I turned slowly, wincing. "Yes sir."
He stalked into Havenfield's living room, and I followed. I tried to walk confidently, but I felt my body slouch and couldn't keep my eyes off my feet.
"Sit." His voice was impossible to read, and so were his emotions. I sat, and he sank into the much more comfortable chair across from me.
I tried for polite. "Sir, I-"
"Stop." I did. "There are two things I want you to understand." He paused for a minute to glare at me. I shrank even further into the chair, trying to make myself invisible. But he continued, his eyes boring into me. "I do not know the whole story of how Sophie broke up with Fitz and then started dating you. But it doesn't particularly matter. So these are the two things I want you to know: first, that if you hurt her-" he trailed off menacingly, leaving the rest to my imagination.
"I will never hurt Sophie, sir. I swear it. When she is hurt..." I couldn't finish, but I didn't need to. He nodded. "I believe you. But I need to tell you anyway. It's my job as her father."
I nodded, keeping my eyes trained on the ground.
"And the second thing, Keefe." I looked up, surprised. It had been a long time since he had called me by my name.
"Yes, sir?"
He stood and motioned for me to do the same. I did, and he led me to the door. Just before he opened it, he put a hand on my shoulder and looked me in the eyes.
"Keefe. Not all fathers are like Cassius."
I stared at him, confused. "Sir?"
"Just remember that. You don't have to hide from me. Unless you hurt Sophie." He walked upstairs without another word.
I stared blankly after him for a minute. What was that supposed to mean? Before I could decide, I felt another hand on my shoulder and flinched away.
"Keefe, it's me." My confusion and fear melted away as I locked eyes with my beautiful girl.
"Foster." I sighed.
"How did it go?"
"Not that bad. If I hurt you, I die. The usual." I didn't mention the father comment. I still wasn't sure how to feel about that.
She laughed softly. "Then you'd better not hurt me. I would be very sad if you died."
"Good thing I have no intention of hurting you." I touched her face softly, and she leaned up and gave me a soft kiss. I slid my hand into her hair and the other around her waist and kissed her back, my earlier worries melting away. When she pulled away, I leaned in and whispered in her ear. "In fact... if anyone does hurt you, I would fight Grady to pound them into dust."
She grinned. "Would you?"
"Yeah." I kissed her temple, her cheek, her nose... and then her lips again. She leaned in, but a yell from upstairs sent us scrambling apart.
"Go home, Keefe!"
I laughed nervously and gave her one last peck before scurrying out the door.
When I leaped home, my dad was on the couch. He leaped up when I creaked open the door. "WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?"
I cringed. "Uh... Fos- Sophie's house. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be this long."
"Sorry? SORRY? YOU LEAVE WITHOUT TELLING WHERE YOU'RE GOING, WHILE YOU'RE STILL GROUNDED FROM SKIPPING SCHOOL?"
I slouched, trying to disappear. "I'm sorry, Dad."
He scoffed. "Sure you are. Get to your room." I scrambled to obey, shutting myself in my room and locking the door. I dropped into a chair and pulled my knees up to my chest, completely done with talking to angry fathers.
Although I wasn't entirely sure Grady had been angry. But he was still scary!
After a minute, my heartbeat returned to normal and I rose shakily to my feet. I showered and changed quickly before dropping into bed. The last thought in my head was Grady's face, telling me that not all fathers were like mine.
*****
That morning, I was awakened by the sun shining through my window. Drat. I'd forgotten to close the shades, and it couldn't be past six. Oh well, I was awake now.
I rolled out of bed and into my school uniform. Then I styled my hair and smirked into the mirror, the slightly crushed feeling from last night having mostly disappeared. Just then, my imparted lit up. I answered it, and... "Biana?"
"Yeah. Is this a good time?"
"Fine, what's wrong?"
"It's Fitz."
"Oh."
"Yeah. He's gotten worse. He had Marella over last night for dinner, and was making out with her all night. It was gross. And then she said something like 'You were kind of cruel to Sophie,' and he almost slapped her. She ducked, but started screaming at him. It was bad. I thought she was going to fry him, but she just dumped him and leaped away."
I sighed. "He's changed a lot."
"I know. The second Marella left, he started screaming at everyone. I tried to calm him down, and he basically went crazy and tried to attack me. If I hadn't turned invisible, he probably would have punched me. Then he locked himself in his room. I listened at the door- and heard him hailing Maruca."
I couldn't help it- I gasped. "What the- Maruca? He didn't-"
"Yeah, he did. I don't even recognize him anymore. It- it's bad, Keefe. I need help."
"Okay. Talk more at school?"
"Thanks. Want me to tell Sophie?"
"I will."
"Kay." And she nodded one more time before reluctantly hanging up. I was honestly a little scared for her, at home with Fitz. I had seen him when he was really mad, and her being his sister wouldn't change a thing.
As soon as I got to school, I saw them. Fitz, screaming at Maruca. And Maruca, screaming right back. Even louder. It would have been funny if it wasn't so awful. I walked right up to them.
"Fitz, why are you being such a jerk?" The words had barely left my mouth before Fitz whirled at me and flung his fist in my direction. It connected squarely with my right eye, which immediately began to swell shut.
"KEEFE?" Oh, shoot. I forgot to call Foster.
"Back up, Foster."
"Fitz? What on earth is going on?"
"Sophie, back up." Biana's voice. Good.
I raised my good eye to Fitz's fuming face. "I don't understand. You were never this bad. What changed?"
"What changed is that I finally realized how no one cares about me. NO ONE. So if I want something, I have to get it myself. And," his voice filled with disgust and hatred, "you will not get in my way." He swung for me again, but I expected it this time. I ducked, and he stumbled forwards. I stepped behind him and pushed him a little so that he fell to the floor. Before he could get up, a Mentor I didn't recognize hurried over.
"What on earth is going on here?"
Biana stepped up. "Fitz attacked Keefe. Keefe dodged, and pushed him in self defence."
"Oh! Oh, what a disaster. What a disgrace. Keefe, go to the Healing Center. Fitz, to the principal's office. The rest of you, to class. Now!"
I hesitated a moment before turning to hurry down the hall.
A/N I'm liking where this story is going.