Or So You Thought

Meet My Daddy

Ari POV

I'm so scared. I haven't seen my father since I left. I remember his deathly warning. "No boys. Do you understand? I will destroy them. You know I can" No boys... And that's all I have with me! "Guys, let's just go back. I mean, surely we can get help from the police or somewhere else" I say, trying to push them out the door. "But we're already here!" Riley protests. "Besides, for reasons that are not my place to state, we can't go to them. Then we'd all get in trouble" Brian added. "I just think that we should go before my Dad-" "Is that my little Ari?" I hear my Dad call.

Shit shit shit! Its already too late. I turn around slowly, fearfully. "Hi Daddy" I squeak. He sees the guys & immediately, his face changes. It looks a bit darker in here, the air is a bit more stuffy, & the area became a bit smaller. I think I'm about to faint. Or throw up. Possibly both. Dad looks at me. "Ariel, are these boys... With you?" he asks. Full names?! Oh crap! I'm finished! Jesus, I'm on my way! He's fuming, I know he is. He's trying to contain his anger but he looks like he's about to blow up. I can see it in his face.

"Yeah. Um.. Dad... This is Brian, Riley, & Adam. They're best friends with Seth, who has been kidnapped. They're my friends & they need help. We need help. I thought you could assist us" I said, closing my eyes, prepared to have my life flash before them. But it doesn't. I was still living. I opened my eyes to see my Dad smiling. I think that might be worse. "Your friend has been kidnapped, huh? I thought I told you about watching the company you keep" he says, laughing. He's pointing out his anger. "Oh no Mr. Ari's Dad sir. Seth is a very good person. We don't know why anyone would do this" Brian says.

Dad snaps his eyes over to Brian, who was standing to the far left, farthest away from my Dad. "Well, I don't know him so I can't confirm or deny. But, I can say that bad things happen to good people everyday. Sometimes we don't deserve it, but that's rarely. If you do something you have no business doing, you can't get mad when you experience the.. consequences that come with it" He looked at me that last sentence.

"Well, when you're old enough to make decisions, you should be able to deal with the consequences. You can't learn if you don't make mistakes" I say. Dad takes a step back & looks at me. "Ah, but mistakes can be costly" he fires back. "But sometimes the best rewards are in the risks. Bill Gates took a risk & he's one of the wealthiest men on Earth, in history really" I reply. "Risks can also go wrong. You can't take risks all out the ass when there are other lives on the line" My father says. "Then what are we doing here Dad? That's what you do everyday!" I yell. Then, he explodes. "Exactly! What I do! Me! Not you! Because I love my family enough not to drag them in this shit with me! Risks cost Ari. I just don't want you to be the one that'd have to pay" he replies. I have no words. I didn't know that's how he felt. If he hates it here so much, why doesn't he just leave? I want to ask but I feel it's not safe to at the moment. So instead, I hug him. And tight too.

Then, after several moments of probably squeezing the life out of my father, I see HIM. I freeze. No no no! I think. Why do these things always happen to me? He's coming this way! I use Dad as a human shield & crouch down a little in front of him. "What are you doing Ar-" "Dad shush!" I call quietly. "Captain, I- Ariel? Well I'll be damned" HE says to me. You're probably damned cause you're going to hell I thought. "Oh. Hi there... You" I reply. Please go away! Please go away! Please go away! "Um... Ari?" Adam calls. I forgot the boys were here. "What are we doing? Who's this?" Brian asks. "Oh Brian, Adam, Riley? This is Ross. Ross? Brian, Adam, Riley" I introduce. "I'm her ex boyfriend" Ross announces. He did NOT need to say that! All eyes are on me. My Dad goes back to being pissed but now, it's 10x worse & Brian looks ready to kill. Great. Now theres two angry people because of me.