"I'm sorry!" Scarlet pleads. If the tight lipped smile that replaces Shirley's usual grin doesn't tip Scarlet off that he's disappointed, then maybe the sigh will do.

"It's not my brother, is it?" he asks, his voice somber.

Scarlet's breath hitches. Oh God!
"What?!" she asks, even if she's heard him clearly.

"Just tell me if it's him. I just want to know, so I...Are you seeing my brother?"

"No!" Scarlet chuckles mildly. "No! You don't understand. I'm not ditching you for another guy! It's just, today is mine and Celine's date evening. I'm really sorry but I can't cancel on her. We've been doing this since she was three, I've never cancelled and I can't start now. I'm really sorry Shirley."

Shirley hunches over and laughs.

"Um...?"

"Jesus Scar!" He grates out between laughter.

"Um..." Scarlet doesn't understand what exactly is so funny. "Scar is my first name," she mumbles.

"What?" Shirley asks.

"I mean my name? It's not Jesus Scar. It's actually Scarlet. Greene."

Um...Her voice of reason shakes her head in disapproval. What even is that Scar? Can't you see he was just exclaiming?

Oh yeah? "Never mind!" She quickly cuts in before he says anything.

Shirley laughs again. "Like I said," he begins. "It's okay we can do the date some other time." He smiles and a huge rock is lifted off her back.

Scarlet nods and smiles back. "Okay."

"I have to admit though," he says. "for a moment there, I got a bit wounded." A blind person could've seen as much.  "I thought you had a date. You know? With another guy or something?" He shrugs.

"Yeah with "your brother"" she chuckles. "but that's not it. I'm going with Celine. Probably to hear about her new boyfriend." Scarlet rolls her eyes, feigning disinterest when in reality she lives for these dates, for the quality time she spends with Celine. She absolutely loves hearing her stories. Or venting as she calls it, hearing about Nose Picking Mike Who Has A Crush on Her. And the new boy she asked out to the slides. And probably that Ugly Toothed Emily Who Bullies Karen.

"Yeah. Mother-daughter date. I get it." He pauses for a second and says, "wow! you're a really good mother Scar." With a serious look on his face.

Scarlet flushes. "I try," she opens her mouth to say but Celine beats her to it.

"She has her moments," she says as she makes her grand entrance; she's wearing the rainbow coloured sundress with black Lanvin flats and a baby blue ribbon in her long brown curls. Scarlet raises her eyebrows at her and she smiles sheepishly.

"I guess that's my cue," Shirley says. He walks over and kisses Scarlet on the cheek. "I'll call?" he asks, his breath heating her cheek. Scarlet nods.

"See you around Cee."

"Okay Ley," Celine says as her mother walks him out.

*****

"...he actually didn't like me mama!" she exclaims. "He said he that has a girlfriend and going out with me would be cheating!" Celine stirs the straw in her strawberry milkshake, shaking her head in disappointment with the new boy; Rodney that she asked on a lunch-break-date but he refused. They're sitting at their favorite table; (where they can people watch properly) at Skyline Icecream.
That's the twentieth new boy Celine has asked on a date since she started preschool by the way. No matter what her mother tells her, she argues that going out to a date (at the slides, the swings, and the school swimming pool) with a new boy every time is so much more fun than sticking to one. She's nobody's property; girlfriend after all. And that boys are like clothes.

"...You really don't want to wear the same dress you wore before showering," she says. "Trust me mama."

"Jesus Celine!---"

"Celine's my first name."

"Hmmm?" Scarlet doesn't understand.

"My name? It's actually Celine Greene. Not Jesus Celine."

Scarlet laughs despite herself. "You eavesdrop on people's conversations?!" she exclaims.

"No!"

"What do you mean no?"

"I..." she pouts. "I was just coming in but you were still talking with Shirley so I thought you'd like some...some..."

"Privacy?"

"Yes! There! That's it!" She says, her hands flying everywhere with gestures Scarlet doesn't understand. They high five.
"And I was on my phone anyway, I didn't hear much. That just fell into my ears. I was not eadsdropping! I pinky swear!"

"It's eav-esdropping."

"Yes! That one!"

"Say it; ea-v-esdropping."

"Oh God! Here we go... Ea-ds-dropping."

"Ea-v-e"

"Ea-ve"

"s-dropping."

"s-dropping"

"Eavesdropping."

"Eadsdropping!" She pulls her lower lip between her teeth in frustration.

Scarlet chuckles. It's in moments like these that she confirms; everything she could have ever wanted or needed in life is sitting right here in front of her; in a rainbow sundress, sipping on a milkshake, giggling every now and then, and hitting on people's sons every chance she gets. Screw college. Not that college is a bad thi---

"Anyway," Celine says. "I just kicked him between his legs! No boy is allowed to not like me."

Oh. My. God! "Celine!"

"I know right?" She continues as if she doesn't hear the horror in her mom's voice. "I regret it immediately!"

"You did?" It's regretted Scarlet refrains from correcting her this once. She relaxes a little, maybe her daughter is not so evil after all...

"Yes! I wished I had asked Nose Picking Mike Who Has A Crush On Me out instead, you should've seen how he cried like a baby! It was just a small kick between the legs!" She rolls her eyes. "I was so ashamed for liking him!"

...Or maybe she is the mother of all evil. "Celine!"

"Last time I asked Uncle Han why he doesn't like you."

"You did?!" Han does like Scarlet. Love her in fact.

"Yeah, you know? Like like?"

Oh! I wonder how she figured out the difference between like and like like!

"And he told me that he likes boys because girls are ewww!"

"Really now?" Han is so dead.

"Yeah, and five years from now I see myself happily married to a beautiful girl with gold hair; Karen maybe ." She sighs and takes a drink. "Because I'm also starting to think boys are ewww!"

"Celine!" Who told her that people get married at ten?

"Can I ask you a question mama?"

"Anhuh?"

"Don't be mad?"

Reaching over the table, Scarlet clasps her small hand in hers and smiles, "honey, you know you can ask me anything. I can never be mad at you no matter what. Well, except for kicking other kids in their legs!" she says.

"Okay." Celine agrees reluctantly. "Why are you not married?" she asks. "Where's my daddy? If he doesn't like you like Uncle Han, then Why don't you like Teddy? Are you waiting for my daddy to like you?"

"Celine," Scarlet lets out a shaky breath. "those were four questions."

****

"Honey, get up. You have a visitor."

"G'way 'teph!"

She pulls the covers off. "Come on Letty! Up."

"Mom!" Scarlet groans as she---much to her dismay---stretches and gets up. Glancing at her watch, "it's fucking seven in the morning!"

"Yeah and?"

"And? What do you mean and mom? And where am I going?"

"Honey I don't know if you heard me but I said there's someone downstairs for you. Trust me I wouldn't wake you up if I could avoid it. I like to live thank you very much."

Scarlet drags her feet, making her way into her bathroom. She splashes water onto her sleepy face and picks up her toothbrush before squeezing the toothpaste onto it and bringing it to her mouth. "Who is it anyway? Someone you know?" she shouts between a mouthful of foam.

"Yeah. Theo."

Scarlet pauses brushing her teeth. What's with the Steiner brothers paying her visits these days? When she's done, Scarlet rinses out her mouth and walks back into the bedroom. She stops in her tracks.

"Steph? What the hell are you doing?" Scarlet pulls her covers away from her mother.

"Language Letty!"

Scarlet fights the urge to roll her eyes. "Mom, I told you, if I needed someone to lay my bed for me I would have asked Becca. She's the one I hired to help me out not you, and even still, I respect her enough not to let her do this for me!"

"Don't be ridiculous Letty, I used..." she trails off, probably biting her tongue while at it. Not once since Scarlet was five did her mother ever lay her bed for her or do anything else for that matter except preparing her food; which also became a rare occurrence as Scarlet grew up. She was always busy, and when she wasn't, she was extremely tired. Scarlet had to learn to do everything on her own and maybe she hated it at a certain time. But as time went by, she started to like it. She liked how she never had to need or count on anyone. Not even her own mother.

She liked how she was strong enough to survive on her own.

Scarlet bites her lip. "Mom!" she whispers. She may be a bit angry with her mother, but that's a story for another day.

Steph shakes her head. "Don't! Don't tell me that it's---"

"It's okay mom," she interrupts. "it is. I know why you were never there. I understand and I don't want you to hold it against yourself because I don't. I like myself, I like the way I turned out. I'm an independent woman and it may not have been your goal in the first place but I have you to thank for it."

Her mother's head falls and she stays silent. "I'll just go and see what Theo wants," Scarlet says. "I love you mom."

**

"You're really early for breakfast you know that?" Scarlet says as soon as her eyes land on Theo. He's sitting on the couch, one of his hands clutching his stomach, head bent between his knees with his sweaty hair sticking onto his forehead. He does not respond.

"Theo?" Scarlet calls again.

Slowly; as if painfully, Theo turns around, his face is full of sweat, he must have been out for a morning run. "S-scar-let," he grates out between clenched teeth. "I-I.." he groans, as if he's in pain. Or is he? Scarlet reaches over to touch him. Even in a sweaty state, Theo manages to make her heart beat rise tenfold. She brushes his hair away from his eyes and pushes him upright. She gasps.

"Theo? Oh my God! Mom!" Scarlet bellows. Where his hand is placed, Theo's shirt is full of blood, and on his stomach is a wound. A huge wound it must be, because blood is gushing all over the couch and Theo is one second away from unconsciousness. Did her mom see this? She sounded so calm about it! It was like Theo had just come in for a visit.

Theo manages to shake his head, "don't," he croaks. "Call. Her." He can't even form a full sentence without moaning in pain. But he manages to keep shaking his head. Scarlet understands; he doesn't want her to call Steph all right. But how on lovely earth is she supposed to help him then? How will she carry him up the stairs? Because if he really doesn't want Steph involved, he needs to go somewhere else, not here.

Theo takes a deep hard painful breath. "I. Can. Walk. Sc-ar-le Ugh!" He still manages to smirk. But this time it's not his usual small smirk, the one that makes her swoon. This time it's forced; over done. Scarlet feels a certain urge to cry.

Yeah right. Tell that to your bloody stomach. She reaches over and tips his other arm across her shoulders anyway.

Help! This is going to be the longest case in the history of climbing stairs.

Not really.

At an almost painful pace, with Theo trying so hard not to impose too much weight on Scarlet without hurting himself more in the process. They make it to Scarlet's room. In one piece, in case you'd like to know. She slowly lets him down on the bed and runs to her bathroom for her first aid kit. Does she even know what to do?

Well, there's one way to find out. She opens the cabinet and picks out everything(she hopes) she needs.

When she gets back, Theo has passed out all right. This is great. just great. She reaches over, kneels down beside him on the bed and....

Wait!

Just. Wait!

"Oh no!" Scarlet cries. "This is not good! Am I supposed to undress you now?" She mumbles to an unconscious Theo.
"Why? Why did you come to me Theo? Why?" She wants to cry. Not that she doesn't want to see what lays beneath those layers of...never mind, she really needs to get it together and treat him. Scarlet can't get over the fact that there's a guy; Theo. Theo! in her room. On her bed. And she's supposed to undress him!

Yes and he's bleeding! I don't think you'll be drooling over his dead body! Her voice of reason chides. Now stop whining and get on with it!

"Okay," she sighs. "Deep breaths Scar. Deep breaths. You can do this. Just don't look, okay?" Yeah of course, she will treat him without looking. How genius! Scarlet shakes her head at her own inanity.
One could have thought that having to see Shirley and his drooping hotness would stop her heart from beating like this because of being so close to Theo; a wounded one mind you. But no, she's literally hyperventilating at just the thought of undressing his bloodied body!

You're such a desperate old spinster Greene! Her subconscious is very disappointed. Not that Scarlet cares what she thinks. It's not like Scarlet is that old right?

Right.

A few deep breaths and one big resolution later, Scarlet tugs at the hem of Theo's Tshirt, he's wearing a grey tee and navy blue sweatpants. Then as she does, it occurs to her that she doesn't even know what exactly happened to him. What is clear though is that he was out jogging, probably.

Holy macaroni! She pulls the tee up, his sweatpants are hanging low on his hips, his Calvin Klein briefs on display. And his bod...don't look...y!
He doesn't have a six pack, and it's such a disappointment considering Han does have one! But anyway, maybe the four pack will suffice. Whatever that is. But his body is definitely drool worthy. His skin is tan, his pecs are...yum! His biceps are just...to die for, and his stomach is...

"Holy!"

Fucking shit!

                             ...stabbed.

Scarlet lets out a silent squeak, unable to contain herself she places a hand on her mouth; choking back the scream that's ready to escape and simultaneously holding back the bile that's rising up her gut. She frantically jumps off the bed and  rushes to the door. Turning the lock, she runs to her bathroom in panic. She pushes up the lead before hunching over her toilet, Scarlet throws up everything that had stayed in her stomach from the previous night's dinner.

"Theo..." she whispers, tears brimming in her eyes from the previous activity. Theo was stabbed!

Theo...he's stabbed...