I was a dad, so I couldn't help but worry my daughter was going to get her heart broken again.  I wanted to throttle that kid.  It seemed plain as day that he was a jerk, but Cam seemed to have eyes for him.  She was blinded.

One morning she came out with entirely too much makeup and a very low-cut top.  I'm pretty sure it wouldn't meet the dress code at school, and I definitely didn't approve.

"Cam, go change and take off the makeup," I told her as I got the twins' breakfast ready.

"Why?" she asked.

"It's not appropriate," I told her.  She looked down at herself and apparently didn't see anything wrong with it.

"Pippa?" she tried to get my wife on her side.

"It's too much," Pippa backed me up.  She rolled her eyes and stomped off to her room.  "Trying to impress someone," Pippa guessed.

"Yep," I agreed, setting two bowls of cereal in front of the twins.  The began to eat and Cam came out a few minutes later dressed more appropriately and with less makeup.  "Much better."

Cam and Molly headed out with the twins about ten minutes later.  I worked mostly from home that day and Pippa had some meetings.  Around 11:00, I got a call from the school.  I was asked to come in.

When I arrived 15 minutes later, I found Cam in the main office, an ice pack to her eye.

"Sweetheart, what happened?" I asked, sitting next to her.  I gently removed the ice pack from her eye and saw it was red and swelling.

"America," she told me.  "Taking revenge on getting William back."

I sighed and gently pressed the ice pack on her eye.  The principal's door opened and Sofia and America both walked out.  America looked smug and proud of herself.  She smirked at my daughter as she walked by.

"Mr. Miranda," Dr. Fisher called to me.  Cam and I stood up and went to his office, where we sat down.  He closed the door.

"We had an unfortunate incident today," he began.  "Cam, would you care to tell your side of the story again?"

She sighed, slumped in her chair.  "I was at my locker and I felt a hand on my shoulder.  I turned and America just clocked me in the eye, then she started kicking me and pulling at my hair."

I could hear her voice tearing up at the memory.

"You did the right thing by not fighting back," he told Cam.  She nodded but didn't look so convinced.  "You're not in any trouble, but America's been suspended.  You won't see her for a few days."

"She lives in our apartment building," I informed him.  "I think I'll need to talk with her mother."

Dr. Fisher had a sympathetic look on his face.

"Mr. Miranda, you're free to take her home for the day if you'd like, or she can finish out the day," he told me.  I looked at my daughter.

"It's up to you," I told her.

"I wanna go home," she said quietly.  I nodded, then stood and shook the principal's hand.  Cam trailed behind me as I signed her out and we walked out the front door.  I decided to hail a cab so Cam wouldn't have to ride the subway with a shiner.  We arrived home and she plopped onto the couch.

"Hungry?" I asked and she nodded.  I fixed her a sandwich as she turned on the TV.  I sat with her and we ate in silence.  Once we'd finished, we set our plates on the coffee table.

"Are you doing okay?" I asked her softly.

"I'm humiliated," she confessed, her arms crossed.  I reached over and gently stroked her hair.

"I'm sorry that happened to you," I told her.  "You didn't deserve that."

She sighed.  "Everyone knows I got my ass kicked."

"Well, I'm glad you didn't decide to hit her back," I said.  "That would've made things worse."

"I'm not so sure about that," she said.

I pressed a kiss to the side of her head.  "Well, you should relax for a while.  Try to take your mind off it."

I picked up our plates and took them to the kitchen.  Cam laid down on the couch with a blanket and lounged around all afternoon.  Since she wasn't at school, I left around 2:30 to pick up the younger kids.  When Molly walked in the door, she went right over to Cam.

"I heard about the fight," she said excitedly.  "Why didn't you punch her back?"

"Because I didn't want to get in trouble," she said.

"Or you knew you'd lose?" Molly countered.

"Shut up!" Cam told her stepsister.

"Molly," I said in a warning voice.  "Leave it alone."

She smiled and went to her room.  The twins were ready for a snack, so I got them some cheese and crackers.  Cam let them have the remote and they put on the Disney Channel.  They were very interested in Cam's eye.  Cam patiently explained what happened and they were in awe.

"But why would she hit you?" Raina asked.

"Because she's mean," Cam told her.

"Santa's not gonna bring her any presents," Felix decided, and Cam agreed.

After the twins had been put to bed that night, I decided to go talk to Sofia.  I was dreading it because I was afraid she would do or say something inappropriate.  I knocked on her door and she answered, still in full makeup, her hair perfect.

"Lin," she smiled.  "How are you?"

"I'm fine," I told her.  "Can I come in?"

"Of course," she said, opening her door.  I noticed America on the couch, watching TV and playing on her phone.  Did she not have any consequences for getting suspended from school?  If Cam had done what she'd done, she'd be grounded with no electronics.  "America, will you go to your room for a minute?"

America turned off the TV and went to her room with her phone.  Sofia and I sat down on the couch.

"I wanted to talk to you about what happened at school with America and Cam," I began, rubbing my legs nervously.  "There seems to be some boy drama going on between them."

"Yes," she agreed.  "William I think?"

"Yep," I said.  "Cam apparently got back together with him yesterday and America got upset, which is why she attacked Cam at school."

"I wouldn't call it an attack," Sofia said.  I furrowed my eyebrows.

"Then what would you call it?"

"It was a scuffle," she said.  "They're teenagers.  It's gonna happen."

I was exasperated.  "It's never happened to Cam before," I told her.  "And it really wasn't necessary."

"It was unfortunate, but I've raised America to stand up for what she wants," Sofia told me.

"With violence?" I asked her.

"By any means necessary," she said.  I stared at her, not sure what to say.

"You can't be serious," I said.  She just looked back at me.  "Look, this is just a teenage romance.  I doubt Cam will be marrying this guy.  I really don't think it's necessary for America to be coming after her about it.  Will you please tell your daughter to stay away from mine?"

She stared at me and crossed her arms.  "Fine," she said.  I nodded, uncomfortable.

"Great," I said, standing up.  She followed me, close behind.  As I reached for the doorknob, she put her hand on the door to stop me.

"Lin, we Martinez women go after we want," she said seductively.  "And I still want you."

I tensed up.  "Sofia..."

"Nobody has to know," she said, trailing a finger down my chest.  I grabbed it and pushed it away.

"Sofia, I told you," I said firmly.  "I'm very happily married.  The answer's no."

I turned the knob and opened it, with some resistance from her hand.  She crossed her arms, obviously disappointed in the blow-off.  I left as quickly as I could, feeling her eyes on me as I wandered down the hall.  When I got inside I took a breath and leaned back against the door.  Pippa was pouring some wine in the kitchen.

"How'd it go?" she asked.

"Really weird," I said.  "She basically said she's taught America to go after what she wants, so she has no problem with what she did.  I told her to stay away from Cam."

"Wow," Pippa said, taking a drink.  "They're real pieces of work."

"She came onto me again," I admitted, knowing Pippa wanted me to be open and honest.  "I had to shut her down."

Pippa sighed, obviously not liking this news.  "Maybe I should go punch her."

We sat down on the couch together.  "I'd rather not have my wife arrested for assault.  I have a feeling she wouldn't hesitate."

I'd never known someone so conniving.  And it wasn't just her; it was her daughter too.  I felt my fatherly instincts kick in some more.  I didn't want Cam to suffer because of this.  I had a feeling this was far from over.

____

The next few days passed uneventfully.  America was suspended, so Cam didn't have to worry about running into her, at least at school.

America returned to school the following Monday.  I was nervous, hoping she wouldn't give Cam any problems.  Everything was okay for a couple days, but I then got another call from school.

When I arrived this time, there were police officers.  This couldn't be good.  Before I had a chance to talk to Cam, I was ushered into the principal's office.

"Mr. Miranda," please sit down, the principal told me, so I did.  A police officer stood by the text.  "Unfortunately, Cam was found with marijuana in her locker today.  That's why the police are here to investigate."

I was speechless for a moment.  Cam wasn't perfect, but I knew she wouldn't be messing around with pot, especially at school.  "Marijuana in her locker?"

"Yes, sir," the police officer said.  "We had a tip-off from another student and when we accessed her locker, we found two bags.  Cam's denying it's hers."

I sat back in my chair and sighed.  "Who gave the tip-off?"

"I can't tell you that information," the officer said.  "But it was a fellow student."

"I think I can guess who," I said, leaning forward.  "With all due respect, you don't know my kid.  Cam would never do something like this."

"We're in the process of investigating that," the officer said.

"Can I see my daughter?" I asked them.

"Certainly," the principal said.  I stood up and walked out, finding Cam in the corner looking thoroughly pissed off.

"It's not mine," she immediately told me as I sat next to her.

"I know," I told her reassuringly.  "We're gonna get this all worked out."

"It was America," she told me, not making eye contact.

I nodded.  "I suspected that," I said.  "Have you seen her down here?"

"No," she said.  "But I'm pretty sure she's the one who told the principal."

This had obviously escalated and I was starting to get really concerned.  Why was America going after my kid like this?  And why was Sofia letting her? 

The officers were finishing up talking to the principal.  I hovered by the door to get in another word with the principal.  The officers left and Dr. Fisher invited me back in.

"Dr. Fisher, I have a feeling I know who's behind this," I began.  Both of us remained standing.  "My daughter's recently had trouble with America Martinez.  If you recall the assault last week, there's some boy drama going on between the two of them.  Cam's pretty sure America planted the weed in her locker."

He nodded.  "She told me that," he said.  "America's been having some trouble fitting in here at Hunter.  But as you recall, Cam was also the ringleader in bullying America," he reminded me.

"I know Cam's not a perfect angel," I acknowledged.  "But she does not do drugs, nor does she sell drugs."

I could tell Dr. Fisher believed me.  It was a small enough school that he knew all the kids.  Cam had gone here since kindergarten, so he knew her well.  "I have to let the police do their investigation.  Until then, I'm afraid Cam can't be at school.  She's not suspended, but she'll need to stay home and complete her work."

I sighed, crossing my arms.  "Why is my daughter being punished for something she didn't do?"

"It's school procedures," he said.  "When we have something as serious as this, we need to investigate thoroughly."

I sighed, dropping my head.  "This is ridiculous," I said.  "You need to get to the bottom of this, because my daughter's missing out on her education."

Without another word, I walked out and called for Cam to follow me.  I was seething as we walked home.  When we reached our floor, I told Cam to go home and I stopped at Sofia's door.  She was going to get an earful.  She answered, but was on the phone.  I think she could tell I was pissed.

"I'll call you back," she told the person on the phone. This time, she didn't smile. "Lin."

"We need to talk," I told her, not bothering to come in when she opened the door.  "I'm pretty sure your daughter planted marijuana in Cam's daughter.  Do you know anything about that?"

She feigned ignorance, but I could sense she knew.  Maybe she'd even encouraged it.

"Let me make something clear," I told her, stepping forward a little.  "Do not mess with my family.  Especially my daughter.  Understand?"

She stepped forward, not fazed.  "You know, I could make this all go away."

"What do you mean?"

"America.  Camila," she said.  "The drama could end."

I was silent for a few moments, studying her.  "Are you trying to tell me you've been telling America to do these things?"

"I'm not saying anything," she said, grasping my jacket.  "I'm saying if you let yourself give in to this...this mutual attraction, I'll make sure America leaves your daughter alone."

"Go.  To.  Hell." I told her, then turned around and walked home.  I could not believe the nerve of this woman.  I wasn't a vengeful person, and I certainly didn't usually tell people to go to hell, but this woman was psycho.  She was actually telling her teenage daughter to mess with my kid?  It was really messed up.

Cam was already in her room.  We were both pissed, so we needed some time to cool down.  I had no idea what to do.  Was this something I should report to the police?  I wasn't sure what my options were, but hooking up with Sofia certainly wasn't one of them.

After the kids had gone to bed that night, I told Pippa all about the day's drama.  She was just as flabbergasted as me about what had happened.

"Could it be considered extortion?" she asked as she took out her earrings.

"I don't know," I said as I climbed into bed.  "I'm thinking maybe I should talk to a lawyer."

"Might be a good idea," she said.  "Maybe see what the principal has to say tomorrow."

We agreed we'd give it a couple days so we didn't make any brash decisions.  It was one of the hardest things I'd ever done.  Cam was stuck at home, missing out on school, because of the behavior of Sofia and America.  It made me so angry.  Cam was really good about getting her work done and making the best of it.  She had her phone back, so she kept herself entertained.

As I fell asleep that night, I wondered what might be ahead of us.  I hoped Sofia didn't have any more drama up her sleeve, but I was doubtful.  We were trapped in her web.