Beat It ((Dakota))

[Dakota King]

Dakota could tell this was stressing Mickey out more than he was going to admit. She didn't know how fresh the news was on his mind and if he had adequate time to really process it all. From what she could tell, this was all too fresh in his mind and he thought he could handle it. She knew she could handle it, even if she didn't want to become an aunt this early. But Mickey was full of self doubt and that was starting to show.

She squeezed him in her hug a little bit harder as she made a calming hushing sound. "It's okay, Mickey," she said as she looked over at him. "It's okay that you're feeling like that... maybe this is something you should speak to your... girlfriend. You should tell your girlfriend this since she's having your baby."

[Michael Faucheux]

Is this what it's like to have a mother? He wondered as he pulled away and flashed a half-hearted smile that quickly dropped again. "You always know what to do," he sighed. Dakota was so put together in his mind. She was an anchor in his rather tumultuous world. He wasn't quite sure what he'd do without her. She had practically filled the hole left behind by his parents. Perhaps he clung to her too much. He tried not to and yet she seemed to be the only person he could rely on.

"Thanks, Kota." he said truthfully, gratitude in his puffy eyes. "You're a real bitch sometimes, but you're pretty cool. For a sister anyways." He would talk to Jessi. His girlfriend. A word that even Dakota seemed unsure of, her hesitation not going unnoticed by Mickey. No one, least of all him, had confidence that he could stay tied down. "I really do love her." he added. The boy wasn't lying. Jessi had his heart. Love isn't always enough, though.

[Dakota King]

Dakota smiled at him softly as she gently squeezed her brother to her side. "Well, I try," she admitted with a bit of a shrug. "I haven't been in that situation before, but this is something you need to talk to her about. She is carrying your child after all, so it's a little bit important that you talk to her about it." She rolled her eyes at Mickey's bitch comment. Some people may have viewed her as a bitch, but she considered it tough love.

She looked over at her brother and caught a glimpse in his eyes. She didn't know exactly what was going on, but with her history of dealing with Mickey, she had a gut feeling that he was going to mess this up even more than it already was. "Hey," she said as she tried to shake him out of his idea. "It's great that you love her. I'm really happy for you. But you'll feel better once you talk to her." She gave him a little nudge. "Do go and talk to her, Mickey."

[Michael Faucheux]

"Okay, okay." he sighed, pulling away from her and wincing slightly. His abdomen was still a bit sore. "I'll go talk to her," he knew he wasn't going to. He knew he was going to go back to the cabin or the woods and down a few bottles of beer. Dakota didn't need to know that, though. He'd usually blatantly disobey her, but he wasn't in the mood to be scolded further. He just wanted to forget.

He stood from the bed, hanging rather limply in a defeated fashion. Life had won. At least his sister cared. That was something. "Thanks for listening to me whine," Mickey smiled at her halfheartedly, turning to head to the cabin and get wasted.