TRIGGER WARNING.
I am going to lose my mind.
"Are you finished with your homework?" My father asked and my left eye twitched in annoyance.
"Yes." I answered with a nod without looking at him.
It's been two weeks since my birthday.
Two weeks since I've come to the realization that I like possibly the worst person for me to like.
Two weeks since Katelyn's been here.
Two weeks since I've had some actual personal space form my father.
"And you already went to the gym?" He asked as I surfed through Netflix.
Doesn't he have a case to work on?
"I ran the pacer today, I'm not going to the gym." I told him and he gave me a single nod, still hovering in the doorway to the living room.
"Are you hungry?" He asked.
No, but I am annoyed.
"Not right now." I told him.
"Okay." He said but he didn't move from the doorway.
So, I turned to face him.
"Is everything okay with your current case?"
"Yes, I gave my client their options, my next step is based on their choice." He explained and I gave him a nod.
"Maybe you should go out for a little bit?" I suggested. "Since you finally have a break, just for a little bit."
Because I will lose my mind if he continues to pester me with questions.
"That doesn't sound too bad." He nodded. "It's been a while since I've had a beer with the guys." He added and I gave him a smile.
"Then call your guys and go out and have a beer." I told him and he smiled.
"I think I'll do just that. Thanks pumpkin." He said and he finally disappeared form the doorway.
Relieved, I finally returned to my Netflix browsing.
[0]
I felt him before I heard him.
The lights were off but I know he's across from me, watching me sleep while he sat on my futon.
"Dad?" I said in the dark.
"Dad?" He mimicked and the anxiety took over.
He's drunk.
When he left at five o'clock to go get a drink, he didn't return. Not even when I closed my door to go to sleep at 1 am.
"What time is it?" I whispered before turning on the lamp.
Soft lighting illuminated the room and he came into view.
Like predicted, he was sitting on the futon with a drink in his hand.
"How did you get home?" I asked.
"How did you get home?" He mimicked again. "I'm the fucking parent here Rosalee."
His face turned sour and he let out a sneer.
"Parent." He said the word in disgust. "I never asked to be a parent."
Immune to those words pulled the cover off me and stood up.
This isn't new, I just hoped he wouldn't act this way anymore.
"Let's get you to bed." I told him.
"I never wanted kids." He continued. "But Isabella was so damn stubborn." He sneered.
"So shit happened." He sipped his drink and I stopped walking towards him.
"Dad let's just get you to bed." I offered quietly and his scowl returned.
"YOU DON'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO." He shouted and I took a step back.
"You ruined everything." He said in a dangerous whisper. He stood up and he staggered on his feet as he took a step towards me and I took one back to keep the distance between us.
"I told you to wait in the damn car." He sneered and I took in breath as the dark memory of the day my mother died haunted my memories.
A lump began forming at the back of my throat and I felt my nose tickle as tears threatened.
"You are the reason that I have to go talk to jeweler tomorrow about a wedding ring."
"You don't have to get remarried." I offered and my voice cracked.
He let out a sinister laugh and he walked towards me. He was now close enough that I could smell the alcohol on his breath.
"Oh I don't have to get married?" He asked. "Are you going to pleasure me Rosalee?" He asked I gasped in shock.
As though he had come to a sick and twisted realization, his face turned from anger to curiosity.
"You do look exactly like Isabella." He said before downing the rest of his drink. Placing his glass on the nightstand, he made his way towards me.
"Dad." My voice shook as fear coarse through my body and I took several steps back from him.
"Maybe you'll be just like her." He said and he stepped towards me and I moved back until my back was against the wall.
His eyes turned dark and he closed the distant between us by placing both of his arms on each sides of my head. Trapping me in a cage made of his body, the wall, and his dangerous alcohol breath.
Oh, God.
"Please don't." I closed my eyes and held my breath.
He leaned down and he inhaled at the space between my shoulder and neck.
I stayed frozen, afraid that anything form of movement from me might ignite something in him.
Nausea rocked back and forth in my stomach but I fought the bile and stayed frozen.
"You're not half the woman she was." He said in a low whisper before walking way.
Relief took over me and I slid down to the ground as a silent sob escaped.
[0][0][0]
"What are you doing?" Mia asked me and I looked up from my laptop at her.
"What?"
"What are you doing?" She pointed at my laptop.
"Looking for a job." I told her and she raised a surprised eyebrow at me.
"Your dad is letting you get a job?"
Absolutely not.
"I haven't told him yet." I muttered before going back to my computer.
It's best if I have everything planned now so when he starts asking a million questions, I'll be able to answer them.
"Wait a second, you're being defiant?" She asked but I ignored her.
"What happened Rose?" She asked and I felt bile in my mouth just thinking about what happened two nights ago,
"Nothing." I shook my head as if to shake away the bad memory. But I can't just shake that off.
"Rose." She said with more force, making me look up from my laptop.
"What Mia?" I asked.
"What happened?" She asked again.
"I said nothing."
"And I say bullshit." She frowned and I let out a long sigh.
"I don't want to live there anymore." I told her and her worried frown deepened.
"But everything is okay, right?" She asked. "He didn't go batshit crazy right?"
No, it was worst.
"Of course, not." I shook my head to convince her.
"I just... I need to get out of that house M." I said quietly and she nodded.
"Do you want to talk about it?" She asked.
Definitely not.
"There's nothing to talk about. I just don't want to live with him anymore." I told her with a single nod.
I can tell that she still wants to talk about it, but talking about what happened will probably send me into an anxiety attack.
"If you're sure." She said hesitantly and I gave her another nod before returning to my laptop.
[0]
The final bell rang and I gathered my things before following the rest of the students out of the class.
As I was taking out the notebooks that I needed for my homework, someone came behind me and placed a hand on my shoulder.
Panicked, I quickly turned around and threw a right hook.
"Jesus!" Liam's eyes widened as his hand came up to protect his face.
"Oh, my God." My eyes widened. "You scared the hell out of me."
"No shit." He sighed before releasing my hand.
I let out a breath and tried to calm my breathing and took a step back from him.
"Why are you in attack mode?" He frowned.
"What do you need?" I asked him and he raised an eyebrow at me at my hostile tone.
"We need to cancel today's session." He said and I rolled my eyes in annoyance.
This happens every time. Usually I play along, but I am in no mood today.
"This isn't because I don't want to. Today's just not a good day for the Powers." He explained and I frowned.
Something dad said made my frown soften while I looked at Liam.
He had said that the first part of his case is done and the next part was up to his client. The client being Liam's family.
"Is everything okay?" I asked and he ran his hands through his hair before tugging at the root.
"Not really, but I can't talk about it." He said through gritted teeth.
"Actually, you probably already know every fucked-up thing there is to know about me." He sighed before releasing his hair.
"What?" I asked and he frowned at me.
"Are you aware that your father is my family's lawyer?" He asked and I nodded. "And every day, after he sees me, he probably tells you the shit I did. Which explain why you think I'm a scum of the earth." He said and I shook my head at him in disbelief.
"You must be tired after jumping to all of those conclusions."
"My father doesn't tell me anything about his job. The only reason I know that he's your lawyer is because I saw him going to your house when I was leaving." I told him and he looked at me with a frown still etched on his face.
Tucking a piece of hair behind my ear, I looked him in the eye.
"And I don't think you're a scum of the earth." I added quietly.
In fact, I think you're the very opposite of a scum.
He took a step towards me and the distance between us shortened and panic took over again.
This feels too familiar.
"Then why do you get scared anytime I get remotely close to you." He asked quietly and my breathing became difficult.
"It's not you I'm afraid of." I confessed.
He frowned at me. "Then who?"
My father.
I pushed him away from me and I took in a deep breath when the space between us was reasonable.
"None of your business." I told him.
"Daisy- "He began but I cut him off.
"I'll make an exception to the rules just this one time, but we will make it up on Friday. You have an English paper to finish writing and I think you have a calculus quiz next Monday." I told him and he gave me a nod.
"Thank you." He said and I gave him a single nod before closing my locker.
"I'll see you tomorrow." I turned to walk away but he grabbed my hand and stopped me.
"The offer to text me if you want to talk still stands, Daisy." He said and I gave him a sad smile.
"I can't." I confessed slightly embarrassed.
It's a little pathetic that I'm eighteen and my father still monitor's my texts.
"Then call me." He said and I squeezed his hand in gratitude.
He didn't even question why I couldn't text him, he simply provided another option.
"You sure you want that?"
He stepped forward and I stepped back as a reflex but I still held his hand in a strong grip.
"Yes." He replied.
"Okay." I nodded.
My grip on his hand loosened but I still held onto his fingers.
I like the feel of his hand in mine.
"I'll see you tomorrow." He said with a small smile and I released his hand.
"Bye." I waved awkwardly before walking away.
[0]
The smell of chili hit my nose when I walked through the doors of my house and I almost turned back around.
I think I'm gonna throw up.
"Rose is that you?" My father said I swallowed bile.
Who else would it be?
"Yes." I replied before dropping my backpack at the foot of the stairs and making my way towards him.
I stopped in my track when I came into view of the kitchen.
An unknown woman sat at the island while dad worked at the stove.
She was curvy in all the right places and she wore the right pair of jeans and a beautiful olive green tunic to show them off.
But the one thing that stood out was her short, dark hair with vibrant red streaks.
Who is she?
"Hi." I greeted, putting on a fake smile.
"Hi." She greeted in a high-pitched tone. "You must be Rose."
"Hello." I nodded before glancing at my father and back at the random woman.
"Rose, this Red. She's a hair stylist." My father spoke up and I turned to face him.
Okay?
"I asked her to come by because I think it's time for a new look for you." He explained and I looked at him in disbelief.
"Don't worry at all Rose." Red said and I turned to look at her.
"You have beautiful hair so my work will be quick and easy. Maybe a few inches off and a darker col- "
"Wait!" I stopped her before turning to look at my dad.
"What are you talking about?" I asked him.
"It's time for a change." He said and I let out a breath in disbelief.
He wants me to change myself because I look like my mother? Because he got drunk and tried to lust after me?
"No." I shook my head.
I don't care about the consequences at the moment. This is too much.
"Excuse me?" He said in a chilling tone. A chill I felt run down my spine, but I held my ground.
"I'm not going to cut my hair." I told him.
I could feel Red's gaze switch from my face to my father as she watches this showdown.
"Red, could you give me a moment with my daughter?" My father said without breaking eye contact with me.
"Sure, I'll just go set up in the living room." She replied before leaving the room.
"Red is one of the best, I got her for a private session so you don't have to go through the waiting process at a salon." He explained with an even tone as he stirred his chili.
As if he didn't hear me when I said no.
"She's not touching my hair." I told him and he looked up at me. He opened his mouth to say something but I beat him to it.
"I look like mom." I told him. "And I can't change that, not that I would ever want to."
"So, I'm not going to change myself any more than I have just because you want me to."
"Actually, yes you will. Because I make the rules and you follow them." He said before stepping away from the stove.
My chest tightened at my next words.
"You tried to make a move on me." I said quietly and he froze.
"You woke me up in a drunken state and tried to make a move on your own daughter." I whispered.
"That means that there's something wrong with you, not me. You're changing the wrong person." I told him and a lump formed in my throat.
"I look like mom." I repeated. "And I'm not sorry for that." I told him before walking out of the room. Grabbing my backpack, I made my way upstairs and up to my room and locking the door behind me.
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Coming up: A thunderstorm comes to town.
I may or may not have started a new story...... okay I did.
Go check it out, it's called "Unwanted" and you can find it on my profile ooooorrrr just click the link below (I think it'll work.)
http://my.w.tt/UiNb/soCwnIVAqA