by Edeyn Hannah Blackeney
Sunday, 14 October, 2007
Dear Diary
Wow.
Yeah, Daddy's scary.
Mom told me what happened before me and Jennifer ran downstairs: Caroline thought she could be high-handed with us, because she knew my secret. She was sassing Mom and Daddy sat there just kind of smiling. They wouldn't tell us exactly what was said, but apparently Caroline made threats about if Mom and Daddy didn't help her "get around" her probation officer, that she'd make sure everyone knew about me. I'm pretty sure she said something rude, because Mom looked so ANGRY when talking about it. Mom said that Daddy sat there still smiling until Caroline went too far. She asked him what was so funny, and Mom giggled... and Caroline slapped Mom and called her an old cow.
What Jennifer and I heard from my room was Daddy yelling, "You will NOT touch any member of this family again, in any way!" and a... well, roar. When we scrambled down the stairs and through the living room into the den, Caroline was on the couch, wide-eyed and Mom was sitting on her. Yeah. Sitting on her. Caroline's eyes were fixed on Daddy, and he was on the phone talking to his friend Mr. Abner. I don't know Mr. Abner's last name or I'd call him by it... he thinks it's funny when I call him, "Mr. Abner," though.
Mr. Abner showed up a bit later with a police officer and they took Caroline away, who was just kind of crying to herself. Turns out Mr. Abner is Caroline's Probation Officer and she was threatening to tell people about me because she assumed that we were just being sneaky and didn't have any kind of approval about things. Daddy didn't touch Caroline, but Mom said later he, "put the fear of God into her."
We sat there kind of in shock in the den. Me and Jennifer on either side of Mom, while Daddy arranged for a tow truck to take Caroline's car to the impound yard. Turns out even setting foot on our property violated her Probation because I was her, "victim," during the GoalPost Incident.
So Caroline has to serve the rest of her time until she's eighteen in juvie -- sorry, Juvenile Detention. So, no worrying about her for awhile. Me and Daddy took Jennifer home and then he explained to her parents that Caroline had threatened me and slapped Mom. They didn't seem surprised... more just resolved. Her dad wandered back toward the back of their house mumbling about having warned her not to screw up. Mrs. Higgleston asked Daddy if we would mind Jennifer staying over at our house for a couple nights and going to school with me in the morning, because they needed to go talk to Caroline and make sure the lawyer knew and would be busy with, "sorting out crap," all weekend.
So, Jennifer grabbed some clothes and her books and we came back here. Not much else happened yesterday, but today, Mom took me and Jennifer out to shop for a formal for me for the Homecoming festivities! I tried on soooo many awesome dresses.
Really, other than Caroline, the weekend was kinda boring, since I didn't have my Ballet or Gymnastics. Well, until we went dress shopping. I ended up with a wonderful dress, with matching shoes and a bag. It's a weird fabric that looks blue, bluey-green, purple, or red depending on the way the light is hitting it from where you stand. It's spaghetti-strap and covers enough of my chest that I don't have to worry about anyone seeing my forms, but leaves my shoulders and chest pretty bare. It has a bit of boning hidden in it to pull my waist in a bit, and then has this nifty flaring skirt that's mid-thigh in front and just below my knees in the back. Mom would only let me get two-inch heels, but that's really okay, that way I don't have to join the, "barefoot brigade," at the dance. I think Jennifer and Mom thought I was a life-sized Barbie doll, though... between the two of them, I think I tried on over 50 dresses!
Courtney
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Comments
Three new charges at least
because of the conditions of parole Caroline may be guitly of trespass, assaut, threatening witnesses and extortion, four charges!
How old is she and does Caroline like lesbian sex? That's all she's likely to get in juvie. If I was Courtney's parents I would refuse to help Caroline's family. The father seems to understand his daughter did wrong and must suffer the consqunences, but mom wants to get the lawers involved ... I quote
>>
Mrs. Higgleston asked Daddy if we would mind Jennifer staying over at our house for a couple nights and going to school with me in the morning, because they needed to go talk to Caroline and make sure the lawyer knew and would be busy with, "sorting out crap," all weekend.
>>
What is the * crap*? Carolines contempable conduct or, "My daughter needs help not imprisomnmemt. The family of that strange boy who wants to be a girl exagerated things."
She does need and is entitled to legal help but I got the implication Mom has smoothed things over, been the fixer, far too many times before which explanes her older daughter's arogant disrguard. She has never had to pay for her bad behaviour.
Great again.
John in Wauwatosa
John in Wauwatosa
It would be unlikely
to send one daughter to stay with the family you wanted the lawyer to take action against for the other. The Lawyer that made sure that Caroline got Juvie and not Prison needs to be contacted so he can help them make sure that she isn't put away in "Big Girls' Timeout" for a long while. The parents are both rather disgusted that Caroline broke her Probation so soon after being allowed home from Juvenile Detention. They're wanting to probably shake the girl silly themselves. No, the Mother hasn't "fixed" things any more than expected, but when your child is under arrest, you are likely going to want to get them a lawyer, no matter HOW disappointed you are in her or him!
It's exactly that
My own family has had to deal with members who have done some spectacularly stupid things. The problem is that just because they have done so, doesn't mean that you de facto stop loving them. You try to ensure, if possible, that while in the utter hell that is any sort of imprisonment, that there is some sort of treatment of whatever issues led them to make the choices they did, whether addiction or paraphilliae or just anger control and hostility issues. You try to ensure that the gangs that infest those places won't >kill< them for one or two stupid mistakes or for being unable to deal with their own problems. You try to ensure that they won't be so damaged by the rape that may occur, and which any one of you would condemn as a horror in a free person. You try to ensure that they are able to maintain enough hope (a chancy effort even in a free teenager) that they don't commit suicide.
Basically, there is very little that anyone could do to me that I would be terribly happy about them being thrown into prison and having everything that could happen there happen to them.I might agree that they should be in prison, but "happy" is definitively >not< the right emotion.
Hopefully, Caroline comes out of her experience there the way one of my friends did: with a much better perspective on what is actually important in life, and an appreciation that others have some interest in their own lives. Also, having bad things happen to her in juvie puts Courtney in the position of not being able to >properly< forgive her when she does grow up a little and apologizes (which is something they both need, eventually, in order to heal).
/faux buddhist
-Liz
Successor to the LToC
Formerly known as "momonoimoto"
Enthralling
Maybe that's too strong a word? I dunno - love the format, love the flow - love the characters and the plot - interesting relationship between these two families, no? It doesn't sound like Caroline's family is blaming anyone but her for her actions - it feels like there must be a longer history between the adults than has been noted as of yet, there seems to be a stronger relationship there than I would have expetcted.
I've dealt with a number of teenagers who feel that they can behave the way Caroline does without repercussions - they think they can do whatever they want, that they know what's going on and no one else does. God, are they ever shocked when reality slams them in the face. In some circumstances you can look at home life, bad upbringing, yadda, yadda, yadda, but often in the end the parents cannot be blamed, they're the ones hurt the most. Sounds like one of those situations here....
I'm a bit surprised that the mom asked if they could take care of their daughter while they get the legal stuff with Caroline sorted - not surprised about bringing a lawyer into the deal, tho, they don't really have much of a choice in the good ol' litigious US of A....
YW
He conquers who endures. ~ Persius
Glad you like it
The "longer history" would be over the GoalPost Incident when they met. The Higglestons don't know that Courtney is the same person as Ethan. They know that Jennifer told everything about the GoalPost Incident to them and that's what got Caroline incarcerated in the first place. They also know that Jennifer's current, new, and probably only actual best friend is Courtney. They're running under the assumption that Ethan and Courtney are siblings or cousins or such. After all, boys don't just turn into girls over the course of a year.
Caroline did not expect her "bluff" to be called because she wasn't bluffing... she was just running without full information. She figured that the Tackinnisons were just lying to people because that's what she would do. It totally never would have occurred to her that the proper steps had been taken and the proper people in charge already knew.
As for asking if they would watch over Jennifer for a couple of days... they know that these are the parents of their daughter's best friend and their other daughter has hurt the son of this couple in the past so they are eager to show that they trust them and do not harbor any kind of bad feelings toward them.
You know...
... Caroline probably thinks SHE was the injured party here. This IS the typical reaction of people that are used to getting their ways and such. Something goes wrong, and it's someone ELSE's fault. Being in Juvie won't STOP her from getting word out, but it'll MAYBE slow it down. She may figure "what does she have to lose" or "I'll get even with them" or some such.
The hunting for the RIGHT dress, sounds SO familiar. I recall how long my older daughter took... :-) She ended up with a beautify saphire red that was off her shoulders. It'll be a few years, before her little sister needs one (thankfully so).
Nice work in getting some of Courtney's emotions to show in this episode.
Annette