(Danny's POV)
"You know that there's still a pair of X's over your eyes and mouth with a Sharpie, right?" Erica starts to bug me and I give her just a cold, dead stare to give her an obvious clue I don't want her around me at all.
"I said I'm sorry about Lonnie, Dan," she starts. "what else could you be---"
"Get the hell out of my face," I interrupt her, bluntly and I face away from her as she tries to finish the stupid ass sentence she attempts to say to me.
"Danny, what else do you want me to say?! I apologized for everything I did!" Erica yells at me and suddenly it makes me snap.
"But you still let another kid go out there knowing that there's a psychotic rabid dog after her and what the fuck were you two doing this night?! Kissing! Fucking kissing and now my little sister and my little brother and my best friend and his mother are out there looking for her because you guys wanted to make out?! Lonnie is ten and he almost got shot because neither of you were paying attention! It has been half an hour and they aren't back yet. I don't know what to do or what I'm supposed to do, but right now, I don't want neither of you around for the entire night," I huff and I sit back down with my hand on my forehead.
"Danny---" Erica whispers.
"What did I say, Erica? Just leave me the fuck alone," I say, my voice cracking as tears spew from my tears as I lift my hand from my forehead, watching her walk away and I cover my face with my hand for no one to watch me.
"You know it's okay to cry,"
"I said just leave me---" I grit my teeth, moving my hand from my face to find Mr Briarwood, looking at me from his seat on top of the couch. "...alone."
"I get that you're angry about all of this and that you're worried that they might get hurt out there, but you don't have to be so hard on them. They did apologize," he says, tipping his leather boots near the corner of my eye.
"I know that, but---" I begin to explain.
"Voice," Mr Briarwood interrupts to get me to lower my voice and I sigh.
"I know, but I don't understand how kissing is more important than watching two little kids from walking out on there own or possibly end up getting shot," I explain with my voice than last tone, but as I slouch back, Mr Briarwood just laughs at me. "and tell me how that's hilarious to you."
"Danny, they're sophomores and younger than you. They're just starting to understand what love is, even if it's at the wrong situations and times. You can still be mad at them, but just think about it. It's just bad situational love or something," Mr Briarwood says and I chuckle a bit. "just don't be hard on them. I'm mad at them too, but it's just for one night. You'll get over it."
"But my little brother almost---" I reminisce again.
"Shut up. Don't go back down that road again. Just shhh," Mr Briarwood interrupts, closing my mouth shut and I laugh underneath his hand.
At that moment, the door barges open. We all turn our attention towards the opening, I catch a small glimpse of Blair's tan left leg over Jace's arm, causing me to jump over the couch and I rush over to Jace as he comes to me with Blair, sweating and pale against his chest.
"What happened to her? What's wrong?" I ask, scrambled with so many questions and bewildered to find answers as Jace hands me her cold, clammy body.
"Red almost choked her to death," Jace explains, breathlessly and Blair shivers as I look down at her. "and there's weird purple bruises on the back of her neck."
"Purple bru---" I whisper, turning Blair's head and moving her hair to the side and discovering swollen bruises on the back of her neck.
"He squeezed her and her throat probably has a swollen bump on the back and she's dehydrated because she can't swallow her spit. Dad!" I yell as I rush Blair to the kitchen where both Mom and Dad were.
(Troy's POV) The Kitchen
"You know what I was thinking about?" Ariel asks as I take a sip out of the water bottle in my hand.
"Hm," I mumble, still gulping down the water and putting the bottle down between the two of us.
"Getting Blair a cellphone. I think she responsible enough to have one, you know. She's been taking great care of Lonnie for seventeen years, she's never fought anyone, good grades," Ariel names and I nod at her.
"Yeah. We can get her a laptop too, a tv, a wedding ring," I tease, holding Ariel in my arms and kissing her cheek, causing her to laugh.
"She's a sophomore," she says, looking back at me.
"And so were you, but in college. Remember when you were pregnant with a girl?" I ask.
"That was in grad school and I would not stop crying and freaking. The boy of my dreams has gotten me pregnant twice and I couldn't believe it," Ariel explains and I smirk at the word she called me back then.
"Boy?" I remark and Ariel smiles at me, silently laughing under her hand as I smile at her.
"Dad!" Danny shouts, causing me to turn around as he kicks the door open and my hands leave Ariel's sides as it's my daughter, assumably dying as I see her sweating and shivering in Danny's arms and I'm startled for a second.
"Help me, please." he whispers.
"Put her on the table. Get her on the table. What's wrong with her?" I ask, once Danny lays Blair down flat on the table and I press my fingers against her neck.
"Red jumped us, Blair slapped him so he could get away from me, and he tried to choke her and he squeezed hard," Acadia answers me in a shaky voice and I glance at her in disbelief at what she answers me with. "she's not dying, is she?"
"Like hell she is. Not on my watch and not today. Do you have water? Not my water bottle because it won't work from different sources," I explain, rolling up my blue short sleeves over my shoulder and Acadia rushes to the kitchen sink while I examine Blair more.
"Was she around anything she was allergic to? Green onion, maple leaves, insect blood or anything?" I question Jace, who I remembered was with Blair and he shakes his head.
"I got there late and I beat Red up for touching her," he answers.
"Thank you," I whisper and Acadia places a shiny glass cup of clear tap water beside my left hand near Blair's cheek.
"It's cold," she answers and I take the cup.
"Perfect," I say to her, laying my hand over the cup and just waiting.
"Uhh Dad?" Danny whispers and I lift my hand up from the cup, along with the water forming into a round, clear bubble and everyone just stares at it.
"Whoaaaaaa..." Lonnie and Danny both moan in awe and carefully I drop the bubble into Blair's mouth, just carefully so it doesn't spill onto her face and change her.
"That was cool as hell," Jace says, obviously impressed and just as I make a tiny chuckle, Blair gasps herself up and awake, headbutting me in the process and I fall back on the floor.
"Dad! Oh my god! I'm so sorry!" she apologizes, jumping off the table and touching my forehead.
"I guess you inherited my thick forehead," I groan as Ariel supports me as I lean back up and Blair laughs as I give her a hug.
