"COME ON," JAMES urged for the third time. "Live a little."
I narrowed my eyes at his metal deathtrap as I continued walking. "Something about driving to my demise isn't the most appealing."
"It's not going to kill you," he scoffed.
For any onlookers, James probably looked like the biggest creep right now. While I was walking to school since my mom took my jeep, he trailed beside me on his motorcycle as he tried to convince me to ride with him.
"If you keep bothering me I'm going to scream that this is a kidnap attempt," I warned.
James simply rolled his eyes. "Come on, Dani, I know you're not actually—"
"Help!" I screeched as if my life depended on it. "This man is trying to..." My voice trailed off when James zoomed past me, clearly not willing to stay for the rest of my show. I was actually pleased since this granted me some time alone, but that was short-lived when I got to school. Much to my misfortune, James was waiting for me at the doors, a bored look on his face.
"If you're going to walk to school then at least walk a little faster."
"Sorry my struggle's an inconvenience," I said sarcastically.
"You were in a good mood yesterday, what the hell happened?"
"Nothing," I dismissed. I opened the door to get inside the building, but James slammed it shut before I could enter.
"What happened to honesty, Daniella?" I winced upon hearing my name, the cursed name giving me flashbacks to yesterday. James noticed this because he looked at me worriedly. "I repeat, what the hell happened?"
Seeing that I didn't have much of a choice, I retold him yesterday's occurrences while conveniently omitting the part where I told my mom I hated her and made a makeshift dartboard in my bedroom using her campaigning poster. The guy just made up with his mom that he hadn't seen in forever, I couldn't be selfish and whine about my mommy problems when at least I was living with mine.
"We'll find him," James said when I finished. "Your father, we'll find him."
"And how do you plan on doing that, smart ass?"
He smirked. "Well, you said it yourself. I'm a smart ass, I'll figure it out."
~*~
After school, I walked home while James took his bike, and we planned to meet and discuss how to go about this mission. Since my birth giver was a heartless tyrant, she put me on house arrest indefinitely but it wasn't like she could actually check whether or not I was home since she was always absent herself. It was my first day of lockdown so I didn't want to take the gamble of her making a surprise visit therefore I went straight home. James and I discussed through our open windows though it wasn't the same as physically being with him.
"Put on a sweater," the aforementioned dictator ordered without looking up from his laptop.
I rubbed my red nose. "I'm fine." As soon as the words came out of my mouth I let out another sneeze.
"You can't visit your dad if you're sick," he pointed out. I cursed him under my breath as I threw a hoodie on. I hated it when he made sense. I pulled my desk chair to my window and sat in front of it, staring at James in anticipation. Truth be told I had no idea what he was doing and I figured I'd be of no use so I just quietly observed. "Your dad's name?" James asked.
I played with the oversized sleeves of Niko's Penbrooke University hoodie. "Tell me what to do and I'll do it myself."
"It's fine, I'm already on it," he assured me.
"Let me do it."
James looked up past the glasses perched on the bridge of his nose — did I mention how cute he looked in glasses? "Stop avoiding the question and tell me his name."
I stared at my carpet, dreading James' reaction. "Peter."
"Peter..." When I heard him snort I knew I was done for. "Your dad's name is Peter Parker? Well that's something you don't hear every day."
"So funny," I snarled. "Can we get back to work? My mom's going to be home at seven."
He furrowed his eyebrows as he continued typing on his computer. "I can't find anything for Spiderman." James held his hands up in defence when he saw my annoyed expression. "Never mind, tough crowd."
"Maybe he goes by his first name instead. Peter's his middle name," I explained.
A wry smile formed on James' face. "Don't tell me his first name's Richard."
I rolled my eyes. "It's Philipe." While Niko's middle name was of our late great-grandfather Germaine, and Brenton's was our late grandpa Wilhelm, Alex's middle name was our father's name. There was a reason Mom never called Alex by his full legal name no matter how angry she got at him.
James was holding back a full grin now, far too amused for his own good. "So you're telling me your dad's name is Philipe Peter Parker?" I grabbed a book lying on the floor and I chucked it at his head.
~*~
"West Grove," James announced as he placed his tray on the lunch table. Amber had swim practice today and I finally convinced Brenton to hang out with his lacrosse idiots, so it was just James and me at our table today.
I prodded at today's mystery meat with my fork. "What about it?" West Grove was a town about a half hour drive from here. I had been there a few times for Brenton's away games, and it was the same school that we had beat about a month ago. James slammed a sheet of paper on the table. I peered at the paper, confused when I saw a residence address, IP address, credit card numbers, and a social security number. "What am I supposed to do with this information?"
"Read the name at the top," he instructed. I followed my gaze to where he was pointing to see the name Philipe Peter Parker printed at the top of the page.
"Oh my God." I scanned the paper again, taken aback by all the information he managed to collect, but also somewhat concerned it was that easy to obtain all of this personal information. "How the hell did you get this?"
James grinned. "I might have had a little help."
"I can't believe it." I reread the address. "He lives so near."
"Let's see him tonight," James suggested.
I was about to agree but I froze, instantly feeling myself deflate. "How? I have no car." I opened my mouth as soon as James was about to give a suggestion. "I'm not riding your bike."
"I wasn't going to say that," he snapped. "Since I got help from your brother's roommate..."
"You saw Marvin?"
"Martin."
"Close enough." I paused as I reflected over what he said. "You saw Niko?"
"I asked if we could switch cars for the week." He rummaged through his pocket and dangled the keys to Niko's beat up old Civic.
"He gave you Angelina?" I questioned bewilderedly. My brother had a disturbingly strong bond with his car, he wouldn't even let anyone else touch it without his permission so it was hard to believe he let James — a stranger that he never even met — borrow his car.
James shrugged. "I told him it was for something important pertaining to you and he gave it, no questions asked." I was about to inquire some more until I realized the dummies made a tradeoff. Although Niko worshiped Angelina, he'd been begging for a motorcycle since the day he turned sixteen but Mom always said no. Switching vehicles with James granted him a momentary opportunity to experience the dream he'd never live out until he permanently moved out. James waved the keys in front of my face to get my attention. "Are you up for an after school adventure, neighbour?"
~*~
I was supposed to be over the moon excited to finally reunite with my dad. After five long years of not seeing him, this was supposed to be our chance to rekindle our love, just like James and Helena did. Despite knowing this, I couldn't stop the knots forming in the pit of my stomach. I was so nervous I didn't even volunteer to drive. The last time I was driving and talked about my dad, I stopped in the middle of an open road, and both of us were hoping to come out alive which was why James offered to drive us to my dad's place.
"It's going to be fine," he said as if reading my mind.
I nodded but the butterflies in my stomach did not agree. It had been so long since I'd last seen my dad and I grew up so much since then too. What if he didn't recognize me? What if he wasn't ready to see me? What if he didn't want to see me?
"Get those negative thoughts out of your head," advised James, the psychic.
"I'm just scared," I admitted.
He placed his hand on my knee before giving it a squeeze of reassurance. "You don't think I was scared shitless to see my mom? He's your dad, Dani, he's going to be glad to see you."
For the first time this entire ride I actually smiled. James was right, my dad loved me and he was my best friend. This was going to be the reunion I had been longing for since the day he left. The remainder of the drive I still felt butterflies in my stomach although these were now butterflies of excitement not fear. I was finally seeing my dad again. We pulled into a gated neighbourhood and James let out a whistle as we drove past the houses. Dad must have been living the good life because this area looked like it housed the type of people who willingly ate caviar and lived by the line, Keep the change. We stopped in front of the house that according to Martin's dirty work belonged to my father.
"Want me to come with you?" James offered but I shook my head.
"I can do this alone."
He slapped my back encouragingly. "That's my girl. I'll wait out here for you."
I exited the car and walked up the long bricked path to the front door. By the time I reached the porch Niko's car was out of sight. I took in a shaky breath as I realized this was it. I was going to see my dad. Everything I had mentally prepared to say dissolved from my mind when I rang the doorbell. I heard some barking before footsteps shuffled and the door opened. At a first glance I immediately knew it was him. Despite the greying brown hair and few wrinkles, it was as if he hadn't changed. "Daddy," I breathed.
He did a double take, his lips parting in surprise. "Dani?"
I nodded, a larger than life smile on my face. "Hi," I managed to say despite being at a loss for words.
"What are you doing here?"
Although that wasn't the reaction I had hoped for I couldn't blame my dad. It had been five years since we'd seen each other. "I came to see you," I answered, stating the obvious.
"Why didn't you call?"
I awkwardly rubbed my arm, not really sure why I didn't call in advance. "I was just so excited to see you, I guess I forgot."
There was still no smile on his face, just confusion. "How did you find me?"
"My friend helped me track you down." Okay, so maybe James wasn't just a friend, but I finally reunited with my dad. I didn't want our first conversation being a lecture about me being too young to date. In his eyes I was probably the same twelve-year-old girl he left behind, not the seventeen-almost-eighteen-year-old woman I was now.
He frowned. "I wish you had called."
"It doesn't matter, I'm here now," I excused with a wave of my hand. "I can't wait to catch up and tell you how much things have changed. You wouldn't believe how big Alex is now! I'm in my last year of high school, Niko started college, and Brent might be getting a full scholar—"
"You really shouldn't have done that," he cut me off.
"I'm sorry, I'll call next time," I excused. What was the big deal if I didn't call? Sure I felt bad that he'd have to cancel his plans for the day, but seeing your only daughter after five years had to have been worth it.
Dad shook his head. "No, you shouldn't have come here."
I blinked. "What do you mean?"
"I'm glad to know how you and your brothers are doing, but you're no longer my liability. I've moved on with Elizabeth and I think it's time you move on too."
"I... who... huh?" My mind was spinning so fast I couldn't even think of a coherent sentence, much less say one. What did he mean he wasn't my liability? Who the hell was Elizabeth? What on earth was he talking about?
"Honey, who's at the door?" a female voice called from inside.
Dad looked at me sympathetically. "I think you should go." The door shut in my face but I couldn't move. It felt like my feet were drilled into the ground as I stared at the expensive looking double glass door in front of me.
~*~
"How'd it go?" James asked when I returned to the car. "Dani? What's wrong?" I was unable to sputter out a single word. Seeing the smile on James' face falter made it so much more unbearable I couldn't contain myself any longer. What started as one droplet of water turned into an ocean of tears. James instinctively wrapped his arms around me, holding me close. "What happened?"
"He moved on," I choked out between sobs. "He told me to leave."
"That son of a bitch." Without a warning, James stormed out of the car.
I jumped out, unable to relive another second of this. The last thing I wanted was for my boyfriend who wasn't technically my boyfriend to go and make things worse. "Don't," I pleaded. "Please."
He looked at me with worry, a frown on his face. "Are you sure?"
I nodded. "I just want to go home."
The drive home was eerily silent. Neither of us spoke, and whenever James tried to comfort or reassure me I recoiled from his touch. I wished the earth would just swallow me whole so I wasn't left with the mortifying mental image of what had occurred. I turned my back to James as a few tears slipped out though I tried to keep them contained. When we arrived back, I didn't even bother to say goodbye or get Niko's keys and I quietly got out and ran inside my house.
The only thing going through my mind on a loop was that my dad moved on. He really had moved on. He had a wife, a new family, even a damn dog. He didn't even bother to try and find me or wait for me to find him. It only took him a few measly years before he gave up on us. He gave up on me.
As I fumbled with my keys to unlock the front door, I was mentally thankful it was a Friday. This meant I could hide in the comfort of my bedroom and sulk for the rest of the weekend. Despite living in a full house, I never felt more alone than I did now. Mom's car was on the driveway so I was anticipating a full lecture but at this point I gave absolutely no shits. I unlocked the door and stepped inside, expecting to get an earful from Mom.
"Dani? Is that you?"
As much as I wanted to sprint up to my bedroom, I figured it was best to get all the yelling out of the way now so I could spend the rest of my weekend in solitude. I stepped into the living room where Mom, Brenton and Alex were seated. I didn't even have to say anything because the look on Mom's face was crystal clear. She knew.
"I leave to go heat up popcorn, and it's like there's a funeral here," Niko said as he entered the living room with a bowl of popcorn. "I know I'm the life of the party, but liven up you— Shit." He thrusted the bowl of popcorn in Brenton's hands before marching up to me and pulling me in his arms. I thought I was done with crying but my body clearly had other plans when a fresh set of tears poured, staining my brother's shirt in the process.
"You knew?" Mom spoke after what felt like hours of silence.
"She had to find out for herself," Niko answered.
I pulled away from him, my eyes flickering between the two of them. "What are you guys talking about?"
Niko folded his arms across his chest as he looked at Mom, none of them paying any mind to me. "I told you she was going to figure it out eventually."
Mom pressed her fingers against the sides of her temples. "Be quiet, Nikolas, I don't need your attitude right now."
"What the hell is going on?" I demanded.
Mom gave me an unrelenting look. "We need to have a talk."