look at his second sister. 'I didn't read that part.'

'Oh jeez …' Becky crossed to the sink to refill her glass of water. D.J ran out of the kitchen, leaving the two sisters alone. 'So are mom and dad mad?'

Darlene shrugged, 'they're swinging between going mental and thinking it's hilarious. I guess as long as mom doesn't get fired over the whole thing, they'll be OK… who were you on the phone to?'

She felt her heart freeze in her chest. 'Nobody.'

'Oh come on - Bec - you slammed that thing down the moment we walked in - who was it?'

'It was no one - Dar - God!'

The door opened again and this time Roseanne and Dan walked in. 'what are you two doin'?' their mother demanded when she saw her two daughters standing in the kitchen. 'I thought you had homework and chores to be doing, Becky.'

'I was just gettin' a glass of water,' she raised the glass as her alibi. But Darlene had to go stick her great, big foot in it. 'And she was making secret phone calls.'

Becky shot her her best withering look, 'you're such a brat.' Then she glanced nervously at her mom. Darlene hadn't worked it out … but that didn't mean Roseanne wouldn't.

Sure enough, Roseanne's eyes were narrowed. 'Who were you talking to, Becky?'

'Nobody, mother.'

'Don't you "mother" me.'

She shook her head and looked contrite. 'I was just talking to Judy. I hung up when you guys came back 'cause I know I'm not supposed to use the phone when I'm grounded. I'm sorry - I know you guys will be mad at me...'

'Uhuh,' Roseanne's eyes were still narrow - and her tone suggested she wasn't buying it either. Becky held her breath … hoping - and then she felt her heart plummet down to her kneecaps as her mom picked up the phone and hit redial. She closed her eyes. Don't pick up Don't pick up Don't pick up she willed with all her might - sending her thought out to Mark. But their psychic connection was clearly faulty - because after a few rings she heard him pick up down the other end, even standing all the way over by the sink as she was.

'Yeah?' She heard his voice - and felt any hope of ever being allowed out again crash down around her ears.

'Who is this?' her mom yelled into the phone.

'You rang me - who the hell are you?'

Roseanne gave an angry laugh. 'Oh I don't have any time for your smart ass remarks, you little weasel, just tell me who you are - 'cause you're not Judy.'

Lie … Becky thought, clenching her teeth and screaming the word in her mind - willing him to hear it. Willing him to understand what was happening. Say you're Judy's dad. Unfortunately, it seemed Mark was beginning to understand what was going on … but didn't have the presence of mind to make something up. Instead there was a long pause - as he digested what had just been yelled at him and then he said: '...Mrs. Conner?'

'Mark!' She barked back - her worst suspicions confirmed. She slammed the phone down and glared at Becky.

Darlene laughed nervously and began to back out of the kitchen, 'I'm just gonna…' she turned and fled. And Becky was left alone with her parents. She put her glass down, and gripped the counter for support - not trusting her knees to not give out with them both staring at her like that.

'You were calling him?' Dan asked her - and his voice was deathly quiet and dangerous, like it had been the other night. But then he erupted. 'Dammit Becky - how many times do we have to expressly forbid you from seeing that punk? He's no good. Don't you get that? Can't you see that?'

'Yeah that's what everybody thinks about him,' she burst out - fear giving way to anger. 'But if he's no good - how come the cops wanna talk to Bobby about the fight, not him, huh? But you guys don't care about the truth - you just wanna stop me from ever having a life.'

'What are you talkin' about?'

'Bobby attacked Mark - not the other way around. He brought two of his football player friends along to help him. That's why he wouldn't tell his mom who'd done it - 'cause he started it. Mark only burned him in self defence.'

Dan went quiet - but Roseanne took up right where he left off. 'That is totally beside the point, Becky,' she snapped. 'You were banned from seeing him or speaking to him long before any of this happened. He's too old. He drinks. He smokes - he has you lying and sneaking out of the house. He's a bad influence.'

'He doesn't influence me. Please, mother - I sneak out of this house 'cause I don't wanna be here. And if you just let me see him, I wouldn't have to lie about it.'

'Read my lips. N. O. NO!'

'I just knew you wouldn't understand,' she pushed past her mom and stormed out of the kitchen.

'Hey get back here - I'm not done yet!'

But Becky didn't listen. She ran all the way back to her room and slammed the door. They could hear it down in the kitchen.

Dan sat down in his place at the head of the table. He was still quiet. Roseanne turned to look at him, pushing her hands through her hair in frustration. 'I swear to god, Dan - what is going on with her? She's out of control lately - and it's all that creepy kid's doin'.'

'...maybe.'

'What do you mean "maybe" - she wasn't like this before she met him.'

'She wasn't in 10th grade before she met him. She'll be 16 before you know it. Maybe it's just her age, honey.'

'Nuhuh, no way,' Roseanne shook her head vehemently. 'She was a good kid before she met him.'

Dan rested his elbows on the table and linked his hands together - examining his thumb nails rather than looking at his wife. 'And are we so sure this Mark is a bad kid?'

'Yes, Dan - we're sure. We met him, remember?'

'It's just…' he shrugged, but he didn't look up at her. 'Becky believes in him. The cops believe his story. He wasn't the bad guy there. Why are we so quick not to believe him?'

'Because he's a punk, Dan. He's the guy that's gonna drive Becky off the rails and then break her heart - and she can't see that, but we can. We know exactly what type of guy he is.'

Dan nodded. 'Didn't Bev once say the exact same thing about me?' he asked. He studied his nails more closely, linking his fingers so tight the knuckles turned white - still not meeting Roseanne's eye. 'Kid got beat up by three football players and he got himself out of trouble. Becky could do a lot worse than hang around a guy who can handle himself like that.'