Chapter 14: Desperate Measures

Brandon and I trudged up the steps to Brandon's front porch. My Dad was already ringing the doorbell. Brandon kept a distance from me. Not long, but enough for me to get the point that I shouldn't touch him. I shot him a hurtful look at first, but he quickly shook his head and looked towards my Dad. Oh. He didn't want to get in anymore trouble than he was in. A little too late for that. I hadn't told him about what my Dad said before I got in the car. I didn't have time.

The door opened to reveal a surprised Mr. Powers. "Chief Solaria? What can I do for you?" Mr. Powers asked hesitantly, glancing at the two teenagers behind the chief.

"There was an altercation at a particular residence that your son was involved in. May I explain more inside?" Mr. Powers nodded and moved aside to let us in. Dad grabbed my arm and pulled me to the other side of the living room, away from Brandon. I glare at him in disdain, but he completely ignores me and stares at Mr. Powers.

"Mr. Powers-"

"Stan," Mr. Powers interrupted. "Just call me Stan, please."

"Alright, Stan. I just wanted you to be aware of your son's actions today. He pretty much broke a young man's nose today because he…lost his temper." I hated how my Father sounded so condescending towards him. He wasn't there, he doesn't know what happened.

Stan looked shocked at this and turned to Brandon. "What is he talking about?"

Brandon scowled but said, "Just this guy being disrespectful. Not only to me but to Stella too. I lost my temper…I'm sorry."

"Sorry isn't enough, boy. He pretty much broke the young man's nose," Dad kind of raised his voice.

Mr. Powers looked back at the chief. "Well, it will never happen again, sir. I assure you, this isn't the Brandon I know," he said sternly and Brandon snorted. From what Brandon told me about their relationship, there isn't much of one.

"You can bet it will never happen again. I don't want him around Stella any longer. He needs to learn his own strengths first."

Brandon's head snapped up and he looked at Dad in anger and disbelief. "What? Are you kidding me? I would never hurt Stella."

"Not intentionally, maybe. Your anger is just too much. Get it under control first."

Tears are starting to burn the back of my eyes. I thought my Dad would relent a bit about the whole thing. Apparently not. Brandon is starting to get angrier. Not like at Aunt Faragonda's house, but angry nonetheless.

"Well now hold on," Stan held up his hand. "You can't possibly be blaming the whole situation on my son. He said he was defending himself and your precious daughter over here. I would take that as a thank you."

Dad clasped his hands behind his back. "You can defend someone's honor without putting your hands on him."

I scoffed. "Dad, you weren't there. You have no idea what terrible things Baltor was say-"

Stan's eyes widened. "Baltor?" He looked back at Brandon's face. "You mean Baltor Rynes?" Brandon nodded grimly and Stan turned back to Dad.

"You have no idea who that boy really is. If you did…my son lost his temper once. It's not as if he'll do it again, but if you don't want Stella to be around him then so be it." What? How the hell did he know Baltor too? Baltor and Brandon obviously didn't meet for the first time at the jamboree.

My Dad nodded and Brandon shook his head. "There is no reason to do this. I love her. Baltor was just saying all that stuff to make you think I'm the bad guy. When really-"

Dad waved his hands around. "I don't care about that anymore. Just stay away from my girl," He said, grabbing my arm and steering me in the direction of the front door. I planted my feet where they were and yanked my arm back. Dad sighed and tried again. "Stop being a baby, Stella. We're leaving."

"Can I at least say good-bye?" I pleaded, tears threatening to fall over. My Dad's gaze softened a bit and he reluctantly nodded. He and Stan went into the kitchen so we could say our last good-byes.

We kind of just stared at each other for a second before I launched myself in his arms. He held me so close that I thought I couldn't breathe. I loved it though. I wouldn't ask him to hug me any other way. Not with the feeling of his arms around me.

I didn't realize I was crying into his shoulder until he pulled back and wiped my face. "Don't cry, princess. I'll figure something out; I promise," Brandon swore. I sniffed.

"I'm not staying there. I can't even think of staying there right now."

"Where are you going to go?"

"I was thinking about it on the way over here actually. Maybe…maybe Cassandra's?"

Brandon looked slightly taken aback. "Really? I mean, okay, but I didn't think you would even want to see her again."

"I don't." I sighed. "But if it means I can see you, then I'll do it."

Brandon leaned his forehead upon mine. "Do you have any idea how much I love you?"

"Not as much as I love you," I whispered. He chuckled lowly and gave me a sad smile.

"I love you ten times more." He gently pressed his lips to mine in a sweet lingering kiss. Man, I'm acting like I'll never see him again. If I had anything to do with it though, I'll definitely be seeing him again.

"Two minutes!" Dad shouted from the kitchen. Ugh.

I pulled back and looked into Brandon's warm brown eyes. "Meet me tomorrow at 11 AM. You know the place." I whispered urgently. I still had a lot of question to ask him. Starting with how exactly did he know Baltor. He looked at me confused for a second, before he understood what place I was talking about.

"How are you getting out?" I asked lowly.

I shrugged sheepishly. "I'll find a way. Just be there, okay?" He nodded and kissed my forehead. I closed my eyes, reveling in the feel of this moment. Of course, Dad had to ruin it.

"Let's go, Stella," he calls. I have to make this look like an extremely dramatic good-bye scene right now. You know, just to convince him that we'll never see speak to each other again.

Brandon steps back and looks at me with anguish evident in his eyes. "Goodbye, Stella"

I sniff again. "Good…goodbye Brandon," I whispered and ran out of the house.

I started packing my bags as soon as I got in my room. Dad called after me as I went up the stairs, but I ignored him and slammed my door shut. I didn't pack everything; my bag wasn't big enough. I just got the essentials and a weeks worth of clothes. If everything worked as planned, then my Dad will understand that Brandon is going to be in my life and he had to deal with that. Hopefully, things go as planned.

I grabbed my bag/suitcase and hustled downstairs. Dad was surfing through TV channels in the den. He didn't look up as he said, "So you decided to be mature and talk about this, huh?" He sets down the remote and up looks up at me. His eyes narrow at the sight of my suitcase.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"You said if I lived under your roof then I follow under your rule. And like I said," I picked up my keys from the kitchen table, " I'm not living under either."

Dad stood up and sighed exasperatedly. "Stella, be reasonable. I understand that you think you're in love with this guy, but trust me, you're not."

"You have no idea what you're talking about, father," I replied rather coldly. "I'm staying at a friends house for now. Don't wait up for me."

"Stella, wait," I turn to him slowly. "I'm just looking out for you. I don't want you hurt; physically or emotionally, alright?"

My piercing stare softened. "I understand that, Dad, but you have to trust me. Brandon is too important for me to just let him go like you're trying to make me do."

"It's just your teenage hormones raging. It'll pass. He needs to fix his…rage or whatever it is before he can even be near you." He reach his hand out to grasp my arm but I quickly shied away.

I walk to the door. "You don't get it." I slammed the door shut behind me and jumped into my car. It was starting to drizzle so I turned on the windshield wipers. As I drove, I tried not to think about the past three hours. How everything went from five to zero in minutes.

I got to the apartment flat in about 20 minutes. Tecna had given me their address before and I just put it into my GPS system. I knocked on the door six separate times, but there was no answer. Guess I should've called first to see if they were even here. I was about to plop down on the floor and wait for someone's arrival, when the door swung open.

There stood a disheveled looking Diaspro. Her hair was a mess atop her head and she was wearing nothing but an overlarge T-Shirt. It didn't look like a woman's shirt either…Oh My God.

"Stella! What are you doing here?" She asked wide-eyed and glanced behind me. "Mom isn't with you, is she?"

I shook my head slowly. "No. I actually came here to talk to her. Did I come at a bad time?" I asked.

"No, um…not really I guess. I kind of have some company…" She trailed off. I heard a deep husky voice coming towards the door.

"Hey, babe. I gotta run now. See ya la-" Sky came to an abrupt halt when he saw me. My jaw almost dropped. She had…with him…in her mother's apartment?

"Stella. Hey!" Sky laughs nervously and subs the back of his neck. He has a white wife-beater on that I'm sure he wore under the shirt that Diaspro is wearing. I look at him in disgust.

"Really, Sky? My sister?" I wasn't jealous. I had Brandon, so there was no need for this jealousy. I was just disgusted. He would sleep with anyone, wouldn't he? I bet he has some kind of disease by now.

Diaspro cleared her throat. "Bye, Sky." She smiled what I guess was her seductive grin and he left. "Come on in."

The apartment flat was actually cozy. A full kitchen, high ceilings, polished wood flooring, and a fireplace. This has to be like a condo or something. Were fireplaces even allowed here? I didn't wallow on the question but followed Diaspro into the elaborately decorated kitchen. I sat down at the table.

"What something to drink?" she asked while searching the cabinet for a cup.

"No thanks. So…where is your mom?"

"Our mom is out at a meeting. She dragged Tecna with her." Diaspro said in a bored tone.

"Wait. A business meeting? Why is she having one here?"

Diaspro looked guilty. "I'm really not suppose to say…" I got up and stood in front of her.

"The real reason she came her was for business. Not me," I state softly, not helping the hurt tone in my voice. Diaspro shook her head.

"No, no, no! She did came here for you. People just found out about her being here and they wanted her to check out some designs. No biggie. I just can't tell you which designs. It's top secret."

"Oh." I don't know why I was so relived to hear that. "When should she be back?"

Diaspro looked at the clock. "About an hour or so."

"And you weren't worried that she would catch you and Sky together?"

She shrugged. "I don't really care if she did. Nothing she could do about it anyway," she said nonchalantly.

I looked at her incredulously but decided against commenting on her obvious dysfunctional relationship with her mother. Heck, I had one too.

"Where is Roxy? They take her with them too?"

"Acutually...I'm babysitting tonight," she admitted sheepishly.

"You've got to be kidding." She shook her head. "Diaspro how could you do that when you're babysitting your baby niece?!" I nearly shouted. She is beyond irresponsible now.

"She was asleep the whole time and she still is." She crossed her arms. "I knew what I was doing."

I snorted. "Sure you did."

"What are you doing here anyway?" she asked.

I sighed. "I'd rather explain it when Cassandra gets here. Just so I don't have to go over it twice." Diaspro nodded.

"You won't tell them about what happened right?" she questioned. I shook my head and we just sat around for 20 minutes when Cassandra and Tecna arrived. They were surprised by my presence. I quickly explained why I was there, which meant telling them about Brandon, Baltor, Dad, and Brandon's Dad. Everything. In the end, Cassandra agreed to let me stay. It was awkward for me to ask, but once I did she quickly agreed. That was easy. She even suggested talking to my Dad for me. Yeah. Let's see how that works out.

The next morning, I wake up to the delicious smell of breakfast. I don't know what it consists of, but it smells good. I padded into the kitchen to see Cassandra cooking away at the stove. She flipped a pancake as she greeted me.

"Good Morning!" Why is she so cheery this early in the morning? I definitely didn't get that from her.

"Hi," I say quietly and sit down at the island in front of the table. She walks over to me and sets a plate of food down. "There you go. Made from scratch." I look down at the mouth watering scrambled eggs, pancakes, bacon, grits, and sausage. I look back up at her with a small grin. "Thanks."

She waved me off with her hand. "No problem." She sat down in the stool next to me. I was half way through my breakfast when I spoke up again.

"I'm going to see Brandon today," I look over at the clock and see that it's already 10:30. "I actually better be getting ready now."

"Okay. I'll talk to your father later today then." she smiled brightly at me. I broke her gaze.

"I still don't forgive you," I whispered. I heard her sigh and stand up. She slowly laid her hand on my shoulder. I didn't shake her off this time.

"I know, Stella. I know." She went back to her room, leaving me with my conflicting emotions.

I jog up to Sally's Ice Cream Parlor and see that Brandon is already standing outside. I knew he would. He's always early for things that are important. When he sees me, his face breaks out into a wide smile and he embraces me closely, swinging me around.

"Brandon, put me down!" I giggle as he finally sets me down. He grins and pecks me on the lips.

"Sorry. Just good to see you." He looks behind him. "The parlor is closed today because of renovations or something. Where do you want to go."

"Um…how about the park?"

He nods and we walk east towards the park. He keeps his arm around my shoulders while I put mine around his waist. It was calming and relaxing. When we arrive at the park, some kid kicks a football close to the street so Brandon retrived it for him. He threw it to the thankful child and we continued walking.

"Are you trying out for football this year?" I asked. He was really good at sports if you ask me.

He shrugged. "I don't know. I might. I try not to get invested in school sports. They seem to take over my lifestyle."

"Well if you do get on a school team, I promise to make sure you stay connected to your family. And me of course." I smile as he laughs.

"Okay, I'll tryout under one condition."

"What?"

"You have to be a cheerleader," he said, grinning from ear-to-ear.

"No way in Hell!"

"Why not?" he pretended to pout.

"I'm not great with coordinated sports," I scowl as I remember my gymnastics phase.

He twisted his mouth in consideration. "Well, you could always be my personal cheerleader." He grinned cheekily.

I laughed out right. "Hmm. As long as that means being at every single game, cheering you on and laughing at the girls that wish they could have you, then I'm all for it."

He smiled. "That's what it's all about, gorgeous."

We sat down on a bench and relished in the slight sunrays. I slid my legs beneath me and turn to look at Brandon. "I have some questions. About Baltor."

He blew out a long breath. "I knew you would." He gazes at me and the opens his arms. I scoot sideways into his lap, liking the closeness. I think it encouraged him to talk more.

"What I'm about to tell you, you can't tell anyone. Especially your Dad. Him being a cop and all."

My eyes enlarged. "You didn't do something stupid and illegal right?" Please say you didn't.

"No not me. It was…" He stared at me intensely. "Promise not to say a word first, Stella. I'm trusting you right now."

I touched his cheek. "I promise. Not a word."

He nodded and inhaled deeply. "It was Baltor and…"

"And who?"

"And Helia."

A/N: Once again I have to thank you all for your support of this story. It means soooooo much.

Whoa, didn't see that coming, did you? Hate to leave you on a cliffhanger like this, but I couldn't resist. Trust me, you'll find out everything that happened. Any guesses?

We got past 100 review! I'm doing a happy dance right now! Keep them coming!

I will try to update again Wednesday, but Open house is this week at my high school and I have to prepare for that. I may not have time to do it. If not Wednesday, then definitely Friday.

So…Review!