Several hours later, Adele was back in her bedroom and once again felt like pulling her hair out. Her room was even more of a mess now, having spent the last half an hour looking for the top she wanted to wear tonight.
She stormed into her parents' bedroom next door, where her mum was ironing clothes and watching the small TV in the corner.
"Where's my red top?" she asked. "The one with the V-neck?"
Her mum made a sour face. "How should I know? They're your clothes. You want me to stop messing with your stuff, remember?"
Adele frowned. They'd had this argument a couple of weeks ago, which ended with Adele screaming at her mum to never touch her stuff again. She'd hated herself after that. Not only for being so mean to her mum, but for letting her anger get to her. Trying to be the loudest shouter never ended well, for anyone, but sometimes it felt like the best thing to do in her house.
"Mum, please," she said desperately. "Do you know where it is?"
"I have no idea." Her mum snapped her head towards her. "If it was so important to you, you should have kept a better eye on it."
"Ugh!" Adele spun and stomped back into her messy room.
Re-checking her cupboard and clothes drawers, she searched for an alternative top for the party. She'd wanted to wear something red, as she had heard it was an eye-catching colour that boys found attractive. And she wanted to somewhat match Xena's top, in the hopes of maybe getting some of the attention from her by proximity. But it was stupid of her to have thought that, anyway.
The black T-shirt she held up had been a favourite of hers last year. It had a faded imprint of a unicorn in muted colours, and had a bit of a rock 'n' roll vibe to it, despite its animal choice. She hoped it would just look like a black top in low lighting. And it would go well with her newest pair of slim-jeans she'd only worn a few times before.
Giving a quick mirror check of her freshly washed and somewhat straightened hair, Adele forced herself not to linger on her reflection and tore herself away from her own staring eyes.
Downstairs, she found her dad watching TV, and Cassie next to him with her face buried in her tablet.
"Dad, I'm ready," Adele said.
"Okay, hun," he said, slowly getting up but still facing the TV.
She checked her watch and saw it was 6:41pm. The party started at seven and Xena had wanted Adele there early, but it was at least a twenty-five-minute drive to her house in Stockwell.
"Dad, please, I'm gonna be late."
He must have caught the urgency in her voice as he straightened and held a palm up to calm her. "Okay, okay, I'm coming. Now, where are my keys?"
Adele darted her head back and forth and quickly found them on a shelf. Her dad had a terrible habit of moving slower and losing things the more other people were in a rush.
"Here." She threw his keys to him.
He fumbled awkwardly and for a second looked like a bad clown trying to juggle.
Cassie finally looked. "Now, don't be late back, you hear?" she said in a mock adult voice. Adele wasn't sure which parent she was imitating. "No drinking, and no funny business. Okay, young lady?"
Adele rolled her eyes, then startled when her mum called down.
"Adele, don't forget the cannoli in the kitchen. And send my love to Xena and her mum and dad."
"Okay, mum, I will," she called back.
While her dad shuffled towards the front door, Adele rushed into the kitchen and grabbed the big box of cream-filled cannoli her mum had made.
"And make sure you're home by ten-thirty at the latest!" her mum shouted as Adele left the house.
Finally in the car and on the road, Adele texted Xena. Her pulse was pounding now as the minutes ticked away. She was going to be so late; she just hoped Xena wouldn't be mad at her.
While her dad turned on his favourite radio station that played old Italian music, she focused on her phone, looking through an article she'd found online about making interesting conversation with anyone. The thought of walking up to a group of strangers and talking to them made her heart race even more.
It was only a small party for some school friends. No big deal. Xena's parents would be there but they'd promised Xena they would stay upstairs. Adele found herself thinking about how far behind in Geography she was, and the Psychology quiz she had tomorrow.
The last thing she needed was a party.
"So," her dad said as they came to a stop in traffic. "Will there be any special boys at this party?"
Adele hid her reactionary grimace and simply said, "Everyone is special, dad."
He made a weak attempt at a laugh, though when she looked at him, she thought he actually looked sad.
"No. I'm just going for Xena."
Which was true, mostly. There weren't any boys she was currently interested in. There were a few she could name that she found attractive and who seemed fun to be around, but they were all so far out of her world that she couldn't even imagine talking to them, let alone anything more.
"She's a nice girl," her dad was saying, now turning into a side road that wasn't filled with cars. "I bet she's fighting the boys away."
"Dad," Adele snapped. "What are you talking about? Why are you so interested in boys?" He was acting so weird.
He kept his eyes ahead. "Just asking, that's all."
She noticed he had wilted a little. It reminded her of when her mum would say something in an argument that hit a nerve and caused him to withdraw. She frowned, looking away.
It occurred to her that she'd never had many long conversations with her dad. He mostly just told her all the things she was doing wrong or when she was making a mess. Even though he only ever seemed to lecture her, and it had been a long time since she last laughed and played with him, she hated to see him upset.
Now that she thought about it, she couldn't remember the last time she'd seen him happy. He always seemed to be tense and on edge, ready for the next argument.
"How are you?" she asked. It sounded weird coming from her, like she was pretending to be someone else.
It took him a long time to answer, and she began to worry she'd said something wrong.
"I'm all good, Delly. Why'd you ask?"
She shrugged. "Just asking, that's all."
He smiled, though his eyes still looked sad.
"Everything okay at work?" She wasn't sure why she asked this, but guessed that if he were having any problems, it would be related to his construction company. That, or a problem with her mum. And she wasn't ready to ask him if there were any problems with him and her mum.
His face tensed. "Did your mum say anything?"
She quickly shook her head, scared at the conversation she'd opened up.
"It's nothing," he said. "Everything is fine. Just some changes happening at the company. Nothing for you to worry about." He reached over and patted her leg.
"Changes with your job?" she asked. He'd been working in the same place since she was a baby.
"It's fine, sweetie," he said, a little too sternly.
She took that as a sign to stop prying, before he got mad.
Her dad's sad grimace reminded her of the bad times that followed his sister's death. It had been almost seven years since her aunt died, and the loss was still felt in Adele's household. She used to catch her parents crying at times; mostly on their own or sometimes together. But she didn't think anyone had been more devastated than her when her aunt had died. She was the only person that understood Adele, and the only person that really liked her. It still felt strange to Adele that her aunt and dad were twins, as they seemed like two very different people.
She was close to saying something to him about her aunt, to remind him that she missed her dearly too, but her throat seized up. He always got angry when someone mentioned his sister.
Thinking of her aunt sent Adele into thoughts of a better time, when everyone seemed happier and things were simpler.
Her dad stopped outside Xena's house at 7:26pm.
"You're sure Xena's cousin can drive you home later?" he asked, his voice heavy and flat.
"Yes dad, it'll be fine. Don't worry."
She kissed him on the cheek and thanked him, then quickly made her way to the front door with the big box of cannoli in hand. She tried to get herself into 'party-mode', putting a smile on her face.
Xena's house stood out among the row of identical houses with balloons on the door and coloured lights coming through the curtained windows, shining into the night. Bassy party music came from within, and the dark shapes of people could be seen through the curtains as Adele got closer. The party looked to be well underway.
Adele took a deep breath and rang the doorbell.
*****
Thank you for reading!
What did you think of Adele's conversation with her dad?
Any ideas for how the party will go for her?