"What's wrong with you?"

"What's wrong wit me?! What's wrong wit chu?"

Angry voices vibrated through the thin Lodging House walls, sourly greeting David and Angela's ears. Angela exchanged an apprehensive glance with David and put down her last invitation. Silently, they crept down the stairs and poked their heads into the parlor.

"Overprotective?!" Blink practically shrieked, taking a step closer to Frankie.

"I was just talking to her," Frankie growled, looking down his nose at Blink. "What the hell is wrong with you, anyway?" he muttered defensively.

Angela stopped David at the doorway, allowing the scene to play out before their eyes. Frankie rarely, if ever, got upset, let alone yelled. And Angela couldn't recall Blink ever being mean and spiteful by nature, either.

"What's wrong wit me? Oh, I'll tell ya what's wrong wit me..." Blink spat, his eyes cold and hard. Before Frankie could respond, Blink leaned back, his face twisted into a disgusted scowl, and slammed his fist into Frankie's jaw. The cracking sound of flesh and bones colliding penetrated the still air. Frankie stumbled and reeled backward, clutching his bloody jaw, before recklessly lunging at Blink.

"Stop it!" David snapped, trying to pull the two boys apart. He grabbed Frankie's shoulder and yanked him off of Blink. Blink glared at Frankie but Frankie just stared at his shoes, ashamed.

"C'mon, we're leavin'," Blink muttered, grabbing Marianne by the arm and leading her out of the room. However, when Blink reached the doorway, he paused and turned around, catching Frankie's eye. Blink looked guiltily at Frankie and he tipped his head upward ever so slightly, as if he were about to say something, but then he thought better of it and hastily walked out the door with Marianne.

Angela sighed and shook her head. "Frankie, what did you do?" she cried.

"I didn't do anything," Frankie said indignantly, wiping a drop of blood from his lip. David silently handed him a handkerchief for his lip.

"Well, then why was Blink trying to kill you?" Angela asked sarcastically.

"I said, I didn't do anything."

"Then who did?" Angela said, growing tired of Frankie's cryptic answers.

"Marianne-she-she..." Frankie sighed. "She said that I was trying to...that I was...I was making....romantic overtures." Frankie explained.

"You were flirting with her?" David cried incredulously. Angela glared at him and then turned to Frankie, waiting for him to refute the accusation. Frankie just stared at the floor and rocked on his heels.

"Well...were you?" Angela asked meekly.

"No! Of course not! I mean...well...not really. I was being friendly but..."

"You didn't..." Angela said, her voice pained.

"No!" Frankie looked at his cousin pleadingly. "Not like that. Not like what she said I was doing...God, I don't know what she told him but he just blew up at me. I...oh, I don't know anymore," Frankie finished sadly.

Angela looked at Frankie sympathetically. "C'mon, let's go home," she offered, tugging at his sleeve. Frankie nodded and trudged out the door behind his cousin.