Do You Wanna Talk to Me?

Chapter 2

 The alarm blared, screaming at Abby that it was time for school. Although she had a full night of stolen sleep, she woke tired. Further exhausted by knowing she was going to fail her math exam and suffer another day dealing with a school crammed with derelicts and outcasts. In her mind, they were all the problem. She was just Abby.

Abby grabbed her toiletries for a quick shower and headed to the kitchen for a bite to eat before darting off to school.

Abby's room was at the end of the hall. The peak of the three-room tripod of their ranch style home. Parents room on the left, repurposed office to the right. Too close for Abby but where else could she sleep. The basement was unfinished. There was no attic, no second floor, no den. There was the garage, but never would she ever want to live in there. Her irrational fear of spider webs wouldn't allow it. Spiders were a nuisance, their webs signified death. She learned from nature, and never wanted to get caught in anyone's web.

The home wasn't large. The Wilkes were only a family of three, so they were comfortable. The neighborhood, in comparison to the size of their house, was expensive. Good schools and great land were how her dad justified the purchase. Abby's parents believed it was all for her future, so it was worth the money.

The kitchen was on the opposite end of the house near the front door. Mom insisted on remodeling it when they moved in twelve years prior. What was once a small, awkward space that lacked function, transformed into a budget chef's dream. Mom got the island she wanted. Built in seating positioned underneath a large bay window. High end appliances. A dinner table, larger than necessary for their quaint sized family stationed under the bay window, making it impossible to peer out the window without climbing onto the benches.

On the far end of the kitchen was a door leading to a fork of exit options. The small foyer was claustrophobic and dark. Turn left to get trapped in the dark and dank basement or veer right to the backyard filled with overgrown wilderness. Neither was a desirable option for Abby. She used the front door.

Abby made her way down the hallway to the kitchen where she found her dad at the island picking through the meal her mom woke early to prepare and glaring out of the window. He enjoyed the peace and serenity of his untamed backyard sanctuary. Mr. Wilkes heard her approaching and without a glance questioned, "who was calling you at two in the morning Miss?"

Abby stopped in her tracks. Her heart dropped to her stomach followed by an airy, guttural feeling of fear. Immediately panicked that her mother heard it too. Dad was a concern, but mom was a problem. If her mother shared that 2am experience with her dad, she knew her phone would be gone as soon as her mother returned to the kitchen.

"Did mom hear it?" Abby replied with the only thing that mattered. Thinking fast, she began to pout, looking down, trying to force at least one tear. Abby knew how to sway dad in her favor.

"No." Dad finished pouring his cup of coffee. Taking a careful sip, he turned to Abby. "You didn't answer my question," she could see his face was still and serious. He wasn't happy.

"I don't know. I promise. It was a wrong number." Talking fast, pleading, leaving no room for doubt.

"Hmmm."

"Seriously, Dad, it was a wrong number. I didn't even answer. I can show you," Abby had her phone in hand and unlocked the screen before she could finish her sentence.

"That won't be necessary." Dad looked into her eyes. Abby could feel the piercing of his ocean blue eyes. Uncomfortable as it made her, she knew he could tell when she was lying. Or at least he thought he could. "I believe you," his demeanor relaxed into his words. Abby's mind was relieved, but she anxiously played with her hands. A nervous habit she developed in preschool when the other kids picked on her.

"But mom won't," Abby spoke honestly. Sullen faced, returning to her poor little girl routine.

"She won't need to. We can keep this between us."

"Eeeek," Abby squealed, abruptly covering her mouth with both hands. Forgetting her mother might hear. She smiled and ran to hug her father. "Thank you, Daddy," lowering her voice so that her mother was none the wiser. "You're the best."

Now I'm Daddy, he thought, shaking his head, and casing the kitchen's perimeter for peering eyes. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. Now eat your breakfast before your mother knows something is up."

"Yes sir," Abby grabbed a piece of bacon and snatched a bite with her teeth. Wait until I tell Logan how I pulled this one off.