2 | Defiance Discipline Dream Repeat

52 You Wish You Were A Ghost - Bella's POV

''This is kidnapping!'' I yell in the backseat, tugging the door handle of the car - child-locked.

Michael turns the radio on to a blasting volume to deafening my protests before he drives off. The way to town is not long, but by the time he pulls into Maccies' drive-thru, my voice is scratchy from complaining to someone who's like a brick wall.

''I want hot chocolate!''

''You're not getting anything,'' the cruel, cheap old man rumbles and pulls down the window to order coffees for himself and his wife.

''...AND A HOT CHOCOLATE, PLEASE!'' I shout.

He darts a look at me with a smirk on his mean face, ''Too late,'' he snickers and rolls onwards in the queue.

''You're the worst dad ever! You're not even my dad!'' I huff.

''You don't listen to your own dad, either,'' he says. "Poor sod to have gotten you as his daughter."

''I'm an adult. I don't need to do what my parents tell me!" I declare to him sassily.

''You behave like a fucking child, though,'' he scoffs. ''And not a good one.''

I huff, glaring into the little mirror in the front. ''All I wanted was to have fun, but all of you just freak out and become furious.''

''You took the prank way too far, and you're so fucking obnoxious about it.''

I mimic him and keep glaring in the mirror and huffing during the short way left to the bridal boutique. I contemplate if I should run away once the car is parked. He can't chase me. That will make him look like a very bad man, and the cops will probably join the chase.

What makes my mind up is the glimpse of Lucy through the big windows. I bound ahead of him, waiting at the door so I can open it for him and the coffee. He scowls at me and mouths to me to behave in the boutique, and then his grumpy facade quickly fades as he walks into the building. ''Hello, ladies!'' he greets the women at the counter charmingly, and they respond similarly, seeming familiar with him. ''Is Debbie in? I'm here to drop a couple of things off for her.''

I run my eyes over the shop for Lucy. I'm sure I glimpsed her, but now she's nowhere to be seen. One of the smiley ladies gestures to us to follow her to the back, where the small offices are. She knocks on the door to the room Lucy dragged me into yesterday, opening it slowly for us before she hurries away. I believe it's because she felt awkward to watch Lucy cry on Debbie's shoulder. I, on the other hand, am an expert at handling awkwardness - I simply make my vampire grimace while I wait for it to stop. Debbie unfolds her arms around Lucy and walks up to Michael to take the coffee, which he earns a yucky kiss for.

I move my gaze to Lucy, met with a very mournful face. ''Guess what, Lucy love?'' I grin gleefully. ''We found the keys hidden in Ollie's room!''

''I found her planting your keys in Ollie's nightstand,'' Michael says, killing the vibe.

''You have no proof of that–'' I object, stomping.

''I saw it with my own eyes!'' he rasps. ''Ollie is innocent.''

I grimace at him. ''Debs, your husband has been so so so mean to me! He pushed me, threatened me, called me a little bitch, scolded me like he was Mr Hollingworth and forced me to come here. He child-locked the car and put blasting music on to deafen me, and then he wouldn't even let me get a hot chocolate from Maccies when he bought you and himself drinks. And he's been cussing at me and been awfully rude the whole time...'' I pour out all of his bad behaviour to expose him and get some sympathy.

Her dour facial expression doesn't budge at my complaint, nor does she snap at Michael for chuckling evilly behind me. ''Good.''

I cross my arms over my chest in a huff. ''Good!?'' I yap, frowning at the old bullies. ''He's been awful to me and said some offensive things! He forced me to come here when I didn't even want to because he was so mean!''

''I will be even more awful to you when I get off work.'' She tries to make me scared by her promise, but she definitely doesn't succeed.

I grimace at her, too. ''You won't find me, and I will turn you into a ghost if you do.''

''You will wish you were a ghost,'' she articulates grimly, failing to intimidate me again.

''You and he can go fuck the same ghost–'' Suddenly, I squeal at my left upper arm being wrung, and I'm pushed back against the bland wall.

''We are fucking tired of you now, Bella–'' she growls in my face, jerking my arm.

''I'm petite and special!'' I yelp.

''What makes you think I care?''

''Well...'' I drawl to think of a reason why this unsympathetic witch would be kind to me.

''Exactly!'' she snarls after the white distracting clock on the wall has ticked eight times. ''I don't care. Go home and bring forward everything you stole from all of us–"

''You can take it with the ghosts–"

''It's not fun, Bella! And you won't think it's fun, either, tonight, especially if you're adamant about not returning everything.''

''Are you gonna tie me up and burn me with a clothing iron?'' I backchat.

She nods. ''Yes, something like that,'' she replies icily.

I cast an angry glance at Michael, who chuckles evilly again. Her squeezing my arm again draws my angry face back to her and makes me whine, ''I'm not scared, but I must admit that you are more of a psycho than I thought.''