"Why do you always avoid my questions?"
"I'm not, it's just that there's nothing to say. Who would ever want to date someone they can't even talk to? It's not rocket science. My eyes are weird, and people get tired of me eventually. There's your on...
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THERE WERE SOME SITUATIONS IN LIFE THAT hit harder than others.
The shock of getting suspended from the team was almost as great as standing there now in Coach Asia's office, eyes locked with her father's identical brown one. As Dallas's stomach clenched into constricting knots, she then realized that this situation was a million times worse than any ordeal hurled her way since the semester started.
"Dad?"
Wearing the same brown trench coat that fell over his white t-shirt and jeans pants and the trusty brown felt hat that covered his low-cut hair, Albert looked the same as he always did, friendly, dressed to impress. Albert's smile multiplied into a grin that creased the corners of his lips and eyes, the same one that pulled girls in left right, and center, including Dallas's mother when they met in high school.
"Hey, bucho! Are you just going to stand there? Or are you gonna come greet me?"
The horrible nickname snapped Dallas out of her head, but it still felt like someone bodyslammed her, momentarily dispelling her ability to speak. She fixed a closed-mouthed smile on her face and traversed the empty office, slipping into her father's arms as he laughed and stood to embrace her. A minuscule portion of serenity and relief fell over Dallas as she relished in her father's scent and how secure his hugs always made her feel, almost as if everything would turn out fine and as of nothing could hurt her.
Albert chuckled as he pat Dallas's back. "I missed you too, Dal. I missed you too," the hug came to an end and he stepped away, taking a moment to properly appraise her. He frowned when he noticed her hair. "Did you straighten your hair?"
Dallas reached up and brushed her fingers through her hair, feeling the silky, pressed strands airily fall through her fingers. "Yeah, I did," she truthfully answered because that much was clear. She had until a week to get it done again or she'd return to the nappy bird's nest that irked Sebastian so much. In fact, he'd already booked her next trip to the salon.
Albert's frown deepened, a melancholic look passing through his expression, intensifying the more he looked at Dallas's hair as if he was disappointed or dismayed at the hairstyle. Dallas could tell he had a lot of things to say and an equal amount of questions he wanted to ask, but he only sighed. "We'll talk about that later," he finalized, after gesturing to the plushy iron chair next to his. "Take a seat. We were just talking about you, actually."
"Yeah," she breathlessly responded, tucking locks of hair behind her ear as she lowered her weight into the chair, Albert in tow. She cast a discreet look at Coach Asia, who'd been watching Dallas and Albert's look with an almost amused look in the place of her normal stoic countenance. "How long have you been here?"
