Nola Scott
I sit in my introductory freshman class, cringing at my actions from earlier.
Shutting my eyes tightly, I try to erase every single second of my interaction with Miles at Renaissance Café. When I woke up this morning, I didn't think I would run into him. Again. I thought my days of seeing that man were over since Ember no longer speaks to...
What was his name again?
Anyway, I was already having a terrible morning. Despite all my attempts to put figure skating as my number one focus, I'm still not at my best on the ice. I woke up at around four this morning to get some time ice time in before I had to drive back here and come to class. Just like most of my practices these days, I continue to fail my jump sequence. My dancing is sloppy. I'm not into my music.
Nothing feels right. Nothing.
I was frustrated and seeing Miles at my favorite café did not help my situation. The simple view of his face ignites a fire inside of me. I'm sure he made his best efforts to try and disguise himself from whatever lame-o calls themselves his fan. Sadly, I noticed him almost immediately, and my annoyance only grew.
He was a dickhead to me. Nothing new. I expected it. We've never had a good exchange. To this day, I still blame that on him. He can cry and say I'm an asshole to him every single time we speak but that's only because he was an ass the first time we met.
Call me dramatic but I don't do well with bad first impressions. I've had many of those my whole life. Most of them were because of my little brother, Kayce.
Kayce and I are a little less than two years apart. I've always been in the grade above him - despite him being smart enough to skip multiple grades if he wanted to - which meant we were always going to the same school. While I was liked a good amount by my classmates, my little brother was not.
I was always the nice, extroverted girl who would make friends with anyone who would talk to her. Kayce was the mean, introverted boy who would not make friends and roll his eyes or insult anyone who tried to talk to him.
I never knew why he was so mean. So rude to people. My mom and dad didn't raise him that way. He had a special tongue of his own and it worried both of my parents. I remember us being so young and Kayce already having the biggest attitude and ego. He praised himself for everything, thinking he was better than everyone else. Even me.
It triggered me sometimes. I felt belittled by my own brother and it was never a nice feeling. There were a lot of days where he wouldn't be as mean though, and little old me took those days in. I looked up to Kayce for having qualities I didn't have.
He was smart. He knew how to stick up for himself. He was good at everything he did, never failing to try new things because of it. He got the most attention from my parents.
Every one of those things made me jealous of him. It made me want to be so much like him that I ignored when he would tear me down. I loved when he praised me though, even if it was rare.
He was my little brother. I loved him.
So I stuck by him the most. Even if that meant I would be in the way of the fire that came with being Kayce Scott.
Throughout my years in school, I was disliked for being Kayce's sister. Meeting new people was hard. Eventually, everyone assumed I was just like my brother. I wasn't, but no one cared to get to know me anymore. They had already formed their opinions about me.
I was treated harshly. Kayce was treated harshly. So we stuck together.
As much as he could defend himself, there were times when I felt the need to stick up for him. If someone was mean to him, I would be twice as mean to them in his defense. He would stand back and watch, interfering when it got bad. I've always been one to get mad quickly, he was more calm and collected.
My parents were called in all the time about our behavior. After a while, we finally came to the conclusion that being hated by the whole school was something that couldn't keep going on. Eventually, Kayce and I grew apart. He met his friends, I met mine. We did our own thing.
But after all those years of bad first impressions, I learned that some people are just plain shitty and they would show you that the moment you met them.
I don't care if Miles was joking or purposefully trying to rile me up that first time we met. He made his bed with me. I wasn't going to change my mind about him. Sitting here now after earlier, I still believe that. Yet, I can't help but hate myself for what happened.
The way I reacted earlier was not. . . me. I'm trying to blame it on my terrible morning but even then, I don't think it was that. Something about our exchange this time was different. I felt something radiating off him when he spoke to me. I don't know what but I feel like I pushed his buttons more than I did before.
I'm the one who gets angrier when he's in my presence. He's the calm one. As much as he tried to be calm, I saw that I was getting to him. I did get to him, that's for sure. Why am I so bothered that I did? It wasn't my intention...
"EARTH TO NOLA!"
A loud voice shakes me out of my thoughts. My head lolls to the side bit and when I look forward, Ember's concerned face stares back into mine. "Class is over." She stands tall again and adjusts her backpack strap on her shoulder. "Right," I say before I start collecting my things. Was I that much in my head that I didn't hear the professor announce that class was over?
"Are you going back home?" Ember interrupts my thoughts again as we walk down the stairs in the lecture room. I shake my head no. "I don't think so. I need to clear my head so I might go run on the field," I reply. She nods slowly, walking with me. "Do you need a ride home? I can take you," I offer. Driving is surprisingly something that calms me, so I don't mind taking her home.
"Oh no. It's fine. I can walk." Ember nods quickly. I shake my head and grab her arm. "I'm driving you, let's go." She doesn't protest as I drag her to the parking lot where my car sits. The drive to our place is short about less than five minutes anyway.
When I look towards Ember, she's frowning. "What?" I ask, unlocking the door to my Rover. I hop into the driver's seat and Ember follows into the passenger seat after me. "I don't like when I force you to drive me home," she says, buckling up her seatbelt. I tilt my head to the side, looking at her. "I offered you the ride, Em. You know I don't mind."
She huffs and crosses her arms over her chest as I turn on the car and start pulling out of the school's parking lot. "I wish I had a nice car that didn't break down every two days," she mumbles. I smile a little bit. "My car is your car. I like being your chauffeur," I tease. She groans, causing me to laugh. "Really, Em. It's fine." Ember turns to look at me with her big brown eyes, a sad look in them until she nods.
Luckily, there wasn't much traffic on the way home. Even though we live five minutes away, sometimes it takes a bit longer to get home because of school traffic. Today was a slower day than usual.
Once I dropped Em off at home, I went back to campus and used the track & field track to run two miles. I would have pushed for more but by my final stretch, I was being summoned.
Wiping my sweaty hands on a towel, I grabbed my phone and pressed the answer button. "Hello?" I answered, catching my breath. "My favorite child. How are you today?" Dad.
"Hey, old man. I'm good, just finished two miles. Not the goal but it'll do." I sank into the ground, my legs slightly giving up on me. The line was silent for a couple of beats. "You know it hurts me when you call me old. I'm not old, Granola," dad finally replies. I let out a breathy laugh, shaking my head.
"What's up, dad?" I question, ignoring his little fuss. "I'm currently at the store trying to pick out a gift for your cousin but I'm completely clueless. Help me out?" I furrow my brows, pulling up the calendar on my phone. It's the first day of December. Of course, it is. "So many birthdays to keep up with. Also, call uncle Valdez, that's his child," I groan.
"Your uncle is a busy man and Nova's mad at me because I forgot to go with her to New Orleans last week. So that leaves you. You're a great gift giver," my dad rants. I am a great gift giver. I'll take that. "Dad, I don't know. Where even are you?" I ask. "I'm in LA, Nola. I'll pick you up and we'll go shopping," he replies.
I sigh silently. Shopping does not sound fun right now.
"Dad, I don't k-"
"Please. I'll buy you whatever you desire, just come out with me," he interrupts me. I roll my eyes, playing with my shoelaces before standing up. "Fine! Give me about thirty minutes." Holding the phone against my ear with my shoulder, I wipe the turf off my butt. "Amazing. I'll be on my way in five," he says.
I pull the phone from my ear and hang up. While I might seem slightly annoyed, I'm actually excited to spend a couple of hours with dad. It's been a couple of months since we've hung out, just the two of us. Growing up, we were always close. Even after Kayce was born, my dad and I got on the best. I'm not saying he favors me over Kayce but he and I are more alike in ways that make us closer.
He was upset when I told him I didn't want to go to his alma mater and stay in Oak Hill for another four years. I would have done anything to make my parents happy but I needed the change that Los Angeles would bring me. Plus, it's not like I'm that far from home. Dad is always here too because one of his company's buildings is here.
My dad may be a man who sometimes might be too proud to say what he feels, but he'll always open up to me. I know he misses me as much as I miss him. He texts me almost every other day, more than mom. We just have a closer bond than most and I'm thankful for it. He's an amazing man and the one person I know I can go to for anything. Dad will always be the number one man in my life. Nothing will change that.
Once I finally get home, I shower quickly and change into a matching workout set, throwing on a puffer vest over it. It's not that cold, but it's chillier than usual. I slick my hair back into a bun and apply blush, mascara, and gloss for a natural look. My dad picks me up shortly after and I grab my things, rushing out the door.
When I walk outside, I see he's in his BMW rather than his Mercedes. He honks his horn when I'm passing in front of the car, causing me to flinch. I glare at him. Giving me a fake smile, he unlocks the car door and I get in. Dad drives to the mall closest to my apartment complex which happens to be one of the nicer malls nearby.
After a couple of hours of shopping, we manage to find a couple of gifts for my cousin Easton. His fifth birthday is coming up soon and dad and mom love going above and beyond with their gift giving. Since mom has been so busy with work, it was dads duty to find the gifts this time around. I was the one who gave him half of the ideas anyway so I guess you could say I did most of the work.
Now, we sit in the food court enjoying our Chinese. Or at least we were enjoying it before a random girl came up to me asking me if she could take a picture with me. She must have sensed my confusion because she told me she knew I was Frankie Adler's cousin before proceeding to ask me a million questions about said cousin. I didn't want to be a bitch, so I answered some of them. Others were way too personal.
When she finally scurried off, dad looked at me wide-eyed. His light blues are a lot lighter than my dark ones. I have moms eyes. "Does that happen to you often?" he questions. I take a sip from my water and nod. "It's definitely not the first time," I admit. "Speaking of your cousin, have you talked to her lately?" dad asks. I shake my head. "I haven't."
Even though me and Frankie live in the same city, we rarely see each other or talk for that matter. We're both super busy people - especially her - so it's rare when we meet up. The last time I talked to her was about two weeks ago. The last time I saw her though was over two months ago. It's been a while. I do miss her.
"Is she still with that guy?" Dad makes a disgusted face, stabbing a fork into his orange chicken. I tilt my head to the side a bit giving him a don't start look. He's talking about my cousin's boyfriend, Alistair Hill. They've been together for almost a year now so he's been introduced to the family a couple of times. My dad doesn't like him that much if it wasn't obvious. He thinks he's bad for Frankie.
Maybe it's because I'm young and naive and would totally fall for a bad boy like him, but I don't think he's terrible at all. I've had one on ones with him and he seemed like a genuine guy. Plus, Frankie is happier than she's ever been which means he has to be doing something right.
"Yes, she is. Who she's with is not up to you, dad. Or anyone for that matter. She's almost 21," I remind him, pointing my plastic fork in his direction. Dad rolls his eyes. "Your uncle doesn't like him either, you know?" he tells me like I'm clueless. Like I said, most of my family is iffy about the guy. "Frankie is happy. We shouldn't get in the way of that. I'll take your side once I see one ounce of evidence that the guy is bad for her," I defend.
"Have you seen him? He's nothing like her at all. A mess, Nola. That's what he is," dad rants. "Dad you barely know the guy. You can't judge a book by its cover, remember? Be open minded, what if I end up with someone like that?" I tease, trying to take the focus off my cousin's relationship and give my dad a slight heart attack at the same time. He drops his form down on the table and swallows the food in his mouth before speaking.
"Nola Avery Scott, don't you joke about stupid shit like that. You're going to give me a brain aneurysm." He pinches the bridge of his nose and shakes his head. I giggle. We eat in silence again for a bit before dad puts his phone down. "So, you never explained to me or your mom what Miles Dempsey was doing at our house on your brother's birthday," he suddenly says.
My whole body freezes as my mind flashes back to this morning. Whatever happened between us put me in a terrible mood which I had forgotten about until now. I play with my food for a couple of seconds, trying to forget it even though it's the only thing plaguing my brain now. Thanks for the reminder, dad.
"Miles is teammates with that guy Ember was with," is all I say. Dad furrows his brows. "JT?" he questions. I stare at him blankly, "What?"
"That's his name, JT. The guy Ember was with. NHL kid, right?" How does he know so much about him? I barely remembered his name now. I nod my head. "Yeah, I talked to the kid. He was looking into apartments for next season so I gave him my card. Nice kid. But that still doesn't explain why Miles was there," he tells me.
"He gives JT rides or whatever. I didn't know he was there until Ember asked me if I could invite him in," I say the truth. Still, my dad looks at me for a long time trying to find a lie in my eyes. Although I might not be lying, I know I have a guilty look on my face. "You didn't look like you hated the guy when you were talking to your aunt and uncle. You finally done overacting about that horrible interaction?"
I roll my eyes. "I'm not overreacting. Don't say it again,"
I tell him. "Maybe a little bit," he retorts. I groan, my frustration building slowly. "I'm not! He's an ass and on top of that I don't do well with bad first impressions!" I remind him. "I know that but he's not some bully from school, Nola. He's an adult, just like you are now," dad replies. I don't know why he's defending him. It makes me angry.
"Dad, Blazing Ice isn't the only time I've run into the guy, okay? It's been more than once that I've seen him since then, including this morning, and he's been nothing but a complete asshat. My first impression was valid because obviously he's the same dipshit every single time," I rant, blowing an angry breath through my nose. My dad stays quiet and when I look up at him, he has a blank expression on his face.
"What happened? This morning," he asks. I try and calm myself down, hating myself for even getting mad. I'm so pathetic. "I don't know," I start, shaking my head, "It's weird because I think I barely got to him. All these times it's been him getting to me but this morning I finally saw him snap a bit. The whole interaction just felt off from the beginning."
Dad nods, pushing his empty bowl away from him. "What was said?" he asks another question. "Just the casual bickering. Only with a couple of more curse words added in." I cringe at the thought. Trying not to think about it now is impossible and my brain is making me relive it all over again. "Curse words? What the hell?" Dad furrows his brows.
"Maybe I was being a bit much. It's stupid. I'm stupid," I say stuttering. My leg starts to bounce against the tile, my anxiety flaring up significantly. "Hey, you're not stupid. Why do you say that kid?" I ponder my dad's question.
I don't know why I said that. The thought of the way I acted earlier makes me significantly cringe. It's not like I want to apologize to Miles. Never would I dream of doing that but... I don't know. I don't know anything.
"Forget it," I say, my voice barely audible. Dad shakes his head, reaching his hand out to lift my chin up with a finger. "Uh-uh, we're not doing that. Talk to me, Nola." There are times when I act like this and dad will joke around telling me to calm down. But right now, I see in his eyes that he's fully serious about this conversation.
I should have kept my mouth shut.
My eyes latch onto his for a long pause before I finally speak again. "Look, I know I'm not the nicest girl on this planet. I also know that I can come off as a bitch at times." Dad cuts me off there. "Don't talk about yourself like that. You're not that word," he says. Ignoring him, I keep going. "Having a short temper doesn't help my case and I know I can be quiet... mean at times but I might have overdone it with Miles."
Admitting it makes my stomach roil. I don't plan on apologizing to the guy but I guess I'll admit to myself that I have pushed it at times.
Dad crosses his arms, putting them on top of the table. "So, you're saying you know the guy well? You two are...friends? Acquaintances even?" he asks. I furrow my brows, not exactly knowing what he's trying to say. "Neither. I've run into him a couple of times but never willingly. We've never had a friendly interaction. Not even once," I tell dad.
He nods his head a couple of times before shrugging his shoulders. "Don't overthink it then. He doesn't care. If you're not even acquaintances with the guy, he could care less what you have to say about him. I think a lot of people are like that but most athletes of his caliber are. I'm sure he's not thinking twice about an argument with an eighteen-year-old girl," he explains.
My mouth gapes open slightly at my dad's honesty. Could that be true? I mean...it makes sense. What is NHL star, Miles Dempsey, doing thinking about a girl like me? I'm nothing to him. I know that much. What I don't believe is that he doesn't care.
I saw the emotion etched in his features. I got to him. I'm not patting my back for doing so, at least not anymore. I just know he cared somewhat.
Oh, God. What am I even saying? I sound like a fucking idiot. That man doesn't care about me.
Dad's right, he could care less about me and what I have to say about him. My words may have gotten to him on some occasions but the next time I would see him, he would no longer be upset. It was a loop. Once I was out of his sight, I was forgotten.
Shaking my head, I start picking up after myself. "You're right," I chuckle, "I don't know why I even care. It's dumb." I don't make eye contact with my dad as I clean both of our messes up. "He has other things to worry about, kid. I'm not trying to upset you, I'm just being honest," dad says, his voice softer. "No, dad, I'm not upset. You're right, I was just reading into it too much," I reply.
Slightly uneasy now, I stand from the chair I'm sitting in, ready to leave. I pick up the bags from the ground and when I look at dad, he's giving me that worried parent look. He can see through me like a paper bag but I try and put up my best facade. "Dad, I'm fine. I'm not thinking too hard about that guy," I chuckle awkwardly. Damn it, Nola. You're a terrible actress.
After a couple of seconds, Dad finally recedes. "Alright, kid. Let's get you home."
Finally.