"Little Girl" - lrh

03

"Baby, it's just for one night."

"No!" Alice stomps her foot.

"Don't do this," I sigh, holding the bridge of my nose.

"You can't leave me here by myself!"

"It's one night I have to stay late."

"Then let me go to Calum's!"

"Hell no," she scowls, folding her arms.

"It's one night," she mocks. My eyes narrow.

"What is with your behavior lately? You don't listen to anything I say, you've been coming home extremely late, you have a terrible attitude, and you've been falling asleep at almost 4 AM," I glare at her, folding my arms across my chest. "What has gotten into you?" Alice averts her eyes to the floor and her face turns red. "Well?" I press.

"Nothing. Just busy."

"Doing what? I know you don't work any later than 9:30 at night, so you can't be there. I've phoned Calum's house a few times and he's answered telling me he doesn't know where you are. I texted your grandmother, and she says she hasn't spoken to you in weeks.

I know you're 18 years old but, God, you don't even tell me you'll be out late. What are you doing?"

"Nothing, Luke! Jesus!" She yells, stomping her foot. My eyebrows furrow and her face contorts as she clutches her chest.

"Wh-What did you call me?" I haven't heard 'Luke' come out of her mouth since she was 10. She just shakes her head, her voice weary.

"Nothing, Daddy."

"Baby," I whisper, gently reaching out and touching her cheek. "Baby, just talk to me." Alice jerks her face away, keeping her head down. To say it stung would be an understatement.

"There's nothing to talk about."

"Alice," I push.

"Why are you still talking to her?" She bursts. I take a step back, her angry red eyes boring into me. "You said you weren't going to see her anymore!"

"What are you even talking about?" I search her eyes, hoping an answer will show up in front of me so I no longer have to guess what she means.

"No one!" She screams, running past me and up the stairs. I chase after her, but she slams the door shut in my face. "Go away! I don't want to talk to you!"

"Baby, open the door!" I try jiggling the knob but, of course, it's locked. "Alice Riley!"

"I said go away! Go away with your stupid job and your stupid friend and your stupid self!" I listen as she lists everything off that I need to go away with, and I feel a twinge of pain in my stomach. I had to pick up even more hours at my job, preventing me even more from seeing Alice; It clicks then that she's talking about Alyssa and I'm not sure how she knows I'm still speaking to her; As for myself, I don't know what I did to make her want me to leave.

"Alice," I press my forehead against the door, reaching up to feel for the spare key. "if you do not open this door before I find the key, you're in trouble."

"Oh, so you have time to punish me?" She scoffs. My fingers graze the cold metal of the key on top of the doorframe.

"You have to the count of three."

"I'm not 6 anymore."

"One."

I pull the key down.

"Might as well keep counting."