Uhh. . Huh?

Chapter 3 - Hospitals, Creeps and Comets

September 9th, 2009

The next morning after coming downstairs we were sitting at the table, I was picking at my breakfast while Tyler was practically scarfing it down. Dad was sitting at the head of the table of course and Mom was sitting at the other end looking very uncomfortable. As I take a drink of the strange tasting tea mom gave me.

"There was an animal attack last night. Vicki Donovan is in the hospital and I expect both of you to go to straight to school, no exceptions. Tyler, you're free to go to football practice and Lottie, you are to come straight home. Do you both understand?"

We glance at each other, this is weird. Since when did he become so paranoid? Scratch that, both of them have always been paranoid, the whole no inviting people in thing, 'they need to walk through the threshold on their own without an invite' and a bunch of other nonsense.

"Sure Dad."Tyler says with a grumble as he looks at him, silently he wraps his hand lightly around my wrist. "I think Lottie should come home with me though."

His face tightens in irritation as he looks at Tyler for a moment, then he looks at me and says sternly, "Fine. Lottie needs to have a talk with Mr. Tanner and apologize anyways."

I stiffen at the name of that asshole and I know that Tyler noticed because his hand tightens around my wrist protectively. Well, if Ty didn't suspect something off he certainly will now. Oh god, please don't let Tyler find out about that situation.

"What happened now?" Mother asks with a sigh of annoyance as she looks at me and frowns even as her eyes hold sadness.

Our Dad, his Dad hums in response and glances at our mom with a stern look on his face before looking towards me again and then Tyler. "Lottie was very disrespectful to her teacher yesterday."

"She said what the whole class was thinking Dad." Tyler says in my defense as he stands up, pulling me along with him as he looks at them angrily "Mr. Tanner was being a dick."

"Watch your mouth son." Not Dad says sternly as he stands up and stares at us angrily. "I think that perhaps Lotties bad attitude is rubbing off on our son, Carol."

Mom glances between us while biting her lip and then she looks at him. . "What are you suggesting Richard?"

"I think that before Tyler's practice Lottie will need to have a. . Detention with Mr. Tanner."

My body stiffens even more and Tyler's hand tightens around my wrist a bit more as he snaps in annoyance "He had a chance to give her detention in class Dad and he didn't."

"Tyler." She snaps while looking at us with worry. "Don't talk back to your father."

"Tyler is right." I say flatly as I look to the man they want me to call father, "if Mr. Tanner wanted me to have detention then he would have needed to say so while we were in school, yesterday."

Richard glares at me and then Tyler as he takes a deep breath before he storms out of the room making Mother shift uncomfortably again. Tyler doesn't waste time in getting us out of that so called house of ours. After we got into his truck and he starts it up he asks worriedly as he begins driving.

Shortly after he asks worriedly "Did Mr. Tanner do something to you?"

"No" not yet and hopefully he never will. "I just hate him."

Tyler sighs irritably as he runs his free hand over his hair. "You've always been a crappy liar Lottie. I can't help you out if you don't tell me what's really going on. Something bad has been going on since summer, but I can't do anything about it if you don't talk to me."