Euphoria

Five

*Sapphire Richter*💜

I hurried, putting on the first pair of jeans and shirt I saw. I wrote a note, placing it on top of Nico's suitcase.

"I'm ready. I shouldn't need my purse should I?"

"Sapphire, let's go." My dad's always so serious.

There was no rain in the forecast, so it was the perfect day to walk through the huge cedar trees that covered the campus.

"How was your business meeting?" I questioned, ending the awkward silence.

"It went well. We got the contract and that's good for the company."

Like always my dad was the center of attention as we strolled from my apartment to Carmen's dorm. I hoped it was due to his height or demeanor and not because other students recognized him.

"Here's her dorm. You have to wait here. The dorms are male or female. No mixing. She lives on the top floor, so give me ten minutes." I quickly walked into Sylvester Hall.

I pounded on Carmen's door. "What's up, Rose?"

"I need you to hold onto this phone for me." I said, shoving the phone in her hand.

"Why?"

"No questions, just keep the phone. I'll be back for it tomorrow. Thanks." I walked away, leaving Carmen with a confused look on her face.

The descent down the stairs took me two minutes.

"Alright, let's go have a good time." I didn't dare look my dad straight in the eyes. He's a magnet for the truth and today was not the day.

"Hmph." He replied as we began the walk to his car.

Everything was fine until I heard someone whisper, "Is that Blaze Richter? What's he doing here?"

My groan must've caught my dad off guard because he stopped walking.

"What's the issue?"

"Nothing, it's just I didn't tell anyone here that you were my dad. I didn't want anyone trying to use me for money."

"Makes sense, but are you sure you want to go to school here? They have to be imbeciles not to have figured it out by now." He resumed walking.

"I guess so." The tension finally broke.

Dad spoke about Kaden's latest mishaps which provided a substantial amount of laughs. Then Ivy winning 1st place in her robotics contest which left me with happy tears. I wondered what else I missed out on.

The drive to Seattle was fun. My dad really went out of his way to make sure I was having a great time. The restaurants, shopping, and bookstores proved how well my dad knows me. The two hour talk proved that he understands the reason I chose to go to school so far from home.

"I never thought the day would come where you didn't want to be around us." He joked.

"Dad, it's not that at all. I miss you guys so much."

"Whenever you're ready to come home you can. No qualms, just let us know when to send the plane." The last thing I pictured was having a deep conversation with my dad at a frozen yogurt shop, but here we are.

"The Biltmore tonight then I'll take you to Johnston in the morning." Dad carried all my bags as we entered the hotel. I was no stranger to luxury, but I love 5 star hotels with live music. The soft sounds of a piano as you check in and the superb service.

"Your room is 204." Dad stated, handing me the key card.

"I'm in 201." I'll be right down the hall if you need anything. Call your mom before you go to bed."