A Little Crimson

Chapter 1: Elisa

As the music thrummed through my body, I let go of everything. Everything, including the fact that I got nothing right. Well, being at this club was just another thing I did wrong. But I needed the attention. It was the only way that Anthony Denver gave any shits about me. I know he was busy, but the fact that he ignored me most of the time meant I needed to do something to make him notice me.

I was pushing his limits since I could remember. I was the daughter of an entrepreneur who traveled more than he spent time with his daughter. The worst thing he could do was just paying off someone to keep quiet about whatever I did and then tell me not to do it again and then left me at my own demise. I took care of myself since I was fifteen and that's when I started lashing out. He always got nannies to take care of me, but at sixteen, he decided that I was now old enough to take care of myself.

I know this wasn't ideal, but it's all I could think of doing.

I was almost eighteen and at a club with a drink in my hand, dancing with strangers. Yeah, it was dangerous to do this. But hell, I was enjoying myself.

This was the only attention I got, besides from my best friend who got into trouble with me. But she was already sent away to some boarding school for being a reckless teen. Now I was completely alone. We still got to call each other once a week on a Sunday when she had access to the phone at the school.

I still missed her, but at least we had a way of communicating and when she comes home for the holidays. We are allowed to see each other under supervision. Her parents had a bodyguard close by to keep an eye out for us. Not to protect us, but to keep us in line.

It was getting old now. I mean, how long would our friendship be on probation?

After a few hours of drinking and dancing, I finally decided to go home. It was, like always, no sign of my dad. I stumbled around the house, knocking things over and making such a ruckus. If our neighbours were close, then I was sure they would hear me loud and clear. I giggled and told myself to be quiet, and then bellowed when I realized I was alone.

I found myself in the kitchen and decided that I needed food. As I was raiding the fridge someone clears their throat. Turns out, my dad was indeed home.

"You're not supposed to be home." I slurred as I tried to act sober. But I knew I failed.

"Please tell me that you're not drunk?"

I shook my head, "I am not." I tried, but then giggled.

My dad's jaw worked as he stared at me, his arms crossed in front of his chest. He didn't look happy at all. I gave him a big smile.

"Are you hungry?" I asked as I held out the bowl of cereal.

"No, what I want is to fucking sleep. You were supposed to be home at ten. It's two in the morning, Elisa. Where have you been?"

I shrugged and ate the cereal, "took a walk." I said between bites.

"And it took you to a bar?" He asked, his voice was bordering on shouting.

"No." I said and rolled my eyes, "I don't do bars."

"Oh?" He tilted his head to the side. He looked intrigued. I nodded, and when he realised that I would not say anything, he sighed. "I'm cutting you off, Elisa. And I am sending you to your grandmother."

"Oh, the Hamptons would be fun!" I said cheerfully. That's where my grandmother lived. She was also rich, and she loved to spoil me and let me do whatever I wanted.

Dad laughed, "your other grandmother."

That sobered me up real quick. "Excuse me?" I said, but dad just gave me a winning smile. "Nuh-uh, I am not going to some weird ass Amish country where technology has been banned! That's like social suicide."

"Well, you should have thought about that before you decided that lashing out was the best idea you have ever had."

"Dad, no. Please?" I begged. This was the first time he said anything like this, and I knew he wasn't joking. Not about this. "Just give me one last chance?"

He shook his head, "I've already spoken to your grandmother." He turned around and started waking away. "you're leaving tomorrow!" He added over his shoulder.

"Grath fucking parenting!" I called back. He stopped in his tracks and glared at me. "Why do you think I have been lashing out? To get you goddamned attention, dad."

Time froze as we stared at each other. Then he broke the silence. "Then I guess you finally got it. You could have picked up that phone - which I have been paying for - and called me. But you decided to rather drink and do God knows what!"

"I could say the same to you! You could have actually called me whenever you wanted to, but you didn't!" Tears were rolling down my cheeks, and I brushed them away furiously. "Don't worry, I won't be a problem to you anymore, congratu-fucking-lations for getting rid of me once and for all." With that, I left the kitchen and locked myself in my room.

Dad never came to see me, and that made me even angrier. I don't know what I have done to him to make him hate me so much. I did everything right until I was sixteen, then I decided that I needed another approach. But all he has ever done is push me away and I don't know why.

I never knew my mother. All I knew was that she came from some kind of Amish community where they didn't really like technology. I mean, that's how normal people lived.

Phones, TV, Spotify, Netflix, Hello?

I would go without my phone or a TV but without Spotify? I don't think so...

Just the thought made me shudder. I knew nothing of my mother's side of the family, the only thing was that I had her green eyes and black hair, except for the red streaks that I had gotten over the last few months, and I looked liked her because I had no resemblance to my dad.

He had no photos of her, and it always bothered me. She passed away during childbirth. So maybe that was why he resented me.

I stole his wife from him.

But it also sounded like he hated her side of the family. He never wanted me to see them or have contact with them. Now he wanted to send me off to them. I was in my second year of college, yeah. I was a year early, turns out I was brighter than your average teen.

I must have gotten that from my dad, because he was almost a Sheldon Cooper keyword here, almost.

Falling asleep was a no show. I don't know what tomorrow would bring. How awesome was it that I was halfway through my second year in college and now I was to become an Amish girl? Smart Amish girl who was shunned from the actual world. Wasn't it supposed to be the other way around?