Father, Please

Chapter 2: First Meeting

Author's Note: By the way, part of this chapter happens during the mission "Fame Or Shame".
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It's the next day and Cassidy wakes up energized and ecstatic despite not getting any sleep the previous night.

That'll bite her in the butt later.

"Future Cassidy can deal with that."

Picking up the DNA test on top of the desk, right by her laptop.

"This cannot be real."

Remembering the day she found out Robert wasn't her real dad.

~Flashback, Year 2003~

15 year old Cassidy should be doing her homework right now.

But she isn't.

Cause whatever's happening outside is so much more interesting.

"Mom and Dad are arguing again. Is it because of me?"

Two voices can be heard from outside the room.

"Why the fuck would you say that to her?!" Mom yells.

"What?! I didn't say anything that wasn't true!" Dad yells back.

"I don't even know why you think you have any agency over Cassidy considering she's not even your real daughter!" Mom yells confidently.

"Everything I've ever been told is a fucking lie."

~Flashback Ends~

"A retired bank robber for a dad. A former stripper for a mom. That family must be dysfunctional as hell."

Well, supposedly he's retired. April doesn't think so.

She claims that Michael was with the crew that robbed that Jewel Store in Rockford Hills. Down the street from his house even.

Police are so useless in this town so Cassidy is not surprised that they got away clean.

Can't stop looking at the DNA test.

"Well, at least I was able to mostly grow up with one biological parent."

Thinking about Lily and Megan as shame washes over her.

"They do so much for me and I never appreciate them enough."

"I haven't spoken to them in about a month. I've been so busy with work recently."

"Here I am, missing someone who doesn't know I exist and another who never truly cared about me."

She makes a mental note to call them the next day and realizing the cereal got soggy.

*Sigh*

Milk went down the drain and soggy cereal in the trash.

"Wow. I'm really about to be hungry and tired later."

"I'll just grab whatever I can."

Which was a granola bar and an energy drink.

"It's better than nothing."

She gets in the car and sets the GPS on her phone for a mansion in Rockford Hills then places it in one of those phone holder things.

Having seen pictures of the house online and wondering why a family in witness protection would be put in a literal mansion.

"None of this makes any sense."

Oh but the witness protection thing was also part of the cover up and is a fucking lie.

She takes a big bite out of the granola bar and throws it in the cup holder. Almost hitting the energy drink.

"Should I really be doing this? Does he even want to see me? Would he even believe me?"

After a few minutes of thinking.

"Oh wait. Did I space out again?"

Looking at the DNA test in the passenger seat. Not even readable from the driver's seat.

"Michael's got some explaining to do." She mutters under her breath.

Finally backing out of the driveway into the road, anxiety at an all time high.

"I probably shouldn't have drank that energy drink."

"Whatever."

—

Cassidy drives by the mansion and parks her car right across the street, behind this old truck that was badly parked.

It just seemed so out of place in such a rich neighborhood.

Jaywalking with paper in hand then going over to the gate in front of the house which doesn't open. Surprisingly.

Looking around for a bit then seeing a door to the left and realizing it was unlocked.

"I mean. There's probably a very good reason for why it's unlocked, right?"

The doors to the house were wide open. Weird.

"I am basically trespassing at this point. Hmmm. Should I knock or ring the doorbell?"

Waiting outside was probably the best bet for now.

She can hear people speaking in the house but can't make out what they're saying.

"Should I just knock?"

A middle age white man followed by another man walk out the entrance of the house.

"The first guy looks like the pictures that April showed me yesterday. But older."

"Hey I-"

The man turns to Cassidy, looks down at the paper she's holding then-

"Look sweetie, I don't want to buy whatever bullshit product or shitty food you want to sell to me. Get the fuck off my property." He says angrily.

"But wait I-"

The men had already gotten in their car and driven away.

"Oh my God. This was a terrible idea. What was I thinking?"

"Should I come back tomorrow?"

"I don't fucking know anymore."

A dejected Cassidy walks back to her car, crumples the paper and throws it to the passenger seat.

"Of course that wasn't gonna work. Why am I such a moron?"

She didn't even bother parking correctly when getting home.

Having just enough strength to hold back the tears until making it to her bedroom to cry into a pillow.

She's spiraling.

It's happening again.

Stumbling into bed as tears are already welling up in her eyes.

"Today was a fucking disaster."