𝐑𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐕𝐄́ ─ 𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐛𝐲 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐧𝐞

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭

"RiRi, I'm back." It was all over. The princess and the castle disappeared as Marissa opened her eyes. Her breathing became deep and almost uneven. She braces the doorknob for stability as she turned around and saw his face. "There's my shining star."

He stalked toward Marissa faster than she could react and enveloped her in a stiff hug. Marissa tried to shrug her shoulders to get him off but she couldn't move. He stepped back when he realized she wouldn't return the affection with his hands stuffed in his pockets. "Come on, aren't you gonna say anything?"

"Where's Mom and Rachel?" Marissa couldn't hear herself speak over her heartbeat she heard in her ears.

"They went to the Chinese place up the street. Take-out." He explained calmly. He talked like this was a normal thing. Like this was the home he came to every night. "My treat."

So, he has money, Marissa thought.

He has money. How did he get it? Did he stiff people and flee to California? Were they on their way to collect their dues?

Did she lock the door?

She turned quickly back to the thing in question and was relieved that she did. She locked it when she came in. When she came in and saw her father standing in the living like he owned the place.

She didn't recognize this tightness in her chest or the tingling at the tips of her fingers. Her breathes became fewer and far between as she stumbled against the door. Her father, instinctively, reached out to steady her but she jerked away from his hand.

Marissa found the strength to push off the door and dash to her room down the hall. Her father made no move to follow her but she still locked her door when she got in. She sunk down to the floor and hastily retrieved her phone from her pocket.

She thumbed through her contacts before reaching the one she had intended to dial. "Hello?" She heard when the call picked up. "Marissa, is this you?"

All she needed was to hear his voice. She couldn't speak but was sure he could hear her breaths. "Is it happening again?" This only happened to Marissa on one other occasion since the move to California: on her first birthday without her dad. "Just listen to my voice. I'm going to count to five and I want you to try and take five breaths for each second, okay?"

"One." She stuttered through a full breath. "Two." She felt feeling in her fingers again. "Three." She held her hand to her chest as she exhaled. "Four." She inhaled calmy. "Five." Exhaled through her mouth.

Marissa didn't say anything but kept the phone to her ear. The two people were just listening to each other's breathing, trying to match in rhythm. "Are you okay, Marissa?"

"Mm hmm."

"I need to hear you say it, okay?"

"I'm okay," she said in response, letting her head hit the door.

"I can stay on as long as you need me to."

"I'll be fine. I'll see you tomorrow," Marissa spoke softly. They bid each other goodbye and Marissa let her phone hit the floor. She opened her eyes when she heard the front door open and close.

Did her dad leave? Or did her mother and sister come back?

"Marissa? It's Mom, are you okay?"