CHAPTER NINE: SHOCK.

We were all eating dinner in the dining room. All was quiet except for my dad's hard clinks of his fork as he was stabbing his salad. My mom was quietly sipping her wine and Dane and Levi were talking about the score to the game. I guess trying to fill up the awkward silence.
Mr. and Mrs. Benson were still at the police station and Tucker "Creepy" Flooks was behind bars for the night. My brother said he disobeyed his parol or something. So, it was safe to say no one would be fighting tonight; hopefully, if my dad calmed down. By now my dad's clinks were getting higher pitched and harder.
"Dane please pass the salt." Dane handed the salt to my mom who was now sprinkling it on her salmon.
"Levi, do you want anymore greenbeans?"
"Oh no, no thank you Mrs. Tanya I am stuffed."
"Dad, do you want another beer?" Dane was now up and by the fridge. My dad's clinks were now scrapes and it was just as annoying.
"I just, doggonit, I don't even know what to say. Damn it Honey if you would've just ignored the sick bastard we wouldn't be in this pridecament!"
"ME?" I was now standing up from my chair defensively glaring at him with my eyebrows arched high.
"Don't you dare look at me like that.." He was now standing to and that scared me a little.
"Why are you blaming me, it's not like I went up to him and said hey old pal, what's new?"
"Don't be a smart ass." I got up from my chair and started going for my keys when he grabbed my wrist. And it hurt.
"Dad let me go!"
"Damn-it Cliff let her go!" My mom yelled grabbing his hand away from my wrist. How dare he grab me! I picked up my keys and slammed the door behind me. I was frantically trying to slam my keys into the ignition not noticing little tears trickling down my face. I backed out of the driveway and went down to King-High Acres where I knew a shortcut to a track.
My phone kept ringing and ringing and ringing but I never answered I just threw it on my dash and kept quiet. Why would he blame me? I tried dodging that stupid old man. It's not like I said hey want to come over. Damn. My wrist felt odd and tight. My dad's fingers were visible, and that made me cry even more. After, what all Mrs. Benson had been through you'd think he wouldn't even lay a hand on me?
When I got to the track I quickly grew disappointed because it was closed due to the ice.
So I went to Candy's Candy Shop and had some ice cream, while I read a magazine about, "How to Keep Your Man." I looked at my phone and it was off. I guess from the impact of hitting the dash it must've just shut completely off. When I turned it back on I had twenty missed calls. Five from Levi, two from my brother. Three from my dad, and ten from my mom. I had five new voicemails and fifteen texts. I turned my phone off once again and placed it in my purse.
"Would you like anything else, ma'am?" I turned to see "Bubba" Dooney sitting at my table.
"Hey Bubba, how's it going?" I said quietly.
"It's alright, I just got back from work. Lisa she wanted some icecream so yeah I am getting her icecream. I haven't seen you in a while. Hey what's wrong, have you been crying? Lord, what's wrong with your wrist?" He was now pulling at my hand so he could inspect it. He was a Medical student at the local university.
"Someone must've grabbed you freaking hard, what happened?"
"I just got into it really bad with my sister."
"Honey Doo, you're lying you don't have a sister." I have known Bubba Dooney since I was in sixth grade. He took me to prom last year. But we were always just friends, he had a wife now and dog and a house up on Queensland High- Hills so he had it made. I wanted to cry but I kept it inside.
"It's just lately everything that seemed real is all gone. Blair killed herself, and then Levi comes back, There was a brawl out on my front lawn and my dad is blaming it on me... so, yeah it sucks." I choked out taking my hand back from his inspection.
"What happened? A big brawl?" He now looked concerned and quickly called Lisa to tell her that he would be a little late.
After I told him what occured he looked sad and confused.
"Your dad is a great man, he probably feels really bad about it. You should just let him cool off. Your mom will take care of it, when have we known her not to? You'll be okay, Kid. You always are. If you need me or Lisa just call us, hell, just drop on by? Alright?"
"Alright." I felt a little better after I vented to Bubba.
I watched him leave, and then I checked my phone it was almost twelve. The candy shop closed at one a.m. so it wasn't like they were waiting for me. I got up and headed for my car, as I watched the few people inside the shop, I watched as most of them read there paper.. they were all mostly older men with little dogs or there grandchildren. It almost made me envious of them. Just because, they looked so peaceful and loving. Something my dad forgot to be this evening.
I drove back to my house and all the lights were on, and everyone was still inside. Butterflies grew in my stomach as I walked up the driveway and into the house... My anxiousness was now overwhelming but I had to walk in there sooner or later.