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Chapter 6: Confrontation

"Okay, Little Man. You got everything.", Dirk asked his brother. "I think so.", Dave said going over everything in his backpack. He, Jade, and Rose were all staying over at John's house for the sleepover that night. With Dirk and Mr. Egbert's consent, Dave had packed enough clothes to stay the weekend at the Egbert's. Dave begged his brother to talk to their dad while he was gone. Dirk promised he would. He really did NOT want to come back home until their dad was gone.

Both Dave and Dirk loved their dad, but with his increasing hostile behavior, life in the Strider household had become extremely difficult, if not flat out impossible, to live with. Neither one of Strider siblings could take it anymore. Something had to give, and soon.

While Derrick was passed out on the futon, Dirk had rushed Dave off to school before he woke up.

"Alright see ya later Little Man, love ya!", Dirk said as he pulled up to the school. "See ya Bro, love you too!" Dirk gave his little brother a hug before he exited the vehicle. "Be good for Mr. Egbert.", Dirk called out the window. "I will.", Dave hollered back. Dirk didn't pull off until he saw Dave met up with John and Jade and made it into the school.

Dirk nervously drove off toward home. 'What if I couldn't talk some sense into Dad? What if I just make things worse? C'mon Dirk, snap out of it! You've gotta do it, for Dave.'

To Dirk's surprise, when he snuck back into the apartment, their father was no where in sight. He called out a few times, and even looked around in a couple of rooms, but he couldn't find Derrick anywhere. Maybe he already split? 'Ha, good riddance. Now we can get some peace and quiet around here.', Dirk thought as he laid down on the futon. He closed his eyes and tried to get at least a few minutes of decent shut eye.

"DIRK!"

'Damn...So much for that idea.'

"IT IS WELL AFTER 3PM. WHERE IS DAVID? WERE YOU TOO LAZY TO PICK HIM UP AND LET HIM WALK HOME?", Derrick screamed at his eldest son.

"Dad, calm down for just a minute okay.", Dirk said sitting up from the futon, "It's alright. Dave's staying at his friend's house. He's okay." Dirk tried to reassure their father. "And how can you be sure of this? How do you know that he's okay?" "Because Dad, I just know okay.", Dirk said as calmly as he could. "Proves how much you know. You're not his father!", Derrick hollered in reply.

All right, that does it. It's Dirk have a little talk with their dear old dad. Man to man.

"Dad, why don't you have a seat. We need to talk."

"Dad, what the heck is going on? Why have you been acting so crazy lately?", Dirk sat his father down at the kitchen table and asked as calmly as he could. Derrick just through on a smirk and almost cockily said, "I'm just concerned for the well being of my child, that's all. I do not agree with the way David is being brought up. A young boy such as him, needs more structure in his life. And I am afraid that you cannot provide that for him, Dirk."

Okay, Dirk was starting to get angry now.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean!", Dirk spat.

With that, Derrick smirks and hands Dirk the paper that was hidden in his coat pocket. "I filed for custody of David, Dirk."

Dirk, wide eyed, just stared down at the paper that was just placed in his hands. Everything was filled out, all he needed was just Dirk's signature and...Nonononono. This couldn't be happening! No, it couldn't! Derrick couldn't; no, Dirk wouldn't let him take his baby brother. If Derrick thought that he would give up Dave just like that, he had another thing coming!

Dirk looked up at the man, and his vision just went red. Dirk lunged at Derrick and punched his face hard enough to send him flying across the room. When Derrick landed, Dirk walked up to him and pulled him by his shirt to face him like a man.

"YOU LISTEN TO ME YOU PIECE OF SHIT!", Dirk screamed. "I WILL SEE YOU DEAD BEFORE I LET YOU TAKE DAVE! IF YOU EVER COME NEAR HIM AGAIN, I WILL PERSONALLY SEE TO IT THAT'LL IT'LL BE THE LAST THING YOU EVER DO! UNDERSTAND?" Dirk dropped Derrick to the floor. "Now, get out of here and never come back, before I do something that I might not regret.", Dirk said turning around.

Derrick Strider just laughed as he picked himself up off the floor. He wiped the blood pouring from his nose as he looked at his eldest son. Without saying a word, he turned around slowly and walked towards the door. But, before he walked out the door; out of sheer arrogance he said, "Yeah, we'll see about that."