Fifty Shades Complicated

Chapter 4

I've managed to calm down after my fight with Dad. I partly feel bad for pushing him for answers but at the same time, I'm furious. I have a right to know who my mother is. Don't I? I flop down on my bed and stare at my ceiling. I go over how I can ask Dad in a nicer way about mom but I come up with nothing. Because I know anything that I do say is going to wind up with me being yelled at. Ugh.

'Knock Knock'

I prop myself up on my elbows and look over to my door which is slowly opening. In pops in Gail's head.

"May I come in?" she asks as she hovers by the door.

I quickly stand and make my way over to my desk as I nod yes. Gail walks in holding a plate of wings. When I see the plate my eyes immediately shoot up. I know she made these to cheer me up. She knows that no matter what happened, wings make me forget everything.

"You know Dad counts the wings in the bag." I say nonchalantly, to make it seem like I'm not fazed by the wings.

"I know. I'll just tell him I ate some for lunch," Gail says as she kindly smiles at me.

"I'm really not that hungry." I lie as I turn back to my desk and make it look like I was doing something important.

"Oh please," she says, reading right through me and placing the wings on my desk. I look down at them and my mouth immediately waters. I think I actually licked my lips but I'm so distracted that I can't even tell.

"Thank you, Gail. I really appreciate it. I'm just not that hungry right now." I say but this time I mean it. My stomach is being occupied by several butterflies at the moment. I take a deep breath and open up my computer.

"Chloe, can I do anything to --" I cut her off, not to be rude but because I don't want to talk about it.

"Gail, can you -- um, please go. I really have to work." I stutter.

I can't bare to turn around to see her face because I already know I hurt her. I've never treated Gail this way but, well that's just it. I don't really have a reason. I just know I want to be left alone.

"Of course." Gail says, failing to hide the hurt in her voice.

I hear her walk away and it's not until I hear her close the door that I slam my computer closed and flop back on to my bed. Jeez, what the hell is wrong with me? My mind then wanders back to the barista at the coffee house. He was interesting. I then find myself laughing at how he corrected himself after he called me ma'am.

I get up off the bed, not wanting to think about the barista any longer and wander off into the library. When I get there I just drag my hand through the spines of the books. This library must have cost Dad a fortune and I only recall him ever reading one or two books. Then I wonder maybe this library was for Mom. Perhaps she liked to read. I shake my head, no let's not go there. I don't want to have any more questions.

I finally come across a book, "Tess of the D'urbervilles". I take the book up to my room and open it up.

"Why didn't you tell me there was danger? Why didn't you warn me? Ladies know what to guard against because they read novels that tell of these tricks."

~~~~~~~~~~

I hear footsteps coming up the stairs as I try to figure out how I got here. Oh, wait, I must have fallen asleep while I was reading. I reach to grab my phone and the time reads, 10:58. That must be Dad coming up. He always does this after we argue, he works late and comes upstairs to say goodnight even though I'm sleeping. I usually wake up and kiss him goodnight but after today, I just don't feel up for it. I quickly turn off my phone, turn on my side, and close my eyes.

I hear the door, quietly open and right after I hear the footsteps getting closer. I feel the mattress sink into the bed frame as Dad sits down next to me. He puts his hand on my hair and whispers, "Sweet dreams, Pookie Bear." His hand falls down my hair. He then sits there for a while doing