Thalia

Chapter 18: S'more Getaway

Chapter 18: S'more Getaway

The demon himself is here. "Hello, Roseline. I see you've gotten bigger." Get thee back to your crap-hole, old man.

I completely ignore him and turn to my mom. "Mom, I'm going to a bonfire tonight with Ryan." She gives me a worried I'm-So-Disappointed-In-You look and crosses her arms. 

"Talk to your father. He may want to know what you've been up to, Rosie." He doesn't care what I've been up to. He hasn't even paid child support in ages. If he did, maybe I would've gotten the Mad Science: Blow-Things-Up Kit I wanted when I was twelve.

"He basically just called me fat. Why would I have the tiniest desire to talk to him?" I don't understand why my mom is being so stubborn about this. He verbally and mentally abused us and our money. Who cares if he's "successful" now? He was a bitter, rude and manipulative father. I want absolutely nothing to do with him. 

Hurry up, Ryan and pick me up! I can't stand this much longer without breaking down. 

Carl takes a big huff of air, pinching the section above his nose. "Rose. I told you I've changed. I'm not like I used to be. I was messed up then but now everything's okay."

"Is everything okay with your new job, new kid, and new wife? Or is it just a new drug dealer? Maybe you're hallucinating the whole thing. Maybe you never even got a new wife! Because I surely haven't heard from any of them! By the way, how's Cameron? You know the man who sold you t--"

"Rose," My mom says in a sigh.

"What, mom?! It's true! Carl over here probably still sneaks the stuff he needs from the medical cabinet at his so-called job! And I bet--"

"Rose! That is enough!" Dead silence hovers over the Pale Pink-themed living room. I've never seen my mom so serious before. Her brown hair is all frizzed and her face is dark red. She must be upset but oh-freakin'-well because I don't care. He can't possibly assume that after all of these years I won't confront his graying-haired self. Neurosurgeon or not, he can't erase the past.

A car horn honks from outside the house and without saying another word, I get up from the sofa, still recovering from my dad's random house visit, and storm outside. Yeah, I slammed the door. What're you gonna do?

Slowly, the sun is setting and is leaving a warm colored sky for me to bask in. Going outside wouldn't be such a pain for me if bugs didn't exist. We don't need them. It's just more things to take up space. I say we terminate them all from existence. 

If only I were a bird, I could fly away to wherever I wanted, knowing I-- wait, if I train I'm pretty sure I could train and learn to fly. I just ruined my own fantasy.

"Rose, are you getting in the car?" Oops, I almost forgot about Ryan and his beautiful face which, trust me, is a hard, hard thing to do.

"Yeah, sorry. I was just thinking about something." I get into the car where he's playing some one-hit-wonder rock band song and breathe out a sigh of relief. One day down, three trillion more to go.

He backs out of my done-for driveway and heads towards the highway. "Long story?" 

"Kind of."

"Well, it's a twenty minute drive to the junkyard so. . ." Fine, then. I guess I'll sum it up.

"Long story short: My dad's in town. And we just had a conversation." Ryan looks over to me and lifts his eyebrows for a quick second. The smallest gestures from him make me go crazy. He's right; I can't help myself around him.