Love

Dad

-10

I finished up lunch and called down the kids. But they didn't come. I called again and waited then went upstairs to see what was going on.

"Jone, Willow. Lunch is ready, where are you."

"Out here, don't wait up on us," a voice said from out the window of Willow's room.

I walked to the window and stuck my head out. Willow and Jone were there, sitting on the sandpaper like roof.

"Both of you get back in here this instant before you get more hurt then you already are! "

"No sir we won't it's the only way to insure we won't be on the ride back. I'm not going back there," Willow said.

"Willow you have to go back to school, both of you do. I know that it may seem like a death trip but me and Shelby will find the people who did-"

"No! No you can't do that. Arice you don't get it, just leave it alone it's fine ok, we are fine."

"Then why don't you help me. Help me understand."

"I'm saying that we can't. Don't you-"

"Willow," Jone warned.

Both of them fell silent and looked away.

"The both of you need to listen to me. You both need to come inside the house before you fall of the roof and do more damage to yourselves, and you will be going back to school there's no if ands or buts about it. I can't make you tell me anything but I hope you will. If you two aren't downstairs in three minutes I'm coming in here and will drag you through the window myself," I said before walking back downstairs to try and stop myself from totally blowing up on them.

"What's the matter?" Shelby asked as I stormed back down stairs.

"Hopefully nothing in about three minutes."

He looked at me with a puzzled look which I chose to ignore. I walked over to our white wash cabinets with the glass faces. I grabbed some plaits and two coffee mugs along with two regular cups.

"Love would ya grab the juice from the fridge while I make the plaits?" I asked before looking up and yelling, "the kids should be down by the time the plaits are on the table."

"Ok what is going on?!" Shelby finally asked.

I sighed and looked at him for a second, the way he pinches his eyebrows together and makes that small crease on his forehead. How he slightly narrows his eyes and looks deeply at me as if he's trying to read what's wrong. How he scrunches his lips in and flares his nostrils.

"I got mad, don't worry I left before I went all army on them so you don't gotta ask. Even though you would have been able to hear if I had. There on the roof. Before you interrupt and shoot yourself up there like a bullet from a cault 45, I've already tried trust me. There both adamant about staying there and not going back to school and neither is saying a damn thing. About who, or why because apparently I don't 'get it' and I'm not aloud to, so either they're afraid of the kids who did this or..." I paused and turned my back to him pressing my palms on the edge of the counter, "or they think they can't say because we didn't protect them the first time so how the hell could we now? And I can't blame them for it, what would you do if you were them? I know I would do the same thing they're doing."

I heard passing feet and then a pair of arms wrapped around me from behind and a forehead put pressure on my mid back. The arm were thin and frail and had a few bruises on them. I rotate and put my hand on the long soft hazelnut hair in front of me.

"It's not that you can't protect us dad, we're trying to protect you! Both of you," she said through her soft sobs.

Shelby walked over and placed a hand on her back.

"Honey don't worry about us, we'll be ok. Even more so if we can help you, both of you. Comear Jone," Shelby said holding out an arm.

Jone had been stranded silent at the end of the stairs not sure what to do. He hesitantly walk over and Shelby gently merged him into the hug. I could see faint tear streaks on his cheeks, I could tell he was trying not to cry even more and was hiding the fact that he did. It's weird how much like me he is, it's in little random ways but he is. I just wish it wasn't in this way. I passed Willow onto Shelby and all I had to do is stand in front of him and he did the rest himself. He crumbled into me, shaking as he cried.

"It's okay buddy, " I whispered into his hair, pressing a kiss to his head.

Willow pulled away from Shelby wiping her cheeks and turned to Jone.

"We need to tell um Jone."

It was very faint, unheard by the rest but I know he said it, he said, "I know."