My Neighbor

Chapter 25: Ghosts

Pacing the floor of my bedroom I let my mind wander over all the events that had taken place that evening.

My dad was fucking alive.

I couldn't believe it. I just didn't know what to believe anymore. My father was alive. I had come to believe for as long as I could remember that he had died. That he had left and he was dead.

There was a knock at my room door and I stopped. I stopped and I took a deep breath awaiting the inevitable.

Slowly the door squeaked open and his head popped through the open doorway.

"Can we talk?" He asks softly, his eyes shining bright with hope. He looked like me, sort of in a way that I knew we were related but I didn't look like a guy. He was definitely my father. The man who had assisted in conceiving me.

I stare at him meekly before slowly, hesitantly nodding my head. He pushed the door open fully and stepped inside of my room. He was tall. That was the first thing I noticed about my estranged parent. He was really tall.

"You have my nose," he mumbles, glancing over me as if he was shy. Instead of responding I stood there and stare at him. "I wanted to write you. For the most part. Kayla, so much was going on back when you were younger. So much and I got scared. I got scared and I ran away. I wasn't ready to have a kid.."

I take in the information that he shared with me with a slow observant nod. "What you're saying is you didn't want me so you ran the fuck away and lied about dying. You lied about dying because you didn't want to be a responsible adult -"

"I never came up with the idea of me being dead. That was your mother. She didn't want you to think me leaving was because of you."

"But it was. You're standing here telling me that I was the reason that you left."

"There's so much more to it, Kayla," he says taking a step towards me. I quickly take a step back avoiding any close contact with the man who had been lying to me for most of my life. I was pissed off. I wanted absolutely nothing to do with him.

"Don't you come near me. I can't believe you. How do you expect me to react to something like this? Did you imagine I'd open up to it? Imagine how I'm feeling right now. My entire life I was told you died and you're standing in front of me. Alive." I swipe my hand in the air gesturing to his very alive being.

He frowned sadly. I noticed the expression but no amount of sadness he displayed could change the way I felt. I hated him for doing this to me. I hated him for throwing a curveball I didn't necessarily need into my life.

I wanted to hit him. I wanted to curse him, but I held back. I merely stared at him angrily as I waited for him to respond to my rageful complaints about him being absent in my life.

When he didn't respond I decided to continue," I hate you." Tears shimmered in my eyes as I continued to stare at him. "I hate you. You could've been there for me. I needed you." Tears began to trail down my cheek as I broke down.

Unknowingly he slowly began to approach me. I didn't know he was near me until I felt his arms snake around me. I quickly pulled myself together and pushed him off of me. I retreated into a corner, eyeing him as I wiped away my tears.

"Don't fucking touch me you stranger." I stood upright and quickly darted pass him towards the door. I ran down stairs passing my mom and Landon on my way out of the house. Slinging the front door I quickly make my way out. Landon and my mom both hollered out my name. Ignoring them I continued to run down the street.

I needed time alone. I needed to get away from my estranged father. I needed inner peace at the moment. Be away from everyone and that included Landon..

Landon's POV

I was sitting downstairs with Kayla's mom quietly listening to the confrontation upstairs. I could hear Kayla screaming and even a couple of muffled sobs.

I was two seconds away from rushing upstairs and taking her into my arms to comfort her but she had came racing downstairs and down the street, much to my dismay.

Now I was in the car with her mom scanning the streets looking for her worried. Her dad coming back into her life was a hundred time worse than the situation with my dad. She had been lied to a majority of her life about her dad being dead and he was definitely alive.

I sighed glancing over at her mother to see that she had this worried and confused look on her face. Curiously I ask, "So what's going on here?"

She looks up and frown. "He's not dead. He was never dead, well he was for me. But he was like a ghost. He haunted me sometimes. When he left he told me he wanted nothing to do with any of us, and I wanted to protect my baby so I said he died. Last year he moved to the town over and he's be contacting me asking me about Kayla, asking me to see her and then he just showed up." She sighs and shakes her head. "He doesn't deserve to get to know her. The woman thata I raised. He doesn't deserve to see something he didn't want."

I turned back forward and focused on the road. I had an idea of where I thought Kayla may be. I turned off the main road and drove down an excluded road to the place we would usually go to have car sex. It was nice snd quiet and secluded so it was a great spot to think... and occasionally have car sex.

I pulled into a long dirt road until I came to the spot Kayla and I would usually hang out at and there she was, sitting on a gigantic boulder.

I stopped the car and cutting the engine I yanked off my seat belt so I could exit the car and go to her. She glanced up at us and wiped her face frantically.

"I wanted to be alone," she mumbled.

"I know but I can't let that happen Kayla," I say taking several steps towards her. She quickly stood up and moved away from towards me.

"I wanted to be alone," she repeated through clenched teeth. "I need space from everyone."

"Kayla..." I trailed off. I looked at her mom who glanced at me. "Can we be alone?" I asked her with pleading eyes.

"Kayla... we're going to talk about this okay?" She tells her and then walks back towards my car and proceeds to get into it.

I turn back to Kayla who was staring at me, her arms wrapped around her body and her face stained with dried up tears.

"You know we can talk about it Kayla. I know you're pretty pissed at your dad but you don't have to take it out on me -"

"I'm fucking livid Landon and not Everyfuckingthing is about you Landon. I'm pissed at my dad and I'm not shutting you out, I need space. There's a lot of shit going on and I just needed time to think alone, Landon."

"Kayla I understand -"

"I let you deal with your dad thing your way now do the same for me."

She stared me down, her big brown eyes weighing down whatever resistance I had. I sigh heavily before scratching at me head thinking. "Okay. Kayla... just don't be out here. Come home and sit in your room. I'm going to worry about you Kayla. Just... I want you to be safe. "

She stared at me silently and I held out my hand. She glanced at my hand before looking back into my eyes. She took several steps towards me until she was in my face and her hand was in mine.

"I love you, okay?" I leaned forward, wrapping my arms around her and embracing her in a warm hug. "Don't push me away, okay? I want to be there for you but I can't if you run away from me and everyone else. "

I felt her nod and take a deep breath before she pulled away.

"Take me home?" She whispered. I nod and retake her hand, squeezing it and led her to my car.