Daydream || Rick Tyler [DC's Stargirl]

• Chapter 42

WARNING: Long chapter ahead full of Molly and The Shade. Hope you all enjoy (:

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Within half an hour, Courtney and Pat were teleported to the basement of Helix Institute and filled in on everything. At first, they were a little confused, especially since they were supposed to be removing cameras around Blue Valley. However, both of them were very quick to agree to help once Molly, Jennie, and The Shade filled them in on everything.

As they all followed Jennie so they could sneak into the Helix Institute, Molly almost forgot that she was supposed to meet Rick and Beth at the school. She tried not to look too worried as she quickly pulled out her phone and began to type out a message to send to Rick.

I'm with The Shade. You and Beth finish the cameras without me. I'm okay, I promise. I'll fill you in soon and keep you updated.

Molly hesitated, wondering if she should add anything else to the message. However, due to them rushing and the pressure to save Jennie's brother, she decided against it. She pressed send and quickly placed her phone back in her pocket.

"Trouble in paradise?" She heard The Shade speak up from beside her.

Molly just let out an annoyed sigh before replying, "Just letting the rest of the team know we're okay. But if you count kidnapping me and being stuck with the person who randomly left me alone for weeks, then yeah. I would say so. There is definitely trouble in my paradise."

That's when The Shade let out an annoyed sigh. Between her and Jennie, he was never going to catch a break. However, he replied, "I had to leave. You know why."

"Yeah, I do. But you also told me to keep in touch if I needed you. You haven't answered any of my calls. I really needed you, and you just left," Molly snapped, not even looking over at him.

There was a moment of silence that passed between them as he tried to find the right words to say. Molly just bit her lip in annoyance before nodding her head once, looking straight ahead.

"You've learned so much on your own. It seems like you didn't need me-"

"No! I did need you because you're my father!"

His eyes widened slightly as she continued to quietly hiss at him, "You told me you were going to stay in town to help me! You said you wanted to be part of my life and I let you! But you just left me alone to deal with all of the parts of me that came from you! But all you cared about was fixing your own powers. Not helping your own daughter control hers!"

"I wasn't just doing it for me! If there was a chance that your powers were going to get affected, I wouldn't hesitate to keep you safe! Even if that meant leaving you and making you hate me!"

Surprisingly, Molly felt her heart drop to her stomach. She felt terrible because she didn't want him to think that she hated him. Her head was already shaking slowly as she let out a shaky sigh and spoke quietly, "I don't hate you."

"Sometimes, I wouldn't blame you if you did," She barely heard him reply.

Even though she was angry, she still felt horrible. Molly felt disappointed in herself for making him feel this way. Yes, he wasn't around for most of her life, but it really mattered to her that he was trying. Plus, Molly had no doubt that he cared about her.

"Honestly, I... I just hate that you left. Maybe... I needed a father more than I thought," Molly admitted while looking down at her feet, her arms crossing around herself.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw The Shade suck in a breath. He hesitated, trying to determine what to say. After a few moments, he began slowly, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you about what was going on right away. I should've informed you instead of telling you last minute and leaving town. I understand that you're upset... but I am not going to apologize for keeping you safe. Because you're right. I'm your father, and I'm still learning how to be your father. You deserve better than that. I... I'm happy you're here now though."