As Les cried, Jimmy placed a hand on his shoulder. Jimmy's dogs, Venus and Mars, came to comfort Les. Venus and Mars were both mixed breeds. Although they looked intimidating, the large, wolf-like appearance of both of them was the only intimidating thing about them. They were very affectionate with those they knew, especially Jimmy and his friends. They were wary of strangers, but they were not at all aggressive. Les asked, "Why does my father hate me?" Jimmy said, "I don't know, Les." Les said, "My mother loved me. Why did she have to die?" Jimmy said, "I know, buddy. She was taken from you, and that's not fair." After a pause, he asked, "Do you want me to help you with your homework?" Les said, "No, I'll get it." Jimmy said, "All right. I'll see you tomorrow, Les." Les reluctantly did his homework and straightened his bedroom. Just then, his father came in and said, "Nicely done, Les. I'm proud of you." Les said, "You're proud of me as long as I do what you want." His father said, "Oh, come now, Les! I'm your father, and I know what's best for you!" Les said, "No! You know what's best for you! Well, I'm not you, Dad! I am Les! If I was an engineer like you, I'd be miserable. Do you even want me to be happy?" His father said, "There are more important things than being happy, Les. A respectable career is one of them, especially if that career makes a lot of money." Les said, "If you're doing it for the money, and you're miserable, what's the point?!" His father sighed and said, "You are so your mother's child. Of course, if it weren't for you, she'd still be alive!" He then left. Les burst into tears. It wasn't his fault his mother died. He wasn't the one who had the accident. He then fell onto his bed and went to sleep. The next morning, breakfast was very quiet. Les didn't feel like talking. His poor excuse of a father had slammed him, not once, but twice. After he got ready for school, he packed a sandwich and drove to school. Les noticed Jimmy and some others laughing. Les asked, "What's so funny?" Jimmy said, "Oh, we were talking about our senior prank. We're going to leave a jar of marbles on the principal's desk with a card that says, 'Since we made you lose your marbles, we're giving them back.'" Les wanted to laugh, but he was in too much pain. Jimmy asked, "Are you all right?" Les said, "Not really." Jimmy asked, "What's wrong?" Les said, "I don't want to talk about it." Jimmy said, "Come on, man. I'm your friend. You can tell me." Les told Jimmy what his father had told him. Jimmy said, "That's horrible! Why don't you get away from him?" Les said, "I don't have anywhere else to go. He's the only family I have left." Jimmy asked, "Who said it had to be with family?" Les said, "You're not suggesting...." Jimmy said, "I am. I talked to my parents, and they agreed that you could stay with us. If I weren't your friend, I wouldn't be suggesting this to you, but I am your friend. I just want you to be safe, brother. If you can't come to me, then you're going to go somewhere that might not be safe, and I'm not about to let that happen." Les said, "If I move out, my father will call the police." Jimmy said, "And tell them what? That his eighteen-year-old left home? That's not a crime." Les smiled and said, "Yeah. You're right."