Touched by the Fear

[23]

When Hollis woke up the next morning, she couldn't help but replay the conversation she had heard in her mind. There was something strange about it, something that her dad clearly wanted no part in. Again. She gulped down the uneasiness she felt and tried to go about her morning as best she could. Her morning routine pulled her out of her mind, which was exactly what she needed. By the time she was getting her books together, the conversation was far from her mind.

"You're leaving for school already?" Grant asked, appearing in the doorway to her room. His eyes traveled down to his watch then back at her. "You know it doesn't start for another forty-five minutes, right?"

Hollis looked up from the books she had been looking through. "Yeah, I know but..." she paused, taking the time to put a couple books into her bag. "I'm meeting up with Stiles before class."

"Ah, ok," he said with a nod, a smile dancing across his face.

Catching the look on his face, she tilted her head. "What?"

"Nothing," he answered. When Hollis returned to her books, he cleared his throat. "So," he started, "would this be Stiles your friend or Stiles your boyfriend?"

The book she had been holding slipped from her hand, landing on the floor with a thud. Hollis looked towards her dad with surprise. "I...How...?"

Grant chuckled at her reaction. "Of course I know," he said, confirming her suspicion. "You came home all smiles yesterday after having hung out with him. I figured that one of you finally told the other how you felt. Right?"

Hollis nodded dumbly, not knowing what to say to that. But for her sake (or not), he continued to talk.

"I'm honestly surprised it took you two this long," he added.

Mortified, she closed her eyes. "Seriously? Was it really that obvious?" She asked and took that time to pick her book up off the floor. She clumsily put it into her bag then looked towards her dad.

"Yeah," Grant answered truthfully as if it couldn't have been anymore obvious. Thankfully, he sensed her embarrassment and ended the conversation. "You better go if you don't want to be late."

Relief crossed her face, although a tinge of embarrassment still turned her cheeks pink. Glad that the topic was over, she gathered her things and swung her bag onto her shoulder. Hollis stopped at the door and turned back to face him. A question sat at the tip of her tongue and she struggled with how best to phrase it. "Who was here last night? I heard the doorbell and then a couple voices downstairs." She watched him for a reaction but only the slightest flicker of emotion passed over it.

"Just a couple with car trouble," Grant answered easily. "I lent them the jumper cables and thankfully their car started."

She took a moment to process his lie, trying to keep a poker face at the information she knew to be false. With great effort, Hollis smiled. "I'm glad it wasn't anything serious," she said then turned and left the room.