Author's Notes: Hi, readers. Here is chapter thirteen of "Turnaround." I thought making Dino and Mina very snooty would make the whole encounter a bit more realistic. Rich people will act that way sometimes, especially if their wealth came into their lives overnight. Stay tuned for chapter fourteen.

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Chapter 13: Teens Talking with Their Parents

Callie opened the washer in the Firehouse's laundry room in the midevening. She tossed a basket filled with clothes in it. She put the latter down. She filled the former with laundry detergent and softener. She closed it with a loud slam and turned it on. It began running loudly. She laid her hand on top of it. She heard footsteps approaching. She turned to see Phoebe coming down the stairs.

"Hey, Mom," Phoebe greeted as she stopped next to the dryer.

"Hey yourself, Pheebs," Callie replied softly. "Are you feeling okay?"

"Yes," Phoebe said, nodding slowly. "What about you?"

"I am okay," Callie admitted and rubbed her eye. She got an eyelash on the back of her hand. She flicked it away. "I am a little tired, though."

Phoebe turned around and leaned her back against the dryer. She slipped her hand under her stomach. She looked up at the ceiling for a minute before turning to her mother.

"I never thought Dino would come back into our lives," Phoebe whispered in a bitter way.

"Me neither, honey," Callie agreed, turning around and leaning her back against the washer. She crossed her arms while clicking her tongue. "Mina thinks she is some prize."

"I can't believe he accused me of being jealous of her," Phoebe said with an irritated scoff. "Why would I be jealous of some bimbo?"

"You are right she is a bimbo," Callie answered and chuckled to herself. "If brains were dynamite, she wouldn't have enough to blow her nose."

Phoebe snickered under her breath. "Good one, Mom."

"Why, thank you!" Callie said with pride.

"Don't show too much pride," Phoebe warned as she pointed her finger at her. "It will bite you on the ass."

"Duly noted," Callie responded and uncrossed her arms. "By the way, don't point. It's rude."

"Oh, that's right," Phoebe grumbled and put her hand behind her back.

Callie gave her a very light punch to the shoulder. "Good girl."

Phoebe looked down as she moved her hands over her stomach. She felt the baby move against them. She looked ahead, a tear falling from her eye. Callie placed her hands on the washer. She tapped her fingers against it. She gritted her teeth.

"I can't say I was surprised Dino said you were responsible for me becoming a slut. Of course, I am not one," Phoebe commented and chuckled humorlessly. "Some people think a woman does not become a slut until she gets pregnant out of wedlock. It does not matter how many sexual partners she has."

"I knew several girls who slept around when I was in high school. They thought they were catches. They got pregnant and weren't sure who their children's fathers were. They were raised by single mothers who allowed them to do whatever the hell they wanted. This included drugs. The mothers celebrated their pregnancies and refused to hold them accountable for their bad choices. They didn't even care the children would not have their fathers or father figures in their lives," Callie explained.

"That's not right," Phoebe said in disgust.

"It isn't, but it is what it is," Callie replied and cleared her throat. "It is likely those girls have several children each now. Every child has a different father."

"I wouldn't be surprised if they are fat and ugly too," Phoebe suggested.

"I have always been a firm believer in karma. What goes around—" Callie started.

"Comes around," Phoebe finished with a giggle.

"There you go finishing my sentence again," Callie growled in playfulness.

Phoebe shrugged. "What can I say? I am beginning to enjoy finishing people's sentences."

Callie smiled. "That you are."

Phoebe suppressed a yawn. She clasped her hands together and twirled her thumbs around. She swallowed hard, her heart skipping a few beats. She bit her lip.

"That was the first time I saw Dad filled with such rage," Phoebe whispered, her body shaking somewhat.

"Can you blame him? Dino made cruel insults toward you. He wasn't going to let him get away with that," Callie answered, touching her daughter's shoulder.

"I actually wished Dad had punched him deep down. Dino deserved a huge shiner on his eye," Phoebe commented. "Of course, Dino would likely have filed assault charges against him."

"I am glad Hobbie intervened and believed every word your father said," Callie said, her voice showing much relief.

"Me too, Mom," Phoebe agreed. "Me too."

Phoebe took off her glasses and wiped the lenses with her blue t-shirt. She put them back on. They slid down her nose, but she pushed them back against her face. She observed Callie cupping her chin in her hand.

"I saw jealousy flashing in Dino and Mina's eyes while Ray and I explained the history of the Ghostbusters to them," Callie suggested and crossed her left ankle over her right one.

"I saw that too," Phoebe agreed. "They must have realized our lives have been much more fulfilling than theirs have."

"It's great to achieve early retirement, but it means nothing when you have no one to share it with. It seems Dino and Mina have no real friends. She probably has family they spend time with. He wants nothing to do with his because they were mean to him when he was young," Callie commented, shrugging and yawning.

"Of everyone in the group, I believe Dino is the most jealous of Dad," Phoebe answered seriously.

"Your dad is everything Dino hasn't been in forever. He is an amazing husband. He is a loving father. He is an incredible friend," Callie explained firmly.

"He really showed off his protective side tonight," Phoebe murmured, a small smile crossing her lips.

"Dino can call himself your real father all he wants. It doesn't take away the fact he was never there for you. He was there for your brother until after the divorce. Trevor cried every time Dino canceled visitation due to some 'emergency.' I started calling that code for screwing a woman he had just met," Callie said, an angry scoff coming from her. "Then Trevor said he wanted nothing to do with him. Dino accused me of destroying his bond with him. He did that himself."

"You got that right," Phoebe replied, giving a sharp nod. "Just because someone is your flesh and blood does not give them the right to treat you like crap."

"Mm-hmm. Let's hope we do not encounter the bastard and his bimbo for a good while," Callie whispered, her body shaking somewhat.

"Yeah," Phoebe agreed with a fast nod. She started talking about the time she caught Trevor reading her diary and chased him all over the Firehouse to get it back.

00000

Trevor sat in the first stool of the kitchen's bar. He was reading the newspaper article about the interstate dragon on page three. It was titled 'Ghostbusters Capture Witty Interstate Dragon.' A picture of the dragon flying over a sign was underneath it. He tried not to smile, but he couldn't help himself. Footsteps caught his attention. He looked over his shoulder to Gary coming his way. Gary came to his side.

"Hey, buddy," Gary greeted with a smile.

"Hey yourself, Dad," Trevor answered with much warmth. "How are you?"

"I am fine," Gary admitted while sitting on the second stool. He laid his arm on the bar. "What about you?"

"Never better," Trevor commented and turned back to the newspaper. "Talk about a wild dragon, huh?"

"Yeah. I thought this guy would be a cinch because of the reduced traffic," Gary said and let out a humorless chuckle. "Boy, was I wrong."

"You never know what to expect when it comes to anything, especially ghosts," Trevor said honestly. He folded the newspaper to put it aside. "At least that prank-pulling ghost was easier to capture."

Gary nodded in agreement. "It sure was. Why do I get this feeling we will be dealing with a trash-throwing ghost at some point?"

Trevor shrugged. "It could happen. Who knows?"

Gary patted Trevor's back rather lightly. He folded his arms and laid them on the bar. He suppressed a yawn. He tried again with another one, but he couldn't help himself.

"I can't believe we encountered your birth father and his girlfriend at Hobbie's Place tonight," Gary whispered with a shake of his head.

"Me neither," Trevor said, his teeth clenching. "He had the gall to walk back into our lives and act like nothing happened."

"Mina claimed she was prettier and smarter than your mom was. Give me a break. She looked pretty basic to me," Gary replied bluntly.

"Asian women are known for their beauty, but she lacked it," Trevor agreed.

"Yep," Gary said, giving a sharp nod.

"Phoebe was right to call her a bimbo," Trevor said and snickered under his breath. "She looked a little clueless."

"I can't say I am surprised Dino never told her about his real past. He had to make himself look like he was the good guy," Gary commented and clicked his tongue. "Something tells me she won't leave him, despite Phoebe revealed what he was really like."

"If she doesn't, then she is no better than he is," Trevor muttered with an angry hiss. "Why do women defend shitty men?"

"I would say it is because these women need the men for validation. They don't like them deep down, but they refuse to let them go," Gary explained.

"That makes a bit of sense," Trevor responded and rubbed the back of his neck. "I have to say Phoebe's aim was the best I've seen from her."

"Even better is some of the water got on Mina," Gary said and laughed raucously. "She deserved to get a little wet due to her snooty behavior."

"Dino and Mina hold their noses so high that they'd drown if it started pouring down rain," Trevor commented, crossing his arms. "She had the gall to demand that Phoebe and me respect him after we told the truth about him. He doesn't deserve respect from anyone."

"You are so right," Gary agreed while touching his son's shoulder. "Yep, yep, yep."

Trevor rubbed his chin before propping his head up with his elbow. He tapped his fingers against his cheek.

"I can never forget all the times Dino cancelled visitation. He did it to hurt us," Trevor mumbled, sniffling in a quiet manner. "By then, all he cared about was screwing women left and right. He was gone from our lives completely by the first anniversary of the divorce. We didn't even know where he went."

"He never deserved you, your sister, and your mom," Gary said, bluntness lining his voice. "That's for sure."

"You got that right," Trevor agreed.

"He had the gall to accuse your mother of destroying his bond with you. He has only himself to blame for you wanting nothing to do with him," Gary said.

"I do not blame you for jumping out of your seat and grabbing that bastard by his shirt when he tried to advance on Phoebe. In fact, that was the first time I had seen you display such rage," Trevor admitted, his body shaking and his heart skipping a beat.

"No one insults my daughter like that and gets away with it," Gary commented and flared his nostrils. "The same goes for the rest of my family."

Trevor smirked. "I wish you had punched his lights out. He deserved to have a shiner on his eye."

Gary swallowed hard. "I admit I wanted to knock him out, but I would have risked having assault charges slapped on me."

Trevor tensed a bit. The thought of any of his friends and family ending up in jail unnerved him to no end. He felt lucky he had escaped charges on the offenses he committed in the past. He had no doubt everyone in his inner circle had similar feelings about doing the same. He tapped his fingers on the bar.

"I could tell Dino and Mina were jealous while Ray and Mom explained the history of the Ghostbusters to them," Trevor whispered and let out a small yawn.

"I could too. They must have realized their lives have been nowhere near as fulfilling as ours have," Gary suggested and suppressed a yawn. He tried with another one, but he couldn't help himself. "He seemed to look the most jealous of me due to my bond with you."

"Early retirement is cool, but it can feel empty when there is no one to share it with. By the looks of it, I don't think Dino and Mina have any real friends. It is possible she has family they spend time with. He would never take her to see his family because he hates them for mistreating him as a child," Trevor explained.

"He probably told her about them," Gary commented while scratching his chin.

"He told Mom. That made her feel sorry for him. She expresses sympathy toward most people with bad pasts," Trevor said, folding his hands and laying them on the bar. "The same goes for animals."

"She is such an amazing woman that she takes my breath away. Dino lost the best thing that ever happened to him," Gary said, scoffing irritatingly. "He will never realize it."

"I was thinking of flipping Dino and Mina off on both hands. It would have been hilarious to see their reactions," Trevor said, forming a big smirk on his face.

"I would have loved it," Gary admitted. "So would have the others, though your mom would have gotten on your case. She doesn't like it when people give others the bird, even if they are adults."

"I hope we don't see Dino and Mina for a good while. He can say he is my real dad all he wants," Trevor said and ran his tongue all over the inside of his mouth. "You are my real dad."

"Thanks, son," Gary said while patting his son's back. He started talking about Phoebe's throwing water at Dino.