My Daughter, The Emo (Sequal to "She's My Fucking Daughter! I Have To See Her!"), chapter 1

It's been a year since Scarlet came to live with me. She's really bonded with Adrienne. Remarkably. We had a huge fight the night I came home with her. There was some screaming, wall punching, attempted suicide. You know, the works.

Scarlet loves Joey. She's always messing around with him. She babysits with no complaints.

Lizz signed custody just last week. Scarlet is officially mine. Scarlet Billie Armstrong. Yeah, Lizz named me after her. It's not weird, I don't think. I mean, Billie's a girl's name, too.

Scarlet testified in court after the hostage situation. He still has to go to jail for five years. It was going to be ten. Before they hauled him off, I shook his hand and said "Thanks." He nodded as they shoved him through the doors.

Anyway, to the present:

I sat on the couch next to Scarlet watching the news. Her jean-covered legs were propped on the couch, her long, newly black hair was tied back in a ponytail, and her hole-filled Black Sabbath hoodie covered the rest of her body with a Misfits shirt underneath.

She gently stroked the head of the kitten I got her for her birthday sitting in her lap. She named it Mischief. Pretty suitable for the little bugger.

Anyway, the reporter on the TV was rambling on about a robbery that she obviously knew nothing about. "And the, um, culprit, ummm, seems to have, uh," she babbled," Gotten away." "Stupid bitch," Scarlet mumbled. I laughed under my breath.

The doorbell rang. "I'll get it!" Adi yelled. "Hey dude!" Tre yelled, walking into the room," Hey, Scars." That's his nickname for Scarlet. She doesn't like it. She's asked him to stop, but he won't.

He plopped down on the couch in between us and rubbed Mischief's head. He woke up slightly but quickly fell back asleep.

We sat there in silence for the next thirty minutes. "Welp," Tre said getting up," I gotta go." "Can I come with you?" Scarlet asked," I promised Dani and Clarice that I'd meet them at the mall." Tre nodded. She dumped Mischief on me and put on her Vans.

I watched as my fourteen-year-old daughter walked out the door.

***Scarlet's POV***

"Thanks, Tre," I said through the window as I stood outside the mall. "No problem," he said," How're you getting home?" "Dani's mom," I said. He nodded and drove off.

I walked through JC Penney's and met my two friends at the entrance to the food court. I smiled at Dani with her dark brown hair and Clarice with her long fiery red hair.

"Hey Strongarms," Clarice said putting an arm around my shoulder. "I wish you two wouldn't call me that," I said as we walked through the mall towards Hot Topic. "Yeah," Dani said walking beside me," We just love the way it annoys you." I smiled.

We walked into the store. "Ahhh," Clarice said stretching her arms," Heaven. No preps breathing my- What the fuck?!" We looked around. Our worst fear. Preps had taken over Hot Topic.

I walked up to the counter. "Janice!" I said to another friend behind the counter," What's going on?" "I don't know," she said, checking out a pair of earrings for a customer," They started coming in last week." "Can't you get rid of them?" Dani asked. "No!" Janice said," I don't have a good reason to."

We walked around, trying to ignore the scared girls in the store. Dani got tired of girls passing her by saying," Oh... My... God! This is like the creepiest place ever! " So the next time someone did, Dani turned around and yelled," Well, if it's so creepy, then leave! " The two girls ran out of the store. "Hey," she said," It works."