Magically Divalicious

Story 3 - The Truth Shall Set You Free 

 

Story 3 / Scene 1

Jenn lay in bed, wrapped in Eddie's arms as he explained his unforeseen confrontation with Watkins.

"Jenn, if you could have seen the way he looked at Cassie and Charles.....and the way he insulted her." he sighed heavily, closing his eyes.

"Eddie... Jenn paused, you don't think he's a racist do you?" Jenn asked.

"No, I mean...I don't know. I'm not sure what he is but here's what I do know, he definitely disapproves of Charles and Cassie's relationship. Personally, I don't believe he's a racist for one second. I don't think his attitude toward people has anything to do with the color of their skin.  He doesn't discriminate. Everyone on the force has seen his nasty side." Eddie answered. "I doubt his attitude toward Charles and Cassie has anything to do with the color of Charles's skin.  I think he's just nasty for the sake of being nasty. He's pissed off and mad at the world for some crazy reason or another. I can't answer why because with Watkins you just never know."

Jenn rubbed Eddie's chest. "Honey, I know your upset but promise me you'll be on your best behavior tomorrow. Watkins may not be the friendliest person in the world but he is your partner and the two of you need to find some common ground."

Eddie pulled away suddenly and sat straight up against the bed head. "Jenn, have you heard a word I just said?" he asked, shaking his head with irritation.  "I just told you the man insulted our daughter and you're asking me to shake hands and make nice with him." he grumbled, frowning.

Jenn sat up, facing him and looking him directly in the eyes. "Eddie Sutton I'm not asking you to do anything of the kind." she retorted.

Eddie looked away, avoiding her eyes. 

Jenn caught his chin with her finger, forcing him to meet her gaze. "I'm asking you to behave like the well trained officer I know you are. You don't have to be best friends with the man but you have to maintain a working relationship."  Now, I know this may be a strain for you but do it for Cassie.  She and Claire have found true friendship in each other and they don't need their fathers ruining it for them. I'm sure Watkins has no intentions of coming between Cassie and Claire's friendship. I'm sure he loves his daughter just as much as you love Cassie and doesn't want to see her hurt. He was probably upset and said those disrespectful things to get you riled up." Jenn rationalized.

"I hope your right Jenn, but Watkins is a real hard case. I can't figure out what makes him tick.  We've been working together for over a month and he'd rather spit on me than look at me or talk to me.  Now I've tried. I really have but he won't give an inch.  And it's not just me, he treats all the officers in the same bad-mannered, ill-tempered way.  He's secretive and always defensive." Eddie argued, cocking his head to the side in a moment of realization. "You know, I honestly don't know anything about him.  I assume he's married because of his daughter but I don't even know that for sure.  He's been in town now for a few weeks and I still don't know where he lives.  We ride in a patrol car together eight hours a day, 5 days a week and I know next to nothing about this man.  Doesn't that seem a bit odd to you?" he questioned Jenn.

Jenn grabbed his hands tightly and shook her head. "Eddie, some people like their privacy and even though you and I may find it a bit odd we have to respect that. Your partner Watkins may be one of those private, secluded people.  There's nothing wrong with that.  It's not against the law to be a quiet, reserved person.  Besides, he's a cop and you of all people should know how stressful the job can be.  You don't know how long he's been a cop or what problems and trials he's faced in his career.  Just give him time.  He's new here and everyone on the force, including you, is practically a stranger to him.   Try and back off and give him a little space.  You can be pretty forceful at times and that in itself can be intimidating for a newcomer." Jenn smiled.

"What's that suppose to mean?" Eddie snorted, taking offense.

Jenn kissed him on the cheek and laid down in bed. "It means it's getting late and we need to get some sleep." Jenn answered, avoiding the question.  

Eddie laid down and pulled Jenn close around the waist. He closed his eyes but sleep never came.  He couldn't get his mind off of Watkins.  What could make a man so hard and defensive, so cold and unapproachable.   Things just weren't adding up.  Claire seemed like a sweet, respectful, outgoing young lady while Watkins did his best to remain in the shadows.  He tried his hardest to remain unsociable.  Eddie opened his eyes, thinking to himself. At times, all of Watkins actions seemed deliberate.  He was trying to hard.  Something was going on and it was high time he found out a little more about his partner.  

 

 

Story 3 / Scene 2

Cassie sat in Mr. Pettiford's Trig class waiting for Claire. She really wanted to talk to her after last night's horrible episode. She glanced at Claire's empty seat as the final bell rang, wondering where she was.  She'd overheard her mom and dad talking about Officer Watkins last night  as she stood outside their bedroom door. She'd wanted to tell them she'd be staying after school to work on her arts council project when she'd overheard the awful comments her dad made about Mr. Watkins.   Claire was completely different from her dad. How could he be so cruel?

 

 

Claire walked into class fifth teen minutes late.  Cassie was relieved to see her but concerned about the blank look on her face. 

Cassie smiled. "Hey...are you okay?   How come you're so late?"

Claire stared straight ahead, ignoring her, pretending not to hear her.

Cassie leaned forward, trying to get her attention. "Claire?...Will you please answer me?  What's wrong?" she whispered, sensing Claire was upset.

Claire turned in her seat, facing her.  "Nothing...I had a huge fight with my dad this morning... alright." Claire whispered angrily.

"Did your argument have anything to do with me?" Cassie asked with a disappointed expression on her face.  Claire's silent glance was all the only answer she needed. "Claire, this is stupid.  My dad's right. We're friends and we can't let our fathers' problems come between us." Cassie agreed.

Mr. Pettiford cast a disapproving glance in their direction. "Can we talk about this later please?" Claire pointed out, glancing from Cassie to Mr. Pettiford. She'd missed the first fifth teen minutes of class.  She really needed to pay attention. 

Sage leaned forward in her seat, whispering in Cassie's ear. "Wow, somebody sure is catty this morning. I never though I'd see best friends arguing, RRRRR-rrrr-rrr." she laughed. You better tell Claire to sheath her claws."

Cassie glanced back. "Shut up Sage and stay out of this. This doesn't concern you." she growled.

Sage leaned in closer, staring at her neck. "Ouch!" she said amusingly. "That wound on your neck looks infected. You better get that checked out. I hope you've your tetanus shot." she teased. "Charles must have some serious canines." she mocked.

Cassie swiveled in her seat with embarrassment. Sage could be so evil sometimes.

 

 

Story 3 / Scene 3

Watkins arrived at the precinct early. He wanted to talk to Sergeant Myers to put in his request for change of partner immediately.  He thought about Claire. His poor baby had been so upset with him last night. They'd argued once they got home last night and then again this morning. She didn't understand why she and Cassie couldn't be friends. She promised she wouldn't tell Cassie about their troubles in North Carolina, their reasons for coming here. She made it all sound so very simple but he knew it wasn't.  Out of all the students she could have befriended, she had to pick Cassie Sutton. He couldn't believe his misfortune. He loved her and felt guilty for uprooting her, bringing her here. Now, he was asking her to give up the one true friend she had found. This morning she had yelled at him, told him she hated him and it had hurt him to the core. Her mother had said the very same thing when she'd walked out of his life. She hadn't been able to deal with all the drama and harassment they'd faced after the shooting.  They had argued constantly and things had progressively worsened to the point where they barely spoke to each other.  She had met someone else and that was the end of his marriage as he knew it. In a span of months he'd lost his partner, his job, his wife and a lot of good friends.  He didn't want to loose his daughter.  He was very protective of her, maybe over protective is he admitted it to himself but Claire had been through a lot. He just wanted to protect her at all costs. Unfortunately that meant being very selective on who they let into their lives, who they befriended.  Claire loved it here.  Robelson High was a good school and she liked the people.  He didn't want anymore trouble.  He wanted to stay here and raise his daughter quietly and peacefully.  He'd never be able to do that peacefully if her friends and his coworkers learned the truth.

 

He explained his problems with Eddie to Sergeant Myers, literally begging him to authorize the change but his request fell on death ears.  Sergeant Myers was not the least bit sympathetic.

"I don't have time to baby sit you guys." Sergeant Myers wailed.  "You guys are ridiculous. I'm dealing with a bunch of overgrown cry babies. I'm not asking you to hold hands. Just go out there and patrol the streets together. Do your job and figure out a way to get along without killing each other in the process." he'd shouted, holding his office door open at the same time.

Watkins stared at the open door and accepted his cue to leave. "Yes sir." Watkins responded, leaving the office.

 

 

Eddie passed Watkins on his way into the precinct.

He blocked the exit with his body, refusing to let Watkins pass. "Any word on that request?" he asked.

"Denied!" Watkins said loudly. "Looks like we're stuck with each other."

Eddie swore under his breath.

"Trust me, I don't like it any more than you do." Watkins sneered.

Eddie relaxed his stance. "Look, about yesterday, Cassie and Claire really wan...___"

"I said all I had to say yesterday." Watkins interrupted. "I'll be out in the car.  If you're not out there in 10 minutes I'm leaving to start patrol without you." he turned and walked away, leaving Eddie with a defeated look on his face.

 

 

Eddie gathered his things from the locker room. He passed Watkins desk on his way out and stopped in his tracks. Everything sat neat, orderly and sterile, just like the man himself.  The usual family pictures and personal effects were missing.  He tugged silently on the desk drawers but as expected, everything was locked up tight. Someone touched him on the shoulder and he whirled with surprise.  He didn't want to get caught snooping around Watkins desk.

"Nate!, you scared me son." he exclaimed, holding his hand against his heart. That was a close call.  That could easily been Watkins tapping him on his shoulder. He was relieved to find Nate standing behind him. "What are you doing here this early?"

Nate laughed out loud, noticing the surprised look on his face. "Sorry dad, didn't mean to sneak up on you." he apologized. "I'm here to see Sergeant Myers about my job remember?" Nate reminded him.

Eddie nodded his head in agreement.  "That's right, I almost forgot." he smiled, hugging him and patting him on the back.  "So...you sure you're ready to come back to work? You want to come back to this war zone, because we'd love to have you?" Eddie teased.

"I'm bored senseless sitting at home.  At this point, I'll take desk duty and push papers all day long." Nate laughed.

"Well,...you've been missed around here.  A lot of the officers will be glad to see you back." Eddie stated.

Nate agreed. "I miss it to dad.  We had some good times didn't we?"

"We sure did. Now, it's just me and the Watkins." Eddie said the name under his breath like it was a bad word.

Nate winced. "Yeah, some of my old buddies here told me you got stuck with a real clown." he bit back a smile.

"Well, thank God I don't have to live with him.  I just work with him." Eddie clarified.  "Look, I better get going before this fool takes off and leaves me. See you later son." He turned to walk away then looked back. "Oh....if you get a chance stop by for dinner this Sunday. It's been a while since you joined us for dinner.  I'll have Jenn cook something special." Eddie promised.

"Great, I'll be there." Nate confirmed. "Can I talk to you before you go?" he asked.

Eddie glanced at his watch. "Sure but make it quick."

Nate grabbed him by the arm and pulled him aside. "Tay came to see me a couple days ago." he said.

"Yeah." Eddie smiled. "He told me all about it.  He said he had a great time catching up with his big brother. He thinks the world of you Nate and he really looks up to you. I appreciate the time you take with him."

"It's no problem dad. Tay's a great kid but he's having some problems in school right now.  I promised him I'd talk to you about it." Nate explained.

"What kind of problem?" Eddie asked anxiously. "He's not having problems with bullying again is he?"

"No, dad this doesn't have anything to do with bullying, it's his grades. His not doing to good in school right now.  His grades are failing and he's afraid to tell you because he knows you'll be disappointed and punish him by taking away his music."

Eddie sighed heavily.  "I appreciate you telling me Nate but Tay should have come to me."

Nate held his hands out. "You're right but just hear me out for a minute.  I'm not saying he shouldn't be held accountable for his grades and I understand his hobbies can't come before school. All I'm saying is he's a young impressionable kid with other interest taking up his time right now.  Music shouldn't be his priority but unfortunately right now it is. He's obviously having a little trouble staying focused. He's a talented, bright young man.  He just needs to get his priorities straight.

Eddie rubbed the back of his neck and blew a heavy breath. "I know Tay loves his music he's extremely talented but Jenn and I have told him repeatedly that his school work comes first.  He's got this idea in his head that he doesn't need school because he has his music." Eddie replied. "And Tay doesn't think of his music as a hobby.  He's convinced it's his life long passion. He's convinced this is what he wants to do with his life."

"Tay said that?" Nate asked, surprised.

"Not directly, but I can see where his head is right now.  His mother and I will deal with it but thanks for telling me. I'll talk with him tonight." Eddie said, turning to leave. "You'd better go. Don't keep the Sergeant waiting."

 

 

Story 3 / Scene 4

Claire and Cassie set up their bake sale booth outside the cafeteria.  Claire was in a real foul mood, snapping and complaining about every little thing.

Cassie called out to Lizzie and her friends across the hallway. "Lizzie, come buy some cupcakes please. I made them myself."

Lizzie walked over slowly. "Are you sure your cupcakes are worth a dollar. That's a bit steep don't you think?" Lizzie complained, laughing with Kayla and Shaunice.

Cassie rolled her eyes. "Lizzie, it's for the arts council.  It's for a good cause. Will you please just buy something?" Cassie begged.  "Come on Kayla, Shaunice, buy a cupcake. Their delicious. I promise." she confirmed.

"Sure, I'll take one Cassie." Kayla offered.

"Alright, I'll buy one but promise me you won't poison us." Lizzie joked.

"Very funny." Cassie replied. "I can't wait until they finish all the repairs on the middle school. Then I won't have to see you anymore."

"Likewise and don't worry, I'm telling everyone who ask that your my crazy step sister." Lizzie blurted, laughing and walking away.

 

 

Claire glared at her with a grim expression. "You shouldn't be so mean to your sister." she said unexpectedly, picking a fight.

Cassie glanced around with her hands out and shrugged her shoulders. "Claire, I was just joking. You've been in a bad mood all day. Can't we just forget about yesterday. It doesn't have anything to do with us." 

Claire threw the bake sale money in the metal cash box and slammed the top. "Bad mood?!   Well excuse me Cassie but I had a really big fight with my dad this morning, not that it's any of your concern!"

Cassie looked around warily. "Will you please keep your voice down. We're here to sell and you're scaring away our customers." she said, watching students avoid their table.

Claire stared at her in disbelief. "Did you just tell me to keep my voice down?  Excuse me?! I'm sorry if I don't live in your perfect little world Cassie. Forgive me if my father and I don't have a perfect relationship like you and your dad. Yeah, you're right. I'm a little upset and I'm in a bad mood but I don't need to hear this crap from you right now."

Cassie gasped in outrage. "Claire, this is so stupid. Everything was fine between us until our fathers met. Our friendship doesn't have to change. Look, I get it.  Your dad's a private person and he doesn't let anyone get too close. I promise not to ask you any personal questions."

Claire stood up quickly, almost turning over the booth in her haste. "OMG!, I'm assuming you heard that from your dad. He doesn't know anything about my father. Why is he even concerned?  My father was right. Your dad's a nosey do-gooder.  Always sticking his nose in other people's business.  Meddling in affairs that don't concern him."

Cassie jumped up from her seat, oblivious to the crowd gathering around them. "That's not true!" she shouted.

Claire stepped close and folded her arms. "Really?....so are you calling my dad a liar?"

"Yes!" Cassie yelled. "He's a liar and he's jerk. My father said your dad is rude and disrespectful to everyone he meets." she screamed.

"I'll show you rude." Claire said, grabbing a handful of icing, rubbing it in Cassie's hair. "Is that rude enough for you?" she asked, coating Cassie's hair in pink icing.

"You bitch!" Cassie wailed, lunging for Claire. They fell against the table in a wild hair pulling, nail scratching, arms flailing, frenzied cat fight. The table fell over with cupcakes and icing flying everywhere. 

 

 

Someone yelled cat-fight and a crowd of students surrounded them, instigating the fight. Emillio ran around the corner looking for Charles and David.

"Dudes!" he screamed, out of breath. "Come quick. Cat fight, I mean girl fight." he corrected.

Charles and David looked at each other laughing. "Let me guess, Sage and Stacey." Charles said.

David bent over with laughter.  "No man. More like Stacey and Melissa. I'll put money on it.  They're always arguing."

Emillio breathed in deep, catching his breath. "No!, dude listen to me.  I said girl fight. I mean your girls, you idiots!"

David looked at Charles. "Oh shit!" he yelled as they took off running.

 

 

Claire and Cassie looked ridiculous.  Charles caught his breath as he turned the corner.  They were both covered in cake and icing.  It was in their hair, on their clothes.  They looked like they'd had a food fight.  Cassie had a handful of Claire's hair and was pulling with all her might.  Claire had a death grip on Cassie's wrist, trying to pry Cassie's hand from her hair, screaming in agony.  He couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"Man, come on!" David urged.  "Don't just stand there.  We have to stop them before they kill each other." he warned.

Charles grabbed Cassie by the shoulders and David tried to pry her fingers from Claire's hair.

Cassie struggled, pulling away from Charles.  "Cassie stop it!  Let go. Now!" he yelled.

"No. Let me go.  I'm going to kill her!  Look what she did to my hair!" Cassie spat.

Claire laughed at her. "You deserved it.  You self righteous witch!"

Charles looked her in the eye, talking slowly and methodically. "Cassie...I want you to stop it, right now!.  Let go of her."he demanded.  "NOW!" he yelled.

Cassie relented, loosening her grip. David took Claire's hand and pulled her aside.  "Claire what's going on?  I thought you two were friends?" he asked. Claire avoided the question.

Charles stared at Cassie disapprovingly. "Well?, we're waiting. What's going on?"

Cassie ignored him so he turned to Claire.  "Claire, why are you guys fighting?   "You two look ridiculous." he mouthed, eyeing their soiled clothes and hair.

"Why don't you ask your girlfriend?" Claire responded angrily.

Charles shook his head in disgust. He grabbed Cassie's hand. "Come on." he said, turning to grab the metal cash box from the floor. "Let's get this crap out of your hair. I can't believe you Cassie. Look at you." he said, shaking his head with disappointment.

Cassie pulled away coming to a halt. "She started it Charles." she defended herself.

Charles bent and grabbed her hand again. "Cassie, please don't argue with me. I don't care who started it.  That's not important. I can't believe you two, fighting.  This is ridiculous. This has something to do with your fathers doesn't it?" he suspected. He'd never seen Cassie argue and fight with anyone like this, except for Sage.

Cassie's eyes blazed with anger and contempt. "I can't believe your standing here talking to me about fighting. Speak for yourself Charles." she stated, reminding him of his fight with Dean.

Charles shook his head, disagreeing. "Are you kidding me?" Charles scowled. "This has nothing to do with Dean Cassie.  That was different. Dean deserved everything he got. I'm not going to argue with you. You look like a clown covered in all that icing. You need to get cleaned up. Come on. Let's go." he said, urging her forward with his hand on the small of her back.   They turned the corner for the nearest restroom and ran straight into Principal Evans.

Principal Evans shook his head and twirled his index finger in a revolving motion, telling them to turn around. "Oh no you don't.  Turn around. I want an explanation.  Let's go.  I want to talk to you and your sparring partner."

Cassie sighed out loud, turning around. Claire and David stood at the broken down table gathering her things.

Principal Evans stood in the middle of the hallway with his arms folded. "Alright people.  Get to your classes or in the cafeteria if your having lunch." he said, dispersing the crowd. He turned his attention to Cassie and Claire. "I want an explanation young ladies." He held his arms out wide, spanning the hallway.  "Look at this mess you created in my hallway."

Cassie and Claire stood silent, staring each other down. 

Prinipal Evans looked from Claire to Cassie. "Well, I'm waiting."

Claire refused to speak, propping her shoulder against the locker wall nonchalantly. Cassie stood next to Charles for support.

"Okay, if you don't want to talk about it here we can discuss it in my office while I call your parents but first you're going to clean up this mess." Mr. Evans stated.

Claire stood direct, frowning with disgust. "Are you kidding me?  You expect us to clean this up?" she asked, glancing around the hallway.

"Oh yes." Mr. Evans responded. "You're suppose to be selling treats for the arts council bake sale.  I allowed you to set up your booth here and you girls turned it into a wrestling rink. You created this mess so I think it's only fair to have you clean it up." he reasoned.  "I want the two of you in my office immediately after lunch. Is that understood?" he prompted, turning for his office.

"Great. This is just great." Claire sighed turning to Cassie. "Well, don't just stand there.  You heard him.  Let's clean this mess up." she repeated.

Charles rubbed Cassie's arm. "I'm going to go borrow some supplies from the janitors station.  I'll be right back." he offered, glancing back cautiously. "That is, if you two think you can keep your hands to yourselves until I get back." he warned.

"Charles we're fine." Cassie replied. He was right.  They had no business fighting. Yes, Claire had started it but she hadn't exactly walked away. 

"I'll come with you." David volunteered.

 

 

Claire and Cassie bent together, picking up the overturned table.  They picked up all the wasted cupcakes and tossed them into the garbage, counting their wasted efforts and they tossed each one in. 

"What a waste." Claire admitted. "Thirty six cupcakes in the garbage. This was a complete waste of time." she commented.

Cassie looked up from brushing the table off. "You're right." she agreed.  "I hope the other students had better luck at their booths. We only made twelve dollars." she said disappointingly.

Claire looked at her with a smug expression, holding back a smile.

"What's so funny?" Cassie demanded. "We'll probably be suspended and your standing there smiling."

Claire sat down on the floor, her back propped up against a locker, staring at her.  She burst out laughing.

"You're obviously enjoying this.  It's not funny." Cassie mouthed.

"Oh yes it is." Claire countered. Laughing hysterically, pointing at Cassie.

"What?" Cassie replied, confused. "Claire, what's so funny?"

Claire reached in her purse, pulling out a mirror. "Have you seen yourself lately?" she laughed.

Cassie looked in the mirror.  Charles was right.  She looked like a scary circus clown. Her hair was matted and greasy with icing.  It was smeared all over her face and her clothes.  She passed the mirror to Claire. "You don't look so hot yourself." she replied.

Claire looked into the mirror and fell out laughing. "OMG!, I'm surprised I didn't scare David away.  I'm a hot mess." she laughed.

Cassie burst out laughing and sat on the floor next to her. "You're right.  We both look pretty ridiculous. I'm sorry I insulted you." she apologized.

"No, you don't have to apologize. It wasn't your fault." Claire admitted.  "I started it. I've been a real bitch today, I admit it. I didn't mean what I said about your dad. Will you please accept my apology? I was upset.   I didn't mean it."  

"Apology accepted." Cassie smiled. "Will you forgive me for calling your dad a jerk?" she pleaded.

Claire nodded her head. "Of course I will.  I know you didn't mean it. Don't worry about." she smiled. "Besides, it's not the first  first time some one's called my dad a jerk." she laughed.  "Cassie, our father's problems are spreading to us and I hate it. We got into an argument this morning because he forbid me to speak to you and I refused. My dad is so stubborn. He doesn't want us to be friends anymore. Cassie...we can't let them interfere with our friendship." she stated. 

"Claire, that's not going to happen." Cassie promised.  "You're my best friend. I don't understand why your dad doesn't like me. What did I do?" Cassie questioned.

"You didn't do anything Cassie. My dad has nothing against you or your dad personally." Claire explained.

"Claire, you're not making any sense.  I don't understand. If he doesn't have anything against me, why can't we be friends?" Cassie asked.

Claire went silent for a few brief seconds. Her eyes misted over. She loved her dad but sometimes he could be so over bearing. People didn't understand him and he felt like he couldn't let anyone in his life. She hated living such a closed, private life. She felt like she was always hiding something, always forced to walk on egg shells around people.  Sometimes she just wanted to relax and not have to watch what she said to people.  She was tired of living in secret. "Cassie...my dad's been through a lot. We've been through some tough changes.  It's a long story and unfortunately it's his story to tell. I can't talk about it but I want you to know that he really means well and he's one of the nicest guys you'll every meet. Unfortunately for him, here lately, most people never get to see that side of him." she replied.  She smiled and stood up. "Come on, we'd better finish cleaning up."  She touched her head and winced. "Ouch!, your really did a number on me Cassie. My head is so sore." she complained.

"I'm sorry I pulled your hair." Cassie said.

Claire glared at her. "You didn't just pull my hair, you tried to snatch me bald." she laughed, teasing Cassie.

 

 

Charles and David came back with a broom, mop and cleaning liquids.

"I'm telling you David, this fight has something to do with Cassie and Claire's fathers."

"Man, you don't know that for sure.  They're women.  They could be fighting over anything.  I'm telling you Charles, females are different from guys.  They can fight over some pretty stupid stuff and they'll start an argument over anything."

Charles shook his head. "Dude, trust me.  Our girls were fine until their father's went at it and tried to kill each other.  They were close friends. I thought Mr. Sutton was going to kill Officer Watkins if I hadn't stepped in." he explained.

David grinned. "Our girls. I like the sound of that."

"My bad." Charles joked. "I meant my girl. Claire's not officially your girl yet." Charles laughed, putting David in a mock choke hold.

David punched him in the chest. "Very funny  Betty Crocker." he said, laughing uncontrollably.

"Oh God..., who told you?" Charles asked embarrassingly.

David laughed. "Don't worry about who told me, you girlie man.  Did you or did you not strap on a flowery apron and bake cookies?"

"I only did it as a favor to Cassie you idiot.  I'm not a girlie m..___"

"Whoa." David said as they turned the corner, interrupting Charles.  He stopped in his tracks, holding his arm out, stopping Charles from going any further.  He nodded down the hall towards Cassie and Claire. "Hey, check it out." he said.  He and Charles stood quietly watching the two laughing and smiling with each other. Charles watched as Cassie joked around, doing her best impersonation of him, copying his walk.  He laughed at the silly expression on her face.  She and Claire had went from scratching each other's eyes out to best friends again in a matter of minutes.  They showed all the signs of a true friendship.  They were able to overlook silly arguments and misunderstandings. 

"Looks like they worked things out." David observed, smiling as he and Charles walked down the hall.

 

 

Charles walked up behind Cassie and grabbed her around her waist. "Hey.  I'm happy to see you guys made up." he smiled and kissed her cheek.

Cassie smiled hesitantly, embarrassed that Charles had caught her impersonating him. "Hey you." she said shyly.

"Very funny. Don't hey me." Charles said, pulling her close and whispering in her ear. "I don't walk like that.  You're doing it wrong." he chuckled. He leaned close and whispered in her ear. "I'm going to do some private impersonations of my own when I get you alone." he said, smiling sinfully.

Cassie kissed him on the cheek and spoke quietly. "You just want to have your wicked way with me." she smiled.

"Exactly." Charles whispered against her mouth, hugging her close. "Come on.   I'll help you finish cleaning this mess up." he offered.

"Now that all of this arguing is over, how about we all get together and go out somewhere?" David asked, glancing at Claire.  "How about tomorrow night?  That is, of course, if Claire will go out with me?" he asked hesitantly, facing her.

Claire grabbed his hand. "Of course I will." she replied, smiling.   "What took you so long to ask me?" she questioned.

David shuffled his feet from side to side anxiously. "Honestly, I had to find the nerve to ask."  He stepped close to Claire and spoke quietly. "I don't mean to be overly forward but I think your beautiful." he complimented shyly.

Claire blushed wildly, dropping her head to shield her eyes.  She'd been called pretty but having someone as handsome as David call her beautiful was flattering. David was six foot three inches of dark skinned glorious male.  He was athletic, fit and according to Cassie and Charles, very smart.  His cheek bones were prominent . His chin was hard, square and masculine and his eyes took her breath away.  They were narrow, cat like slanted slits. He was gorgeous and confident. His hair was cut extremely low with the edges tapered to perfection. She couldn't help but blush every time he smiled or looked her way.  

 

She held her head up slowly as David stood before her watching her every move. "Thank you. That was sweet of you."

David shook his head, grabbing her hand. "No, I'm not trying to be sweet.  I mean it.  Your one of the most beautiful girls I've ever seen and I would really like to get to know you better." he reiterated.  "I know you're new here and you don't know a lot about me but I'm one of the good guys. I promise." he smiled.

Claire stepped close and looked him square in the face. "David Gibbs....I would love to go out with you and I feel like I already know a little bit about you." she smiled.

"Okay, you guys want to get together Friday, after school?" he asked, glancing around to confirm with Charles and Cassie. "What do you think Charles, maybe take these ladies to see a movie and grab some dinner?" David questioned with his eyes gleaming.  He couldn't hide his excitement.

"Sure but I can't sit through a two hour chick flick." he grinned, tugging on Cassie's hair.

Cassie gasped.  "I don't force you to watch chick flicks." she pointed out, laughing.

Charles shook his head in denial.  "Oh yes you do." he smirked.  "The last two movies we saw were tear jerking chick flicks. You cried through half the movie and all the way home. Remember?" he teased, kissing her on the forehead.

"Don't listen to him." Cassie grinned. "All he cares about are gory horror films and action flicks."

"Yeah, guy stuff." Charles muttered under his breath amusingly.

David laughed hard. "Okay so Friday night dinner and a movie."

Claire beamed with happiness. She turned to David. "Okay, ah....what time?" she asked nervously.  She was a little apprehensive about her dad meeting David. She sighed heavily.

"Hey, you're not having second thoughts are you?" David asked, seeing her weary sigh.

"No, of course not." Claire said.

"Good." David replied. "Ah...I'll pick you up around seven."

"Dave, I'll drive." Charles stated, glancing at Claire. "Dave's got a sports car. He only has two seats."

Claire grinned at David. "Wow, a sports car.  What kind?" she questioned.

"A Nissan 350Z." Charles volunteered before David could answer. "David's sort of the neighborhood rich kid around here." he laughed.

Claire stared at David. He seemed very uncomfortable and offended.

"Shut up man." he growled at Charles, turning to Claire. "I'm not rich. Don't pay any attention to Charles. He's into cars so he tends to exaggerate a little bit."

"Dude, please...You could have fooled me." Charles snickered.

"Seriously. Cut it out.  I'm not rich. I live in the Heights. How can I be rich. I'm just....ah...comfortable." he stated, searching for words.

"Comfortable?" Cassie questioned unbelievably.    "David lives in the heights but he's on the other side of town. His house is huge and they have a pool." Cassie explained to Claire, ignoring David's protest.

"Wow, I can't wait to see it." Claire responded, smiling at David. She'd have to pull some strings to pull this date off smoothly.  She already knew what her dad's answer would be to her and David dating, NO!.  He'd find a reason to dislike him. She prepared herself for another heated argument. She liked David and she wanted to go out with him. 

 

 

Cassie plastered a huge smile on her face. She was so happy for her friend.  David was a great guy and most of all he and Charles were best friends. Everything was perfect. She giggled softly as she watched David and Claire gush all over each other.

Charles poked her in the stomach. "Stop it." he mouthed softly. "You'll embarrass them." he smiled, leaning down to kiss her.

Cassie pulled away playfully. "I thought you said I looked like a clown. Since when did you start kissing clowns?" she teased.

Charles held her tight and planted a firm kiss to her lips. "I'll take you any way I can get you." he answered, kissing her as the bell rang.

 

 

Story 3 / Scene 5

Eddie got into the driver side of the patrol car. He slammed the door and turned to Watkins with a hard stare. "Look, this job is too dangerous and this car too small for you and I to be at each other's throats all day long. You don't have to like me, you don't have to look at me, hell...you don't even have to talk to me but I don't want our daughter's hurt and caught between our disagreements. And I want you to listen closely, because I'm only going to say this once, if you ever insult and disrespect my daughter again, you're going to have to deal with me, man to man. You should thank my wife. She asked me to be nice to you today." he declared.

Watkins turned to him with dull, unresponsive eyes. "I said everything I had to say on that matter last night.  Claire is my daughter. You raise yours and I'll raise mine." he said, eyeing Eddie with a cold hard stare. 

Eddie pulled the patrol car out into traffic. Now was as good a time as any to get some information. "Tell me something
Watkins, what brought you here?" he asked, glancing at Watkins as he drove. He shrugged his shoulders when Watkins avoided the questions. "What brings a guy like you from the quiet, tranquility of North Carolina to the Heights?" Eddie prodded oh so carefully.  He wanted some answers. Watkins gazed straight ahead ignoring him.  It was like talking to a brick wall. 

Eddie dug deeper, facing Watkins as they paused at a red traffic light. "See, I figure if a man uproots himself and his family to settle in a crime ridden corrupt town like the Heights, he has to have a pretty good damn reason.  So...tell me, what brought you here?" he questioned, staring Watkins down. "Do you have family here? Do you know some one or have a lot of friends here? What does the Heights have to offer someone like you?" he asked, bombarding Watkins with question after question. Watkins tried his best to ignore him but Eddie could see and sensed the nervous anxiety eating away at him. If he'd had any doubts and suspicions about Watkins before, they were gone now. Watkins was definitely hiding something. Something or some one must have brought him here. A man doesn't just pick up unexpectedly and move his family cross country for the hell of it. 

"Watch the road." Watkins pointed out, signaling to the green traffic light, trying desperately to change the subject.

Eddie drove on but refused to drop the subject. He was on to something.  He could feel it. Watkins was bristling with suppressed anger and tension. Eddie was cautious and expected him to throw a punch at him any second now. "What does your wife think about the Heights?    Is Claire your only child?  How long have you been a cop?" he questioned relentlessly, hoping to crack Watkins's resolve. 

"Give it a rest Sutton." Watkins blurted abruptly, tired of the repeated questioning. "What is it about my life you find so fascinating?" he growled angrily. "What's with all the damn questions?"

Finally, Eddie thought, Watkins showed some kind of response. "That's just it man. I don't know anything about your life, about you. Come on, everybody's got a story right. I've never met a cop without a story. What's yours?

Watkins studied him with a piercing gaze. "You don't want to hear my story Sutton. There's nothing much to tell."

"Humor me." Eddie said. "What makes a guy like you tick?"

"I'm asking you to respect my wishes and my privacy.  You need to back off. My life, my family, my history is none of your damn business. All you need to do is drive and keep your eyes on the road Sutt...___"Watkins paused abruptly, interrupted as the dispatcher came on the radio.

Eddie sat alert. He'd get more details on Watkins later. His priority right now was responding to this call.

"10-31, robbery in progress. 631 Brookland Farms Drive. Possible 10-32, neighbor advised subject may be armed.  All available units please respond." the dispatcher reported.

Eddie depressed the radio's microphone transmission button. "10-60, in the vicinity." he responded, flooring the gas pedal. The roaring sound of the v-8 engine reverberated through the street as he wheeled the patrol car around, switching on the siren. 

 

 

Story 3 / Scene 6

Jenn eyed the clock. It was one thirty in the afternoon and Dana was late returning from lunch once again. She leaned against the counter rubbing her forehead.  She had to talk with Dana about her tardiness. It was a problem, a habit she could no longer ignore. She'd hired Dana on good faith alone.  She hadn't known anything about her work ethic or prior work experience. Eddie had sent Dana into the clinic to inquire about work and she'd hired Dana on the spot as a favor to him.  She was beginning to regret her impulsive decision. Ever since she joined Dana and her friends for their girls night out, Dana's attitude and demeanor had changed toward her.  In short, she felt as if Dana was abusing their friendship. 

 

 

Dana ran into the clinic breathing hard. "I'm sorry I'm late Jenn. I had to take care of some things for mama on my lunch break. I promise it won't happen again." she confirmed.

Jenn turned to her slowly. "Yes,...ah....about that...I need to talk to you." Jenn replied.

Dana looked up, shrugging into her scrubs jacket. "Okay, sure. What's up lady?" she asked with an unconcerned expression.

Jenn stepped back from the counter and motioned with her arm for Dana to walk ahead of her. "Not here, I need to talk to you in private.  Let's go to the back nurses station." she said.

Dana eyed her cautiously as she turned for the nurses station. Jenn closed the door so they could talk in private.

"What's so important you had to drag me back here girl?" Dana laughed.

Jenn hugged the patients log folder to her chest.  She was nervous and dreaded this conversation but Dana left her no choice. "Dana, I really don't want to have this conversation but I promised Dr. Brian I'd talk to you about your tardiness. We tried to overlook it the first few times but it has been going on for weeks now. I don't know if there's something going on at home causing you to be late but I really need you to make an effort to be punctual. We're short staffed as it is and with budget cuts we can barely afford the medicine we need to treat patients let alone hiring extra help. I hate to be the bearer of bad news but Dr. Brian has given instructions to terminate you if it happens again.

Dana looked around, baffled. "Are you serious?" she questioned unbelievably. "Jenn, you of all people should know how much I need this job. I have to work. I need this job." she exclaimed.

Jenn held her hands up.  "Dana, I'm not trying to take anything away from you but this clinic is very important to the people in the community.  Most of the workers here are over worked and under paid, myself included but the clinic is the only available medical treatment most of the people here in the community have and can depend on. We need everyone to pull their own weight.  If it weren't for the unpaid volunteers, I don't know how the clinic would survive. Like I said, we're short staffed and the budget is tight. Everyone's doing everything they can to keep the clinic afloat. I just need you to do your job. Please don't make me regret hiring you."

"Regret hiring me!" Dana scowled. "I can't believe you just said that. I'm indebted to you for giving me a job Jenn but I don't appreciate you holding it over my head. I may come in late sometimes but when I'm here I do my job and I do it well."

"That's my point Dana!" Jenn countered.  "Punctuality, work ethic, that's all a part of the job.  That's what makes things work and run smoothly around here.  What do you think would happen if we all decided to come in late?  What would happen if one of our doctors decided to show up late every morning? I understand that things do happen and people sometimes get to work a little late but you've turned it into a habit. I'm telling you as a friend because I don't want to see you lose your job." Jenn stated.

Dana turned for the door, pausing with her hand on the knob looking back. "I'll tell you what I've turned into a habit, choosing the wrong damn friends." she insulted, slamming the door behind her.

 

 

Story 3 / Scene 7

Charles, David and Emillio jogged around the track in gym class. As usual, Emillio found it hard to keep up, lagging along a few feet behind.

Charles looked back over his shoulder. "Dude..., you are so sorry." he ridiculed Emillio.

Emillio laughed, stumbling along. "Don't worry about me.  I told you guys, I'm not cut out for all this athletic stuff. I'm a lover not a fighter." he laughed hysterically

Charles laughed. "You are so stupid."

"I'm serious." Emillio stressed, huffing and puffing along, completely out of breath. "I'm not built for this. Man, I'm to short for this crap. My legs ain't long enough. Come on guys, please. Help a guy out.  Slow down." 

Charles and David ignored him, increasing their pace intentionally.

 

"Man, do me a favor... don't talk to Claire about me anymore." David said, still upset over Charles telling Claire he was rich.

Charles stopped jogging. "What?" he asked, puzzled by David's statement.

David stopped ahead, turning back to face him with his hands on his waist, breathing deeply, trying to catch his breath. "I don't like being signaled out and put on the spot like that. It's just money. It's no big deal. You guys are making too much out of it." he said. 

"Just money!" Charles laughed loudly. "Wow!, that's easy for you to say because you probably have so much you don't know what to do with it all." Charles snickered. "David, honestly, what's the big deal?" Charles asked, grimacing. "She was going to find out eventually anyway. I don't understand why you didn't tell her?" he questioned. He'd noticed David wasn't very comfortable talking about his family's financial status. He was overly sensitive and defensive regarding the subject. He'd known David for a year and he was a completely cool guy but he got extremely uptight whenever people mentioned his money. He didn't flaunt his wealth openly but you couldn't help but notice the way he carried himself.  He lived in a huge house, he drove a flashy sports car and always rocked the latest fashion and kicks. His mom, an accountant and his dad, a prominent business man, threw lavish parties. When he and David went out together, David never worried about money. There seemed to be an endless supply.

"You're right, she would have found out eventually but I wanted to tell her on my own time. I want her to be with me because she really likes me.  Not my money." David explained.

"Dude, I haven't known Claire that long and I could be wrong but she doesn't seem like that kind of girl." Charles defended.

"I'm not saying she is Charles." David said.  "I'm just saying I've learned from experience that things go a lot smoother when people see me as an average guy."

Charles shook his head. "David,...you're not an average guy, your rich. I don't get you.  For some strange reason you have a problem being wealthy. You're crazy. Dude, I know a lot of people who would kill to be in your position." Charles commented.

"I"m not rich!" David yelled. "I really wish you would stop saying that.  Seriously, just because I drive a cool car and live in a big house doesn't mean I'm wealthy. That's just a rumor someone started and it stuck with me. Did you see the look on Claire's face when you said that earlier?" David asked.

Charles laughed. "Dude, you're paranoid.  What look?  She didn't have a look on her face. She just asked you what kind of car you drove. Dude, you need to lighten up, relax and compared to the rest of us, you are rich.

Emillio finally caught up, falling to the ground in mock agony, laughing all over himself. "Dudes. I can't take no more. They're gonna have to wheel me out of here on a stretcher. CALL THE PARADEMICS!!!!!" he screamed jokingly, rolling around on the ground

Charles and David broke out in laughter. Emillio was the clown of the group, always making them laugh. He turned to David, "Come on...race you back to class." he said, sprinting away with David close on his heels.

Emillio screamed after them. "Hey!...I think I'm paralyzed.  Heeeeeeeeeeelp!   I want my mommy." he cried, teasingly.

 

 

Story 3 / Scene 8

Tay walked to science class with Malik.

"Did you get your dad to sign your progress report yet. It has to be turned in by Monday." Malik reminded him.

"Don't remind me." Tay said.

"Tay, just let him sign it and get it over with. You're probably going to get yelled at and grounded regardless." Malik said.

"It's not the grounding part that worries me. I can't live without my equipment. I have to have my music Malik. Dad could ground me for a year and lock me upstairs in the attic as long as I get to keep my stuff." Tay replied.

"Man, your crazy. There are other things besides music Tay. Just look around you." Malik laughed, glancing around the hallway.

"What are you talking about Malik?" Tay asked, looking around, following Malik's gaze.

"Girls Tay. Dozens and dozens of girls." Malik said, rubbing his palms together with delight.  "I bet a pretty girl can help take your mind off of your music. That's all you talk about lately.  You need a girlfriend."

"Please." Tay responded.  "Speak for yourself.  Where's yours? I don't see any girls hangin off of you." Tay teased.

Malik stared at Tina Marcell across the hall, winking. "Don't worry about me Tay.  I got my eye on the prize.  See how she's staring at me.  Yeah,...she wants me.  She wants me bad." Malik said, convincing himself.

Tay laughed as Tina rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out. "Keep dreaming Malik." Tay laughed uncontrollably."

"Watch this." Malik said, strolling over to Tina's locker. He leaned against the wall, licking his lips, trying to look mature and sexy. "What's up shorty?  Can I walk you to your class?

Tina stepped real close to him. She toyed with his braids and held his hand. "HELL TO DA NO!" she screamed in his ear, strolling away, leaving Malik holding his ear in agony.

Tay fell out laughing. "Hey...Malik, can you hear me?.....can you hear me now???" he laughed.

 

Story 3 / Scene 9

Claire and Cassie left Principal Evans office. Claire was suspended for a day as she had taken full responsibility for the whole incident, admitting fault.

"I'm sorry you got suspended Claire." Cassie apologized, walking slowly.

"It's okay Cassie. I started it so I should be the one to take the blame. Besides, it's only for one day.  I can live with that.  It could have been much worse. " Claire said.

"So I guess this means you won't be going out with us tomorrow night right?" Cassie asked sadly. "Your dad will probably ground you."

Claire sighed heavily. "No. I'm definitely going. I'm sure my dad will eventually find so I just have to make sure he doesn't find out until after my date. I have to go.  I'm so excited." she smiled.

 

 

Story 3 / Scene 10

Jenn couldn't wait for the day to be over.  Dana hadn't spoken a word to her since their altercation. She was simply doing her job but Dana took it personally.

 

She went through the medical supply cabinet logging quantities for a new order.  They kept the clinic's strong pain killers and narcotics under lock and key. Their supplies seemed uncommonly low so she double checked the logs where they tracked all lot numbers and dosages used but the numbers just weren't adding up. She'd noticed small quantities of supplies disappearing for weeks now.  She would have to check with the staff about the supply shortage. They only had four keys for the medical cabinet, one for each of the three doctors on staff and she held the fourth. There had been trouble in the past with patients and strangers walking off with supplies but now they tried to keep everything under lock and key. She'd caught a patient a few weeks ago trying to break into the medical cabinet.  The staff had called the police and tried to hold the assailant but he'd managed to pull free and escape. One of the doctors had caught a strange man behind the medical counter sifting through patient's personal files. The list of things patients walked off with was surprising. Things like sterile swabs, cotton balls, alcohol, boxes of latex gloves, whatever they could get their hands on. It had gotten to the point where they had to be careful where they laid their stethoscopes down or they would go missing. They had started writing their names on them, being extra careful to keep them around their necks. Why someone would want to steal a stethoscope was beyond her. The clinic was so busy at times it was hard to secure everything.

 

 

Jenn glanced at the clock. Great, it was time to go home. She'd been so engrossed in her work she'd lost track of time. It was five fifth teen. She gathered her things, making sure to lock all the cabinets, double checking and tugging on each one to be sure. She walked to the parking lot towards her car and noticed Dana waiting for the bus, anxiously checking her watch.

She approached her. "Everything okay?  Dana if your late for something I can give you a ride home. It's no trouble at all.  I have to pass your house anyway." she offered, hoping to make peace.

Dana eyed her warily. "Are you sure it's no trouble.  I don't want to put you out of your way and inconvenience you." Dana mouthed.

"Of course not. Come on.  Hop in.  It's no trouble at all. There's no sense in you waiting here when I'm going your way." Jenn responded.

"Thanks Jenn." Dana said, climbing into the passenger seat.  "I really appreciate this. I've got some errands to run and the bus is running a little late. You're a life saver."

"It's no problem." Jenn repeated. "Listen,...Dana... I'm sorry about this afternoon.  I didn't mean for you to take it personally. I'm just trying to do my job. No hard feelings okay." 

Dana smiled, waving her hand in the air dismissing the matter.  "Please,...I forgot about it before it was even over.  I know your just doing your job Jenn. I'm sorry I snapped at you and  I promise I'll be on time from now on.  I appreciate you sticking your neck out to get me this job. Don't worry, I'm not going to embarrass you and make you look bad by getting fired." she laughed. 

"Great." Jenn smile. "So...when's the next girl's night out.  I had fun and I'm looking forward to the next one." she grinned. 

 

 

Story 3 / Scene 11

Eddie and Watkins pulled up to the dispatched address, 631 Brookland Farms Drive.  Eddie switched the siren to silent mode before reaching the house.  He didn't want to alert the robber. 

The next door neighbor stood outside in the front yard waiting for them. "Please hurry before he get's away." She said.  "He broke in through the sliding doors. I saw him."

"Is there anyone home, anyone inside the house that you know of?" Eddie asked.

"No." the neighbor replied. "He's not home, he's out of town. I promised him I'd keep an eye on the house." she said.

"Mam, I want you to go into your house and lock the door." Eddie said, taking all precautions. He motioned for Watkins to follow his lead. "I'll sneak around and cover the back, you corner him from the front." Eddie said.

Eddie and Watkins rushed the house with service weapons drawn. Watkins busted through the front door. He could hear the noise of some one moving around in one of the back rooms. He approached the room through a back hallway. Eddie walked in through the sliding doors. Watkins silently motioned to Eddie, signaling that the robber was in the back room. They moved silently and treaded lightly with their backs pressed up against the walls. The dispatcher had reported that the guy was possibly armed. They didn't need any surprises. 

The master bedroom door was cracked open by a few inches and he was able to peak in.  The room was empty but Eddie could have sworn he heard something. He turned to Watkins and whispered quietly. "The room is empty but he's got to be in there. He's hiding and he'll probably make a run for it when we bust in.  Watkins nodded his head in acknowledgement as he and Eddie stormed the room.

"Come on out man, I know you're in here.  Don't make us play hide and seek." Eddie warned, tugging on the closet doors. They were all locked.

Watkins checked the master bath but it was empty. He whistled at Eddie, pointing his finger at the bed, the only place they hadn't checked.

Eddie bent to look under the bed and came face to face with Michael Green, a seasoned criminal, responsible for a slew of recent armed robberies and assaults. He'd been looking for Mr. Green for months.  Today was his lucky day. He jumped up off the floor. He and Watkins upended the bed, mattress, box spring and all against the wall.

Hands in the air and up against the wall!" Eddie yelled forcefully. 

Determined to elude arrest once again, Michael bolted from under the bed, busting through the bedroom window. The window shattered, sending shards of broken glass everywhere. Eddie and Watkins watched unbelievably as he jumped to his feet and fled on foot toward the back of the house.

Watkins pulled his weapon and started shooting. "Hell no!" he yelled. "He's getting away." he screamed, jumping through the shattered window,  slicing his hands and arms on the sharp glass in the process.

"Watkins what the hell?!" Eddie yelled.  He couldn't believe Watkins had jumped through that window. There was razor sharp glass everywhere. "Hold your fire." he screamed behind him. The neighbors had noticed the patrol car out front and people were congregating outside. "This is a crowded neighborhood. Hold your fire!" he screamed repeatedly. His calls fell on death ears. Watkins had chased the robber behind the house. "Dammit!" Eddie growled, making a mad dash for the back door. He spotted Watkins behind the next door neighbor's house. He was still chasing the robber and managed to fire off a couple more shots before Eddie managed to run him down and tackle him. "I said hold your fire god dammit!" Eddie spat. "You're going to get a bunch of innocent people killed. "What the hell is wrong with you?!" He got up off of the ground, pulling Watkins with him. "Get up!"

Watkins whirled on him. "Man are you crazy?!" he screamed. "You just let him get away."  He was raging mad. He grabbed Eddie's shirt collar in a tight fist, roughing him up in the chest. "I was right on him, I had him!" he growled through clenched teeth.

Eddie stared at him calmly and sinisterly. "If you know what was good for you, you'll let go of me." 

Watkins released his grip quickly but forcefully, causing Eddie to stumble back.  The robber had gotten away and he was left with some pretty nasty cuts. 

"You need to get to the hospital." Eddie said.  You're cut up bad man. What in God's name possessed you to jump through that window behind him?" Eddie asked with staggering disbelief.

"I'm fine!" Watkins yelled, lying to himself, glancing down at his bloody arms and hands. It's just a couple of flesh wounds. Don't worry about it. I didn't want to jump through the window, I had to. He was fleeing the scene. I was just doing my job trying to stop him. We need to call this in and scan the house." he said, walking back inside.

"You need to have those cuts looked at. I'll call for assistance and scan the house myself." Eddie argued.

"I said I'm fine. I got a job to do.  I want to find out what he was after. We got a house full of high dollar electronics and he bypasses all of that and ends up hiding in an empty bedroom." Watkins said. 

Eddie held his hands up defensively. "Hey, you don't have to prove anything to me. I want to arrest him just as much as you do but I'm not willing to jump through shattered windows to prove it." he stated.  "Michael is a career criminal. I've busted him more times than I can remember but he always manages to cheat the system. Look around Watkins. We have a neighborhood full of curious onlookers. You should have never fired your weapon. Rule number one, protect and serve the citizens. Your a cop, you should know that!  This isn't Michael's first crime and I'm sure it won't be the last. Don't worry, we'll get another chance.  

 

 

Eddie and Watkins scanned the house, making their reports. They searched the master bedroom where they'd found the robber thoroughly. Watkins found a large cardboard box under the master bath cabinet. He opened the box and froze when he saw  its contents.  "Sutton?" he called sternly. "You need to see this" He held the box open wide for Eddie to look inside. The box held cases of firearm ammunition, everything from your average street firearm ammo to military grade weapons ammunition.

Watkins nodded his head in acknowledgement. "You know what this means don't you? Where there's ammo, there's guns. Mr. Green didn't come here looking for the usual jewelry and electronics and he damn sure ain't after a box of ammunition. He's looking for weapons. My guess is we got here before he had a chance to get to them." Watkins surmised, tugging on the closet doors, searching for illegal weapons. Every single one was locked up tight. He kicked the doors in, revealing an arsenal of weapons. The place was a virtual weapons fortress of handguns, pump action shotguns, semi automatics/automatics, assault rifles and more.  

"Jackpot!" he yelled. "Call this in Sutton." he said, pulling out weapons carefully, checking to see if they were loaded.

Eddie peered into the closet. "There's enough ammo and weapons here to start a small turf war." he snarled. He called the report in and requested assistance.  He and Watkins searched the house together, going through every room, every closet, any and every spot where a weapon could be hidden. Watkins was right.  They'd hit the jackpot. Together, they counted fifty seven illegal firearms. Whoever owned or rented this house had been stock piling illegal weapons and was obviously involved in some kind of illegal gun trading. Several back up officers arrived and they cataloged and loaded everything. It was up to the BATF, the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms to trace these illegal firearms in their national tracking system. Eddie and Watkins had done their part in keeping the weapons off of the streets.

 

 

Eddie held his hand out to Watkins. "Nice work partner." he said.

Watkins wouldn't shake his hand. "I don't expect thanks for doing my job." he spat.

"Oh I'm not thanking you." Eddie clarified.  "I'm just saying a job well done. We just kept fifty seven guns off of the streets. That's what I call I job well done.  Come on. Let's get back to the station." Eddie said, climbing into the drivers seat. The sergeants going to want to talk to us about this before we call it a day. I can't wait until we track down the owner of the house. He's got some explaining to do."

"Good luck with that." Watkins said. "You honestly think it's listed under a proper name? Please...I'm willing to bet the records and deeds office will probably list thirty different aliases and deed transfers. Whoever's bank rolling this operation is probably just using this house as storage. We need to talk to the neighbor who called it in, see if she can give us some names and tell us where this guy is."

"Eddie nodded, agreeing. "You're right but I'll tell you who we really need to talk to,  Michael Green. If he's faced with jail time he'll probably sing like a canary.

"Yeah, but thanks to you, we have to find him first." Watkins scolded.

 

 

 Story 3 / Scene 12

Eddie waited until dinner was over to discuss Tay's progress report and failing grades with Jenn. Jenn was sorely disappointed. She knew what course of action Eddie would be taking. Tay would undoubtedly be grounded and Eddie would almost certainly take his music away. 

"I can't believe he didn't tell us." Jenn claimed. "Eddie, Tay knows how important his school work is. What's gotten into him?"

"I'll tell you what's gotten into him, Eddie said, climbing the steps to the attic with Jenn in tow, it's that music of his and it all stops tonight. I should have never allowed it in the first place. Tay's got his head so wrapped up in this music he can't see or think about anything else." he grumbled. He banged on the door to Tay's music room. The music was so loud he doubted Tay could hear him.

The music volume dropped suddenly and Tay jerked the door open. "Oh, dad. I thought you were Lizzie."

Eddie and Jenn walked into the room. "Tay, turn that music off. Now!" Eddie demanded. "Your mother and I need to talk to you."

Tay stared at him, heartbroken and defeated. He didn't bother turning the music off, he simply unplugged everything and handed Eddie his microphone."Here, that's what you want right. You came up here to take away my stuff, to punish me." he said angrily.

Eddie turned to Jenn with barely controlled rage. Tay was failing and had the nerve to stand there smart mouthing him. "Boy, you're about two seconds away from a serious but whipping if you don't adjust that attitude of yours. I came up here to discuss your grades.  I had a long talk with Nate today. It seems you've got a lot to talk about and some things you need to show me." Eddie snarled.

Tay reached into his pockets, pulling out his folded progress report. He reached around Eddie, passing it to Jenn.

Eddie passed a hand over his face, trying to make sense of Tay's attitude. "Tay, I don't have time for these games." he cautioned.

Jenn opened the report, studying it carefully. She sat down hard in the chair next to her. "Tay, almost everything here is either failing or below average. I don't see how you can possibly bring these grades up. Without summer school, I'm not sure if anything short of a miracle can help you." Jenn said, gripping the paper tightly, fighting to maintain her calm composure. Tay's complacent attitude toward the matter wasn't helping. He was completely unconcerned. It's like he'd already given up.

Eddie bent, tugging the report from Jenn's grasp. He couldn't believe what he saw. The test scores as well as the homework grades were ridiculous. "Tay, you promised your mother and I you would concentrate on school first and music would come second. Did we or did we not have that discussion?" Eddie asked.

"Yeah." Tay mumbled under his breath softly and carelessly, being very disrespectful with his nonchalant attitude.

"I can't hear you Taylor." Eddie said calmly. "Did we or did we not have that discussion?" Eddie repeated, giving Tay every opportunity to respond respectfully.

"Yes Sir." Tay said loudly and clearly. "I didn't do this on purpose dad. It just happened. I got a couple bad scores and before I knew it things had gotten out of control."

"You let them get out of control Tay." Eddie replied. "I'm very disappointed in you. I believe in you and I think your extremely talented but until you get your priorities straight and your head back in those books, this room is off limits. As of right now you are officially grounded. That means no company or visitors and no staying after school unless it's school related. You are not to leave this house on the weekends and no tv in your room."

"But dad for how long?!" Tay exclaimed. "Malik and I planned on going to a basketball game next week."

"Indefinitely. I want to see some improvements in your grades before I decide how long and a little effort and concern on your part wouldn't hurt."

"Mom, this is so unfair." Tay pleaded.

"Your fathers right Taylor. We're not going to reward you failing. What do you have to say for yourself?  How could you go to Nate instead of discussing your problems with us first."

"I hate when you call me Taylor. You only call me that when your real mad with me." Tay said.

"Tay, that's not true but yes, I am upset with you." Jenn replied.

"It is true." Tay countered. "I went to Nate first because I feel like he's the only one who understands me sometimes. He gets my music and he thinks I'm talented. I couldn't tell dad because I knew he'd get upset and yell at me like he always does." he said, turning to Eddie. "Dad, you say you believe in me but you never really show any interest in my music. You never come up here and listen. You never ask me about my music or what I'm working on. You used to talk to Nate about police work all the time. Just be honest, you think music is a waste of time."

"Taylor, that's not true. I see your potential and I talked to Nate about his job because I'm a policeman myself so I can relate."

"Will you please stop calling me Taylor?" Tay drawled.  "I promise I'll bring my grades up. What do I have to lose. You already took my music away. I can't leave the house and I can't have any friends over.  I don't have anything better to do but lock myself in my room and study." 

Jenn walked up to him and hugged him close. "I'm worried about you Tay."

Tay pulled away. "Mom, you don't have to worry.  I know what I have to do. You won't have to send me to summer school. Trust me."

Eddie signed the progress report. "Until I see some real improvement, I want a weekly report from you on your homework and test scores. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes sir." Tay said. "Loud and clear."

 

 

Story 3 / Scene 13                     The next day, Friday Evening / The Double Date

Charles, Cassie, Claire and David ate dinner at Carrabba's Italian Grill.  Claire smiled from ear to ear.  It was nice hanging out with her friends for a change. Her chances to meet and talk with new people were rare. They were her friends and she felt comfortable around them.  She didn't feel like she had to watch everything she said. She was relaxed. She had lied convincingly, telling her dad she was riding the activity bus to an away basketball game and that she would be home late. She hated lying to him but knew he would never approve of David or anyone else she dated for that matter.  She couldn't possibly tell him she was going out with Cassie. She and Cassie had come to school prepared with change of clothes and had hung out at Charles's apartment after school. They picked David up on their way to dinner.  

 

 

They sat in a quiet corner laughing and talking.

Charles leaned over and whispered something in Cassie's ear. She blushed.

Claire looked at David and laughed. "Seriously, how can you stand being around these two. They're so love sick it's pathetic."

David shook his head. "Trust me, I'm used to it." He glanced at Charles, "Man, I keep telling you. You're whipped."

Everyone at the table including Charles burst out laughing.

Cassie ate off of Charles's plate. He tapped her hand. "Will you stop eating my food." he grinned, turning to David and Claire. "I swear, she does this every time. She orders this rabbit food of hers then she turns around and eats off of my plate." he complained, pointing to her green salad and veggies.

"I have to watch my figure." Cassie replied.

Charles leaned and kissed her on the lips, smiling. "I'll watch your figure and from what I've seen it's perfect."

"Oh lord." David sighed. "Man, do you two have to be so lovey dovey all the time?" he laughed.

"How did you two meet anyway?" Claire added.

"We met in art class. Charles was the quiet, mysterious new guy." Cassie smiled, remembering the day she and Charles met.

Charles planted a quick kiss on her cheek. "Yeah, I wish you could have seen how she treated me when we first met." he grinned. "She was so mean to me. I had to practically beg her to talk to me."

Cassie punched him lightly in the ribs. "I was not mean to you Charles. I didn't know you and besides, you took forever to ask me out and tell me you liked me." she grinned.

Charles tugged on a strand of her hair. "That's because you were so mean to me." he laughed.

Cassie turned to Claire. "Don't listen to him. He's lying. He was shy at first but I could tell he fell in love with me at first sight." she bragged.

Charles pulled her close and kissed her. "I did." he confirmed softly.

David cleared his throat. "Okay guys. That's enough. We're in a public restaurant." he teased, glancing at Claire. "You see what I have to go through with these two?"

Claire smiled and took a drink of water.

"So...Claire I know you're from North Carolina but how come you moved here to the Heights?" David asked.

Claire tensed up, nearly choking.

David patted her on the back. "Sorry...did I say something wrong?  Are you okay?"

Claire's eyes watered. "No, you didn't. I'm fine." she lied. "Actually, my dad was transferred here on his job so we didn't have a choice.  We had to move."

"Oh...okay." David replied. "So, are you an only child?  Do you have any brothers or sisters?" he questioned.

Claire wanted to sink through the floor. This was the part she hated. Meeting new people meant going through the newly informed introductions. She always found herself picking the parts to answer truthfully. Here she was again. Walking on egg shells, watching what she said. It was a tiresome experience.

Cassie noticed Claire's uncomfortable smile and tried to change the subject. "So...have you guys decided on a movie yet?  Please don't pick something with blood and guts." she stared at Charles, signaling the waiter for their check.

 

 

 

Cassie cried through half the movie. As usual, she'd convinced Charles to sit through a romantic chick flick. David and Claire had chosen a horror flick. Apparently, Claire liked scary movies and she and David wanted some time alone to get to know each other.

Charles put his arm around here and whispered in her ear. "Cassie, please stop. It's just a movie. It's not real." He handed her a tissue to blow her nose. "I swear, this is the last chick flick we're seeing. You cry every time. You promised you wouldn't."

"I can't help it Charles." she wailed, laying her head on his shoulder.

Charles threw his head back, sighing. Great, he had to sit through two hours of crying female.  What more could a guy ask for.

 

 

Story 3 / Scene 14 

Charles dropped Claire off at David's house. David wanted to drive her home himself. He drove Cassie home and pulled up outside her house along the street.

"I bet your dad will be surprised I brought you home early for a change." he smiled, turning to her.

Cassie sat timidly in her seat twisting her fingers, toying with her purse straps. She wasn't ready to go home yet. She'd spent a beautiful night with Charles and she wasn't ready for it to end. She wanted to be with him but wasn't entirely sure how to express her feelings into words. She fought to overcome her shyness and turned to him hesitantly. "You're right. It's early yet. Do you want to come inside? We can sit on the porch or go outside to the rooftop?" she suggested.

Charles yawned and shook his head softly. "I'm a little tired babe. I'm going to go home, watch a little tv and crash early but I'll see you tomorrow okay." he said, releasing his seat belt so he could walk her to the door.

Cassie stared at him for a few seconds before reaching for the door latch. "You don't have to walk me up." she whispered softly, almost to faint for him to hear. She didn't kiss him or even say goodbye. She was so embarrassed. She couldn't get out of the car fast enough. She struggled with her things and forgot to unfasten her seat belt. 

"Hey....hey, what's wrong with you?" Charles said, reaching over her to shut the door. He wasn't going to let her out of the car until she explained herself. He leaned over the console and caressed her face, pushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "You're not going to leave without saying saying goodbye are you?" he asked, studying her face.

"Nothing's wrong. I just can't get this damn seat belt off!" she responded sharply, struggling with the latch, taking her frustrations out on it. She wasn't angry with Charles. She was upset and irritated with herself. Why was it always so hard for her to say what she wanted? 

Charles covered her hand with his, preventing her from releasing the seat belt. "Hey, what's your hurry?" he asked softly. "I didn't even get a chance to kiss you goodnight."

Cassie gazed at him with sad eyes and reached for the door latch.

Charles reacted quickly, switching the power door lock, trapping her inside. "Charles, let me out." she said quietly.

"No." he responded, staring at her. "Not until you tell me what's wrong. Just tell me. You know you can tell me anything." he soothed, caressing her shoulder. "I had a good time tonight. I thought you did to."

Cassie sighed heavily. "That's just it. I did.  I had a great time. I just..."she paused, stopping mid sentence.

Charles took both her hands in his, rubbing her palms. "You just what?" he urged her to continue. He caught her chin in his hand, forcing her to face him and look into his eyes. "Cassie...you just what?   What is it? Whatever your trying to say, just say it." he insisted. He wasn't leaving until she told him what was wrong. He bent and kissed her softly.

All of Cassie's reservations vanished at that moment. She closed her eyes and gathered her nerves. "I just want to be with you." she whispered softly against his mouth.

Charles drew back, his eyes fixated on her. "Oh..., baby." he muttered under his breath, kissing her. "Come here." he said, gently reaching for her, pulling her over the console and onto his lap. He couldn't believe she'd sat there struggling instead of telling him and that he'd been to blind to see it. He reached down and pushed his seat back, making room for her to straddle his lap.

He settled her in, stroking her back. "Why didn't you just tell me?" he asked, kissing her, devouring her mouth.

"I wanted to." Cassie breathed breathlessly, "but I just couldn't bring myself to say it. I'm sorry." she apologized.

Charles kissed the tip of her nose. "You don't have to be sorry baby but I need you to tell me. I can't read your mind. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Cassie brought her head down, shielding her face but Charles refused to let her hide. "You don't even have to say anything.  All you have to do is touch me. You don't have to be shy with me. I don't understand why you're so embarrassed by it. I love you."

Cassie shrugged her shoulders. "I love you too." She leaned forward and kissed him desperately, tunneling her fingers through his hair. 

Charles grabbed her wrist from around his neck. "Hey...hey, slow down. Easy." he said.

Cassie pulled back abruptly. Taken aback by Charles resistance. Her saddened eyes spoke volumes. "Don't you want me?" she asked, pulling away from him.

Charles grabbed her waist, holding her tight. "Of course I want you.  How can you ask me that? You're all I can think about but I thought you wanted to slow things down a bit. I thought we promised to take it slow." he said, calming her, stroking his finger down her cheek.

Cassie shook her head. "Charles I never said I didn't want to be with you. I just didn't feel comfortable in my parent's house. I was afraid we'd get caught." she reiterated. 

Charles smiled and kissed her lips. "Are you sure?"

Cassie smiled sensually. "I'm very sure."

Charles smiled and kissed her.  Judging by the way her body responded, pressing against him, the way she clung to him, she was absolutely sure.             

 Story 3 / Scene 15                                              

   (This scene contains mature adult content. Reader discretion is advised.) 

Please stop and play Robin thicke's track below before reading any further. 
Play the track as you read the remaining story to help invision the Chassie  scene.   Thank you    

Charles drove to his apartment and parked the car. He took Cassie's hand and silently led her to his door. He unlocked it and stood aside, letting her pass. He kept his gaze glued to her face the entire time, wanting her to read his thoughts, his sensual intentions.

Cassie slowly brushed pass him and turned to face him. "Your mom's not in town is she?"

Charles followed her into the apartment. He threw his keys on the foyer table and reached back to throw the lock. He approached her slowly, his eyes heavy and dark with sensual intent. "No." he whispered flatly. "It's just you and me." he mouthed quietly as his eyes slid up and down her slender form.

Cassie backed away from him slowly, moving towards his bedroom.  Her back came up against a wall, stopping her. 

Charles caught her hand, stopping her retreat. "Turn around." he murmured softly in her ear, gently turning her in his arms. Her back pressed against his chest. Cassie heard the rasping sound of her zipper echoing through the quiet room as Charles unzipped her black mini dress.  He knelt behind her and removed her high heels, his hands lingered on her legs.

The feel of his warm hands on her legs was overwhelming.  Cassie leaned against the wall for support. 

Charles pushed aside the neckline of her dress with his mouth, kissing the soft skin of her shoulder. Cassie tilted her head, inviting his touch. The edges of her dress fell open beneath his fingers as he caressed her back.

"God,... what are you wearing under this?" he breathed, touching the soft pink silk and lace of her negligee. He pushed the edges of her dress down her shoulders. "You little sneak." he laughed softly.  "Why didn't you tell me you were wearing this?" He pressed his body against hers, flattening his palms against the wall, letting her feel the full weight of his body. He rested one hand against her stomach and pulled her close against him.

Cassie looked back over her shoulder. " I wore it for you." she spoke softly, trembling. "I thought you'd like it."

"Yes, I like it but I'm going to love taking it off of you." he groaned against her ear. He pushed her dress down around her waist and trailed love bites down her neck, all the way to her shoulder.  He kissed the hollow indention of her collarbone.

Cassie slumped back against him. "Oh!..Charles" she breathed breathlessly. "Please." she muttered, begging him to continue."Don't stop."

"I know baby...I want you to." he said, nibbling on her naked shoulders. "Do you know how beautiful you are right now?  Do you have any idea what I want to do to you? I want you more right now than I've ever wanted anything in my life." he confessed, catching her chin in his hand, turning her face to meet his for a long, deep kiss. The silence of the room was broken with their heavy breathing and kissing.

Cassie struggled to breath, her eyelids fluttered and her breathing was uneven.  Her hands fisted against the wall. Her back arched, pulling away from him.

Charles laughed sinfully. He whispered against her temple. "Stop pulling away from me. I thought you wanted this." he laughed. "Just relax and let me love you." His hands moved, slowly sliding down her arms to her elbows, turning her to face him. He pushed her dress from her waist, letting it puddle to the floor, urging her to step free of the folds.

Cassie stood there in her negligee. Self conscious but not embarrassed.  She rested her back against the wall and folded her arms over her body.

Charles pulled her arms apart. "Don't hide from baby. You don't have anything to be self conscious about. I've seen and touched every single inch of you and your beautiful, perfect."  He stood close and trailed his hands up her sides, caressing her legs, squeezing her thighs. He hooked his hand under her right knee and dragged her leg up against his waist.

Cassie gripped his arms.

He guided her hands to his shirt. "I want you to do it this time. Don't think about. Just do it."

Cassie reached up and caressed his warm chest. Charles trailed his hands up her arms as she loosened each button and pulled his shirt from his shoulders. He leaned and feathered kisses down her jaw to her throat.

Cassie's tunneled her hands under his white t-shirt, caressing his hard abdomen and flattened her palms against his chest. "You feel so good." she mumbled, staring up into his eyes.

Charles smiled to himself. Wonderful... she was finally coming out of her shell. He caught her hands and guided her to the nearest chair. He sat back in the recliner and pulled her onto his lap, straddling her legs around his waist, finding her mouth at the same time.

She sank her teeth into her bottom lip, holding back her sounds.

Charles soothed her with murmured words and soft strokes. "Don't hold it in. It's just you and me. Nobody can hear you but me. He reached down and pulled the side leaver, reclining the chair.

Cassie lay against him.

Charles made love to her with his mouth and his hands, tasting, plundering and touching. Cassie was right. The night was young and too enjoyable to end. This was the best way to end the night, with Cassie in his arms.

 

 

Story 3 / Scene 16

Tay sat in English class bright and early. He was the first one to class. He wasn't kidding about turning his grades and his priorities around. He'd studied the whole entire weekend and he felt like he was more than prepared for this morning's test.  He knew he had the vocabulary portion under control but was still a little nervous about the essay portion. He kept telling himself to think positively and relax. "I have to remember what mom said." he said out loud to himself, repeating her words. "Think of your writing like you think of your music. Just let the words flow. Write what you feel. Let your grammar and punctuation be your musical notes and your sentences be your lyrics." He smiled to himself. "Yeah, I can do this. Mom makes it sound so simple."

 

 

"Talk to yourself much?" Tina asked, waltzing into class.

Tay looked up, surprised. He'd been so deep in thought he hadn't noticed Tina walking in.

Tina put her books down on the desk and walked up to him. She leaned against the desk directly in front of his and stared at him. "Where's your friend Malik?" She asked, crossing her arms, smiling.

Tay toyed with his pencil and looked away shyly. Tina Marcell was one of the flyest girls in the whole school. Malik was practically in love with her and followed her around like a love sick fool. Tina had nearly deafened him when she screamed in his ear last week. He couldn't believe she was talking to him. Until recently, she barely knew he existed. He'd tried to say hi to her on numerous occasions and she'd walked right pass him. "Ah...I guess he's on his way here...to c..cc..class, I mean." he stuttered.

"How come you're here so early?" Tina asked, turning to sit at the desk, getting comfortable.

Tay could do nothing but stare at her as she twirled her hair and reached into her purse to put on lip gloss. She sat with her legs crossed and her feet dangled back and forth brushing against his leg.

"Hello?...earth to Tay?...I asked you a question?" Tina repeated, waving her hand in front of Tay's face to get his attention.  Wow, for an up and coming star Tay sure was spaced out. He couldn't even talk to her without stumbling all over himself. She laughed to herself. She got that a lot from guys.

"What do you mean?" Tay questioned. He might not be the best student but he came to class everyday, always.

Tina scooted closer to the edge of her seat. "I mean...she paused, pointing at her watch, your early.  You usually come rushing in right after the bell rings or you come in late."

"I don't know." Tay shrugged. "I just decided to come in early."

"Tay." Tina said annoyingly, shooting him a questionable, sarcastic look with her head cocked at an awkward angle.

One look at her face and Tay knew she didn't believe him. He sighed warily. "Okay, okay, I'm failing and I'm trying to get focused. I'm trying to bring my grades up so I don't fail and my parents won't have to send me to summer school." he blurted. He was so embarrassed. Not only was Tina hot, she was smart, an honor student and extremely popular. Guys and girls flocked around her. Oh...and she could sing. Tay laughed and smiled to himself. Yeah, he remembered Tina singing in a school play last year and the girl definitely had some pipes on her.

 

Tina frowned. "What's so funny? If I was failing, I wouldn't be laughing."

"Sorry." Tay apologized. "Inside joke."

Tina stood up as students started filing into the classroom. "If you want...I can help you." she offered.

Tay looked around suspiciously. "Help me with what?" he asked.

"Your studies silly." Tina laughed. She'd always thought Tay was kind of cute but she had never payed much attention to him. Not until his recent brush with fame and the attention he'd been getting recently from singing with Trey Songz. Girls were starting to notice him and he was definitely making some connections in the music business. Yes, hanging out with Tay could definitely help her. Now that he was becoming popular she wanted to get to know him. She was interested in the music industry herself. Tay's connections would definitely be a plus. Everyone knew she had one simple rule. Never hang around with losers or people who couldn't do anything for her.

Tay stared. "You're a straight A student. Why would you want to help me? Until recently, you didn't know I existed."

"No reason." Tina lied, shrugging and waiting patiently as Tay just sat there staring at her. "So...do you want my help or not." she repeated. "We could meet up at the library after school." she volunteered.

Tay shook his head. "I can't. I'm grounded and I have to go straight home after school."

Tina pursed her lips. "Okay then...ah, I use my lunch period to study sometimes."

Tay looked at her like she was speaking Greek. "You want me to give up my lunch break to study?" he asked unbelievably.

Tina stood tall and direct. "Tay, it's a small price to pay when you're failing. Don't you think? Come on Tay.  It'll be fun.  Mrs. Hamilton lets her students study right here in class.  You can even bring a lunch. It will be the perfect study session."

 

 

Malik walked into class, smiling with a goofy expression when he saw Tina.

"Okay." Tay said humbly. He'd explain to Malik later.

"Great." Tina smiled, turning for her seat, running head first into Malik.

"Hi Tina." Malik said

"Umm, Hi. I'm sorry, I can't remember your name." she lied, walking away.

Malik stared after her like she was some kind of goddess. "Tay, that's my wifey." he said, holding his hand against his heart. "What did she want Tay?  Did she ask you about me?" Malik asked, hoping, wishing and praying she had.

"Ah....nothing..we were just talking about the test. She asked me if you were okay....you know...the whole yelling in your ear thing." Tay lied.  He'd solved one problem but from the look on Malik's face an even bigger one was about to begin. Tina was smart and he was sure she could help him with his grades but would he lose Malik's friendship behind it? Great, he'd just lied to his best friend. Malik would never understand.

 

 

Story 3 / Scene 17

Cassie ran around the corner, rushing to meet Claire at her locker. She pressed her back up against the locker. "Hey, I called you about twenty times this weekend. What happened when David dropped you off home? Did he kiss you?" she asked, excited.

Claire turned, closing her locker slowly with a sly grin. "I'll never tell." she drawled, laughing at Cassie's curiosity.

Cassie's eyes widened. "He did didn't he?" she questioned. "Claire, she begged, you have to tell me everything. I'm your best friend. If you can't tell me who can you tell." She rounded, using Claire's own words against her.

"Okay, Okay." Claire relented, wincing as she remembered using those exact same words against Cassie when she'd noticed the love bite on her neck. "I was going to tell you. You know I'm just teasing." she explained, holding her head up in the air with her eyes closed in blissful delight as she recalled David's kiss. "Cassie, David is amazing. I can't believe he's not seeing anyone."

"He is seeing someone Claire, you." Cassie mocked.

Claire sighed, hugging her books to her chest tightly. "You know what I mean. I mean, he's the perfect guy. I can't find a single thing wrong with him or notice a single thing I don't like. Maybe I'm just to easy."

"There's nothing wrong with you Claire. I knew you would like him."

"Yes." Claire admitted. "He's amaz..."

"I know...he's amazing." Cassie laughed, catching Claire's arm and whispering sharply. "Save it for later. Here comes Mr. Amazing now." she nodded toward Charles, David and Emillio.

 

 

Charles caught Cassie around the waist. "What are you two whispering about. You've got that sneaky look on your face." he questioned softly.

"Nothing, just talking about the upcoming arts festival." she lied, unconvincingly.

Charles smiled. "Right. Let me guess. You want to know all about what happened with David this weekend."

Cassie couldn't help but laugh. Charles knew her too well.

Emillio tapped Charles on the shoulder, interrupting him and Cassie's conversation.

"Hi Emillio." Cassie said.

"Hey...Cassie. So, you hook this gorgeous young lady up with David and just forgot all about your little friend Emillio huh?" he said, nodding toward Claire. "I thought we were cool. Don't be so cruel, hook a guy up. I know you have some single girlfriends." he smiled.

Claire looked around, uncomfortable with Emillio's compliment. She gave Emillio a small smile. "Hi." she said quietly.

David didn't say anything but he gave Emillio a searing look. He was not comfortable with this conversation.

Cassie smiled and tried to let Emillio down softly. "Sorry Emillio." she sympathized.   "All my girlfriends are involved."

David shot her a decisive look. As far as he was concerned, Claire was taken.

Cassie smiled at him and corrected herself. "I mean, all of my girlfriends are taken. They have boyfriends."  She felt terrible for Emillio. Girls just never took him seriously because he was always clowning and joking around.

David interrupted. "Hey Emillio, if you're looking for girl, I heard Stacey's free. She and Melissa broke up."  He and Charles burst out laughing.

"Very funny man." Emillio stated. I'm all alone with no companion, nobody to hold and you guys think it's funny." he said sadly, hanging his head low. "Nobody has love for Emillio." he complained, shuffling his feet.

Everyone stared at him in disbelief. It was strange seeing Emillio's serious side for a change.

"Aww, poor guy." Claire responded, sending Emillio a saddened look.

David grabbed Claire's hand and stared at Charles. Was this really their wild and crazy friend standing here all sad and down on his luck.

Charles bumped Emillio with his shoulder. "Hey, come on man. Snap out of it. There are tons of girls in this school. Give it time. You'll find her." he said, trying to ease Emillio's mood.

Emillio laughed uncontrollably and held his head up. "Hahaha, you guys are so easy. I had you going there for a minute didn't I?" he teased. He adjusted his clothes and licked his lips. "Nah, you can't expect a playa to just settle down. I got to much playin to do sons!" he laughed. "Man, I'm tellin yall. I'm a Latin lover."

Everyone laughed.

David shook his head. "Man, you are so stupid. Are you ever serious? See that's why you can't get a girl. You play too much." He turned to Claire, "Come on Claire, I'll walk you to class."

"Don't forget about our conversation." Cassie yelled down the hall.

Charles pulled her close, motioning her away from the lockers to a private corner. "Hey, speaking of conversations, ah...we need to talk." he said seriously.

"Okay." Cassie smiled. "You sound so serious."

"It is...kind of." Charles admitted. "I've been thinking, it's obvious you and I can't keep our hands off each other, so I think it might be best if you talk to your mom."

Cassie's attitude changed. She immediately became attentive to the situation. "Charles what do you mean? Talk to my mom about what?"

Charles caught her hands and brought his face close to hers. "Birth control." he stated. "I think it's for the best. I remember how scared you were when you thought you were pregnant and I was pretty scared to." he explained, kissing her cheek.

"Charles...I don't understand. Why?   I mean...,  you always take care of that." she mouthed apprehensively.

"I know but condoms aren't foolproof. Accidents happen and I don't want it to happen with us. That's all I'm saying babe. You understand?"

"Charles I can't talk to my mom." Cassie winced. All she could think about was having this huge embarrassing conversation with her mom about needing protection to sleep with her boyfriend. She couldn't do it.

"Cassie, why not? Your mom talked to you before when we had the pregnancy scare. I don't see how now is any different. If anything it should be easier. We know you're not pregnant. We just want to take some precautions. I don't want the thought of an unplanned pregnancy hanging over our shoulders every time we're together." he reasoned, trying to explain.

Cassie shook her head silently. "You're right but give me time to think about what I'm going to say to her okay?"

"Okay." Charles smiled, kissing her.

 

 

Story 3 / Scene 18

Eddie walked into the office. He had his guard up and his defenses were sharp. He knew after the gun busts last week Watkins would be in rare form. He blamed him for letting Michael Green get away. He knew he could track Michael down but he also knew he'd be on the run and doing everything in his power to dodge them.

"Dad, let me talk to you for a minute." Nate called out from across the room.

Eddie walked over to him. Seeing Nate back on the force in his rightful place was a blessing. Nate was right at home here. He was in his element. "Hey,...what's going on son?" he asked.

"I heard about the gun raid you and Watkins made last week. Nice going. That one just fell right into your hands huh?" Nate asked.

"I guess you could say that. A simple burglary turned into a shoot out and now this fool is blaming me for letting our suspect go." Eddie scowled.

"Yeah, speaking of suspects, I know they have people here on the force for this kind of stuff but I figured I'm trapped here behind a desk so I did some research of my own."

Eddie's curiosity peaked. "Oh yeah?  What kind of research?" he inquired.

Nate explained, taking his seat, turning his hand written notes and computer monitor around for Eddie to see. "Did some checking on Mr. Green. Word is he's hiding out at an ex-girlfriends house out on DeBrier Street. Should be pretty easy to make the girlfriend talk. She's got an old warrant out against her for fraudulent checks." Nate smiled.

Eddie grabbed the information and slapped him on the back. Good work son. I'm going to go see if I can make Mr. Green crawl out from under his hole or is he going to make us dig him out." Eddie stated, headed for the locker room.

 

 

Watkins started in on him the second he hit the locker room. "Sutton, I don't know what's on your agenda for the day but I'm only interested in one thing. Talking to the neighbor who phoned that burglary in last week and tracking down Michael Green. I had someone check with county records first thing this morning and the house is listed under an assumed name over at county deeds, just as I suspected.

Eddie winced. He knew tracking down the money trail and financier behind this gun raid wouldn't be easy. "So, who's it listed under?" he questioned anxiously. "Please tell me where at least dealing with someone here in the county."

Watkins stepped extra close to him. "Nope." he blurted. "Records and deeds shows five different name changes in the past two years on that house. Now, you and I both know these are nothing but fake names and aliases these fools make up to create red tape. You know the county doesn't give a damn. As long as these fools pay the taxes on the property they could be running a brothel for all they care. The house is registered under a Melinda Jackson. Seems she bought the house a year ago on a sheriff's sale auction. Previous owner let the taxes go on it.

Eddie frowned. "So...if you know the new owners name, all we have to do is get a physical address from the deeds office and pay Mrs. Jackson a visit. I don't see the problem here."

"The problem is, Watkins explained, the current address for Melinda Jackson is in Santa Barbara. That's where county is sending all the tax notices."

"Okay, so we call in a favor and contact someone at a local Santa Barbara precinct and have them check the address out."

"What the hell do you think I've been doing all morning?" Watkins spat. He was wound up extra tight this morning. He'd watched through the window Friday night as some young man dropped Claire off. She'd told him she was going to a basketball game but she wasn't dressed for sports. He'd snuk back in his room and pretended to be asleep when she walked in. They were barely on speaking terms as it was and he hadn't been in the mood to start another argument with his daughter. He interrogated her about it the next morning and another knock down, drag out argument had pursued. Whoever said it would be easy raising a teenage daughter alone had lied.   

"I had someone from Santa Barbara's Jefferson County department check it out. Apparently, there's nothing but burnt out rubble left to what use to be a three story house. Officer described it as a secluded lot with a private driveway out in the hills. Deeds office in Jefferson county Santa Barbara didn't come up with anything. Whoever this Melinda Jackson is or was, it's like she doesn't exist anymore. No up to date county records, no forwarding address or anything. We got nothing. We got our hands full on this one." Watkins rambled.

"Damn!" Eddie mouthed. "Alright, well Nate tracked down on of Mr. Green's former girlfriend's address. What do you say you and I go pay her a visit?"

Watkins didn't reply. He just turned and walked away. Eddie followed him wanting to get a quick lead on Michael's whereabouts. "See ya son." he said, nodding to Nate as he walked out.

"See you later dad." Nate responded, distracted by his computer monitor, not looking up.

Eddie stopped in his tracks and turned back to Nate. "Hey, Nate you have internet access on this computer right."

"Yeah, all the county officials and offices do. Why do you ask?"

Eddie smiled to himself. Nate had been very enthusiastic and helpful in tracking down information on their suspect. The internet was a beautiful thing, especially when you wanted information on someone.  Why hadn't he thought of this before. Watkins had been a cop for years. What better way to find out something about him than through the internet. All he knew was that he was from North Carolina. He didn't know what county or what city but at least he had a head start. "How in depth can you go with someone's personal information.?" he asked quietly, looking around to make sure no one over heard him and Nate's conversation.

Nate noticed Eddies quiet, suspicious tone and immediately lowered his voice. "Depends on whose information your looking for and the kind of information you need? What's going on Dad?" he asked, eyeing him warily. "Who are we talking about here? If it's a listed suspect with a criminal record, any authorized county official or policeman can pretty much gain access to anything. We're able to go above and beyond your typical public records. Just tell me what you need."

Eddie ran his hand across his face. "It's not a suspect son, it's Watkins."

"What?..., Watkins, your partner?" Nate exclaimed, moving in closer to Eddie and studying his eyes to confirm what he thought he'd heard. "What could you possibly want to dig up on Watkins? I don't understand dad."

Eddie sighed and sat on the edge of Nate's desk. "Look son, I can't explain and go into all the details right now, but I need you to trust me when I tell you there is more to my partner than we truly know."

"Dad..., if we pry into Watk..."

"Nate, Eddie interrupted him, I'm not prying into his personal life. Now, Watkins transferred here from a department in North Carolina. I need you to find some information on him, any information like what department he came from, the number of years on the force, what county he worked in, anything son." he explained.

Nate nodded quietly. "Okay but I won't be able to access his personal police file or anything. Only person with access to that is Sergeant Myers and it's closed and confidential. I'll see what I can do." he promised, shrugging his shoulders. He trusted his dad and knew this must be pretty important for him to ask him to investigate his partner.

"Thanks son." Eddie said, turning to walk away. He turned and walked back to Nate's desk. "And Nate, the less I tell you now, the better off you'll be if my suspicions are confirmed." he stated, turning for the door.  

 

 

Story 3 / Scene 19

Cassie and Claire sat eating lunch, waiting for Charles and David. Lizzie and her friends approached. "Hey, mind if we sit?" she asked.

Cassie frowned but Claire didn't give her a chance to answer. "Sure, why not." she said.

"Great." Cassie mumbled under her breath.

"I heard that Cassie." Lizzie grinned. Cassie treated her to a fake smile.

"Claire, you have to tell me what happened." Cassie reminded her.

Claire just smiled and blushed. She scooted her chair closer to Cassie's so they could have a private conversation. "You're right. He kissed me. Only on the cheek but it was so sweet." she sighed. "I couldn't let him walk me to the door of course, because of my dad. He opened my door when he dropped me off and we just kind of stood there talking. The best part was when he kissed me.  He pressed his face up against mine for a few minutes after he kissed me and he just hugged me." Claire whispered, smiling. "It was beautiful Cassie. Everything was perfect until my dad blind sided me the next morning with a million questions about him. Can you believe he actually spied on me through the window. He wants to meet David and I'm not ready for that. I mean, seriously, it's not like we're getting married or something. I don't see why he has to meet him."

"Oh, I'm sorry Claire." Cassie responded. "At least you had a good time. That's the important thing right?  You two are perfect for each other. Just perfect."

Claire scowled. "Yeah, but now my overly possessive dad wants to meet my perfect boyfriend. I'm telling you Cassie, he just wants to meet him so he can scare the crap out of him and intimidate him."

Cassie whirled on her with surprise. "Wow!, I caught you.  You just said boyfriend." she snickered.

Claire put her hand to her mouth. Yes, she had said boyfriend and it sounded very nice.

"Cassie the matchmaker." Lizzie blurted.

"Lizzie, mind your own business. You shouldn't be eavesdropping." Cassie complained. She loved Lizzie but she could be such a pain in the but.

"I wasn't but I couldn't help but over hear. Learn how to whisper." Lizzie smiled, turning her back on Cassie as she talked with kayla and Shaunice.

"Where's Andrew? Shouldn't you be having lunch with him anyway?" Cassie asked.

Lizzie turned to her. "First of all, Andrew and I aren't joined at the him like you and Charles." Lizzie teased, making Kayla and Shaunice laugh. "We don't have a cute little nickname, Chassie!" she countered. "And if you must know, Andrew left school early today. He has a special day planned for his mom." Lizzie said discretely. She knew Cassie could read between the lines and know that Andrew was going to see his mom at the treatment center.

 

 

Charles and David walked into the cafeteria. David leaned over and kissed Claire, only this time, with a quick peck on the lips, leaving her speechless and staring at him with her mouth open. David laughed softly and gently forced her mouth close with his finger on her chin. "Sorry, I've been wanting to do that."

Claire was speechless and couldn't think of a response as everyone stared at her. David used that moment to change the subject. "Claire, did you talk to Cassie about going swimming?"

"Oh, no...I'm sorry I forgot."

Cassie set her drink down on the table with a thud and stared at David and Charles. "Swimming?, what are you talking about?"

"I thought it would be fun if we all met up at my house after school. Take a dip in the pool, have some fun."

Charles leaned behind Cassie's chair and tried to silently shake his head at David. Cassie couldn't swim and she was afraid of the water. David didn't notice him and kept talking so he interrupted. "Ah...David..., Cassie can't swim remember."

David stared at Cassie and mouthed his apology regretfully. "I'm sorry Cassie. Yeah, I remember Charles telling me you can't swim. Sorry, I wasn't trying to be jerk or anything." he apologized.

"Cassie you can't swim?" Claire asked, surprised. "Wow, bummer. That's okay, we can teach you. I can swim like a fish. I'm a country girl." she laughed.

"Oh boy....here she goes." Lizzie muttered under her breath.

Cassie shot her an evil glance. "Be quiet Lizzie!" she demanded.

"I'm sorry Cassie but it's time you got over it.  It was a long time ago." Lizzie said.

"This has nothing to do with you Lizzie." Cassie yelled. "I'm not going. I don't like the water and I don't want to talk about it."

"Hey, hey, it's okay Cassie." Charles soothed, taking her hands in his, enter twining their fingers.

Cassie turned, facing him. "How could you plan on going swimming. You know how I feel about being in the water." she whispered.

"Cassie, I didn't know. This is my first time hearing about this. David didn't mean anything buy it. He just forgot that you can't swim."

"You should seriously come Cassie. I can't believe David has a pool." Claire said, smiling at David.  "I can't wait to see it and dive in. Come on Cassie. Look, even if you can't swim you can still come and just hang out. Just put your feet in the water. Please?" she begged.

Cassie pushed her chair back from the table so hard it fell over, causing a loud bang."I said no, and I meant it! You guys can't change my mind." She took off from the table leaving everyone gasping and confused behind her.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to upset her." Claire said to Lizzie and Charles.

"It's okay Claire. She's afraid of the water. I've been trying to get her to let me teach her how to swim for a while now but I just gave up."

"Why is she so afraid? Did something happen to her?" Claire asked. Cassie had left the table with a terrified look on her face.

Charles eyed Lizzie. He didn't feel comfortable discussing what happened to Cassie.

"A long time ago, when were kids, dad took us out to the YMCA for swimming lessons. Tay and I could swim but we weren't exactly the best swimmers. Cassie couldn't swim at all so dad decided we should have lessons. Tay pushed Cassie in the water and she panicked. The lifeguard pulled her out and she hasn't been in the water ever since." Lizze explained.

"Oh, she's hydrophobic. I'm sorry. I didn't know." Claire apologized.

"It's okay Claire. She's just really sensitive about it." Lizzie responded.

David turned to Charles. "Man look, I'm sorry. I know she can't swim.   It just slipped my mind.  I just wasn't thinking. Tell her I'm sorry alright."

Charles stood up and grabbed his stuff. "She knows you didn't mean it David. I'll see you guys later. I'm going to go find her. She's probably in the art studio."

 

 

Story 3 / Scene 20

As expected, Charles found Cassie in the art studio. She was the only one there. She had her back turned to the door working on her art council festival exhibits. Charles held back a smile. She was so dedicated to her art.

Cassie heard the door to the art studio open and close softly. She didn't bother to turn as she knew it would be Charles coming to talk to her.

She sketched out a new still life drawing on her sketch pad first, before committing to her canvas. She stared at it and dipped her brush in the black oil paint, covering the whole entire sketch she'd just worked so hard to create. Charles came up behind her and grabbed her hands, stopping her.

"Cassie, hey....come on. Stop it. He took the paint brush from her fingers and placed it on the table. He brought her hands down to her sides and just stood there, standing with her, holding her hands. He dropped his chin to her shoulder and peaked around to her face. "You want to talk about it? Please." he pleaded with her.

"No!" Cassie said angrily. They'd been all through this before. Charles knew how she felt about the water.  There was no sense discussing it.

"Okay, okay, you don't have to say anything but just listen okay?" Charles asked.

Cassie nodded in agreement. I really didn't matter what Charles said, she was never going into the water again.

Charles turned her in his arms, and sat down, pulling her onto his lap. Cassie tried to get up but Charles gently forced her back down. "No, I want you to listen to me. Cassie, nobody's trying to force you to do anything you don't want to do, okay? He licked his lips and forced her to look at him. Charles smiled and laughed softly. She had that determined don't mess with me look on her face. She was so cute like that.

"This is not funny Charles." Cassie calmly.

Charles rubbed her back. "I know.   I'm not laughing at you baby. You can be so stubborn when you want to be. Stubborn and cute."

Cassie tried to hide her smile.

"There you go." Charles laughed. "That's my girl. Where's that smile that I love?" He pulled her head down for a kiss. "Look, David and Claire and I,...we're not trying to make you uncomfortable. I know how afraid you are of the water. We just want you to come with us. You don't have to get near the water if you don't want to. I just want you there with me."

Cassie shook her head. "No Charles. You don't need me there to have a good time.  Just go."

"It's not that big of a deal Cassie but I'd really like you to go with me. I'm not going to try to push you in the water or force you. You know that." he promised.

"You promise?" Cassie confirmed.

"Of course I promise. Do you think I'd let something happen to you? I know your scared and I'm not going to do anything to make it worse. Just come hang out with me, please." Charles said, smoothing her hair.

Cassie toyed with the buttons on his shirt. She couldn't help but smile. Charles had a way of making everything sound so easy. "Okay," she relented, "but I don't want you to let me stop you from having a good time.  You have to get in the water. You don't have to sit with me."

Charles kissed her and smiled against her lips. "I promise you I'll get in the water,  if you promise to do one thing?"

Cassie pulled back to search his face. "What?" she asked, curious.

"Even though you're not getting into the water, promise me you'll wear a bathing suit."

Cassie laughed with surprise and wrapped her arms around his neck. "You're so bad Charles." she said, kissing him. She pulled away as Charles tried to deepen the kiss. "It's been years since I went near any kind of water. I don't even own a swim suit." she realized.

Charles squeezed her tight. "Perfect, then we'll just have to go shopping." he said, wiggling his eyebrows.  "I'm picturing something small, bright and skimpy." he laughed.

Cassie loosened his grip, smiling. "I bet you are." she teased, grabbing his hands. "Come on, I want you to see my paintings for the art exhibit next week. Tell me what you think."

Charles studied Cassie's paintings. He was so proud of her. She'd really worked hard on these painting and her effort really showed. "These are amazing Cassie." he said, pulling her close. "Especially this one, he said, pointing to an artistic abstract of the peace wall she'd helped build."

Cassie smiled. "It's my abstract interpretation of the peace wall they tore down."

"I know what it is. I saw it right off. It's abstract but I can still see your vision and your interpretation."

"I'm glad you like them.  It took me forever to figure out what pieces I wanted to include. I think I've got it narrowed down to four pieces."

Charles glanced around, confused as he only counted three pieces. "Where's the fourth one? Are you still working on it?"

"Oh." Cassie gasped. "I almost forgot." She pulled her fourth piece from behind a stack of canvases. "This is actually the first piece I did." she said, lifting the canvas up onto an easel for Charles to see.

Charles frowned. "I don't know about this one." he admitted, staring at a portrait of himself.

Cassie's spirits fell. "You don't like it?" she questioned. "Charles, why?"

"No, it's not your work I don't like. You painted it beautifully. I guess I'm not crazy about it because it's a picture of me." he laughed. "You made me look so mean.  I look like I'm angry and mad as hell." he grinned.

Cassie wrapped her arm around his and studied the painting. "That's the point Charles. I tried to capture your expression, your features when you're angry."

Charles looked down at her. "I don't get that mad. I never get that angry." he defended himself, in complete denial.

"You do have a temper Charles." Cassie whispered under her breath.

Charles wrapped his arms around her. "Very funny." he said, kissing her.

 

 

Story 3 / Scene 21

Malik searched around the cafeteria and asked a few people if they had seen Tay. A few people mentioned seeing him in Mrs. Hamilton's English class. What in the world was Tay doing in Enlish class instead of eating lunch. He didn't recall Tay having any test or anything to make up. He ate his lunch quickly and decided to go look for him.

 

 

Tay couldn't believe his luck. Here he was sitting in class with the hottest girl ever and she was sitting extra close to him with their arms almost touching. Tina helped him with his essay and gave him some pointers on how to write a well versed paper. She made it sound so easy.

"It's easy Tay.  You just need to focus on what your doing.  Once you come up with that first sentence and you nail that first opening paragraph down, just take it from there.  The body of your essay should back up or explain your first paragraph. You want to build on that first paragraph and close with a nice summary." Tina explained, scooting her chair closer to his.

"Okay, I got it. It's just gonna take me some time to get my thoughts into words. I don't want to come off sounding all crazy."

"You won't." Tina confirmed, leaning in, bumping Tay's shoulder with hers. "So, Tay, how's your music going? I mean, since you sang with Trey Songz and all I figure your name has probably blown up by now right?" This was her chance to question him about his music.

Tay shrugged.  "Not really. I mean more people notice me than before. I went to the Revolution the other day and these people noticed me as soon as I walked in. This guys was there, some producer or something and he gave me his card." Tay smiled.

"That's great Tay. Did you call him?" she asked calmly, not wanting to come off overly excited.

"Nah, I have to concentrate on school right now.  Besides, I met with some producer before and he forced me into the studio and tried to steal my music.  Dad took care of that though. I learned that you really have to watch out for some of those guys." 

Tina took his pen from his hands, stopping him from writing any further. "Yeah but meeting those people means exposure and stuff like free studio time. It's expensive to book studio slots."

Tay grew more excited as they talked. "Really?" he asked with delight. He knew Tina could sing but he didn't know she truly had an interest in real music. "You went to a studio?"

Tina pushed her chair back and eased into Tay's lap. She caught him off guard and put her arms around his neck.

Tay nearly passed out. He couldn't believe it. What was going on. "Whoa!, Tina....What the.....??" he asked, eyes wide with surprise.

"I'm sitting on your lap." Tina replied boldly with no shame or embarrassment. She slid forward pretending to get up. "But, if you don't want me to I can always get up." she threatened.

"No!" Tay blurted. "He might be a little unfamiliar with this kind of attention from a girl and a little scared and unsure of himself right now, but he was no fool. The Tina Marcell was sitting on his lap. Man, if the fellas could see him now. He was loving this.

"I thought you'd see it my way." Tina stated.

"Yeah, it's cool.  You just caught me off guard, that's all." Tay said nervously. He wanted to pretend like he was cool and hide his nervousness but he couldn't maintain his composure. Tina played with his ear and he nearly jumped out of his seat.

Tina laughed. "So, here's what I was thinking Tay. If your not going to call that producer friend of yours, you might as well give me his card. No need to let it go to waste. After all, I'm taking my time to help you and I'm sure you'd love to help me out with my singing, wouldn't you?" she coerced. She knew he'd do it before he even answered. This had actually been a lot easier than she had thought it would be. She had Tay eating out of the palm of her hand. He was so easy.

 

 

Malik stood outside Mrs. Hamilton's English class staring through the narrow door window. He threw the door open and shouted at Tay. Tay pushed Tina off of his lap. "Malik, please let me explain." he said. "I was going to tell you."

Malik shook his head and backed away. "You suppose to be my dawg man!  Man I'm done!" he yelled, obviously hurt and betrayed by the sound of his voice.

"Malik, come on man. I was going to tell you, I was but she's not your girlfriend."

"Yeah....right." Malik growled, turning and running out of class down the hallway with students staring after him, witnessing the commotion.

Tay tore off after him but Tina grabbed his hand. She laughed and shrugged her shoulders. "Seriously, don't worry about him."

Tay pulled away from her, looking down the hallway. "It's not funny. Malik's my friend and he's crazy about you."

Tina stopped laughing and stepped extra close to him. "Like I said, don't worry about him. You're with me now." she confirmed, kissing him on the cheek. She grabbed her things and gave him her phone number. "Call me." she said, walking out the door.

 

 

Story 3 / Scene 22

Everyone met up and David's house for a dip in the pool. David didn't expect his parents until much later but his mom showed up early. The tension between David and his mom was palpable. It made for a very awkward situation.

"What are you doing here?  I thought you weren't going to be home until well after dinner time?" David spat, frowning. Charles and Cassie stared at him. This attitude was outside of David's comfort zone. He was normally so well mannered, so respectful, especially with women and adults.

His mom stared at him. I forgot about my doctor's appointment so I'm home early. Why don't you introduce me to your friends."

David nodded and waved his hands towards them. "You already know Charles. Cassie, Claire, this is my mom. Mom this is Cassie, Charles's girlfriend and Claire my girlf..., I mean a very close friend of mine." he corrected, not wanting to overstep his boundaries with Claire."

Cassie and Claire shook hands with David's mom.

"Nice to meet you Mrs. Gibbs." Cassie said. "You have a lovely home."

"Thank you Cassie." Mrs. Gibbs replied, turning to Claire, very curious as David had called her his special friend.

Claire stepped forward and shook her hand. "Mrs. Gibbs, nice to meet you. I'm Claire, David's girlfriend." she said, stressing the word girlfriend as she smiled at David.

David was so embarrassed. He couldn't help but blush. He was overjoyed that Claire had taken the initiative and stated the terms of their relationship. He was completely smitten with her but up until now hadn't been completely sure if she felt the same way. She erased all his doubts.

Mrs. Gibbs offered to make them refreshments and snacks. "Make yourselves comfortable. What's everyone drinking. I have everything."

"We're fine!" David growled, speaking to his mom without looking at her.

"David it's no trouble, really." his mom confirmed.

"I said I'm fine. Can you please just leave us alone." he said angrily, turning on her with hard eyes.

Charles was very uncomfortable with the setting and felt sorry for David's mom. "It's okay Mrs. Gibbs. We don't want to inconvenience you. David said you wouldn't be home and it would be okay if we hung out here for a while. We didn't mean to intrude."

"Charles, don't be silly. David is more than welcome to bring his friends here. Everyone loves the pool." she smiled. "There are refreshments and food in the kitchen. Help yourselves and have fun."

"Thanks Mrs. Gibbs." Charles replied.

 

 

David had told Claire and Cassie to come as they were and not to worry about swimsuits. His mom had tons of swimwear at the beach house for unexpected guest who showed up at her pool parties and luncheons. His mom confirmed and told them to pick out something nice. Whatever they chose was theirs to keep.

Cassie and Claire thanked Mrs. Gibbs for her generosity.

"You ladies are more than welcome." she replied, grabbing her purse and scarf. "Now, I've got to get going or I'm going to be late for my appointment. David, if your father calls, tell him I've got a doctor's appointment and I may stop at the spa when I'm done there. I'm in the mood for a massage. I'm feeling a bit sluggish. I'll be home late. If you guys get hungry, Rose has dinner in the fridge."

Claire eyed David as him mom left. "Whose Rose?" she asked, curious.

"The maid." David mouthed.

"Oh, okay." Claire replied, thinking about Charles comment about David being rich. His house was fantastic with marble and granite everywhere. Their foyer was bigger than her bedroom. Now she learned they didn't even do their own cleaning and cooking.

"The maid." Cassie repeated, eyes wide. She was impressed.

David saw her and Claire's reaction to his comment. "Guys, it's no big deal. Rose comes by a couple days a week to clean and cook. It's not like she's here every day. It's just to help out." David explained.

"David, is everything okay?" Claire asked. David was different with his mom. He seemed very angry with her.

"Yeah, I'm sorry Claire." He rubbed the back of his neck and smiled. "Don't pay any attention to us. We don't always get along. She can be a little overbearing. I'm sorry, it's hard to explain."

Claire thought of her own situation and her relationship with her dad. "Trust me, you don't have to explain. My dad and I have our own little personal troubles. It's okay."

"I"m sorry. You probably think I'm some kind of jerk." David grunted.

"No, not at all. You just seemed upset."

David changed the subject. "Hey, lets just forget about it and go have some fun. We'll meet you outside."  

 

 

David hadn't exaggerated about his mom having lots of swimwear. She was a true socialite. There were swimming trunks and bikinis stored away at the pool house. Claire and Cassie flipped through hanger after hanger of designer swim gear in all colors and varieties. Cassie smiled at Claire as she found the perfect suit. This was better than shopping at the mall. All of the clothing still had the boutique tags and labeling attached.  There were also scarfs, hats, caftans, designer sunglasses and towels. Anything you could possibly think of for the ultimate pool party. 

 

 

Claire put on a huge yellow sun hat and wrapped a scarf around her neck. She stomped up and down the pool house doing her best supermodel runway impersonation.

Cassie laughed. "You've got the legs for it Claire. You look amazing."

"Let's see what David thinks. I don't know about this suit. It's kinda of skimpy don't you think?" Claire asked, pulling and tugging at her black suit.

Cassie reached over and pulled the ridiculous hat from her head. "It's suppose to be skimpy. It's a swimsuit.  You look great, except for this ridiculous hat." she laughed, tossing it onto a nearby chair.

Claire looked her up and down.  "That's easy for you to say. You've got your suit all covered up." she said, eyeing Cassie's see through linen caftan. "That purple looks good on you."

Cassie looked down at her self. "Thanks, I'm not going in the water so I figured I'd just sit and relax, maybe flip through a couple of magazines. I'm fine. Come on, she urged, they're probably waiting on us."

Claire took a step toward the door and heard David talking. She faltered and grabbed Cassie's hand. "You go first. I'm scared."

Cassie laughed. "Don't be ridiculous silly.  Come on." She grabbed Claire's hand and forced her outside.

CASSIE AND CLAIRE'S SWIMSUIT PICTURES

Charles and David were already in the pool playing volleyball and having a blast. David was so awestruck with Claire's appearance, he lost focus and the ball plowed right into his face as he glared at Claire.

"David..., close your mouth." Charles mouthed quietly,joking with him. He'd never seen David so into a girl. He was like a different person when Claire came around.

"My bad." David apologized.

Cassie took a seat in a lounge chair and Claire dived into the pool. She sat and watched as they swam and had a blast. They did everything from volleyball to one on one racing. Claire stood at one end of the pool and called the race between Charles and David. They were having so much fun. She felt left out. Charles noticed and called out to her.

"Cassie, you okay?" he asked.

She forced a smile and held up her drink and magazine. "I'm fine."

Charles took a break and gave David and Claire some much needed privacy as they talked in the pool. He swam over to Cassie and pulled himself out of the pool. He walked over to her, dripping wet and shook his hair.

"Charles!" Cassie yelped with water spraying all over her.

"What?" he asked, knowing well enough what she was complaining about, mocking her. He urged her forward on the lounge chair and sat behind her, enveloping her with his wet body. They cuddled on the lounge.

Cassie turned her head back, staring at him.  "Charles you don't have to sit here with me. I told you I'm fine." she reaffirmed, reaching for her drink, taking a sip of ice tea.

"I know you are but you look so cute sitting here by yourself." he commented, taking her glass from her hands for a quick drink. "My dad called. He want's me to come up next weekend. It's Travis's birthday and they want to celebrate. They've got some big party planned for him."

Cassie swiveled in her seat to face him. "Charles, that's the art festival weekend. I thought you were going to be here."

Charles paused. "I know, I haven't decided yet. The festival is Friday evening. I can make the festival and leave Saturday morning if I have to. I want you to come with me but I know you can't. You're dad would probably kill me this time."

Cassie shook here head wildly. "I can't. There's no way my dad will let me go. He didn't speak to me for a couple weeks the last time. I can't go through that again."

 

 

Claire splashed around in the pool with David chasing her and catching her legs. She pulled away and went under for a very long time. David followed her, diving beneath the surface.

Cassie watched from the side and became very nervous as seconds ticked by. She sat up quickly, reaching for Charles's hand. "Charles, they've been under for a while now. I don't like this." she eyed the pool, wondering why they were staying under so long.

Charles grabbed her hand, reassuring her. "It's okay Cassie. They're probably just clowning around." he commented. He figured David was just looking for an opportunity to get Claire alone and play around with her, kiss her. He wasn't the least bit worried.

Cassie released his hand and stood up, walking slowly towards the pool. Charles followed her, nervousness beginning to creep in slightly. Cassie was right. They had been under for a while now. Just as he leaned and looked down into the pool, David broke the surface in a spray of water with Claire wrapped up tight in his arms. They were laughing and holding each other. Claire had her arms around his neck.

Cassie glanced at him and held her hand to her chest, breathing hard.

Charles grabbed her hand. "See, I told you they were just fooling around." He sat on the edge of the pool and stuck his feet in the water. Cassie sat next to him but took extra care, tucking her feet beneath her, far away from the water. Charles put his arm around her waist and pulled her close. Cassie leaned her head on his shoulder and stared at the water.

She stared straight ahead. "When Tay pushed me into the pool that day, all I can remember is swallowing water and choking. I remember my eyes stinging and the lifeguard dragging me out of the pool with everyone watching." she mumbled against Charles's chest quietly. She'd told Charles about that dreadful day before, but this was her first time revealing the awful details.

Charles put his chin on her head and rubbed her arms. "It's okay Cassie. A lot of people are afraid of the water. Your not the only one. When your ready to conquer your fear, when you're ready to learn or if you ever decide to try it again, we'll set up lessons or I'll teach you myself okay?" he promised, kissing her forehead.

Cassie looked up and planted a soft kiss on his mouth. They sat in silence with their foreheads touching for minutes. They didn't talk or mutter a single word. Charles knew she needed this moment to gather her thoughts after telling him about her traumatic experience.  

 

 

David interrupted their moment, calling out to Charles. "Hey man, how about one more game of volleyball before we call it a day?" he offered.

Cassie glanced at him. "It's okay, go." she smiled.

Charles dived into the pool. They played a few more games of volleyball. Charles kept his eyes on Cassie and noticed her sitting on the side of the pool, gingerly testing the water with her toes. He knew she wanted to get in but he wasn't going to force her. He wasn't going to ask her. He was patient and could wait until she asked him. His mind wasn't on the game and he missed every ball. He kept stealing glances at Cassie, watching her. He was worried about her. 

David followed his gaze and noticed Cassie testing the waters when she thought no one was paying attention. "Hey man, Claire and I are going to go up to the house."

Claire bumped the ball over the net, looking at him with surprise. "We are?" She was confused. She thought they were having fun.

David nodded silently toward Cassie. Claire glanced at her and smiled. "Oh!, yeah...sure. David, why don't you show me around the house.  Give me the grand tour. I'm dying to see it." she offered, taking David's clue to give Cassie and Charles some space She and David left the pool and Charles waded over to Cassie.

 

Please stop and play the youtube audio track below before reading any further. Listen to the track as you read the remaining story to help invision the scene.  Thanks

Cassie pulled her feet out of the water as Charles approached. He'd caught her trying to build up the nerve to test the water. She sat on the side of the pool, in a tight ball with her arms wrapped around her legs, her chin resting on her knees.

"You okay?" he asked.

Cassie didn't say anything.  She just nodded.

She wasn't okay. He saw the fear in her eyes and it tore him up inside. He waded in the water next to her and propped his elbows on the side edge of the pool. He cupped a handful of water and ran his hand down her legs, massaging her calves, letting her feel the water. Cassie knew he was trying to make her comfortable, trying to assure her with his touch.  He circled her ankles with his hands and slowly guided her feet into the water, watching her closely to see if she panicked the least bit. She hesitated a bit but settled when she saw the reassurance in his eyes.

He smiled. "See, that wasn't so hard was it? You're fine." He trailed water up and down her calves, smoothing her legs.

Cassie cracked a small smile. "The water is so cold." 

"It's suppose to be cold." Charles laughed. He waded in the water and floated between her legs. His wet hands encircled her waist, squeezing her, letting her know everything was okay. He stood there with her for the longest time, wading in the pool, waiting for her to make the first move. Waiting for her to commit to conquering her fears. He lunged up with his hands on either side of her on the pool deck and planted a kiss on her lips, sliding back into the water with a smile on his face.

Cassie smiled and laughed as he soaked her with water. "You did that on purpose." she grinned.

"I did." Charles admitted,  reaching for her caftan, pulling it over her head. "Lets take this off okay." He ran his hands up and down her arms. She looked beautiful in her suit, absolutely beautiful. His fingers trailed down her exposed waist. He reached up and kissed her.

Cassie responded and held on to his wet shoulders. She really wanted to get into the water with him. She was just scared. She scooted to the edge of the pool deck and hung on to him.

Charles studied her. He could tell she was thinking about it. He caught her face in his hand and held steady, searching her face."Hey, you trust me don't you?"

"Yes, of course I trust you. I want to Charles, I do. I'm just scared." Cassie whispered quietly. She blinked as tears threatened to spill over her face.

Charles grabbed her hand and kissed her fingers.  "Come on, don't cry. It'll be alright. Just trust me.  I know you're scared baby but you don't have anything to worry about. Please don't cry." He brushed her tears away with his thumb. She closed her eyes tightly and he kissed her wet lashes. "Shh, it's okay Cassie. I'm going to be with you the whole time. I love you. I'm not going to let anything happen to you."  He tightened his hold on her waist and gently pulled her forward, bringing her even closer to the edge of the pool. She had to make the decision to come in completely. He couldn't make it for her. He looked at her and saw the answer on her face. She was ready.

"I want to learn but I want you to teach me. I don't want some stranger teaching me." she responded.

"Of course I'll teach you." Charles agreed. "Hold on to me okay. I'm not going to let anything happen to you. Just hold on to me." His hands squeezed her waist as he lifted her into the pool.

Cassie clung to him with her hands on his shoulders as she slid into the pool, sliding against him. She buried her face in his shoulder, shivering from the coldness of the water.

Charles held her tight. "You'll get use to it in a few minutes. Let your body adjust to the temperature of the water."

Cassie looked up at him, nervous and shivering. "Don't take me into the deep end okay?"

Charles kissed her quivering lips. "Oh...Baby, I won't. Just relax okay. Just relax and feel the water." He grabbed a pair of goggles and swim cap from the side of the pool. He covered her head and wet the swimming goggles with water, covering her eyes. "This way your eyes won't sting." he smiled, leaning to kiss her. Cassie responded, opening her mouth, deepening the kiss, taking comfort and solace.  Charles paddled his feet, pushing back from the pool edge, taking her with him as he waded further into the middle of the pool, his lips never leaving hers. 

Cassie lifted her head. She looked around cautiously, clinging to his shoulders with a death grip. 

Charles spoke softly. "Hey, look at me." he said, pausing until her eyes met his before he spoke again. "I've got you. I'm not going to let you go. It's going to be alright baby." he promised, holding her tightly by the waist, turning with her in slow, tight circles in the water. Just let me hold you until you get used to the water. When you're ready to stop... the minute your ready to get out, just tell me okay." 

Cassie nodded. "I trust you."

Charles smiled. "I can't teach you to swim in one day but I can make you more comfortable in the water. I can teach you how to float and follow the water, don't fight it. If you can't get rid of your fear you'll never learn to swim. That's the first step, okay? Let me help you."

"Okay, I'm ready." Cassie whispered, building up her courage. She knew Charles wouldn't let anything happen to her. She felt safe with him.

Charles kept one hand on her waist and massaged her back. "Take a deep breath and relax your muscles. You're not going to sink to the bottom. I'm going to be right here with you the whole time."

Cassie did as he instructed, trying to shake off her nerves and relax.

"Make sure you take a nice deep breath. Fill your lungs with air. It will help you stay afloat."

Cassie took an extra deep breath.

Charles picked her up and gently turned her on her back. She panicked a little but he managed to calm her down. "Cassie, just lay back and float. Let your body move with the water. Your body will naturally move with the water if you don't fight it. Hold both your arms out to your sides like an airplane." He kept his palms under her back, helping her stay afloat. He trailed water on her stomach with one hand. "You're doing great." he encouraged, influencing her to stretch her arms out further. "Do you feel how the water is carrying your weight?" he asked.

"Yes." Cassie smiled, still a little tense but trying hard to relax.

Charles rested his palm flat against her stomach. "Relax your stomach muscles. You're too tense." He felt her muscles relax and smiled at her. "There you go. See how easy it is?"

Cassie smiled. "It's not bad but it's going to take a while for me to get used to it."

Charles smoothed her legs with his hand. "We'll keep practicing. You'll learn, I promise." he said, turning her over, onto her stomach, his palms under her, holding her up. "Don't panic, it's the same principle. Take a deep breath, hold it and try to put your face in the water. Just for a couple seconds. Just make sure you hold your breath." he coached.

Cassie held her head up from the water, panicking. "Charles I'm scared."

"Okay." He lifted her up, cradling her in his arms. She'd had enough for one day. "It's okay, you did great. One step at a time" He kissed her cheek and guided her out of the water. They went to the outdoor pool shower to spray the chlorine from their skin.

Charles grabbed her and kissed her. He held her face in his hands. "You were amazing. You did great."

Cassie grinned.She was so excited. "I had a good teacher. I can't believe I did it." 

Charles pulled her close. "It was easy. I've got a beautiful student. I'm so glad you trusted me enough to let me teach you."

Cassie reached up and kissed him. "Of course I trust you. I love you."

Charles pulled a towel from the rack and draped it around her neck, pulling her against him. "I love you to. I'm just happy you're finally conquering your fears and I know you'll be alright."

She hugged him. He'd been so patient with her.

"Come on, let's go see what those lovebirds are doing." he teased.

 

 

Story 3 / Scene 23

Eddie saw Watkin's evil glare through the corner of his eyes. He obviously had something he wanted to say, something he wanted to get off of his chest. He fidgeted in his seat.

Eddie drove patiently and quietly. "Alright...let's have it." Eddie blurted. He and Watkins were long past the days of mincing words and holding back. "Whatever's eating at you...just spit it out."

Watkins turned, staring at him. Damn...his partner was getting to know him  a little too well. He hadn't said one word yet Sutton had read him like a book. "I thought your son was on desk duty? Why in the hell is he helping you work a case?" he mouthed, staring out the window, ignoring Eddie as he spoke.

Eddie kept his eyes on the road but stole a quick glance at Watkins. "Desk duty or not, he's still a cop...and a damn good one. He's my son and I trust him. He's doing what he can to help us out. If it wasn't for Nate we wouldn't know anything about the ex-girlfriend would we?" Eddie countered, noticing Watkins nervous demeanor.  

Watkins fidgeted with his collar and adjusted his badge. He sat up straight in his seat."That's my point Sutton. My point exactly." Watkins answered sarcastically. "He's your son." Watkins spat, emphasizing the word your. "It's not his case and he shouldn't be involved. Sergeant Myers put your son on desk duty for a reason. If he wanted him working cases and patrolling he'd be sitting here beside you instead of me." he spat.  He didn't like Nate's digging and prying. He didn't like the thought of Nate researching anything. He didn't like it one bit.

Eddie turned into 631 Brookland Farms Drive. He wanted to talk to the neighbor who had called in the burglary last week. Maybe she could offer some better insight on the owners of the house. He turned to face Watkins with one hand on the steering wheel. "Point taken. Won't happen again. I'll tell Nate we have it all under control."

Watkins chuckled. "That's it. No argument...no defending your son. You're making this to easy Sutton. Sometimes I think you're going soft on me."

Eddie took the keys out of the ignition and stepped out of the patrol car. He leaned and peered through the window at Watkins. "I don't need to defend him. I know what kind of man he his, what kind of cop he is. He's my son." he growled, emphasizing the word my." He slammed the car door and walked away.

Watkins looked around and jumped out of the car trailing behind Eddie. This wasn't DeBrier street. They were back at the gun raid residence. The house had been boarded up and parts still tapped off with police tape.  "Hey!...I thought we were going to track down the girlfriend. What are we doing here?"

Eddie walked over to the neighbors house. He looked back and yelled. "Wouldn't hurt to talk to the neighbor again. Right now she's the only one with any kind of contact or knowledge of the owner's of that house." he explained, motioning to the burglarized home.

 

 

Eddie knocked on the neighbor's door. He turned to Watkins as they waited. "Let me do the talking." he said. Watkins could be really overbearing and forceful at times. Someone in the neighborhood had to know something. Mrs. Miller had called in the burglary and she'd admitted to watching the house for the owner. She had to know something.

 

 

Mrs. Miller answered the door. "Yes?"

Eddie smiled and introduced himself. "Mrs. Miller, I'm officer Sutton and this if my partner..."

Mrs. Miller cut him off, interrupting him. "I know who you are officer.  It was just last week.  I remember you. What can I do for you. I told you everything I knew last week."

"We just wanted to ask you a few questions. A lot of times people remember things after we leave the scene. Have you seen anyone strange? Anyone at the house since we left? Just try to remember if you've seen any strange cars, anything."

Mrs. Miller sighed and thought silently. "Well, I've seen a couple of strange cars but none of them have been at the house. They drive be slowly and then they leave."

"What about the owner?" Watkins asked. "Last week you said you had been watching the house for him."

"I watched the house for some guy.  I never said he was the owner. Officer, I really don't know they guy. I'm the head of the community watch program and the head of the community association. I'm sorry, I can't help you. We've had tons of renters in that house.  They come and they go like a thief in the night."

"What about an address? You're in charge of homeowner dues so you must have an address or a name, a copy of a check. Mrs. Miller, please...we really need your help." Eddie pleaded.

Mrs. Miller held the door open. "Come on in." she sighed. "Let me check the homeowner files. Maybe we can find something."

Eddie smiled. "Thank you."

 

 

Mrs. Miller came back with a box full of files.  "I don't think I'm going to find anything. We only collect checks once a year and sometimes the owner of the house doesn't even pay. Sometimes the person whose renting pays the dues. Like I said, we've had so many renters in that house I can't keep track of them anymore. 

Mrs. Miler rattled off street addresses and names as she flipped through files. "Let's see....631 Brookland Farms Drive." she said, pulling the file. "Carey Knight, she was a renter,  Bob Simpson, another renter, Ashley Anderson,renter....Oh!, now here's something from that address. I have a few copies I made of some out of town checks I received. I sometimes make copies of these strange out of town checks because most of the time they're returned for insufficient funds. The most recent one was last year." she said, pulling the file aside. "Here, she said, handing over a copy of an old homeowners check. "Don't know what good it will do you. It's dated for last year and looks like she's in Santa Barbara."

Eddie reached for the copy but Watkins snatched it out of his hand. He held his head down and swore. "Melinda Jackson, Santa Barbara, California. Great!" he winced, shaking his head, handing the copy over to Eddie. "Another dead end."

Eddie looked over the check copy, turning to Watkins. "I'm not so sure it's a dead end. Mrs. Jackson's name is all over this thing. All clues lead to her, whoever she may be. We've got the name and the address.

"Yeah, but there's nothing at that address remember?" Watkins growled. "It's all burnt to a crisp. Like I said, dead end."

Mrs. Miller eyed them warily, confused.

Eddie returned the copy to Mrs. Miller. "We think Mrs. Jackson may be the legal owner of the house." Eddie explained.  Mrs. Miller have you ever met her in person or talked to her on the phone?" 

Mrs. Miller thought about it and shook her head. "No, I'm sorry I haven't but you're right. She may be the legal owner.  This isn't the only copy I have with her name on it."  She searched through her records and found a few check copies with the same name and address."  The house has been vacant a few times and it shows here that she sent in all the dues during the vacancy periods. Sure sounds like a owner to me.  I don't know of to many renters who will pay dues on a vacant house, a house they're no longer renting."

Eddie smiled. "My thoughts exactly. Mrs. Miller, if you hear from Mrs. Jackson or if you see..."

"You'll be the first person I contact Officer Sutton. I promise." Mrs. Miller interrupted.

Eddie started out the door and turned back. "Do you mind if I hold on to that file?"

"Sure." Mrs. Miller replied, handing over a vanilla envelope.

 

 

Story 3 / Scene 24

Cassie rushed around the kitchen preparing dinner, cleaning the kitchen as she worked. She wanted to make sure everything was perfect when her mom got home. She'd promised Charles she would have that special mother daughter talk and she planned on doing it tonight. She wanted her mom to come in, take her coat off and relax. Maybe their conversation would go over easier if she was in a good mood. All she had to do now was figure out how to brooch the subject without sounding like an over sexed promiscuous teenager. How did one ask their mom for birth control? How could she explain she wanted to be prepared and cautious? How could she tell her she and Charles were sexually active and wanted to avoid an unplanned pregnancy? No matter how many times she spun the story in her head and practiced her speech, it came off sounding ridiculous. She swallowed hard just thinking about it. She and her mom had talked about birth control during her pregnancy scare and she had refused them, saying it was a one time encounter between her and Charles. How quickly things had changed and progressed. She and Charles were both a little older and most surprisingly, engaged. She wanted to spend the rest of her life with this man and as embarrassing as it may sound to her mom, intimacy was a big part of their relationship.  She let out an aggravated breath and talked to herself, building up her nerves. "Maybe I should just come right out and say it. Just get it out." She cleared her throat and practiced out loud. "Mom, remember that birth control talk we had? Well, I think I'm ready." She listened to herself and sighed, shaking her head. She slumped down in the kitchen chair. "That sounded stupid. Really stupid Cassie." she admitted to herself.

 

 

Story 3 / Scene 25

Jenn had a horrible day at the clinic. She had to turn away two very sick babies. They were extremely sick and weakened by the H1N1 Flu virus. Seeing the look on the mother's faces as she turned them away, telling them there was nothing she could do was devastating but their advanced condition was simply out of the clinic's scope of care. They needed advanced care and treatment that they could only be provided by an advanced medical center. She loved her job but there were times like this when the medical field made you feel helpless and useless.

Dana came over to her and hugged her. "You're worried about those babies aren't you."

"I am. I can't help it. Did you see the look on the mother's face when I told her she'd have to seek treatment elsewhere?" Jenn breathed, recalling the look of despair on the woman's face. "She has no money, no insurance. Dana, being in the medical field in this day and age is getting harder and harder. Her baby is sick and I couldn't help her. All I can think of is what if that were one of my children and I didn't have the money or the capability to help them." she sighed and tried to force a smile. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to dump all that on you. I'm just venting."

Dana smiled. "It's alright Jenn. I know how those mothers feel. Believe me. I struggle each and every day trying to take care of Jeron. It's a constant struggle but you know what they say, 'What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger and I'm a firm believer in that. A lot of people look down on single mothers but I don't care what they say. As a single mom I can definitely say we have that S stamped on our chest. You can call it super mom, super woman or whatever you want to call it but we fight to take care of our children."

Jenn laughed. "Thanks Dana. I needed that. By the way, how is Jeron?  Tay doesn't talk about him anymore."

Dana folded her arms and leaned against the counter. "Jeron has his good days but he mostly has bad days. Tay probably doesn't say much about him because Jeron has gotten real close with the wrong kind of people lately. All I can do is talk to him and hope he makes the right decisions. I don't know what else to do. A couple a weeks ago he got a job at the corner barber shop. I thought he was finally doing the right thing and settling down. Boy was I wrong. The owner of the shop calls me a few days later yelling at me saying Jeron stole money from him and he's going to call the cops unless I come down there and replace the money." Dana vented, holding back frustration. "You don't know how lucky you are Jenn, to have a husband, a family who cares about you and can stand by your side. It's hard out here and you can't make it in this world by yourself."

Jenn felt so sorry for her. She rubbed Dana's shoulder. "Oh Dana, I'm sorry. Eddie always seemed to be able to get through to Jeron. If you want, I can ask him to talk to him for you."

"No...Eddie's done enough for my family Jenn. He can't look after his own family and watch mine to." she smiled. "I appreciate you offering though, but no thanks."

'Hey, it's no problem. I've got a teenage son of my own so I know what you're going through. Tay's been showing his rebellious side lately and his grades have suffered because of it. You know, I ask myself, were we this rebellious and stubborn when we were teenagers?" she laughed.

Dana burst out laughing, grabbing her cart to make her rounds. "I don't know about you Jenn but I was worse.  Much worse." she laughed.

Jenn shook her head. "Dana, you're suppose to deny it and say we were both perfect lady like teenagers who never did anything wrong." she joked.

"You need to come sit and hear mama tell some of her wild stories about me Jenn. I can't even believe some of the things I did." she confessed, laughing until tears came to her eyes.

"You're terrible." Jenn said.

"I was terrible." Dana admitted. "Now I'm just little old tired Dana with no love life." 

"Oh, Dana...don't talk that way about yourself." Jenn argued. Dana had some problems in the past but she was still a very attractive woman. Jenn was so relieved that their relationship had changed for the better. Who would have thought they would become coworkers as well as friends.

"I call 'em like I see 'em Jenn. I better go. It's almost quitting time. I'm tired and I want to get out of here on time today. Oh, before I forget, the girls and I are going out Friday. We've got some fun stuff planned." she offered.

"Actually, I've got some fun stuff of my own planned. Eddie and I are celebrating our wedding anniversary."

Dana smiled wholeheartedly but couldn't help feeling a little lonely inside. She walked back around the counter and gave Jenn a hug. "That's great Jenn. That's wonderful. Congratulations." If things had worked out right between her and Eddie, this could be her anniversary. Nothing ever worked out right for her. She deserved a little happiness.

 

 

Story 3 /  Scene 26 

Tay ran to catch up with Lizzie and her friends as they walked home from school. "Hey Lizzie, wait up!" he yelled.

Lizzie looked back and kept walking, increasing her pace.

Tay finally caught up with them. "Dang Lizzie. I said wait. I know you heard me."

Lizzie turned on him. "Yeah...I heard you Tay but why do you want to walk home with a bunch of girls." she asked, turning to Kayla and Shaunice.

"Yeah, shouldn't you be walking home with Tina the Diva?" Kayla laughed along with Shaunice.

Lizzie eyed them, confused. "What are you guys talking about?"

Tay disrupted the conversation. He didn't want to talk about Tina or Malik. "Mind your own business Kayla."

Kayla rolled her eyes and stepped up close to him. "Excuse me...I don't have to mind anything Tay. First of all, Tina is not your business. She's Matt's business. You remember Matthew right, Tina's boyfriend?" 

Tay was fuming mad. "Forget you Kayla. Besides, Tina's not dating him anymore. I'm the new man in her life." he bragged.

Shaunice held her eyebrows up in surprise. "Man?" She looked around awkwardly. "I don't see no man standing here." she mocked. "I can't believe it. You and Tina Marcell?  This I've got to see." she ridiculed Tay. "Come on Kayla. We can walk the rest of the way ourselves. We're almost home anyway. Bye Lizzie." she spat, frowning and looking Tay up and down with disgust.

Tay stared after them. "What's her problem? Seriously, you got some weird friends Lizzie." 

Lizzie stared him down, mumbling under her breath. "Tay, are you crazy? Tina Marcell has a boyfriend. A very large boyfriend."

"He's not her boyfriend." Tay argued. "Besides, I'm not afraid of Matt."

"Well you should be. You should be very, very afraid." Lizzie replied. "I'm afraid for you. Tay, Shaunice is right, Matt is her cousin. She'll tell him and he'll probably kill you. He's three times your size. What do you see in a girl like Tina anyway? She's so superficial and she's probably just using you for something."

"Shut up Lizzie and mind your own business! You don't see me getting into the middle of you and Andrew's business."  Tay snapped. "You're just like everybody else. Why can't she like me for being me. Just because a pretty popular girl likes me, it doesn't mean she's using me. You're suppose to be my sister. Can't you at least say something positive for a change?"  he questioned, walking off and leaving her to walk home by herself.

Lizzie drew in a deep breath. "He's going to kill you Tay." she said out loud to herself, slowly following Tay home. She didn't know much about Tina Marcell but she didn't like the little that she knew. She was the same age as Tay but she was manipulative and just plain mean and spiteful. Plus, she looked and acted a lot older than her age. Tay had carried a crush on her for the longest time and she barely knew he existed. Now, all of a sudden, Tay was her new boyfriend. Something was  going on and Tay was to blind to see it. She would definitely have a talk with Tina tomorrow and get to the bottom of this before Tay got himself killed.

 

 

Story 3 / Scene 27

Eddie stood outside Jessica Wilson's door, listening to the irritating sound of Watkins pounding on the door with all his might.

He brushed him aside. "You know, you're going to learn that if you just calm down and treat people with a little respect, you'll get a lot further with them. Sometimes if you want something, you've to ask nicely. Step aside please." he demanded

"Maybe that's your problem Sutton. You're growing soft on me. Look at that, he pointed, nodding toward the curtain moving against the window. You think they don't know we're standing out here. She's probably hiding him and helping him out the back door as we speak." Watkins muttered, starving for an argument.

Eddie eyed him with exasperation, trying to hold his temper and not start an argument. Seriously, he and Watkins argued more than an old married couple. He felt sorry for the guy's wife.

 

 

The door opened and a young woman carrying a crying baby on her hips opened the door. She noticed their uniforms and instantly became defensive, refusing to open the screen door.  "Can I help you? What do you want?"

Watkins took one look at her and the surroundings and decided she was guilty and had to be hiding her boyfriend. "Yeah you can help me by telling me where you're hiding your boyfriend." He tugged on the screen door knob forcefully.

"Hey!....you better back off man. I know my rights. You can't just come barging in here. This is my house. Mine!" Mrs. Wilson yelled.

Eddie grabbed Watkins hand and forced him away from the door. "Back off." he said through his teeth. "I'll handle this." he clarified, waiting until Watkins calmed down before he turned to speak to Mrs. Wilson. "I'm sorry mam, you'll have to excuse my partner. We just need a few minutes of your time. We're investigating a crime and we understand you may know one of the suspects involved, Mr. Michael Green."

Mrs. Wilson glared at him through the screen door. She tried to hide her fear and nervousness but it was obvious she knew and was hiding something. She refused to look him in the eye. "I ain't seen Michael in months. I don't know where he is and I don't care."

Eddie rubbed his hands together and spoke calmly. "Are you sure you haven't seen him? He's in a lot of trouble and the sooner he comes down to the station to talk with us, the sooner we can straighten this all out. We need to ask him a few questions."

"I told you I ain't seen him!" Mrs. Wilson growled, closing the front door.

Watkins pushed Eddie out of the way and forced the screen door open. He pulled his sunglasses of so she could see his eyes and understand he wasn't in the mood for foolish games. This was serious. "Lady, I got a three year old warrant for your arrest for fraudulent checks. It doesn't make a difference to me. I can take you or your boyfriend down to the station. Doesn't matter which one of you I take but I'm not leaving here unless one of you goes with me. Now, tell me where your boyfriend is." he demanded.

Mrs. Wilson shifted her crying baby on her hips. "Please no, I can't go to jail. That was a long time ago. I was going to take care of those checks, I promise. Please don't take me." she begged, peeping around Watkins and eyeing Eddie symphathetically.

Eddie leaned against the door jamb. "Mam,..."

"Jessica." Mrs. Wilson corrected him.

Eddie started over. "Jessica, just tell us where we can find Michael. That's all we want."

Jessica breathed in deep and wiped her nose. "In the bedroom, under the bed." she whispered ever so softly.

"Thank you." Eddie offered. "I want you and your son to go wait next door until we're gone. Okay," he added, noticing her hesitation.

Jessica stepped outside. "Okay."

 

 

Eddie and Watkins entered the room talking and acting normally. They didn't want to spook Michael and give him an opportunity to jump through another window. Eddie gave the signal and they upended the bed, grabbing Michael before he had a chance to escape.

Watkins snickered. "Well, well...Mr. Green, this is the second time I've caught you napping under a bed. You're busted. Come on." he said, grabbing him and turning him to place hand cuffs around his wrist.

"Man I don't know nothing about them guns." Michael confessed. "I swear."

"Who said anything about guns? How did you know what we were here for?" Eddie questioned

"The streets been talkin man. How you think I know yall been lookin for me? Man, yall gonna get me killed. Yall got these people thinkin I was trying to steal their stuff. I need some kind of protection man. If they find me, they gonna kill me." Michael pleaded.

Watkins grabbed him by the forearms and guided him out the door. "Trying to?" he laughed. "Mr. Green, you weren't trying to do anything. You were caught red handed trying to steal illegal firearms. I've heard enough of your talking and lying." he stated. "Let's go." he ordered, marching Michael out of the house as he read him his rights.

 

 

Michael stuck to the same story at the police station. "Man I'm tellin yall, I don't know nothin!" he yelled, lying through his teeth.

Eddie leaned over his chair, breathing down his neck. "Stop lying to me Michael. Give us a name. Whose financing this operation because it sure as hell isn't you. Tell me who it is so we can stop them from putting more firearms onto our streets. All you have to do is tell me his name."

Michael swiveled around in his chair, facing Eddie. "Man, yall make it sound so easy. It's not." he sighed, giving up. "Look man, it's a small gun ring. Some of the fellas I know from the streets was involved with the transport and distribution but they ain't no big time people. They was makin small change. I don't know nothin about the boss man. That's all I know." he fabricated.

Watkins stepped close to his chair and stared down at him. "Look, I'm tired, it's late and I want to go home. I can't do that until you stop lying to me... to us" he added, looking around at Eddie. "You think this is all you have to worry about. My partner has been looking for you for months on an armed robbery charge along with all the other petty crimes you've been involved in. So don't give me this crap about not knowing anything. Your friends, the one's involved with the transport, give me their names." Watkins shouted.

Michael shook his head. "Man, I can't do that. I don't even know their names, only their street names. We ain't even cool like that. We just do our little street thing. You know, hustling, trying to eat and stay alive.They ain't really my boys. I just know them from the streets. When word gets out they gonna be after me!" he shouted back.

Watkins had heard enough of Michael's stalling and denial. He kicked the chair out from under him, sending him crashing to the floor. "Your street thing." Watkins repeated, laughing to himself. "You mean your drugs!  I don't have time for this shit!" he yelled, reaching out, grabbing Michael by his shirt collar.

Eddie reached out, stopping him. "Hey!, hey, hold on." He shot Watkins with a look of disbelief. "Are you crazy?" he asked, his eyebrows drawn up in question. "Let him go." he stated. "I said let him go." he said forcefully when Watkins refused.

Watkins released Michael, taking a few steps back with his hands on his waist. He needed to compose himself, pull himself together. He had no patience or tolerance for crooked people.

Eddie picked up the chair and gestured for Michael to sit down. "Sit down Michael."

Michael sat down slowly, eyeing Watkins from the corner of his eye. He didn't trust that guy. He was a crazy ass cop.

"Michael, I need the name of the guys who helped transport the guns. You have to give me something. You're already wrapped up in this to deep to dig yourself out. We caught you in the house." Eddie explained, urging Micheal to give them some kind of solid lead.

Michael cracked his knuckles and gnawed his lip. "I can't do that man. If I snitch on them, they gonna be after me cuz she gone be after them."

Eddie and Watkins stared at each other immediately. Finally, Michael had revealed something.

"Who said anything about a she?" Eddie asked.

Michael dropped his head low, realizing his mistake. "Look man, just go ahead and lock me up cuz I ain't saying nothin else. I already said too much as it is. I ain't talkin and I ain't snitchin on nobody. I wanna live to see tomorrow!" he yelled. "

"Naw." Watkins said. "You haven't said nearly enough."

Eddie sat down next to Michael. "Look Michael, you're going to be locked up regardless of what you tell me but if you give us something to go on maybe things won't be so hard for you. This case is going to have federal implications as well as local. You think we're being tough on you but you haven't seen anything yet. When those stiff shirt detectives come in here and start interrogating you, you're going to wish you had told Watkins and I every thing you know. You might as well talk now before this gets out of hand. You're just a small part in a big picture. You're the little man in this. Give us a name."

Micahel's shoulders slumped and his whole demeanor changed. He knew he was busted. He turned and stared Eddie down. "Alright, look, I overheard some punk talking about their holdin spot and I decided I was gonna make some quick cash but I swear to you I was not transportin or helpin them with their operation. I was just trying to grab what I could get and sell it on the streets for some quick pay. That's it. I heard them mention some chick's name a few times."

How did you know the guns would be in that house? Don't tell me your boys just volunteered that informtion." Watkins questioned.

Michael rubbed his face and drew in a ragged breath. "I know this one dude, he's got this cell phone that he never lets out of his sight. He sold me a street piece a few months ago and word is he's got real close contact with the boss lady. I figured it was his contact phone. We got wasted one night...he crashed hard, fell asleep and I went through his phone. A couple of weird address and some out of town addresses and phone numbers came up.  I copied all the contacts I found into my own phone. The next day I hit every house with a local address until I found the right one." he confessed.

"Alright." Eddie nodded. "I want a list of all the names, addresses and phone numbers you took from that phone."

Michael agreed. "Even if I give em to you it ain't gonna make no difference. They know they busted by now. You ain't gonna find anything there. Everyone of them houses was vacant when I broke into them and I found guns and knives in each one. But that last house on Brookland farms, whew," he whistled, "that was the mother load."

"Did you notice any Santa Barbara addresses?" Watkins asked.

Michael looked from Watkins to Eddie. "Yeah." he said knowingly. Matter of fact, this one Santa Barbara address came up several times." he replied.

"You got the name?" Eddie asked, hoping for that one break.

"Yeah." Michael pulled his phone from his belt clip, searching through the contacts. "Why do you wanna know?" he asked.

"You let us worry about that." Eddie replied.

Michael scrolled through endless names and addresses. "Melinda Jackson." he said. "252 Gable Springs Boulevard, Santa Barbara, CA." he called out.

Watkins glanced at Eddie with the mention of Melinda Jackson's name once again. He'd heard that name repeatedly. Melinda Jackson had to be the key to this crime. All they had to do now is find her.

"Okay,  I want you to write down everything from your phone." Eddie instructed.

 

 

Eddie stopped by Nate's desk. "Hey son, what are you still doing here? We need to work on getting you out Nate. You're a young man. You should be out somewhere with a nice young lady." Eddie smiled.

Nate held his hands up in defense. "Whoa dad. I got enough trouble with mom trying to play matchmaker. Please don't tell me I have to worry about you to." he laughed.

"Nothing like a good woman." Eddie replied.

"Well, we shall see." Nate said. "Any news or leads on the firearms case?"

"Yeah." Eddie smiled. "We just brought in the burglar, one of our lead suspects. He's working with us, getting us a list of contacts. Turns out our firearms crime boss might just be a woman."

Nate looked surprised. "A woman involved in a huge gun trafficking ring, right here in the Heights?" he questioned.

"Yeah." Eddie confirmed. "We're looking for Melinda Jackson but she supposedly lives or use to live in Santa Barbara. We assume she's hiding, using different aliases, covering her trail."

Nate shrugged his shoulders. "I can help out if you want. I can do some digging, see if we can track her down. People hiding from the law have all kinds of tricks and stunts. They know how to hide. I can take a look at that Santa Barbara address if you want."

"Sure." Eddie said, walking over to his desk, grabbing the vanilla envelope. "Everything is in here. Her name, address, even copies of some old checks she wrote."

"Okay, I'll check it out." Nate offered, pausing with a folder of his own in his hand. "Got that information you asked me for." he sighed. He looked Eddie in the eye with a somber expression. He really didn't want to have this conversation and he didn't want to get involved in the situation. He handed the file to Eddie but held tight before he released it. "Wasn't very hard to find. Everything was right here on the internet." he mouthed. "Dad, are you sure you want to do this? I mean, there are some things in here that will probably surprise you. Just think hard before you open this.  There's no need to go digging for trouble and no need to open up a can of worms." he stated.

Eddie read Nate's serious nature and grabbed the folder, taking it to his desk. He held his breath as he read the contents. The headlines all read the same. Officer kills partner in line of duty. Eddie's heart sank. His eyes trailed the page, reading the words but not wanting to believe them. Watkins had shot and killed his partner.This explained so much about his attitude, his demeanor, his forceful nature.

Watkins walked into the room, grabbing his coat and keys, headed for the door. "It's been a long day folks. I'm out of here. Sutton, I want to run down some of those address leads first thing tomorrow morning."

Eddie didn't say a word. He just stared at him with his mouth open, following Watkins's every move. His eyes trailed him as he made his way to the door. Eddie let out the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding and turned to find Nate standing close behind him, staring at him.

"You okay Dad?" he asked.

Eddie didn't answer. He didn't know what to say. He had expected bad news but nothing like this. The department had labeled the killing as a self defense case in the line of duty but the fact remained, an officer had been killed. Killed by an officer he was now riding with, patrolling with. He was blindsided by the news. He got up and headed for the quietness of the locker room, leaving Nate staring after him. He needed time to think. How was he going to handle this?  

 

 

Story 3 / Scene 28

Tay stormed into the kitchen with Lizzie close on his heels. He dropped his bag onto the kitchen table and thumbed through the mail. He eyed Cassie from the corner of his eye. " Oh no...please tell me you're not cooking.  He frowned and rolled his eyes, holding his throat and stomach in mock agony. "Charles must be coming over. That's why you're cooking. Last time you cooked dinner we all had a stomach ache for a week. You poisoned us."

Cassie turned to him with a butcher knife in her hand. "Shut up Tay. This has nothing to do with Charles. Seriously, I wish I could poison you." she snarled.

Lizzie  threw her book bag down along side Tay's, cluttering the table. "He's right Cassie. You nearly killed us."

Cassie growled at her with widened eyes. "Lizzie!" she blurted.

Lizzie stood rubbing her arms. She didn't want to hurt Cassie's feelings but her cooking was worst than dads. "I'm sorry Cassie but we like mom's cooking."

Cassie threw the knife in the sink and wiped her hands on a towel. "Too bad. I'm cooking and I want everything ready and prepared by the time mom gets home. Will you two please stop complaining and help me?"

Tay rolled his eyes. "Great, looks like I'll be eating cold cereal tonight."

Cassie whirled on him. "Shouldn't you be upstairs studying." It was a personal jab at Tay's failing grades. She stood staring at him with a sly grin on her face.

Tay waved his hand in dismissal. "Forget you." he mumbled, holding up a letter from the stack of mail. "Guess you don't want this." he teased, waving a letter from Pratt in the air. He took off, running upstairs with the letter in his hand.

Cassie saw the Pratt envelope and ran behind him, catching him midway up the stairs. She yanked it from his fingers. "Give it to me Tay. It's mine." She walked back downstairs in a trance, staring at the envelope. It was from the Pratt Institute admission's office. She'd been waiting on this but now that it was here, she was too afraid to open it. She was secure about her chances at being accepted but unsure and insecure about leaving Charles when the time came. She folded the letter and stuck it into her pocket. She'd do it later. Maybe she'd open it with Charles.

 

Story 3/ Scene 29

Jenn walked up behind Dana waiting at the bus stop. She tapped her on the shoulder. "Come on, I'll give you a lift" she volunteered. She turned to walk away and looked back to see Dana still standing in the same spot. She smiled. "Dana, come on. I told you it's no trouble. Thanks for making me feel better today. I needed that pep talk."

Dana shuffled her feet and looked around nervously. "I don't want to put you out of your way Jenn.  I don't want to abuse our friendship.  It's okay, I can wait for the bus. You go ahead." She avoided looking Jenn in the eye. She really wished the bus would hurry and come.

Jenn put her hand on the small of her back and propelled her forward. "Dana, don't be ridiculous. Get in the car lady. I'm not going to take no for an answer." she insisted.

Dana sat in the car reluctantly. Jenn talked non stop the entire trip home. Dana tried to join the conversation but all she could manage to say were one word answers. She was sweating and nervous.

Jenn glanced over at her. "Hey, you okay, you're kind of quiet. That's not like you."

Dana turned and plastered a fake smile on her face. "I'm fine Jenn. Don't mind me. I'm sorry if I'm not very good company. I guess I'm just tired." She zipped her jacket and folded her arms tightly. Traffic was horrible and a ten minute drive home was turning into twenty minutes. She had to get out of Jenn's car.

Jenn noticed her adjusting her jacket. She reached over and turned the air off. "You're cold. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to freeze you." she smiled.

 

Jenn pulled up into the driveway. Traffic had been much heavier than usual but she had dropped Dana off and was finally home. She was very tired and cringed at the thought of having to go in and prepare dinner.  Tonight was definitely a good night for pizza. She turned the ignition off, opened the door and grabbed her keys and purse.  Her cell phone fell out of her purse. She leaned to grab it and noticed a bottle of pills on the floor board. Jenn swallowed hard and her heart raced in her chest.  She knew exactly what kind of medicine it was without reading the label. Oxycodon, a strong pain reliever but more importantly, a controlled substance drug. She worked with it and saw it prescribed everyday. She grabbed the bottle and stared at herself in the rear view mirror. "No, Dana...I trusted you." she muttered out loud. That's why Dana had refused her offer for a ride home. She must of had the drugs in her pockets or her purse the whole time. The big question was how she had managed to get a key to the medicine chest. She closed the door and dropped her head back against the head rest. A feeling of betrayal and anger over took her. She was livid and hurt. She needed a moment to sit in silence.

Medicine and drugs had been missing from the clinic for weeks now. She had written it off as a shortage or thought maybe the other nurses were forgetting to log in what they used and prescribed. Now she knew better. She didn't want to believe Dana had done such a horrible thing but what other explanation was there? She held the proof in her hands. How could she have been so stupid? She felt like crying or screaming but leaned her head against the steering wheel instead.

 

 

Story 3 / Scene 30

"I'm home baby girl!" Watkins shouted, slamming the front door. He smiled to himself. He looked forward to the quiet evenings when he got to spend time with Claire. She was growing up so fast and was practically a grown woman but he would always see her as his baby.

Claire peeked her head around the corner from the kitchen. "Hi dad. You were late so I already ate. Dinner's in the microwave." she smiled, walking past him.

Watkins reached out and caught her hand. "Hey, what happened to the hugs I used to get when I came home?" he questioned, searching her face. You remember that? I miss how close we used to be Claire." he acknowledged, reaching out to his baby. He missed her. They used to be really close. They used to do things together.

Claire pulled away and folded her arms. "That was a long time ago dad." she frowned. She was not in the mood for this trip down memory lane. She was growing up and he didn't want to accept the fact that she was changing. She wasn't some sweet innocent little kid anymore.

"It wasn't that long ago Claire." Watkins replied. He took her by her shoulders and walked with her into the kitchen. "Come on, sit with me."

"Dad, I told you, I already..."

"I know you already ate but would it kill you to sit with your dad and just talk to me while I have my dinner?" he begged.

Claire slumped down in the chair across from him. She sat silently as he ate. She knew it was just a matter of time before he brought up David's name.

Watkins wiped his mouth with a napkin and leaned back in his chair. "So, you want to tell me about this guy you went out with the other night?" he asked.

Claire's chin shot up at his statement. Unbelievable, her dad was unbelievable. "Wow, nice work dad." She glanced at the clock on the wall, shaking her head. "You lasted all of fifteen minutes. If you wanted to ask about David all you had to do was say it. You didn't have to pretend to want this little father/daughter talk." she yelled, pushing her chair back from the table.

"Claire!, sit down. I wasn't pretending to do anything. I miss our relationship baby. You're my baby. I'm suppose to want to know what's happening with you. I want to know who you're with, who your friends are.  What kind of father would I be if I didn't? Everyone you meet is not as they seem Claire. I just want you to be careful." he justified, pleading with her to understand his actions.

"Dad, we are not in Charlotte anymore. You promised me when we came here it would be to make a new start, meet new people and forget your past. And yes dad, some people are as they seem. You confuse and compare everyone to your partner. Not everyone is as crooked and deceptive as Kevin Brown was. There are bad cops in every city, every town dad. I just wish you'd get over it." Claire yelled.

Watkins beat on the table, scaring her. "I can't get over the man that I killed!" he screamed.

Claire jumped up and ran from the table. She ran from the kitchen but Watkins caught her. "I'm sorry baby." he breathed, holding her tightly in his arms. "I'm sorry I scared you. I worry about you. I'm your dad. You have to allow me that Claire. Don't take that away from me." he said, his voice heavy with emotion.

Claire looked up at him. "I love you dad. I just want you to get on with your life. Ever since the accident, you've been like a different person and I'm sorry but I don't like the person you've become. You're mean spirited, defensive and abusive toward everyone you meet. I'm afraid to bring my friends here. I'm afraid of what you might say and how you'll treat them. That's why I didn't tell you about David. I want my friends to see and meet my real dad, the one before the shooting. I miss him." she cried, tears rolling down her face.

Watkins nodded his head in agreement. "Alright, stop crying baby. I didn't mean to make you cry. I'm trying, I am and you and I are going to make things work here. We're not leaving."

"If I tell you about David, you promise you won't get mad?" Claire asked.

Watkins agreed. "Who is he?  How did you meet him and when are you going to introduce me to him?   He winked, teasing her, "I promise I won't scare him off. I won't even do a background check." he laughed, joking.

Claire smiled. "Dad," she laughed, smiling from ear to ear.  "David is Charles and Cassie's friend. They introduced us. I want to meet him at the arts festival this Friday? She stood toying with her fingers, waiting for a response. "So...can I go?  David's a great guy dad, I promise.  He's the perfect gentleman.  I promise you'll meet him soon. You'll like him dad. He's really sweet and he comes from a really nice family." she blurted out without thinking.

Watkins stepped back with his hand on his waist. "Oh, so you've already met his family but I haven't met him?" He didn't like the thought of that.

"Dad, do you want to meet him or not? I'm trying to be honest and not sneak around. Can I please go?"

"Alright," Watkins relented, "but I expect to meet him sometime soon."

Claire jumped up on her tip toes and hugged him. "Thanks dad, Yes!" she celebrated. "Love you dad."

 

 

Story 3 / Scene 31

Cassie met Jenn at the door. "Hey mom. You look tired. You don't have to worry about dinner.  I took care of everything." she said anxiously.

Jenn cupped her shoulder. "Thanks Cassie. That's great honey." She was grateful for Cassie's thoughtfulness but her mind was preoccupied with Dana and the clinic.

"What's wrong mom?" Cassie questioned. She didn't seem very impressed or happy. She looked angry and upset. "Mom, if you don't like what I made, I can cook something else." she offered, trying to lighten her mom's mood.

Jenn grabbed her hand. "Oh, no Cassie. You did great honey, thank you. I'm just a little tired. I had a long day at work."

 

 

Eddie waltzed into the kitchen, his eyes zeroing in on Jenn. He couldn't wait to tell her the information on Watkins.

"Eddie..." Jenn started.

"Jenn..." Eddie interrupted.

"I need to talk to you." They both mouthed in unison.

Jenn nodded her head. "Upstairs, in private." She had to tell him about Dana.

They started upstairs.

"Mom," Cassie called out, "I really need to talk to you."

Jenn turned back, looking down the stairs. "Cassie, I need to talk to your father right now. We'll talk later on okay. Why don't you all go ahead and start dinner without us."

Cassie sighed with disappointment. "Okay." 

 

 

Jenn held the door open for Eddie and turned on him as soon as he entered. She held the bottle of Oxycodon up to his face. "I gave Dana a ride home this evening. I found this in my car after I dropped her off." she spat.

Eddie took the bottle, studying it. He was confused. "So, Dana left her painkillers in your car. You'll see her tomorrow Jenn. Just give them to her then."

Jenn sat on the bed, glaring at Eddie. "Eddie, drugs have been turning up missing at the clinic for weeks now. We couldn't figure out what was happening.  These are powerful controlled substance painkillers.  These are not your typical over the counter pills." she explained.

Eddie walked over to her. He held both hands up in defense. "Hold on a minute Jenn, what are we talking about here? Are you trying to say Dana stole drugs from the clinic? Whatever it is your trying to say, we need to be very sure before this conversation goes any further."

Jenn was offended. She stood up, facing him. "I'm not trying to say anything Eddie.  Controlled substances are kept under lock and key." She grabbed the bottle from his hands and held it up. "These drugs must have fallen out of Dana's pockets or her purse. They didn't just magically appear in my car."

Eddie yanked the bottle out of her hand it placed it on the night stand. He took her by the shoulders. "Jenn, listen to me. We can't be sure. Those pills could belong to Dana. Maybe  she got sick and had her doctor prescribe her something."

Jenn pulled away, reaching for the bottle. She turned the bottle over. "Then why does it have the clinics control number and lot number stamped on the bottom?"

Eddie sat down on the bed. He couldn't defend Dana any longer. "You think she's using?" he scowled.

Jenn sat down next to him. "I don't know. I honestly don't know. I mean, these drugs have a lot of street value. She's either  using or selling. Either way, it's not good and it's also illegal."

Eddie caught her fingers in his hand. "What are you going to do? You wan't me to talk to her?"

"No."Jenn stated firmly. "I'll handle this. You weren't kidding when you said Dana and I come from different worlds."

Eddie pulled her close, rocking her. "I'm sorry. I asked you to hire her."

"It's okay Eddie. It's not your fault but I feel like she used me." Jenn commented. She purshed her hair away from her face.

 

 

Eddie understood Jenn's anger and feeling of betrayal. You just could never be too sure about a person. He got up and paced the floor. "You won't believe what I found out today."

Jenn leaned back against the pillows, closing her eyes for a brief minute, resting them. She kept her eyes closed as she spoke, expecting to hear some trivial bit of information regarding Watkins or some other officer at the station.

"I've been riding around with a cop killer. Watkins shot and killed his last partner." he stated grimly.

Jenn's eyes sprang open and she sat straight up.  "What?" she exclaimed. "Eddie, wait...how do you know this?  Are you sure?"

Eddie confirmed. "Jenn, trust me. I'm sure. This explains everything. I knew there was something wrong with him but I just couldn't put my finger on it. I just never expected this. The department has grief counselors and psychiatrist for guys like Watkins. He obviously needs some help. I don't know anything about this guy Jenn and I spend eight hour a day riding around with an unstable cop."

"Eddie, we don't know the details. Now, you just told me a few minutes ago to not jump to conclusions. Let's not make any assumptions on how well you're partner is dealing with his problems. Someone obviously feels he's okay and stable enough to work otherwise he wouldn't be patrolling."

Eddies eyes were uncertain. "It's not that easy Jenn. There are cops out there who can't handle taking another human beings life, even if it is in self defense or in the line of duty. To be labeled as a cop killer, that's something he'll never be able to live down."

"So you're saying you don't trust him?" Jenn concluded. "Eddie, whatever you do, don't approach him the wrong way. If he wants you to know he'll tell you. He's a licensed officer and until the chief of police or your sergeant says differently, there's nothing you can do but try and work with him or request a partner change."

Eddie raised his voice. "We tried that remember and I never said I didn't trust him."

"Then what are you saying?  Eddie, just be careful and try not to pry into his affairs.  He's obviously not comfortable with people knowing about it. Just be careful. Please."

Eddie rubbed the back of his neck. Who was he kidding?  No, he didn't trust him.  Not after what he'd read today.  Come to think of it, he didn't even know him.  How could he depend on his partner to watch his back when he didn't even trust him?

 

 

Story 3 / Scene 32

It was late but Cassie knocked on the door anyway. She needed to talk to her mom. Eddie opened the door.

Cassie leaned on the doorjamb. "Mom , can I talk to you? In private?" she asked, eyeing Eddie.

Eddie grabbed his robe. "You and Lizzie kicking me out of my bedroom with these private talks is getting real old, real quick." he grumbled, leaving the room.

Jenn sat on the bed brushing her hair. She patted the bed for Cassie to have a seat. "Thanks for making dinner honey. I appreciated it. I know it didn't seem like it earlier."

"It's okay mom. I just wanted to help." She took the brush from Jenn's hands and started brushing her hair for her. She was so nervous. She had to occupy her hands.

Jenn sensed she was stalling and grabbed her wrist, stopping her from brushing any further. "Cassie, talk to me."

Cassie crawled up into the bed. "Mom, Charles and I..." she paused,  "we're getting older and our relationship is changing and...___"

Jenn reached for her hand, holding tightly. She stared at her with concern and her face was grim. "Cassie, please tell me you and Charles are not thinking about getting married again."

Cassie shook her head wildly. "Mom no, it's not like that. Charles and I are perfectly happy being engaged."

Jenn blew the breath she had been holding. "Okay,  then what it is it?"

"Mom, Charles and I love each other. When I'm with him I feel different. I get butterflies in my stomach."

Jenn leaned in and caressed Cassie's hair. She smiled. Her baby was truly in love. She reached for the brush and started brushing Cassie's hair as she talked. "Go on, I'm listening." she said, urging Cassie on.

"He's the man I want to be with and eventually marry. We want to be responsible and cautious."

Jenn paused, holding the brush in her hands, leaning to stare into Cassie's face. "Cassie, are you pregnant?"

"Mom no! I'm not pregnant." She breathed hard. She was was frustrated. "This is so hard mom."

"Cassie,  baby just tell me. I've told you before you can talk to me. I'm your mother."

Cassie swallowed hard and sat up straight. "I'm not pregnant but Charles and I want to make sure I stay that way." she whispered, turning her face away with embarrassment.

"Oh." Jenn exclaimed. This conversation was about prevention, birth control.

Cassie took one look at her face and lost all hope, all confidence. "Mom, just forget it. You're upset. I shouldn't have said anything." She crawled out of the bed, making her way to the door.

Jenn called her name. "Cassie, wait."  She sat on the edge of the bed, moving over, making room.  "Sit down."

Cassie sat next to her with her arms folded.

Jenn put her arms around her shoulders.  "I'm not upset. I'm a little surprised and caught off guard that you asked but I'm not upset."  She caught Cassie by the shoulders, turning her so they could face each other.  "Listen to me.  I know that you and Charles love each other and there's no doubt in my mind that the two of you will be married some day. Honey, I like Charles. I do. I think he's a great guy and I know that he's good for you.  But as you mother, I can't condone or influence a sexually active relationship between you and Charles but I know I can't stop you.  Am I bothered by the fact that you're sexually active? Of course I am.  I honestly wish you and Charles would wait until you're married but I realize those are my expectations, not yours.  You're not my little girl anymore.  You're a woman.  I'm happy that you came to me baby but I just want you and Charles to think about your decisions and make sure your relationship is not based on sex.  Most of all, I want you to practice safe sex."

Cassie frowned with embarrassment. "Oh goodness, Mom, this is embarrassing."

Jenn shook her head, disagreeing. "No Cassie. It's not. It shouldn't be embarrassing Cassie.  Not if your responsible enough and mature enough to truly handle a sexual relationship.  That's something for you and Charles to think about.  I have to ask you, how long has this been going on?"

"You're not going to help me are you?" Cassie asked sadly.

"How long Cassie?"

Cassie closed her eyes and opened them slowly. "Since our trip to Santa Barbara to meet Charles's dad."

Jenn's body tightened and she looked Cassie squarely in the face.  "Cassie, please tell me you and Charles are practicing safe sex.  I need to know your protected."

"Yes mom but it's okay. Charles has been tested."

"That's great.  I'm glad Charles was tested but your protection is your own responsibility Cassie, not Charles's."

"Mom we've been careful. Every time, I promise."

Jenn held Cassie's face in her hands. Her little girl had turned into a beautiful young woman over night. Where had the years gone?  "Come by the clinic tomorrow after school. I want you to take a teen pregnancy and prevention class first. I think it's very important and very informative and I want you to attend before we go any further.  It's an hour long session.  We'll go and see the gynecologist next week and talk about what method of prevention will be best for you." Jenn explained.

Cassie hugged her. "Thanks mom. I was so afraid you'd be mad at me."

"Cassie I'm not upset but I want you to understand that birth control is not a free pass to have unprotected sex. It won't protect you from sexually transmitted diseases and you still need to be careful." Jenn warned. "I don't approve of what you're doing but I feel obligated to make sure you're protected."

"Mom, I get it. I understand." Cassie spoke quickly.

"Alright. Go on, you better go get some sleep. You've got school tomorrow." Jenn replied.

Cassie kissed her on the cheek and turned for the door. "Oh, mom, promise me you won't tell dad."

Jenn's lips flattened. "Cassie, I won't volunteer any information but if for some odd reason your father asks, I won't lie to him."

"Thanks mom. Goodnight." Cassie smiled.

 

 

Lizzie knocked on the door minutes later. Eddie answered, irritated and annoyed with the interruptions. "What?, let me guess, another private conversation?"

Lizzie frowned. "What?, no. I want to go to the arts festival with Andrew on Friday.  Please dad, can I go?"

Eddie held the door open, looking back at Jenn for support.

Jenn laughed.  "Don't look at me.  She's your daughter."

"Cassie's going to be there right?" he confirmed.

"Yeah, she's got her art exhibit. It's sponsored by the school dad.  Please?"

"Alright." Eddie agreed. "Just...don't disappoint me and make me regret saying yes."

Lizzie smiled and ran up to Jenn. She kissed her. "Thanks mom."

Eddie looked from Lizzie to Jenn. Lizzie rushed out the door.

"Thanks mom." Eddie repeated. "What's she thanking you for. You didn't do anything." he smiled.

Jenn laughed. "Go to sleep."

"You're right. I'm going to need all my rest for this weekend." Eddie replied, with a sneaky grin.

Jenn turned on her side. "What's happening this weekend?" she asked.  She was really hoping he would remember their anniversary this year without her having to remind him. She figured they'd have a nice dinner and maybe see a play.

Eddie pulled her into his arms. "I'm taking my lovely wife away for the weekend to celebrate our anniversary."

Jenn's mouth dropped. "You remembered."

Eddie laughed uncontrollably. "That's right. I remembered. You thought you had me didn't you?  Don't worry. I got it all planned out. Time for us to spend some of our Sutton family money.

Jenn leaned and kissed him.  "I knew there was a reason I married you.  You always surprise me.  So, where are you taking me."

Eddie turned his back on her, teasing her.  "Jenn, go to sleep."  He refused to tell her about their plans.

 

Story 3/ Scene 33

 Eddie rolled over in bed. It was really early and Jenn was up getting dressed. "Why are you up so early?" he yawned. "Come back to bed."

Jenn leaned over and kissed him. "Go back to sleep. I want to get breakfast started early. I thought I'd offer Dana a ride to work this morning."

Eddie sat up in bed. "Jenn, why don't you just let the doctors at the clinic handle Dana. I feel like this is my fault."

"I told you I'll handle it Eddie."

"What are you going to do? I still can't believe she betrayed you like that.  Dammit....Dana." he swore under his breath.

"Eddie don't worry. It's okay. I slept on it and I've got it all figured out. Go back to sleep."

 

 

Story 3 / Scene 34

Jenn knocked on Dana's door bright and early. She had to knock a few times to get them to open the door. Needless to say, Dana was very surprised to see her.

Dana opened the door, tying the belt to her robe. "Jenn, what are you doing her?  Is something wrong?  Oh my God is something wrong with Nate?" she bit off anxiously.

Jenn smiled. "No..., Dana, Nate's fine.  I just thought I'd come by and offer you a ride to work.  I couldn't sleep and I woke up really early this morning.  I've got a few extra minutes and I figured I'd come by and pick up my girlfriend Dana."  She studied Dana's face and actually saw her wince.  She couldn't wait to see how Dana planned on talking her way out of this one.

Dana looked down at the floor, shielding her eyes . "Jenn you didn't have to come all the way out here.  Besides, I'm not even dressed yet. You go on and I'll take the bus."

"I've got a few minutes." Jenn said, walking into the house uninvited. "I can wait."

Dana shot her a fake smile. "Give me five minutes."

 

 

She parked in the clinics parking lot.  She got out and noticed Dana stalling.

"You go ahead Jenn." Dana said, pulling her cell phone from her purse. "I forgot I need to make a very important phone call." she lied.

Jenn got out of the car and pretended to head for the clinics door.  She walked a few feet away and looked back.  Dana sat in the car searching frantically.  She walked quietly back to her car and knocked on the passenger door, scaring Dana.  She yanked the door open.

Dana smiled. "Jenn, you scared me!"

She held up the bottle of Oxycodon. "Looking for these?" she asked, angered beyond belief at Dana's tactics to try and fool her.

Dana's head dropped back against the headrest.

"How could you Dana?  Why would you do this?  Why would you do this to me, to the clinic after we tried to help you?  How long did you think you could get away with it, this using or selling or whatever it is you're doing?" she demanded.

"You think I'm using?" Dana spat loudly.  "You think I'm on drugs?" she yelled.

"Don't take that tone with me Dana." She warned.

Dana jumped out of the car and stood close in Jenn's face. "I don't need you judging me!. I don't use drugs.  Who the hell do you think you are standing here judging me?"

Jenn stepped back, walking away from an altercation. "How did you do it Dana?  How did you get the key to the medicine chest?"

Dana shook her head and leaned her back against the car. She folded her arms. "That night, at our girls night out, I snuk the key off of your key ring.  I know this hustler I used to roll with back in the day.  He made me a copy and I snuk the original back early the next morning when you came into work."

Jenn stepped closer. She turned and leaned beside Dana. "Are you using?" She had to know.

"I'm not using Jenn. I swear.  You can accuse me of a lot of things but I don't do drugs, any kind of drugs, including prescription drugs.  You don't understand Jenn.  It's hard out here."  She looked into Jenn's eyes, pleading with her to understand her side of the story.  Do you know what it's like having a child, having responsibilities that you can't take care of?  There's never enough money.  My paycheck is gone before I even get it.  Every time I think it's going to get better I fall back into the hole.  My son needs things that I can't provide for him?" She shook her head and laughed. She eyed Jenn up and down. "Why am I even talking to you. You with your fine clothes, and your car and your nice home. You have no idea what I'm talking about. You can't even imagine."

Jenn stood firm. "Don't turn this around on me Dana. Do not make me into the bad guy!"

Dana turned to her with misty eyes. "You're not the bad guy Jenn but you'll never understand where I'm coming from. I sold the drugs for money.  People pay good money for a single pill. I did it the first time and it was spending money. Extra money for my family. The second time it wasn't as hard. It was easier and I guess I got caught up.  I'm sorry."

Jenn looked away. "Not as sorry as I am."

"What do you mean?" Dana questioned.  "Jenn please, I need my job."

Jenn stared her down.  "I'm sorry Dana. As of today, you no longer work here.  I want the key or keys you had made.  I want you to go home and bring back any medication you haven't sold off and I want them to miraculously reappear in that medicine chest.  After that, I want you to quit. It shouldn't be very hard for you to make up a reason for quitting.  After all, you're good at that, lying!"  Jenn grabbed her purse and walked off.

 

 

Story 3 / Scene 35

Cassie and Charles sat in his car in the school parking lot. She was so disappointed.

"So you're not coming to the arts festival after all?" she asked.

Charles shook his head. "No, I'm sorry Cassie. Travis's party is Friday evening. I thought it was Saturday and they've got some huge party planned. They really want me to be there early."

Cassie turned her head away from him, staring out the window. "My parents our going out of town. This could have been a perfect weekend for us. When are you leaving? When will you be back?"

Charles reached over and pulled her hair back so he could see her face. "I'm leaving right after lunch. I was going to drive but my dad's flying me in. I promise I'll only be gone for a few days. I'll be back Sunday night."

Cassie swiveled in her seat. "Your flying to Santa Barbara? Charles, it's not that far away."

Charles smiled. "I know but my dad wanted to fly me in. I'd rather fly than spend time on the road." He watched her face and saw how disappointed she was. "Come on, don't look like that. It's only a few days."

"Are you coming back?" Cassie asked sadly.

Charles kissed her. "Of course I'm coming back.  I'm not going to leave you."

Cassie dropped her chin and toyed with the straps of her bag.  "Last time we went to Santa Barbara you decided you wanted to stay for a while."

"Cassie that was different.  It was my first time meeting my family and I wanted to get to know them.  He's my father."

Cassie agreed, nodding her head . "I know. I'm just so scared you'll decide you like it there and you won't come back." she whispered, her voice cracking.

Charles caught her face in his hands. He wanted to be sure she looked at him as he spoke. "Listen to me. I'm coming back. You're my baby.  You're mine. I can't leave you." he soothed, trying to make her feel better.  "Don't you dare cry on me." he smiled.  "I wish I could take you with me but I know I can't.  We can call each other.  Promise me you'll be good while I'm gone." he teased.  "No hanging out with Sage in night clubs with strange guys." he reminded her.

Cassie couldn't help laughing. She remembered that awful night.  "I promise." She kissed him.

Charles held her head when she tried to pull away, spreading her mouth wide with his.  "Mmm, that's good." he groaned. "On second thought, maybe I should stay." he joked.

Cassie blushed. "Charles stop it."

"Hey, did you talk to your mom?" he asked, remembering.

Cassie nodded, smiling. "I did. I wasn't as hard as I thought it would be."

Charles waited for her answer. "So, what did she say?"

Cassie frowned. "She's not thrilled about it but she she agrees we need to be cautious."  She wanted to tell him about the letter from Pratt but decided to wait. She'd open it when he came back.

Charles smiled. "Really? That's great."  He reached for her again, kissing her. His eyes traveled down her body. "I can't wait until I get back." he whispered seductively.

 

 

Story 3 / Scene 36

Lizzie caught up with Tina at her locker. Great, this was the perfect opportunity to talk with her regarding Tay. "Tina, so...I see you decided to sink your claws into my brother.

Tina basically ignored her and responded without acknowledging her. "Wow, so Tay sent his little sister to defend him."  She smirked, standing all prim and proper in her designer outfit.  She eyed Lizzie dismissively. Tay's my new boyfriend. He's talented, kind of cute and oh yeah..., he's about to be a big star." she stated boldly, not bothering to hide her superficial reasoning behind dating Tay.

Lizzie reached out and slammed the locker in Tina's face. "Boyfriend?..., I don't think so.  See, I happen to know you already have a boyfriend.  You do remember Matt don't you?"

Tina's lips tightened with anger.  "First of all, it's none of your business. Second of all, Matt and I broke up."

"Really?" Lizzie questioned.  "I guess someone forgot to tell Matt.  You need to leave Tay out of this.  He really likes you and you're just using him."

Tina held her head to the side.  She mocked Lizzie. "Hmm, should I or shouldn't I date Tay.  Yeah..., I think I will." she snarled, walking around Lizzie.  She looked back.  "Oh, and by the way, you might want to check your hair. You look a little rough, a little unkept.  You know, like a skank,...a chicken."

Lizzie grabbed for her. Luckily, Andrew walked up behind her and stopped her.

"Lizzie...no." he mouthed, stepping between her and Tina.  "Come on, let's go." He took her by the hand, leading her away. "This is ridiculous."

Tina yelled behind them.  "At least my boyfriends black!"

Lizzie turned.  She was in a rage.  Andrew grabbed her hand and pulled her down the hall.

"Why did you pull me away?" she asked.  "Did you hear what she said?"  She gripped his arm and let out a disbelieveing laugh.  "I can't believe she said that."

Andrew didn't say anything.  Her comment didn't seem to bother him in the least.

"Andrew, are you not bothered by that?" Lizzie asked.

"No, I'm not Lizzie.  Latin Americans are stereotyped everyday. I've gotten used to it.  It doesn't bother me because I know what they are saying isn't true. Contrary to what they may believe, we are fit and capable of doing other things beside mowing their lawns.  Let's go the class. Don't worry about what she said. I don't care what people say about us.  Do you?"

Lizzie fidgeted.  She never expected Andrew to put her on the spot with that question.  Honestly, she had never thought about it.  She had never thought about the repercussions of dating outside of her race.  Cassie and Charles managed to do it but she wasn't Cassie.  It was definitely something for her to think about.

She avoided Andrew's question. "We're going to be late. Let's go."

 

 

Story 3 / Scene 37

Eddie asked around the police station, looking for Nate. Apparently he'd come in and left for the court house. He'd talk with him later. He was anxious to see what he'd found out about Melinda Jackson. Watkins walked by and grabbed the keys from his desk. "Come on Sutton. I'm driving."

Eddie shot him a piercing glance. Now that he knew the truth about him he couldn't help but stare.

Watkins noticed his rampant stare.  "If I didn't know any better Sutton, I'd think you were attracted to me." he said sarcastically.  "Let's go."

Eddie climbed into the passenger seat. This was his car and he didn't feel comfortable riding shot gun. Watkins took off like a bat out of hell, narrowly missing a sign on the curb.  "Hey, you want to relax?  I'd like to make it home in one piece.  See my wife and kids again." he grunted.  Watkins drove like a maniac.

The more Eddie talked the faster he drove.  "Calm down Sutton.  I'll get you home in one piece." he mumbled, speeding down the street.  "Don't worry. I used to teach defensive driving to some of the rookie cops in Carolina. You're safe with me. City boy like you might even learn a thing or two." he bragged.

"Yeah well, if this if how they drive in Charlotte, North Carolina, remind me never to go there." Eddie grinned. He actually caught himself laughing, with Watkins of all people.

Watkins stiffened in his seat. His grip tightened on the steering wheel.  He braked unexpectedly, causing Eddie to grab onto the dashboard.

What the hell is wrong with you ?" Eddie mouthed.

"I want to check the house out again.  Make sure we didn't miss anything." Watkins replied sharply.

Eddie shrugged. "Trust me, we didn't.  Besides, everyone, every investigator, fed and you and I went over that house with a fine tooth comb."  They had already talked to everyone on that street. There was nothing left to go back for.  Mrs. Miller had given them all the information she had.  "What are you looking for?"  He became wary.

"It always pays to go back to the scene of the crime Sutton.  Calm down.  I just want to take a quick look around."  He got out of the car and went into the house.

Eddie followed him.  As soon as they entered the house Watkins rounded on him.  He whirled, caught him up in the chest and pushed him up against the wall.  "What the hell?" Eddie yelled, grabbing for Watkins neck with one hand and reaching for his service weapon with the other.

Watkins didn't back down. "How the hell do you know where I'm from?  I never told you where I was from. You better start talking."

Eddie didn't like the look in Watkins's eyes. He managed to get a hold of Watkins's wrist and pushed him away. He'd slipped up and unknowingly mentioned Charlotte, North Carolina earlier in the car.  "You brought me here to question me? You told me where you were from when I first met you." he tried to lie convincingly.

Watkins wasn't fooled.  He paced back and forth. I don't say nothin about nothin. You of all people should know that. I might have mentioned Carolina but I never told you what city I was from, never! I've been riding with you for months and I make it a rule to never talk about myself. You been checking up on me?" Watkins asked, demanding an answer. He was livid.

Eddie tried his hardest to sound convincing. "I might have heard it from Cassie. I guess your daughter told her."

Watkins saw right through him. "Don't play me Sutton. Claire would never tell anyone she's from Charlotte."

Eddie approached him slowly.  The truth had to come out sooner or later. Watkins must have known he couldn't hide this forever. The guy obviously needed professional help, some kind of counseling. He didn't feel Watkins was fit and stable enough to be an officer. "Look, the department has therapist and counselors for you to talk to. They are trained to help peop..."

He didn't get a chance to finish his sentence. Watkins rushed him, sending them both to the floor in a tumble of fists and punches.

"You son of a bitch!" Watkins screamed. "You been checking up on me!"  He pounded Eddie with his fist and kicked him.

Eddie managed to roll, gaining enough leverage to push to his knees and defend himself.  He got in a few punches of his own. He didn't want to hurt the guy. Watkins was smaller, younger, leaner and quicker but Eddie knew he was bigger and stronger.  He dragged Watkins up on his feet.

Watkins countered by slamming his head up against the wall.

Eddie winced. The pain was searing and he felt like he was seeing stars. It left him light on his feet. He saw Watkins from the corner of his eye coming at him with his fist clenched. He didn't want to hurt him but Watkins left him no choice. Eddie maneuvered away from the wall at the very last minute. He rounded, grabbing Watkins from behind in a choke hold. He wasn't taking any more chances with Watkins. They were both carrying loaded service weapons. He grabbed Watkins gun from his holster and sailed it across the floor out of reach. He spun him around and planted his right knee in Watkins gut, finally knocking the wind out of him.  He dragged him to the floor, pulling both his arms back and rammed his knee into his back, pinning him. He breathed heavily with blood dripping from his face, his nose. "Look, I know you got some problems man but you better back off and calm down before I loose it and really hurt you."  Eddie growled viciously through his teeth. This had all gone far enough.  He dragged Watkins up on his feet.

Watkins pulled away, pressing his back up against the nearest wall. His face was messed up. Eddie had done a number on him. He felt like a freight train had hit him.

Eddie approached him cautiously. "Watkins, I understand what it's like to take someone's life. Few years ago I shot a really good kid. His name was Darnell and I think about him all the time but I know that as a cop, it's a risk we take.

Watkins slid down to the floor, letting his back drag against the wall. In some ways, he was relieved. No more hiding, at least not from Sutton. "Yeah, but he wasn't your partner, that's different. You don't know what it's like to have your dead partner's wife spit in your face when you try to offer her your sympathies.  The feeling of having your dyeing partner spitting and coughing up blood all over you as you try to help him.  "I killed him Sutton.  I shot and killed my own damn partner. I worked with that man for five years."  His voice cracked and he dropped his head low, hiding his face.

Eddie looked away as he notice Watkins's eyes glistening.  He didn't want to embarrass him any more than he probably already was. "Look man, like I said, we've got some good people on the force.  People I think you should talk to.  It helped me when I had my shooting.  Policeman are human, we're just like most people.  Most people are taught to believe that killing is always wrong. Sometimes even in the eyes of the law. I think shooting your partner Kevin Brown was harder on you than you expected. Now you just have to find a way to live with it and move on. You have to learn to continue to do your job, serve and protect the community. When we're out here, out here on these streets, patrolling and putting our lives on the line, I need and depend on you to be my backup. You're carrying a lot of guilt and rage and right now and I don't know if I can trust you to do your job to the fullest.  Get some help.  Talk to somebody.  Please." Eddie mouthed. He felt sorry for the guy. The shooting had taken place over a year ago and Watkins was still shaky. "Get some help or I'm going to have to talk to the sergeant." Eddie said.  He held out his arm, pulling Watkins to his feet.

Watkins walked out ahead of him, throwing him the keys as they approached the car.  "You better drive Sutton."

"Yeah, I think so." Eddie grinned. "You and I better make a trip home." Eddie said, wiping his bloody face. "Get cleaned up and change out of these uniforms. I don't want the sergeant or my son to see us like this." he explained.

Watkins climbed into the passenger seat. He pointed to his swollen face. "There's no way to explain this. We both look like hell. You look like you been in a boxing match Sutton."

"You don't look so hot your self." Eddie countered. "We'll tell the sergeant and anyone who ask we had a run in with a couple of street thugs that got away."

Watkins grunted in pain. "You know, for an old guy, you throw a solid punch Sutton."

Eddie grinned, holding back a smile.

 

 

Story 3 / Scene 38         Later That Evening:

Everyone sat having dinner. Tay stared at Eddie's face.

"Dang dad, somebody straight tagged your face." He burst out laughing.

"How about tagging that homework of yours when you get done." Eddie countered.  His face hurt. His whole body hurt. It had been years since he'd been in a scuffle like that. He'd given Jenn the same story he gave his sergeant. He and Watkins had run into a couple of street thugs. The look on her face said it all. She didn't believe him.

"I hope Watkins looks worst than you do because from the look of your face, he obviously has a pretty good left hook." Jenn stated. No doubt about it. Eddie and Watkins had fought. She was sure of it. "I'm just happy you two finally got it out of your systems."

Cassie dropped her spoon. "Dad you and Mr. Watkins were fighting?"

"No." Eddie lied. "Eat your dinner."

Lizzie stood up. "I'm done. Can I be excused?"

Eddie stopped her. "Hold on. I need to lay down some ground rules for this weekend while your mother and I are gone."

"How long are you and mom staying dad?" Cassie asked.

"We're leaving tomorrow and we'll be back Sunday evening. I don't want any funny business. When I get back, this house better in the same condition I left it in. No sleep overs and no parties. No one spends the night in this house." He turned to Cassie. "Cassie, do I make myself clear?"

Jenn cleared her throat. "Ahem, Eddie, you're embarrassing your daughter."

Eddie cocked his head to the side. "Jenn, I'm just laying down the law."

Lizzie and Tay laughed. Tay mumbled softly. "Guess you better call Charles and tell him the bad news."

"Shut up Tay.  Besides, Charles isn't here. He went out of town."

Eddie smiled and rubbed his palms together. "Good, that's even better. Now I can rest peacefully on my vacation."

Cassie gave him an evil look. "Thanks a lot dad."

"It's not just you Cassie. Same thing goes for Lizzie and Tay.  Tay, you're still on punishment and still grounded. You are not to leave this house and I expect you to get your homework and your studies done.  Lizzie, no male company.  That means no Andrew.  Go to the festival and come straight home.  Everybody understand?" he asked, looking around the table.

"Yes." They all said mumbled softly.

Eddie spoke loudly and cupped his hand to his ear.  "I can't hear you."

"Yes sir." They all repeated loudly.

"I'm going to check with Nate and see if he'll drop by to check on you." Eddie said.

Cassie spoke up. "Dad, there's no need for that. I'm capable of being here alone and watching Tay and Lizzie."

Jenn agreed."She's right Eddie. We'll only be gone for a few days. We've got an alarm system and you've laid down the rules. I think they'll be okay. If anything happens they know to call us or call Nate."

Eddie gave in. "Alright but don't be afraid to pick up the phone if something happens and Cassie, make sure your brother takes his insulin on time and watch what he eats."

"Where exactly are you taking mom dad?" Lizzie asked.

Jenn stopped eating. "That's a good question Lizzie. He's keeping it a secret." She glanced around the table, eyeing everyone. "I can't believe you all managed to hold your father's surprise."

"Dad blackmailed us. He promised us he wouldn't cook anymore of his special dinners if we promised not tell you." Tay joked.

"Very funny." Eddie said.  He got up and stood behind Jenn, massaging her shoulders. "I'm taking your mother to a nice retreat in the vineyards. A secluded cabin, some soft music, good food and some good wine."

Lizzie stuck her tongue out in distaste.  "Ah, tmi dad."

"What?" Eddie asked.  He had no idea what she was saying.

Lizzie clarified.  "Too much information."

Jenn laughed.  "Oh Eddie, that's sounds wonderful. I can't wait. I need a vacation"

"This is really unfair.  You guys get to go on vacation and have all the fun.  Dad, can we please talk about what we're gong to do with the money. You've been promising us for weeks" Lizzie said hoarsely.

"Lizzie, I promise we'll talk about the money when your mother and I get back.  Maybe we'll all take a family vacation."

 

 

Story 3 / Scene 39

The art's festival was held in the gymnasium and was a huge success. Many art collections from many genres were on display. There were beautiful sculptures, unique string art and impressive sand and glass displays. Several local art critics attended and Cassie got rave reviews on the pieces she entered. She wished Charles could be there with her. She missed him already. David and Claire helped her set up her display booth.

Cassie was very quiet. She'd been super excited about this art exhibit all month and now she didn't seem to care. Claire knew she was upset about Charles leaving.

She didn't want to talk to Cassie about Charles in front of David. "David, can you get me something to drink please?" she asked.

"Yeah," David replied, "What about you Cassie? Can I get you anything."

"No thanks, I'm fine." Cassie answered.

Claire turned to her as soon as David left. "Okay Cassie what's wrong?" 

"Nothing. There are a lot of important people here. I'm just nervous. I hope they like my paintings." she fabricated.

Claire didn't believe her for a second. "Cassie, your work is amazing. Any artist or critic can plainly see your work is one of the best here. Why don't you tell me the real reason behind your mood."

Cassie pursed her lips.  "Claire, I'm just worried. What if Charles decides he wants to stay.  His dad is wealthy.  What if he decides he wants to stay there and be with them?"

Claire shook her head and touched her on the shoulder, reassuring her. "Cassie, Charles is coming back.  The guy's crazy about you. Just because he's visiting his dad doesn't mean your relationship is threatened.  He's more than just a boyfriend.  He's your fiance."

"I hope you're right." Cassie said, arranging her art work on their easels.

"I am. Stop worrying. You two are the most perfect couple I know.  I hope David and I can have a relationship like yours. You and Charles are so intense.  If Charles had any intention of staying, he would have told you.  Come on. Cheer up."

 

 

Lizzie and Andrew walked around the entire night holding hands.

"I want you to go with me to see my mom tomorrow." Andrew said. "Will you?"

"I'm sorry Andrew I can't. My parents are out of town and I'm not allowed to go out. I had to beg my dad just to come here tonight." Lizzie replied. Will you please tell her I asked about her?"

"I will." Andrew agreed. "My mom likes you." he said, stopping to kiss her on the cheek.  Lizzie noticed several disapproving glances from people in the crowd. She tried to ignore it but it was hard.  She let go of Andrew's hand and folded her arms, pretending she was cold. She wished she could be as confident as Andrew and not care what people thought. This one lady had walked by them shaking her head shamefully as they held hands.  Some of the guys at school treated her differently to. They didn't understand why she'd chosen Andrew out of all the guys in the school. She had to admit, her relationship with Andrew was going to be harder than she thought.

 

 

Cassie caught sight of Tay walking with a girl from school. She'd seen her around but didn't know her name. She left her booth and walked over to him. She grabbed his arm and pulled him aside. She spoke softly so his friend wouldn't hear. "Tay, what are you doing here?"

Tay pulled away. "What does it look like I'm doing. I'm on a date." he said, walking away and ignoring her.

Cassie walked quickly, stepping around to get in front of him. "Tay, you're grounded. Dad said you couldn't leave the house remember?"

Tay scoffed at her. "And, who are you, my mom?  See you later Cassie." He blew her off.

Cassie was so upset with him. Tay knew he wasn't suppose to be there. If dad found out she wasn't going to lie for him.

 

 

Story 3 / Scene 40

Charles passed by his dad's office on his way to bed. Travis's party had been grand and spectacular and he was exhausted. He peeped in. "Goodnight dad."

Wesley looked up from his desk. "Charles, come in son. Talk with me."

Charles walked in. He was so happy to finally have the opportunity to get to know his dad. The best part was he could see his dad was really trying, truly reaching out to him and making an effort.  He needed that support from his father.

Wes walked around his desk, taking a seat on the corner edge. He clasped his hands together. "I've been wondering about your plans for college since we managed to get you out of your contract with the United States Army." He gave a mock salute, joking.

"I haven't really given it much thought." Charles responded. "I met with my guidance counselor a few times and picked up a few brochures and applications but I haven't committed to anything yet. Cassie wants to go to Pratt for her art and I'll probably go with her."

Wes pinched his nose, thinking. "Pratt..., Wow!, New York City."

"We've talked about it. It's not for certain. Not yet."

"I want to help you with school Charles." Wes offered.  I missed a huge part of your life that I can't make up for.  College is going to be a big step for you.  A huge stepping stone. I can't go back and recapture your youth but I want to make a fresh start. I'm older and wiser now.  I'm able to do things for you to make your life easier.  I'm here to guide you.  That's what being a father is all about.  I want you to enjoy your college experience and I want you to have a sound and stable ground to fall on when you finish school.  You can't have that if your burdened down with educational loans. I'm going to take care of all your college expenses.  I want to do that for you."

Charles was impressed. He shrugged in his chair. "Wow, I don't know what to say. That's great dad."

Wes folded his arms and crossed his outstretched feet. "It's a simple little word called yes Charles." he laughed. "Come on son, let me do this for you."

Charles smiled. "Yeah, of course. I don't know how to thank you."

Wes got up from the desk. "Come here. I want you to take a look at something."

Charles walked around the desk. Wesley had compiled a whole list of some of the best automotive design and engineering schools in the country. The list was long..., Minnesota State University, Colorado State University and Oklahoma State University, just to name a few.

Charles shuffled through the brochures and applications. "Wow, you're prepared." he used, for lack of a better word. Basically, his dad had his desired picks for colleges all mapped out.

Wes took his seat. "Charles, I'm not trying to force you into anything but if you're as passionate about auto design as I think you are, these schools would be perfect for you. They include a full course curriculum with a complete study on the fundamentals of auto design. I saw what you did to my car after Travis wrecked it. What you have is more than talent. That's passion and I'd hate to see it go to waste."

"What about Cassie?" Charles replied.

Wes leaned forward with his elbows on his knees. He studied Charles intensely.  "Charles, I like Cassie and I think she's a beautiful, great girl but you can't base your entire life on following your high school girlfriend...__"

"Fiancee." Charles corrected him quickly.

Wes held up his hands in defense.  "Sorry, fiancee. My point is, you can't expect to follow Cassie across the country to a school that doesn't even fit your needs or requirements.  Pratt is an art institute.  You need to focus on becoming an auto engineer." I think it's great that you've found love at an early age.  I know you think I don't understand but I do son.  I just want what's best for you and it would really make me happy if you'd at least consider some of these schools.  My offer still stands on paying your way regardless of what you decide to do, where you decide to go.  Can you do that for me?" Wes asked. "Will you at least consider them?"

Charles took the applications. "What if I apply and don't get in. I do okay in school but I'm no honor student." Charles said shortly.

"Even more of a reason to start seriously considering your college plans. Son, I'm here if you need me. I know a lot of people and I have a lot of contacts. Talk to your guidance counselor and fill out these applications.  

Charles smiled. "Okay, you're right dad. I will."  He knew his dad had his best interest at heart even if it meant going against Cassie.  The thought of leaving Cassie for four years to attend school seemed inconceivable to him.  He had some major decisions to make.  He'd talk with Cassie when he returned.  Maybe she could help him with his applications.

 

 

Story 3 / Scene 41

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Cassie spent most of the weekend in bed sulking, depressed. The weather didn't help her mood. It was rainy, cloudy and overcast. She missed Charles so much. He'd be back tomorrow. She thought about calling him but didn't want to interrupt his time with his family. She tried to concentrate on painting but couldn't stay focused. How could three days feel like three months? 

Someone knocked on her door.

She got up, pulling the door open.  It was Lizzie.  "What?" she said rudely. She didn't feel like talking.

"Tay and I are going to grab some breakfast and rent a movie. Will you come watch it with us?"Lizzie asked.

"Lizzie not now okay.  Maybe later." Cassie refused.

Lizzie sighed. "Cassie come on.  You can't stay locked up in this room forever, grieving over Charles.  He only went away for the weekend. You're acting like he died."

Cassie's cell phone vibrated on the table.  She grabbed it, hoping to hear from Charles.  She smiled when she saw his name on the caller id.  She turned, quickly dismissing Lizzie.  "Lizzie, you and Tay should go ahead. I'm not hungry."  She closed the door in her face and answered the phone.  "Charles!" she answered, excited to hear from him.

"Hey beautiful. What are you doing?  You miss me?"

"Yes" she said. "I can't wait until tomorrow. Please tell me your flight gets in early." 

Charles was silent on the other end of the line.

"Charles?, are you still there?" Cassie asked when he didn't respond.

"Yeah, I'm here.  Ah..., listen, I think I'm going to stay an extra day.  My dad wants to introduce me to some of his coworkers. He wants me to get a feel for what he does all day. I'll be back on Monday, okay."

Cassie's heart sank. She slumped down on the bed.  "Charles, I thought you were coming back tomorrow."  She was so disappointed. This was what she had been afraid of, Charles leaving and not wanting to come back. What was she going to do if he decided to stay?

"Baby I know.  I know what I said but this is my family. It's just one more day."

Cassie was silent.  She didn't say anything.

Charles spoke softly on the line. "Cassie, please tell me you understand." 

Cassie breathed in deep, settling the phone against her ear.  "I do. It's cool. I understand. After all, what's one more day." She was dyeing inside but didn't want him to hear it in her voice.  "How was the party?"

"It was amazing." Charles said.  "Travis has a ton of friends and we had a really good time. They've got some special family dinner planned for this evening.  It's just for close family members.  It should be nice.  I'm looking forward to it."

Cassie forced herself to smile and sound upbeat.  "That's great Charles."

"Look, I have to go babe. We've got a ton of stuff to get done today.  I'll see you Monday okay.  I love you."

"I love you to." Cassie replied.  "Bye."  She threw the phone down and curled up in bed.  She tried not to cry but she couldn't hold it in. This was the worst weekend ever. She just wanted to cry herself to sleep.

 

 

 Tay knocked on Cassie's door hours later. "Cassie, open up."

Cassie crawled out of bed. Why couldn't Tay and Lizzie just leave her alone?  She yanked the door open. "What Tay?"

"It's time for lunch." Tay said.

Cassie yawned. "I'm not hungry Tay. I just want to rest."

"Are you crying?" Tay asked.

"No." Cassie snapped.

Tay pulled a strand of her hair.  "Dang Cassie. Are you going to stay in this room forever?  When is the last time you combed your hair.  You look rough.  Charles must have put some kind of spell on you.  Snap out of it."

Cassie started closing the door. "Goodbye Tay." She closed the door in his face.

Tay knocked on the door again.

Cassie threw her head back. What did a girl have to do to get some piece and quiet? She opened the door. "What?"

"After lunch, you want to come up to the attic and help me fine tune my new song?  I could use the help. I'm working on a song for Tina. It's gonna be tight."

Cassie frowned. "No Tay. Besides, you're not suppose to have your equipment remember? That's why dad took them away and whose Tina?"

Tay winced. "Please don't tell him. Please Cassie. I just want to practice for a couple of hours. I promise I won't play it too loud. Oh, and Tina's my new girlfriend."

Cassie stared at him blankly. "You've got a girlfriend?" she asked amusingly.

"Yeah." Tay answered.  "What's wrong with that?"

Cassie blinked slowly, exasperated.  "Nothing Tay. Go ahead. You can play as long as you keep the noise down and Lizzie can help you. I'm not in the mood."  She closed the door.  She just wanted to be left alone.

 

Cassie awoke early Sunday morning to the sound of pouring rain. She lay in complete silence with no noise from the television or radio. She looked out the window and sighed.  Great, yet another depressing day. She hadn't slept a wink last night, thinking about Charles. She cracked her window, letting the fresh air from the morning rain come in. She glanced at the painting of Charles she'd entered in the arts festival and smiled. He was right. He looked really mean. She grabbed her brushes and pulled out a fresh canvas. It was time to paint. Hopefully this time she could capture Charles's softer side, the side she knew and loved.  Maybe if she kept busy and occupied her time she wouldn't think about Charles so much.   

She focused on her work, trying to capture Charles's smile perfectly.  Concentrating and deep in thought, she ignored the knock on her door.  She didn't want to be interrupted again. She kept working, ignoring them.  Lizzie and Tay could be so annoying.  She yelled loudly so they could hear her through the door.  "I'm not hungry and no I don't want to listen to any music. I'm not coming down stairs."   They continued..., knocking even harder.  She couldn't ignore it anymore. She threw her paint brush down, stomped over to the door and jerked it open.  "Will you two plea...__"  Her eyes widened with surprise. It was Charles. He stood there drinking a latte, looking handsome as ever. She threw herself in his arms, forcing him backwards, catching him off balance.

His coffee nearly spilled on the floor. "Easy!" he laughed, balancing the cup.

"Charles!  Oh my God!."  Her arms settled around his neck, holding on for dear life. "What are you doing here? I didn't expect you until tomorrow. She covered his face with kisses and tunneled her fingers in his hair, still damp from the rain.  "I didn't hear you come up. I didn't hear the doorbell. I'm so glad your back." she smiled. 

Charles looked down at her smiling. He couldn't get a word in with her talking. He put his finger against her lips, stopping her. "Lizzie let me in. I caught the first flight out this morning." He rubbed her back, pulling her close. He whispered against her temple. "Did you miss me?"

"A little." Cassie smirked.

 

Story 3 / Scene 42          !!This Scene contains Mature Content.  Reader discretion is advised!!

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Charles brought his head down, coaxing her mouth to his. Cassie moistened her lips and kissed him, pressing against him when he threatened to pull away, pulling his head back down for another kiss. Charles pulled away, smiling down at her. "Yeah, you missed me." he stated.  He enveloped her in his arms and rested his chin on top of her head. "I missed you to. That's why I came back. I thought about you the whole time I was gone." He caught her hands in his and pulled her toward the bed.

"Charles...___," Cassie lifted her hand warningly, "__my dad." she started. They'd promised this wouldn't happen again. Not in her parent's house.

He put his cup down, closed the door and pulled her closer. "Come here. I just want you to hold you. That's all." He promised. He just wanted to lie next to her, feel her against him. He caught her around the waist and fell back against the bed with her. They sprawled back on the bed, their legs inter twining. 

Charles pulled her top from the waist band of her jeans. His hands wound under her shirt, caressed her back. His hands found their way down her body, trailing up and down her sides. He unsnapped her jeans. His hands roamed, sliding under the material and over her hips.

Cassie lay against him. She was acutely aware of the feel of his body beneath hers. Her senses became over loaded with the feel and smell of him.   He smelled of soap and cologne. She gripped his arms tightly.  Her eyes fell back in her head. Her lips parted and Charles saw the opening he needed.

His head lifted from the pillow, kissing her. He loved how Cassie responded to him. She made him feel twelve feet tall.  He deepened his kiss.  He wasn't tentative in the way he held and kissed her.  He was agressive and possessive, eating at her mouth, forcing his way in, toying with her tongue. 

Cassie stiffened. Her body turning rigid as she felt the urgency and need in his mouth. She hesitated.

Charles felt the change in her body. "I need you." he groaned, against her lips, kissing her, taking her hands in his, drawing them back and forth against his chest.  

Cassie turned her mouth away. She licked her lips, still moist from Charles's kiss. She could taste him on her lips. The rich taste of coffee. "Charles, we have to stop."

"Ugh!" Charles groaned. Cassie felt like heaven in his arms and he didn't want to let go. His jaw clenched. He was vibrating with need but managed to pull himself together. Cassie felt his breath against her mouth. He held her face between his hands, preventing her from pulling away. "Okay,...okay. I'm sorry." he whispered against her mouth, stealing one more quick kiss before stopping. "I promised, I know."  He closed his eyes and breathed in deeply, waiting for his raging hormones to subside. "Whew." he expelled a heated breath. He hadn't intended to let things go so far so fast. He'd only meant to hold her but things had quickly progressed. He was a man. He was only human and couldn't help it. "I'm sorry, I missed you baby."  He turned, tucking her against his side. They lay holding each other. He linked her fingers with his own, dragging her hand up to rest against his chest. Cassie felt his heart beating. Her head rested on his shoulder.

Charles smoothed her disheveled hair and traced her jawline.  "So, what did you all weekend." he asked, noticing her new painting.

Cassie followed his gaze. "Nothing, I got some painting done."

Charles rested his hand against her stomach. He toyed with the buttons on her shirt. "How was the arts festival? I'm sorry I couldn't go." he apologized.

Cassie traced Charles fingers.  "It's okay Charles. I'm just glad your back. The festival was wonderful. A lot of art critics and some really nice art schools were there."

Charles pulled back.  "Speaking of art school, did you ever hear from Pratt?" he asked. It had been weeks since she had sent in her application.

Cassie blinked and focused on his face. She didn't want to lie to him but she wasn't ready to open that letter. If she was accepted, opening that letter would only reaffirm the fact that she and Charles may not be together much longer. "I haven't heard anything yet." she lied.

Charles smoothed her waist with his hand. "I'm sure you'll get in." 

Cassie's eyelids fluttered. She was tired. She hadn't slept well all weekend. She yawned. "What about you. Did you send in the Pratt application I gave you? What about the applications the guidance counselor gave you? They were all local schools right?"

Charles grimaced. "Not yet..., but I will. I'm still going through the stuff the counselor gave me."

"Charles." Cassie gasped. "It's been weeks. What's going to happen if I get in and you don't?"

Charles gripped her hand. "He didn't want to tell her about the conversation he had with his dad. It would only upset her. I will. I'm not stalling I just need to think about it first. Besides, we have time. I promise I'll send it in. Let's not worry about that right now okay. I'm tired and I missed you."  Truthfully, he wasn't sure what he wanted to do. He couldn't decide which school would be best for him but he was sure of one thing. Pratt was a school for the arts, something he knew nothing about. It was becoming painfully obvious that he and Cassie may be headed down different paths. He just wasn't willing to accept it yet.

 

 

They lay in bed listening to the rain. Everything was quiet and peaceful. Charles pulled Cassie's hair back and kissed her exposed neck. He rubbed her shoulder and gently nudged her.  "Hey?" he said softly, leaning to stare in her face.  He smiled. She'd fallen asleep in his arms and slept like a baby next to him. He tucked her against his body and kissed her cheek. "I love you." he whispered as he lay watching her sleep.

 

 

Story 3 / Scene 43           Monday After School

David, Charles and Claire hung out at the revolution after school. Cassie brought them some drinks as they waited. She was working and had a few more minutes before she got off.

Charles moved over in the booth, making room. "Hey, sit down for a minute."

She looked around. It was almost time for her to go home anyway. She sat next to Charles.

"I'm so glad you're back Charles. Somebody really missed you." Claire said, teasing Cassie.

Cassie shot Claire a playful stare.

Charles smiled. "Thanks Claire, thanks for telling me that. She's trying to deny it." He kissed Cassie's cheek.

David took a sip of his drink. "Charles man, the next time you go to your dad's house, I'm coming with you. I can't believe you guys threw such a huge party for your brother."

Charles shook his head. "I didn't have anything to do with it. It was all my dad's doing. They had caterers, ice sculptures, you name it. That's the best party I've ever been to."

"Wow." David said, smiling. "Man, your dad must be pretty cool. First, he gets you out of your military contract, now he's offering to pay your way at Colorado State University. Man, that's a great school. I was thinking about applying there myself. Now that I know my boy might be going there, Colorado sound even better."

Cassie turned, looking from David to Charles.

Charles swallowed hard. He and David had talked about the college information his dad gave him. He didn't think to tell him he hadn't discussed it with Cassie yet. The look on her face was priceless. She was furious with him. How in the world was he going to explain this?

She slid out of the booth. "Charles, I want to talk to you." she said firmly, waiting for him to get up.

David stood up, interrupting them. "Hey guys, I have to go. I have to stop by my dad's office before I go home." He turned to kiss Claire. "I'll give you a ride home Claire." he offered.

"Oh, no. You go ahead David. I'm going to hang out here for a bit." Claire smiled. She knew by the look on Cassie's face that she and Charles were about to have a knock down, drag out argument.

David bumped shoulders with Charles. "Alright, see you tomorrow man."

 

Cassie took Charles back to the storage room so they could have some privacy. She whirled on him as soon as they were out of view from the customers. "Colorado Charles?" she wailed.

Charles reached for her but she pulled away. "Cassie let me explain. I was going to tell you."

Cassie backed away from him, avoiding him. "I thought we were going to be together?" she questioned, her eyes full of hurt and regret.

 

 

Please stop and play the youtube audio track below before reading any further. Listen to the track as you read the remaining story to help invision the scene.  Thanks 

Charles caught her hand, forcing her to look at him. "Cassie, I'm sorry.  I love you and I want us to be together.  I do, but I have to think about my future." he explained. He hated hurting her this way.

Cassie pulled her hand away and stepped close to him. She looked directly into his eyes. "Charles, if you love me, you'll tell me we'll be together." she said.

Charles lowered his head for a moment. He didn't like the look she had on her face. "Cassie, I do love you. How can you ask me that?"

"You lied to me." Cassie accused in a spiteful tone. "All this time I've been thinking we'd be together in Newyork when you never even considered it." She studied him. His face was covered with undeniable guilt.

Charles spoke quickly. "You're right, I haven't been exactly honest with you but I did consider it. I did, but I know Pratt's not the place for me. I'm sorry." he admitted, wishing he could make things right. He just wanted all of this to go away.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Cassie asked, begging him to make her understand.

"Cassie, I wanted to. I didn't know how. You came back from New York and you were so excited about Pratt. I didn't know what to say."

She stared at him. Here eyes revealed how betrayed she felt.

"Cassie please don't look at me like that." Charles pleaded. "I'm not trying to hurt you."

She turned her back on him. She was so upset she couldn't even look at him. "I can't believe you're doing this Charles." 

Charles stepped behind her. Cassie felt the heat of his chest at her back.

"I don't want to argue with you. We don't even know if you'll be accepted. Let's not argue over something we don't even have the answer to yet."

Cassie turned quickly, facing him. "I've already been accepted." she admitted, finally telling him. She had finally opened the letter this morning at breakfast, with her mom standing by her side.

Charles's face went rigid. "What?  You've been accepted to Pratt and you didn't say anything? Why didn't you tell me?"

Cassie averted her eyes. Charles was angry. "I was afraid to open it. I want to go to Pratt but every time I think about Pratt and New York, it reminds me that we may not be together much longer. "

Charles licked his lips. He raised his voice. "You're standing here accusing me of lying to you when you've been keeping this from me the whole time. Great!" he yelled.

Cassie jumped at his tone.

Charles stared at her. His face was hard as stone. "How long have you known?  When did you get the letter?  Did you know before I left?"

Cassie stood silent.

"Answer me Cassie." Charles snapped.

Cassie whispered one word. "Yes."

That one word set Charles off. "I can't believe you!"  He walked away from her.

"Don't walk away from me Charles."

He leaned against a storage shelf rubbing his fore head in anguish. He didn't like what was happening to him and Cassie. He thought about the school year coming to a close and the time winding down. He thought about how very close he was to losing her and it made him sick to his stomach.  He slid to the floor and sat silently.

Cassie walked over to him.  "This isn't going to work is it?" she asked solemnly, tears springing in her eyes.

Charles answered her as honestly as he possibly could. His expression was blank.  "I don't know Cassie."

"What's going to happen to us Charles?" she questioned, not wanting to accept the inevitable. This wasn't what she'd invisioned.  She and Charles were suppose to graduate, go to the same school, get married and live happily ever after. 

Charles ran his hand through his hair.  "Cassie, I know you want to go to Pratt and I can't ask you to give up your art.  You have a gift. You're work is beautiful but my passion is for cars. It's what I do. It makes me happy.  I feel just as strongly about it as you do your art. It's not fair to either one of us to ask each other to give that up."

Cassie spoke softly. "There are other schools in New York Charles. You don't have to go to Pratt." she explained, trying to find some way for them to at least be near each other.

Charles stood up, pulling her close. "Cassie, Colorado State University has one of the best auto design programs in the country.  I want to learn from the best."

Cassie wiped the tears from her face, not bothering to try and hide them anymore. She couldn't stand there and pretend that her heart wasn't breaking.  "But I love you." she cried.

"I love you too. Baby,..please don't cry.  This is hard for me to. I've got a stack of college applications that I never even filled out because I know that regardless of which one I choose, if it's not Pratt, I'll hurt you.  Any decision I make will be the wrong one."

"What if we wait. What if we take a year off before we start school. We could get married and decide on a school later." she said, grasping at any shred of hope. She was desperate.

Charles caressed her jaw and shook his head softly. "Cassie, No. You can't put school on hold, your life on hold.  Don't do this. It'll only make things worse."

"Charles I don't want to lose you."

"Cassie, you'll be okay. Besides, I haven't decided anything yet. Who knows, I may end up on the east coast.

Cassie sighed. "But you won't be at Pratt."

Charles stared into her eyes. He didn't want to upset her any further but he had to make his feelings known. "No."

Cassie dropped her head onto his chest, crying uncontrollably.

Charles forced her head up. He framed her face in his hands. "Look at me. Promise me you'll accept Pratt's offer. Promise me you'll take this opportunity. Promise me you'll go."

Cassie shook her head, refusing. Tears poured down her face. "I can't Charles...I just can't...I can't and I won't." She pulled away from him, rushing out the door. 

 

 

 Story 3 / Scene 44

Eddie touched bases with Nate first thing Monday morning. "Talk to me son. Please tell me you got something for me."

"Whoa, what happened?" He gestured towards Eddie's face, still slightly bruised and lightly battered from his run in with Watkins. 

Eddie brushed him off. "Just a street run in. Don't worry about it. What do you have for me?"

Nate sat down and pulled up an extra chair. "I've been running around back and forth to the court house and the records of deeds office. Sometimes I think this desk work is harder and more stressful than being out on patrol. Sit down, have a seat."

Nate's eyes focused on him. "I found some real interesting information on Melinda Jackson."

"Wait, Watkins needs to hear this to." Eddie looked around, searching for Watkins, calling him over.

Nate pulled out a stack of printouts from the courthouse and hit the print button on his computer. "You guys are not going to believe this. I went to the courthouse, dug threw some information. Remember when I told you people like Melinda Jackson get real creative on hiding from the law? Well, I was right. Turns out you guys are looking for the right person. Your just looking in the wrong city and under the wrong name. Mr. Green gave you an address in Santa Barbara, #252 Gable Springs Boulevard. That address doesn't exit in Santa Barbara but there is a 252 Gable Springs Boulevard right here in the Heights and that residence belongs to none other than Melinda Jackson. A Melinda Jackson who got married a little over a year ago. She kept her maiden name but I was able to dig up some information on her. She's an accountant and the husband is some big time corporate business lawyer. Perfect career if you want to know how to go about laundering and hiding money from an illegal gun ring." The printer stopped and Nate yanked the sheet out. He handed the information to Eddie. Melinda Jackson, Gable Springs boulevard. She's all yours."

Watkins shook his head. "Well I'll be damned. She's hiding in plain site."

"Thanks son." Eddie said. "You know, you should really look into our investigating department son. We've been trying to hunt Mrs. Jackson down for weeks. Thanks to you, hopefully we've found her."

"One step at a time dad," Nate smiled "But I'm glad I was able to help."

 

 

Eddie and Watkins raced across town.  He hoped they had the right person. They drove through some very exclusive, private neighborhoods.

Watkins shook his head. "Just goes to show you. Crime does not discriminate. That's why we make the distinction between blue and white collar crimes. The rich are just smarter and wiser about covering their tracks.

The house at Gable Springs Boulevard was tucked away at the end of a huge culdesac. Eddie and Watkins looked around the sprawling landscape as they walked up to the door. Eddie rang the doorbell.

A young black guy with a baseball cap on looked through the glass covered door. He opened the door. He glanced at their uniforms nervously. "Can I help you?"

Eddie introduced himself. "I'm officer Sutton and this is my partner Officer Watkins."

The kid backed away and started to close the door. "My parents aren't home. You'll have to come back later."

Watkins braced the palm of his hand against the door, preventing it from being closed. "Wait a minute. We got a few questions for you. Can we come in or do you mind stepping outside to talk to with us?"

The young man stepped outside, closing the door behind him.

Watkins studied him closely. This kid was nervous and scared. "We're looking for Melinda Jackson. Our records show she resides here. Is she your mother."

"Stepmother."

Something was wrong here. Eddie couldn't put his finger on it but something wasn't right. Eddie studied the young man closely. "You look very familiar. Do I know you? What's your name son?"

He hesitated. "David...David Gibbs." he added.

The End

Stay tuned for Story #4