Thanks for the brilliant feedback guys - you're all so lovely. Welcome to new readers - and well done on facing a 30 chapter catch up! I love that you did. The (hopefully) good news is that there are still a lot of chapters to come - as I said from the beginning, this one's a long ride.

Little bit of a warning - this chapter is a lot more aggressive than others - in language and violence.

OK - on with the confrontation!

Porter licked his lips. He loved to see a woman get angry and he especially loved to rile up one who was always so composed.

"You know your problem Porter." She began coolly. "You spend your life judging other people because you can't stand to see yourself in the mirror. And I don't blame you! If I'd spiralled into such a bitter, miserable echo of a real man I wouldn't want to look at myself either."

Porter laughed loudly.

"And what would you know about real men?"

Lena wasn't going to be put down by anything he could say. "I was raised by one - and already all 4 of the ones in my house are a better example than you."

"Right - of course. The fairy, the delinquent, the puppy dog and the pothead. It's quite a collection you're acquiring. You see what the problem with families like yours - if you can call it that - is it teaches society that anything goes. Well that's not the world. You're raising these kids to have a screwed perception. No wonder kids these days have no responsibility."

"Do you even hear yourself or are you drowned out by the screaming hypocrisy?" Lena argued her eyes narrowing in disbelief. "And out of curiosity are you talking about my being gay or my teaching ideology because this venomous babble isn't making your point very clear."

Porter shook his head. "Does it matter? I just pity people like you. I pity the day you're going to turn around and see society fall around you knowing that it was people like you that drove it into the ground. When every Tom, Dick and Jose are in high powered jobs because of satisfying the statistics and keeping the activists of every deviation of human quiet, when the people who aren't afraid to speak up have been beaten into silence and discredited for being old fashioned or out of touch."

This time it was Lena who laughed. "By what? teaching kids that they can achieve anything regardless of who they are? That nothing is impossible if you work for it? That no matter what crap the world has thrown at you, you can get past it and make something of your life?" Her voice was raising into full flow.

"You wanna know what's going to collapse society Porter - it's people who can't see past their own prejudices and are determined to drive any chance of progress into the ground. Your world doesn't work! It's had its day and it failed - and you know what? Our alternatives may not work either yet - who knows? But at least it's not an endless circle of the same hurt and pain that too many people have had to endure for too long!" She was now in full stride. "When you hammer down a kid just because you don't like their dress sense or because they don't fit some warped body of "intelligence" or "standard" you are crippling them to whatever stereotype you want to project. They look up to you Porter - you're an adult! You're a grown man. You have a child! You want to teach them respect you show it to them. How can you even bear to get up in the morning living only to demoralise and bully?" Lena stopped for breath realising heat was rising off her forehead. Her heart was thumping in her ears and Porter was silently twitching.

"I don't even understand why you aren't celebrating? You hate teaching; you hate children; you hate everything we stand for here? Why are you so desperate to hold on? To torture yourself? To take out some latent hatred you have for your ex-wife on harmless children because they won't fight back? They can't hurt you? Is it to make yourself feel you have some worth? Are you pissed because you were beaten? Because you were outsmarted by two kids you wrote off from day one?"

Porter stared at her with such anger in his eyes that his lip quivered. He wavered for a moment.

"Well..." he said as she breathed heavily recovering from her rant. "It looks like I've misjudged your family. Seems like one of you does have balls." He said spitting with venom. "And there was me thinking it would have been the one of you who runs around doing a man's job."

Before she even knew what was happening she found herself raising her hand and slapping him squarely across the cheek.

She was vibrating with anger - not even about the comment - more having felt the full force of how he could manipulate her emotions. She realised first hand what Jesus had been going through and it made her so angry. So maternal. So protective. She pulled herself down. It was over now. He was gone. This was prolonging it.

"Go home Porter." She quivered trying to keep calm having collected her thoughts.

He rubbed his cheek as she returned to her car.

"I could report you, you know. I have friends in high places. You may think I'm scared to fight you by taking this slap-dash peace-keeper but I'm not. I know my rights."

"No-one is doubting that you know your rights Porter. I just wish that you knew all of your wrongs. It may make you a happier man one day."

She opened her door and retreated inside. She tried to stop her hand shaking long enough to get it into gear and drive off. She couldn't take her eyes off Porter in the mirror as she sped away. She pulled it around the corner and stopped in order to gather herself back together. The adrenaline was still flowing. She put her head on the steering wheel and took a few deep breaths. It really was over.

Michelle lay in bed waiting. She was waiting for her Dad to come home. She knew he'd be drunk. She knew he'd be angry. She knew he'd take it out on her. She also knew she'd thrown him under the bus. She'd done it for her plan - to work up some more trust - but there was a huge part of her that did it for her own revenge. He defended her, sure. He protected her against most people but not himself. She was as liable to his taunts as anyone and growing accustomed to them didn't make her not resent that it was the way he was - even if every now and again it worked to her advantage. She thought about Brandon last night and Lena and how much they seemed to value her feelings, even though they had no requirement to. She still couldn't shake this guilty feeling. After her embarrassment at crying in Brandon's arms she had got defensive and left. She had assured him it was nothing to do with her dad but she had stormed out and left him confused. He had tried to speak to her but she had told him she needed the space. Really she was having doubts. She could run. She could leave Brandon out of it now - but Carl would find her. She could tell Carl she was bailing. He would probably beat her but that was OK, she could take that. What if she wanted to stay with Brandon? Maybe there was more to it than this. Maybe there was more to her.

Her stomach lurched as she heard the door. She better go and talk to him. She had to.

She slumped down the stairs and into the kitchen where he sat, whiskey already poured.

"You OK?" she asked getting a glass of water for him.

He turned to her and scowled.

"I'm surprised you're here." he snarked.

"Shouldn't you be out celebrating with your new family?"

Michelle bit her lip. "You're my only family Dad."

"Oh am I? So you didn't think to stick up for me? You were there yesterday. Don't tell me you didn't know. I doubt a decision is made in that house without some damn circle time family meeting."

"Maybe I did know. Maybe you deserve it." Michelle began to get riled.

"Ungrateful cretin." he mumbled. "I should have begged your mother to take you with her when she left. All you do is leech anyway. What worth are you to me? About as much as she was."

"If she was worth so little to you why do you spend your days taking it out on the world? If she was so irrelevant why can you not hear her name without scowling, why do you sleep with every hooker in this town trying to get just a glimpse of what you had?"

Porter swiped the glass of water across the table causing it to shatter just inches away from Michelle on the floor.

"You think you've got it all figured out don't you? Remembering some saint? That it was my fault she left..."

"You drove her to it!" Michelle sniped back cutting him off.

"She drove herself to it when she started screwing that druggy! Old habits die hard Michelle - that woman was screwed up long before I was in the picture." he thundered. "She left us to return to a life of cheap thrills and easy highs!"

"Well it makes you wonder what her life was like here then doesn't it? She had reformed she'd pulled herself out - then she met you! You were meant to be helping her stay out but you drove her back. You never let her forget how lucky she was to have you rescue her! Beating her down every day!" Michelle roared back tears in her eyes.

"I hate her Dad, as much as I hate you for not saving her - for pushing her back down - but it doesn't change anything!"

"Then get out of it then! Run off to your boyfriend and his house of rainbows and endless praise. But you can't can you? You can't because you know you're not worth it. Not when the thrills run out for him and he realises you're just as screwed up a little bitch as she was. When you lose your assets and your disguise and looks fade. You won't be able to hack it either!"

Michelle threw the glass of whiskey in his face immediately causing him to strike her, backhanded across the cheek.

"I may not be worth much but at least I haven't sold my soul to whiskey." she said maintaining composure and storming out. She was used to fights with her dad. They didn't phase her. She was used to occasional violence if he'd had too much to drink and sensitive topics came up. What she hadn't been prepared for today was the echoing of another's words. The words that got her into the very situation she was beginning to have doubts about.

"I need you to do something for me Michelle." Carl's voice flashed through her head as she closed her eyes and wiped away an angry tear.

She was transported back to the scene.

She was sat in the back office of the bar on his lap. They were embalmed in the strong musty smell of stale cigarette smoke and marijuana.

She took a drag from his joint and slipped off his knee placing the roll back down into the ash tray.

"If you're going to stick around you're going to need to start pulling your weight."

"Oh and you don't think I do enough." she glazed her hand down his arm.

"I think if you're going to keep spending my money you need to help me out."

"I got you your last three customers..."

"I mean more." he said sternly eyeing her body up and down.

"I have a big deal coming through. Bigger than everything over the last year put together. It'll be enough for us to get away and start a life."

"I thought this was casual..." she questioned suggestively.

"Business comes first but we both know neither of us is going anywhere." he paused gauging her wavering expression.

"You need me. You need me to let you escape from the shit tip you call your life."

Michelle bit her lip knowing he was correct.

"Plus if we're no longer partners you owe me a lot of money."

Michelle furrowed her brow. "That wasn't the deal"

"That's not for you to decide." he cut her off.

"It's very simple but I need your skills..." she recalled him vividly explaining it to her. The ins and outs. The reasons. She was tempted but would it even work? She'd have to get a third party.

One slip up and it would be her fault. She'd have to maintain a relationship with someone for a long time.

"I'm not sure, Carl. That sounds really complex..."

His expression changed severely. "and what's your alternative?" he sniped. "you think you're too good for it - is that it? You're above it?"

"No I.. I just don't understand why we can't keep things the way they are - this is super risky and it could ruin..."

"Ruin what? Your chances of college? Your future? You think you've got a chance away from petty hustling and flaunting your assets around to sell drugs? If you could do better than that why are you here Michelle?"

She stuttered.

He got off his chair and moved closer to her. "You wanna give another world a shot? Like your Mom did? Leave behind her druggy ways and marry a loser like your dad? Tell me how long did that last for her before she slipped back again? How long before she got bored of her new life?"

His face was inches away from hers and he gripped her arms tightly.

"You don't need bullshit Michelle. What we have here works and if we're ever going to come out on top we stick on the track with what we're good at. This is the next step."

She gulped down. He was right. What else did she have? Carl was aggressive and hard but in some screwed up way he needed her and she needed him. It didn't surprise her though. Her life had already been so much of a joke why would it change? She needed to survive and Carl was the only person she could trust.

"Only you can do this Michelle." he said nibbling her ear slightly as he whispered into it.

"What if it fails? What if they find it?"

"You better choose someone who won't. Someone who would never suspect and someone you can get under your command. It's just for a little while - they won't even be affected...won't ever even know. One day it'll just be over like any other high school romance - and we'll have the start we need. It's just till the cops are at bay."

Michelle felt Carl's breath on her neck even as a memory. Who had she been kidding? She had no choices here. She needed to make things up with Brandon. She had put it off for too long and any longer she risked serious trouble.

Bit of an angry chapter there but hopefully it answered a few questions about why Michelle is the way she is. Interested to know what people think based on past perceptions? This was all expected anyway? Anyone feel any sympathy? Nothing could make you feel sympathy for her? Just curious to know! Thanks as always for all the great feedback!

Chapter 33 Preview: Lena confides in Stef, Jesus receives and apology and Callie and Brandon have a heart to heart.

Stef's eyes immediately flared with rage, her defenses up. "Did he hurt you?" she responded, her voice ringing with under-laced anger.

"No, no. We just had words. Well...except that I slapped him."