Bad Reputation - Shawn Mendes

33 - Father Daughter

Eleanor.

"We've got a problem." Shawn says as soon as he comes back. "What happened?" I ask, feeling worried that something went wrong with the interview. "Paparazzis are downstairs and they're waiting to catch a glimpse of you." He panics. "Oh." I respond and walk towards the window to see many big black cars parked below. "That's a lot of paparazzis." I gasp and everyone gathers around to see. "What should we do?" He paces around the room, tugging at the roots of his hair. "Okay, let's take a deep breathe and calm down. We'll figure something out." Karen reassures him and he nods, taking a seat on the sofa. "How was the interview?" Aaliyah questions. "I did what i was told to do, admit i was in a relationship but keep the identity of my girlfriend a secret." He tells us. "And suddenly a bunch of paparazzis show up at here and i know they're waiting to see Elle." Shawn adds, looking at me. "Okay, so the interview went well at least. We just got to figure out a way to sneak Elle out." Aaliyah says.

As we're brainstorming on ideas, Shawn's phone beeps. "The video is out." Shawn says out loud and everyone turns to face him. "Play it!" My dad exclaims. He turns on the tv and searches through youtube for the video. He finds the video and immediately press play as everyone watches closely. I tap my foot nervously on the floor as the video plays, somehow i feel nervous about other's reactions. What if the fans don't take the news well? Once the video ends, we read the comment section. Most of them said that they had a gut feeling about Shawn having a girlfriend and that they're happy for him. Some of them, however, said that Shawn shouldn't be in a relationship and put music as his priority. It hurt me a little when reading the negative comments but i guess you can't please everyone.

And in that moment an idea popped into my head. "What if my dad drove my car and i hid in the backseat?" I suggest. "That could work." My dad nods. "But what would you say if they stopped your car and asked you questions?" Shawn worries. "I'll just pretend like i live here. This is an apartment building after all." He answers. "Okay, but you guys got to leave at separate timings." Shawn announces and everyone nods.

"We'll get going first then." My dad says as he stands up. I give Shawn a hug and a kiss before following my dad. We take the lift down to the parking lot and i thank god that we left it here yesterday or it would've been a bigger disaster. I pass my dad the keys and he hops into the driver seat while i get into the backseat and crouch down behind. "Ready, pumpkin?" He asks as he turns on the engine. "Mhm." I reply. "Where should we go?" He asks. "Let's go to St. Lawrence Market." I say and he nods, typing it into the gps. "Okay, let's go." He smiles and drives out of the parking lot.

The crowd of paparazzis swarm the car immediately but disperse again after seeing my dad. I guess they're just looking out for young girls that could potentially be Shawn's girlfriend. We drive further away from the apartment till we lose sight of them and i finally pop out. "Whew!" I shout, thanking the gods that we didn't get stopped. "Guess we didn't have to worry so much." He laughs. My dad continues to drive according to the gps instructions while we talk about how wonderful Toronto is. My dad hasn't been here since i was born because he's been busy at work and raising me so it was nice for him to come back and relive some of his memories he had.

We arrive at St. Lawrence Market and i type a text to Shawn telling him that we were okay and are exploring the city. I shove my phone into my back pocket before hopping out of the car and linking arms with my dad to enter the market. The aroma of delicious food hits us immediately and i see my dad smiling from ear to ear. "I'm happy you picked this place." He cheers. "I've always wanted to come here." I tell him. "You know, your mom and I would come to Toronto for our dates sometimes and this place was always a must stop for us." He smiles. My dad loved telling me about the times he spent with mom and i loved hearing them, i just wished that she was here with us right now but i know she's watching us from above. "Why is that?" I ask, as i grab a sample piece of cheese cube and pop it into my mouth. "This is why." He points at my mouth and i give him a confused look. "We loved getting to try many new and different food." He laughs. "And for free." He whispers, using a hand to cover his mouth. "Mmm that cheese was really good." I chuckle. "I think it's extra good because it's free." I add and he laughs. "That's my pumpkin." He smiles, patting the top of my head lightly.

We walk around the market for a bit more, trying food samples here and there. Everything looked and smelled so delicious that we just couldn't help ourselves. After we were done exploring the market, we made our way to a small park nearby and sat down on the bench, munching on the ice cream that we bought. I know some of you guys might not agree but there's just something about eating ice cream on a cold and snowy day that feels so satisfying. Unlike in the summer where it'll just melt instantly, in the winter I get to enjoy and really savour my ice cream.

"Shawn's a good guy and i really like him." My dad says before taking a bite. "I know dad, you've told me that a million times." I laugh. "I'm just glad you're opening up yourself again." He says. "Again?" I stop eating and face him. "Yeah, i know you shut yourself off in high school after everything that happened." He tells me. "You knew?" I ask in shock. I thought i was keeping it a secret from him this whole time because i didn't want him to be worried. "Of course pumpkin. I figured out once you stopped talking about Chloe and what was going on in school that something was wrong." He admits. "Why didn't you say anything?" I ask. "Because i knew if you wanted to talk about it, you would." My dad shrugs. "And it's a pretty small town so i've heard the rumours about you and i don't believe them at all." He adds. "Yeah because they're not true. Anyways i've cleared everything up and it's all in the past now." I say before taking another bite. "Does Shawn know?" He asks and i nod. "And he's okay with your bad reputation?" He asks and i nod again but more aggressively. "I knew he was a good guy." My dad smiles.

We continue eating our ice creams then going back to the dorm where apparently everyone was. I had fun spending time with my dad here and i got to learn more about my mom which i always loved hearing about. He says that i've got that fighting spirit from her which only makes me wonder more about how close we would've been. Sadly, my dad had to go back to Pickering as he had to work the next day so everyone said their last goodbyes before my dad and Shawn's parents leave. But hey at least we're meeting them again for Christmas break which is coming soon.

Author's Note!

We love a good father-daughter moment hehe. I hope you guys liked the chapter, it was a cute one to write. I won't be updating as often anymore because my school is starting next week but I'll try to update at least once or twice a week so bear with me! Please help to vote & comment, it means so much to me. Thank you!