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Chapter 6 : Makeup

Chapter 6

Later...      

Riker POV

Dad said he was having some of his business partners over for a business dinner tomorrow, so we have to get the house unpacked by then. We got a lot of it unpacked today. But tomorrow while he's at work, I have to finish and then make sure the house is clean.

He's had these types of dinners before. And they're stressful for him, so after they all go home, he usually gets drunk and it's the worst.

But I had dinner a little while ago, took a shower, and now I'm in bed. I've been trying to fall asleep so I have energy to clean the house tomorrow. But all I was doing was laying here, stressing out.

I decided to get up and work on finishing unpacking my own room. If I can tire myself out enough, maybe I can get to sleep.

So I unpacked and organized for about an hour and then I was able to fall asleep.

The next day...

Riker POV

I finished unpacking the rest of the boxes and put everything away. But I didn't have time to do the dishes or vacuum the floors, and the floors were kind of dirty from bringing in all the boxes a few days ago.

When dad got home, he was really mad. He practically threw the vacuum at me. I tried to vacuum as fast as I could because his business partners were arriving soon. Dad was changing into fancier clothes and then he set the table and got out some wine.

And then I heard a car pull into our driveway.

"Get rid of the dishes. Now," dad said.

"What do I do with them?"

"I don't care. Just get rid of them."

I started shoving all the dirty dishes into the cabinet under the sink. As soon as I was done, dad grabbed my arm and dragged me to my bedroom.

"You're half in trouble for not cleaning the house properly. I'm not locking you in your room because of that, but I am locking you in your room so nothing goes wrong at this dinner. I will deal with you for not cleaning the house later. Now, you know the rules for these dinners. No noise whatsoever. They should not even expect that I have a kid, do you understand?"

"Yes, sir."

Dad closed the door and locked it. I sat down on my bed and sighed. I'm hungry. And now it's going to be a few hours before I can eat anything. 

I heard all the guys arriving and talking. It's going to be a long night...

I need to be really careful not to make any noise. I'm already in trouble, and if I make noise, I'm going to be in even bigger trouble. And possibly while dad is drunk, so I need to behave.

One time at our old house, I accidentally knocked my textbook for school off my desk during one of his business dinners. Dad pretty much immediately came upstairs and whisper yelled at me. He told his business partners that he had a dog so they wouldn't know he had a son. I don't know what the big deal is if they know though. I don't know why I have to be a secret.

After his meeting was over, he got drunk and then came upstairs. I ended up with a black eye and a bruise on my cheek. So I couldn't go to school for a whole week while it healed. And then of course my grades dropped because I missed all that school, and then got in even more trouble.

I'm just glad it's summer right now. And I won't have to worry about school or grades for a while.

My stomach growled. I'm really hungry.

I grabbed my phone and texted Selena, asking her if she was busy. She showed up at my window a minute later, so I opened the window.

"We have to be really quiet because my dad's having a business meeting," I said, quietly.

"Oh... So why'd you ask if I was busy?"

"Because he's going to be having this meeting for a few hours, and I didn't eat dinner and I'm starving. I'm sorry for bothering you."

"No, it's fine, Riker. Do you want to come over? My parents aren't home right now, if you're concerned about them seeing your black eye or whatever."

"Yeah. Thanks."

We went back to her house.

"You know, I could probably cover up your bruises, if you ever wanted to go somewhere and not have people know."

"How would you cover them?"

"With makeup."

"Really? That would cover them?"

"I think so."

Selena got me some leftovers from her fridge and we sat down across from each other at her kitchen table.

"If you want, after you eat, I could try covering them up and you could see if you like it."

"Ok."

I finished eating and then we went back to her bedroom. I sat on her bed while she got some makeup products. 

"Ok, so this is called concealer. It's literally to conceal things."

She started putting it on my face with a makeup brush. It felt cold and kind of weird. After she was done, she put on powder with another brush, and then handed me a mirror.

"What do you think?" She asked.

I studied my face in the mirror. You could barely tell I had any bruises.

"Wow," I said, kind of surprised.

"Cool, right?"

"Yeah, it's crazy. I need some of that stuff."

"I can get you some if you want. It's only a few bucks at the pharmacy. You might want to come with me so I can get a better shade to match you though."

"I don't know when I'd be able to sneak out to go there."

"How long is your dad's business dinner?"

"I don't know. A few hours usually."

"We could go now."

"Ok. We can't be long though. Because if he finds out, I'll be in a lot of trouble."

We left her house and started walking down the road. It was only about a 20 minute walk. She showed me to the makeup aisle and helped find a shade of concealer for me. She picked out a powder and some makeup brushes too.

"I'll try to pay you back as soon as I get some money," I said.

"It's fine. Don't worry about it," Selena said.

"Really?"

"Yeah, it's fine. It's only a few dollars."

We started walking back to her house. It was starting to get dark. 

When we got back, I could see a bunch of cars still parked in our driveway, so I knew I was safe.

"I should get home. I don't know when the dinner is going to end," I said.

"Ok. Good luck. If you need any help or have any questions about the makeup, just ask."

"I will. Thanks."

Selena gave me everything and then pulled me into a hug. Her arms were so gentle around me, and I was glad because I was still sore. But it was also kind of weird to hug someone because I don't usually do this. It actually felt sort of comforting.

"Ok, I'll see you tomorrow," Selena said.

"Ok. Bye."

I climbed back into my bedroom through the window and hid the makeup in one of my bathroom drawers. 

I got changed into my pjs and then got into bed. Maybe if I'm asleep by the time dad's dinner is over, he won't punish me for not finishing cleaning the house.