Chapter Five- Fathers on parade

Benjamin Boykewich sat in his office, staring at the wall absently. He knew that this would happen, it was unavoidable, but now? Today? He sighed as he lowered his head to his desk and just kept it there.

"Ben," a voice said as the door opened.

Twenty six pairs of eyes zoned in as the counselor stepped into the room and fixed his gaze on Ben. Ben, taking in Ricky's expression and jumpy attitude, told the sophomores to finish reading the music on the board, write on a piece of paper and then they could have the rest of the period for free time. Free time, being that they stayed in the room; there was always at least two students who thought they'd be wise and say that free period meant they were free to do and go wherever they wanted.

"What's up?" Ben asked warily as he sat down with the other man across from him.

"How old is my daughter?"

"What?"

"My daughter. How old is she?"

"Ricky-"

"Answer me Ben," he said in a deathly quiet tone and Ben looked down at his hands.

"Fifteen."

"Does she go here?"

"Yes," he whispered.

"Did you and Amy ever think about telling me this?" he asked as his voice rose a little bit.

"To be honest no," he sighed. "I know that you know that I adopted her and as far as she knows, I'm her father. We don't want to mess things up for her right now, it'd be too hard on her."

"Yeah, well what about now?"

"What about now?"

Ricky just stared at him. "I saw her Ben!"

"Janie?"

"Yeah, you know, the kid that I have with your wife!" he half yelled and the chatter dropped to a silence in the other room and Ben cringed as he realized that his students heard that.

"I'd appreciate it if my sophomore students didn't know all about my life," he said quietly and Ricky held his hands up in apology. "When did you see her?"

"A few minutes ago. She was in the parking lot with some guy."

"Probably Riley," Ben muttered to himself and Ricky rolled his eyes.

"Adrian won't say shit about it so I know that you have something to do with it. And when the hell did you guys get all buddy buddy huh?"

"Since we started working together about six years ago. She used to come over to see Janie a lot when she was a baby and helped Amy out with her. I think it was because she missed you though," Ben added quietly.

"Do I get to meet her?"

"You're asking permission?!" Ben asked in surprise and Ricky shrugged.

"Well I figured that you're right. I mean she has no idea that you're not her father-" as he said that Ben flinched as if the comment hurt but Ricky paid it no mind. "But I'd like to at least be able to talk to her you know? I know Grace would like it too."

"You and Grace,what is that?"

"She's my wife," he dead panned. "We can't have kids of our own, so if I was able to have a relationship with Janie, I know she'd love it too."

Ben suddenly stopped and a weird look crossed his face. "Oh God. If that does happen, Grace could be considered her step mother," he said as Ricky laughed.

"Let's not tell her that part."

Ben stared at the man in a little bit of wonderment. Here was Ricky Underwood, the same arrogant boy from high school; still the same yet completely different. Sixteen years had changed him a lot, but Ben still wasn't sure that he wanted him to sink his claws into HIS daughter. No matter if Ricky was the biological one, he was her real father. Nothing would change that.

"Dad?" Janie poked her head around the door. "I got a note…"

Ben reluctantly picked his head up off his desk to look at his daughter. "You skipped."

"What?"

He looked at her. "You really gonna try and lie about it Jane?"

She sighed. "Did Adrian tell you?" she accused and he shook his head.

"It doesn't matter how I know; I still know that you did."

She rolled her eyes. "Yes, I did."

"Can I ask why?"

"No."

"What?" he eyes grew wide and she shrugged. "It's…personal."

"Janie, I'm your father."

"Yeah, I know. But this is the kind of thing that Mom would understand more than you."

"Oh really?"

"I think so," she crossed her arms in defiance and he sighed.

God. Riley and Hailey, Hailey and Riley. She couldn't get it out of her head. The image of her boyfriend smiling at the girl that was in his arms, that wasn't Janie by the way, and then kissing her tenderly, as if she was the only girl that mattered to him in the world. But she wasn't. Janie was the only girl that mattered to him in the world. Or…she was supposed to be. Apparently she was got ranked second, in line behind Hailey Bush.

"I just thought you should know, " Greg said quietly from the drivers seat as Janie watched, in horror, her boyfriend make out with Greg's sister.

"How long?" she asked in a strangled voice.

He shrugged. "A while."

"A while?!"

"I became her ride back and forth like a month or two ago."

"You knew?" she asked in a pained voice.

He looked at the steering wheel as guilt crossed his face. "Yeah. I knew. That was why I always look at Riley like I want to kill him, because I think he's a dick for doing this to you. And fucking around with my little sister doesn't help. I thought you would have figured it out by now," he said.

She sat there silently, refusing to look at the couple and instead stared straight out through the windshield.

"Could you take me back now please?"

"Are you ok?" he asked her softly.

"Yeah I'm fucking peachy," she replied as her voice broke. Shit. She did not want to be crying in front of this guy, this very cute guy as a matter of fact, that she barely knew. Despite all that, she could feel the tears fall from her eyes and she turned her face from him.

"I'm sorry," she sniffed a few minutes later.

He touched her shoulder gently and she turned to him. "It's ok," he said in a tone that conveyed more than one meaning and she started to cry again, this time, falling into him as he patted her hair in an effort to calm her.

"I'm gonna kill him," she said as they pulled back into the school twenty minutes later. Those twenty minutes had allowed her to go through hurt, pain, sadness and now they were onto anger and possibly revenge.

"You should," Greg muttered.

"How could he do this? I mean we've been together for over a year, what the fuck? And you know what, I really thought he was different you know? But apparently he's just like every other fucking guy; if a girl won't give it up, it just gets old right?" she laughed bitterly and sighed. "I'm sorry Greg. You don't need to hear me bitch about this, it's not fair."

"I don't blame you," he shrugged. "I'd be pissed as hell."

She smiled a little smile at him. "Kinda."

"Don't apologize Janie. I just thought it was time for you to know," he said as they exited the car.

"Jane Elizabeth."

Janie turned around to see her mother standing in the kitchen with her arms crossed.

"I take it that Dad called you?" she smiled wanly.

"You take it right. What made you think that skipping school would be a great idea?" she sat down and motioned for Janie to take the chair next to her.

"He also told you that I wouldn't tell him didn't he?" she sighed.

"You are on a roll with guesses today," Amy replied, her expression not changing.

"Alright. So there's been these rumors at school about me and Riley. Things like that he's been cheating on me with some slut at school and I never believed it. Well apparently he is and I caught him red handed," Janie said looking miserable.

"You skipped class to catch your boyfriend cheating on you?" Amy raised an eyebrow and Janie nodded.

"The girls brother knew about it and told me to come with him. So I did and he took me to the park where they were just going at it, for the whole world to see!"

"They were having sex?!"

"No Mom. They were just making out but seriously, it makes me look like a joke. Like I just blindly believed him. God I'm so stupid," she moaned as she put her head on the table.

"Sweetheart, you're not stupid. Those things happen and it's never your fault."

Janie let out a sharp laugh. "Right, not my fault. He got bored with me Mom. I didn't give it up to him so he found it elsewhere," she said bluntly and Amy flinched at the casualness of the conversation.

"Well then forget him Janie! He wasn't worth your wait," she said laying a hand on her arm. "If you're dating someone that doesn't agree to wait until you're ready, then they don't deserve you and there is someone out there that will wait."

"Yeah the geeky AV guys," she muttered and Amy laughed.

"Your father was a geeky guy," she told her.

"And?" she said motioning towards herself. "Obviously I'm the freak. The freak that thinks that virginity is just oh so cool. I'm going upstairs," she said as she got up.

"Janie? Don't do it again ok? I'll look the other way this time, but next time…"

"Dad will chew me up and spit me out?" she joked and Amy nodded with a smile on her face.

"Pretty much."

"Thanks Mom," she said softly as she started upstairs.

"So? Was the big reason that she couldn't talk to me about?" Ben asked as he walked in the door five minutes later.

Amy sighed. "It's…a girl thing honey. You wouldn't understand."

"What?!"

"I'm not sure you would understand," Amy trailed off as she bit her lip, unsure of if she should tell her husband or not.

"Amy, of course I would," he said his voice softening.

She smirked. "Ok fine. She started her period today and needed to get some tampons from the drugstore," she raised an eyebrow.

"Why didn't she just go to Adrian?" he asked in confusion, completely unphased.

"Forget it," Amy said throwing her hands in the air.

"You were right. You were all right," she said in glum voice and her friends sighed.

"Janie, we wouldn't lie to you about this. I told you, I've seen them!" Nadine insisted.

"I know. It's just…why me? Why does this have to happen to me you know? Is it because I'm not pretty enough? Not fun enough? Not…sexy enough?"

"Janie!!" Julie yelled. "You are beautiful!! And if you weren't fun enough, you really think this wild child here would be friends with you?"

Nadine snorted. "I would too." A pause. "Ok well maybe not best friends…"

"Exactly my point. As for you being sexy, well…I have no idea," she sighed.

"It has nothing to do with you being sexy Janie. It has to do with Riley not being able to keep it in his pants. I know that you were holding out on him and you have your reasons for it, and if he doesn't understand that, well fuck him!"

"You sound like my mom," she muttered.

"Dude your mom had you when she was your age, you think she might know a thing or two?" Nadine said in a tone that implied that Janie was dense.

"Besides, there's plenty of guys even that are still virgins," Julie pointed out.

"Oh really who?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. Would you like me to ask the entire student population to wear a friggen sign around their neck to see if they've done it or not?"

Janie narrowed her eyes. "No. Ok seriously, what am I going to do when I see him tomorrow? Do I slap him, do I ignore him?? What?"

"I think you should dress super sexy, but not slutty, and then tell him that he's missing all of that," Nadine smirked.

"My father works at the school Dina."

"Your fathers hot Janie."

"I…I agree," Julie said after a second.

"UGH!!" Janie yelled putting her hands over her ears. "You guys, can we be serious here??"

"I am being serious," Nadine insisted. "I think you should show him what he's missing. And then slap him. But just because that's fun," she grinned.

"I think you should just tell him pointblank that he's a douche bag and a pig and you want nothing to do with him."

"This sucks," Janie sighed.

"Could be worse," Julie shrugged. "He could have an illegitimate child somewhere."

"Jules!!" Janie yelled while laughing.

"Janie??" Ben asked while knocking on her door.

"Crap. I gotta go guys."

"Have fun with your hot dad," Nadine laughed and Janie made a face as she hung up the phone.

"Mom told me about today," he said as he sat down on her bed.

"She did?" Janie raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah. I mean I know I don't fully understand but getting your period is nothing to be ashamed of hun."

She burst out in laughter. "My period? Wow!! Yeah Dad, my period. That's why I skipped," she said with a smile.

"That's…that's not why you skipped is it?" he asked.

"No but go Mom for that one," she laughed. "It was something to do with Riley and me but it's fine now. Whatever."

"Riley. You skipped class because of your boyfriend?"

"Dad, forget it. Really. Won't happen again," she said as she held up her hand in a promise.

Amy sighed and punched in the numbers on the piece of paper in front of her.

"Hello?"

She sighed. "Ricky, is your wife there?"

"I'm sorry, is this Amy? Amy the woman that wants nothing to do with me?"

"Is she there Ricky?" she asked through clenched teeth.

"What do you want with her?" he asked as he crossed his legs, getting enjoyment out of teasing her.

"You know what, forget it. I'll just talk to her later," she said as she took the phone away from her ear.

"Alright, I'm sorry! Hang on."

"Amy?" Grace's voice came through the line and a sigh escaped her, this time in relief.

"Grace I think I need some help."

"From me?" she all but squeaked.

"Yeah. Remember back in school when you caught Adrian and Jack together?"

"Amy, what does that-"

"My daughter just went through something similar and I thought you could help her."

"Janie?" she asked curiously.

"I only have one daughter."

"What happened?"

Amy smiled. "I'll let her tell you that one, if she does and if you're interested."

Grace smiled a huge smile. "Yes, I am! Thank you Amy."

"Thank you. And…don't tell your husband," she added as an afterthought.