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Chapter One-Hundred-Sixty



“What is it Sarah? What’s happened?” Nick asked meeting the six-year-old halfway and kneeling down in front of her.


“ELLIE IS HURTING KOTA! COME QUICK!” she shouted.


“What? Ellie…Kota? …Oh man!” Brian replied, and he jumped up from his spot on the couch and headed for the backyard. Nick got up and hurried after him and the rest of the gang wasn’t too far behind. When they all got out there they saw that Josh and Spencer had managed to get the light saber away from the violent five year old and Spencer was holding her back with all his might. Meanwhile, Josh was holding a sobbing Dakota and protecting her from any further attack that Elenore might make. Ryan was back in his spot on the chair reading a book and acting as if he had nothing to do with the whole situation.


“What is going on here?!” Nick demanded and at the sight of her father Dakota squirmed her way out of Josh’s arms and went running for Nick who knelt down and held his arms open for her just on time for her to go flying into them. She wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his shoulder and continued to cry.


“KOTA THE BACK-STABBING FRIEND TOLD MY SECRETS!” Elenore wasted no time in shouting, as she tried her hardest to break free of Spencer.


“I DIDN’TS!” Dakota sobbed.


“It was ALL Ryan’s fault!” Josh demanded, not letting the older boy get away with anything no matter how hard he tries.


“How is it Ryan’s fault when he’s been sitting there this whole time reading?” Brian wanted to know as he went over and crouched down next to Spencer before relieving him of Elenore.


“He was NOT reading this whole time he is just making it look like it!” Josh insisted in a raised voice. If Brian believes Ryan’s lies and lets him get away with this he will not be speaking to his father for a very long time.


“Joshua there is no need to shout at me I am right here,” Brian replied calmly.


“I just don’t want him to get away with what he did wrong,” Josh answered, managing to keep his voice even, though it is still very clear that he is angry.


“I won’t let him get away with it if he really did something wrong. You know how fair I am…why don’t you tell me what he supposedly did.”


“Ryan, get over here – now.” Howie added, looking over at the boy that he is currently fostering.


“I didn’t do anything I’ve been reading this book the entire time,” Ryan answered innocently.


“Some how I don’t believe that. Get over here.”


“He was over there reading that book when I left them D…” Brian insisted.


“Doesn’t mean he isn’t guilty. If he didn’t do anything wrong why did he sit there and let it happen? He’s the oldest – he should’ve came in and reported it immediately. Not Sarah.” Ryan set his book down and he got up and walked over to Howie still looking innocent as ever.


“Now go ahead Josh…what happened?” Brian spoke, turning his attention on his son again.


That evil brat over there framed Kota! He led Ellie to believe that she told her secrets when she did not!”


“What secrets?” Howie wanted to know.


“It doesn’t matter,” Brian immediately answered before Josh could. “They are Ellie’s secrets and they should be protected.”


“But they’ve already been blabbed,” Nick replied.


“Yes, but that doesn’t mean the rest of the world should know too, it’s Ellie’s business,” Brian insisted in a final tone and he looked at Josh. “Then what happened?”


“Ellie beat Ryan up with the light sabers because he was teasing her and then when he wrongly accused Dakota Ellie of course believed him and turned on her instead.” Brian looked down at Elenore then with a stern look. Elenore shrunk some in his arms as she is not used to those kinds of looks from Brian – her idol.
“Ellie…what was the very first rule I gave you when handing out those light sabers?”


“But she TOLD my secrets!” Elenore insisted as her eyes began to water up.


“What was the rule Elenore?” Brian demanded more firmly.


“I wants my Kevy!” she demanded tearfully.


“Kevin isn’t here – he went for a walk to clear his head. So you are stuck with me. Answer my question Elenore Ellerbee.”


“Nots to hit anybody…” Elenore answered looking everywhere BUT at Brian’s eyes.


“And did you obey that rule?”


“No I did nots! Because SHE told my secrets!” Elenore argued, pointing angrily at Dakota. Dakota cowered in Nick’s arms and didn’t even bother to protest this time – she knows she didn’t tell her secrets – she would never do anything to hurt her best friend.


“That is not the point right now. The point is that you disobeyed the rules and attacked Dakota and Ryan.” Brian replied.


“But –“


“Go to your room.”


“Buts Brian-“


“Go to your room right now! I will be up there in a few moments to deal with you.” Elenore looked at Brian with her eyes full of tears. Brian! her hero is punishing her! Brian gently grabbed hold of her arm and pushed her toward the door.


“Get moving!” Elenore yanked her arm free of him and she turned and ran for the door as fast as she could in fear that Brian is going to hit her. Brian rounded on Ryan then.


“As for you,” he began. “How did you know Ellie’s secrets? You had to have found out some how if you were teasing her.”


“Yes Ryan…why don’t you wipe that smirk off your face and explain yourself?” Nick added, as he is none to pleased that his baby had been beat up for something he knows she didn’t do.


“I didn’t do anything!”


“You are lying – I saw you smiling just now when you thought no one was listening.” Nick snapped somewhat.


“I didn’t do anything!” Ryan yelled.


“It was my fault,” Spencer suddenly spoke up though he adverted his eyes away from everybody.


What?” Kori asked sharply as she had not expected this.


“Mostly mine,” Josh added as he is not about to let Spencer get in trouble when he had forced the answers out of him in the first place.


“Josh?” Brian asked shocked.


“Spencer and I didn’t know Ryan was listening…” Josh began softly as he shuffled his shoes in the dirt. “But we can’t tell you in front of everybody else what was said because it would be revealing her secrets.”


“How did you know her secrets, Spencer?” Brian questioned.


“I over heard them. I was drawing on the sidewalk with chalk and they were talking right next to me.”


“So Ryan over heard you talking and then decided to come down here and cause trouble?” Brian asked, looking over at Ryan with a stern look.


“NO I didn’t!”


“YES he did!” Josh insisted, and he moved to stand toe to toe with Ryan but Nick pulled him back.


“No buddy…last thing you want is to be in trouble too.”


“Yeah and anyway, we believe you.” Howie added.


“He was playing Nintendo when no one was around too,” Spencer added deciding he’d blab on that too since he is on a roll with getting him in trouble.


“OH really?” Howie asked, looking down at Ryan with a raised eyebrow.


“NO I WAS NOT, HE IS LYING!”


“I think the only one lying around here is you. You’ve lost your Nintendo for a month now kid – a long with all of your toys.”


“BUT THAT’S NOT FAIR!”


“It is too fair. You are also going to make both Dakota and Elenore apology cards as well as voice your apology too.”


“BUT –“


“Go to your room Ryan and wait for me. We are going to have a nice long chat about your behavior.”


“UGH! I HATE YOU PEOPLE! I CAN’T WAIT FOR MY MOM TO GET BETTER!” Ryan yelled, and he turned and stormed toward the house.


“Well acting like a bully is NOT going to make her get better faster!” Ryan didn’t reply, he only slammed the door shut behind him and Howie looked at Jackie.


“Have any chores to do around the house? He is going to need something to do since he doesn’t have any toys to play with.”


“Oh plenty.”


“Great can you make out a list for me? Please?”


“Sure thing.”


“Thanks,’ Howie replied, and he got up and went into the house to deal with Ryan.


“I’m going to go upstairs and deal with Ellie now…Nick will you bring Kota up there in about ten minutes?”


“Yeah sure,” Nick nodded and Brian got up and followed Howie’s lead. Nick looked down at his daughter who was still wrapped protectively in his arms and was all teary eyed – and probably heart broken too. He scooped her up in his arms then and kissed her forehead softly.


“Come on baby…lets get you inside and cleaned up – you are bleeding,” he told her soothingly and he carried her back into the house with Ashley at his side. When they got in there he set Dakota down on the counter and he got out a wash cloth and got it wet and he began to clean her up.


“Daddy is Ellie going to hates me forever?” she sniffled. “I didn’ts tell her secrets I swears I didn’ts!”


“No of course not sweetie…it’s just a misunderstanding and you will have a chance to go up there and explain that in ten minutes. I know you didn’t tell her secrets you are a good friend.”


~*~*~*~*~


Meanwhile upstairs, after having to fish Elenore out from under the bed, Brian had a talk with her about disobeying rules and then with great difficulty he managed to put the struggling five year old in the corner. As soon as he put her in it, she immediately flung herself to the floor kicking and screaming and throwing her arms about.


“I WANTS MY KEVY!!!! I WANT’S MY KEVY RIGHTS NOW!!!” her shrieks could be heard all through out the house.


“If Kevin was here he would be doing the exact same thing. You will sit there in that corner for five minutes – and then we’re going to have another talk,” Brian told her loudly over her screaming.


“I WANTS MY KEVY!!!! I WANTS MY KEVY!!!” she continued to shriek loudly. Brian went over and scooped her up and he sat her in the chair.


“If you don’t stay in that chair you will sit there for another five minutes.” Elenore didn’t even bother to shriek for Kevin anymore she just sat there sobbing. Brian went over and sat on the bed and he waited until five minutes was up. By the time it was Elenore had stopped her crying and was just sitting there sniffling.


“Okay Ellie…you can get up now…come here,” he told her gently. Elenore crawled out of the chair and she went over and stood in front of him, her eyes glued to the carpet. She can’t bear to look in the eyes of the man who just punished her – her hero. Brian patted the spot next to him on the bed and Elenore crawled up onto it and sat down just as Nick walked in the room with Dakota rested on his hip, as it had been ten minutes. She has her arms wrapped tightly around him and her head rested against his shoulder and fear on her face – almost as if she thinks Elenore will attack her again. Brian gave them a weak smile.


“Hey Kota, hey Nick…just on time for our talk.” Elenore glared at her so-called best friend.


“What is she doing here?” She asked angrily and Dakota tightened her grip on Nick.


“She’s here because she is your best friend and she is very hurt right now because of a misunderstanding,” Brian answered patiently. Elenore crossed her arms over her chest and looked away from everybody moodily. Somebody told her secrets! And the only person who knew about them was Dakota.


“I happen to know that Dakota would never blab your secrets honey.”


“You haves to believe that. You are her Uncle.”


“I am her uncle who believes in her and knows she always does the right thing.”


“Well she didn’ts this time. This time she was a back-stabber.”


“I was NOTS!” Dakota suddenly wailed, not being able to take being called a back-stabber no longer.


“YES YOU WERES! How could Ryan have known then Kota?! You were the only one who knew!”


“No she wasn’t,” Brian spoke up again. “Maybe you and Kota should be careful the next time you share secrets with one another. What you both failed to realize was that Spencer was sitting right there listening to the whole thing.”


“So Spencer was the back-stabber?” Elenore asked angrily.


“Not on purpose…he thought he was having a private conversation with Josh – he didn’t know Ryan was listening in.” Elenore wrapped her arms around herself even tighter as she looked at Dakota who was sitting in Nick’s lap as he had sat on the bed in front of Elenore and Brian.

“Kota would never tell your secrets. She would never do anything to ruin your friendship because she knows you are the best thing that’s ever happened to her – without you, she wouldn’t have any friends honey…and she always does the right thing. I had a hard time getting her to tell me what they were when Ryan stepped on your fingers. She was very protective of them.”


“Because you’re my bests friend an’ I loves you,” Dakota added as tears fell from her watery blue eyes.


“You promise?” Elenore sniffled and Dakota nodded. Elenore eyed her for a couple of moments and then got up on her knees and she went over and wrapped her arms around Dakota for a hug.


“I’m sorry Kota…” Dakota slid her arms around her and hugged her back silently.


“I’m gonna kills Ryan for framing you.”


“You will not,” Brian replied while trying his hardest to hide his amusement. “You’ve already been in time out and you’ve already lost light saber privileges until we get back to the Orphanage. I think you better leave Ryan’s punishment to Howie.” Elenore looked up at Brian then.


“Can Kota an’ I goes an’ play?”


“As long as you promise me you won’t give Spencer a hard time.”


“I promise,” Elenore replied and Brian nodded.


“Okay, you are free to go then.” Elenore slid off of the bed pulling Dakota with her and together the two of them left the room.


~*~*~*~*~


Meanwhile in New York, after getting Laila’s Mc Donald’s Brooke and AJ took her to Central Park. They went to where the playground was and the three of them ate their food and then played With Laila for an entire hour until she had finally gotten tired and fell asleep. AJ lay her on a blanket that they had spread out in the grass under a tree and they covered her up with her blanket before lying down on the big blanket next to her. AJ wrapped his arms around Brooke and gazed down at her adoringly as he gently caressed her eyebrows.


“So is Kevin royally pissed off at you?”


“Pretty much…he gave me a big long lecture over the phone – according to Howie though, it’s not half as bad as what Nick is getting.”


“I’m sorry Alex…”


“For what? None of this is your fault…I’m the stupid ass who started a fight in your honor.”


“Well you are a sweet stupid ass…” Brooke insisted while smiling up at him and AJ laughed.


“Seriously though…no one’s ever stood up for me like that before.”


“Well Id do it all over again if I had to…”


“No you won’t because facing Kevin’s wrath once was hard enough for you I can tell.” AJ shrugged and placed his finger to her chin before tilting her head back and brushing his lips lightly over hers. Just as he was pulling away Brooke’s cell phone rang.


“Ugh…why do they always have to call in the middle of a perfectly good kiss?” AJ chuckled as he watched her reach into her purse for her phone.


“How many perfectly good kisses have you experienced?”


“I mean…I usually see it happen a lot in romance movies.”


“Uh-huh, right.” AJ replied playfully as Brooke turned her phone on an placed it to her ear.


“Hello?”


“Do you have any idea what they’re showing on the news right now Brooke?!” Jaime exclaimed over the phone. Brooke winced. She knew this was going to happen but she hoped it wouldn’t reach Jaime until after they were home.


“Yes Jaim…I know. It’s not a big deal…Aje didn’t get arrested.”


“That’s not what I’m worried about! I’m worried about whether or not you are okay! And if AJ punched them good enough!” Brooke rolled her eyes smiling and AJ looked at her curiously.


Yes…I’m fine. And if you consider a black eye and broken nose on Mark good enough then yes.”


“Sweet!” Jaime cheered. “Wish I could’ve been there to help.”


“No you don’t. AJ is lucky that Mark is insisting that it’s not necessary to press charges,” Brooke’s father spoke in the background.


“Why is Mark being so nice?” Brooke asked with a raised eyebrow.


“Because he’s telling everybody who will listen that he is the better person and making AJ out to be the bad guy.” Brooke rolled her eyes.


“I knew there was a catch.


“Yeah well I think he’s pretty awesome,” Jaime insisted and Brooke smiled.


“Well that’s a lot coming from you Jaim…”


“What?” AJ asked curiously.


“Jaime says he thinks you are pretty awesome.” AJ chuckled.


“Tell him I said thanks.”


“Alex says thanks, Jaim.”


“Tell him I say no problem…but that doesn’t mean I don’t still have my eye on him.”