"Little Girl" - lrh

11

"Daddy?" Alice's voice flows through my room as I lay in bed, looking out the window. It's yet another Friday morning, I was called off work the previous night because of a gas leak in the building. With all of these gas leaks, people in town were talking, thinking they were becoming more suspicious than coincidental. But, I'm off, so I don't care.

"Hmm?" I roll over, running a hand through my probably whack ass hair. Alice opens her mouth to speak, but she seems dazed. She has on her clothes for the day, her backpack straps evident on her shoulders, and her hair is pulled back in a headband instead of falling in her face. "Oh, you look so pretty." I smile, sitting up on my elbows. "Is that one of the shirts we got a little bit ago?"

"Yes," she smiles while her face blushes. "I'm gonna go to school now."

"Can I get a hug goodbye?" I sit up more and hold my arms out for her. She quickly walks over, wrapping her arms around my neck and engulfing me in her embrace. It's hard to hug her with her backpack, so I just hold on to her sides. My eyes close while the hug lasts comfortably long and hide my face in her neck. I feel her lips press against my cheek before she pulls away. My gut flips and a smile crosses my features, as well as hers.

"Bye, Daddy," she waves and walks out of my room. I listen as she walks down the stairs and opens the door, but I don't hear it close. "Dad?" Her voice calls, uneasy. I throw the sheet off of my body and I'm about to head downstairs when I realize I don't have pants on. Grabbing a pair, I try pulling them on my legs and almost trip down the stairs to get to the door.

In the doorway is an awkward looking boy, holding a giant bouquet of flowers, and his face is red. "Th-That's your dad?" He asks Alice.

"Yes," she steps to the side so I can stand in front of him.

"Uhm, you have the wrong house," I gesture to the flowers, regretting not putting a shirt on either as the cold rushes in the house.

"350 Sunset Hill? Hemmings residence?" He reads off the tag of the vase.

"Dad, I gotta go," Alice whispers before sneaking pass the both of us and going to her car.

"Uh, yeah, that's us," I look over the flowers. I recognize them, but not quite sure from where. "who are these from?"

"There was a request to be anonymous," the awkward kid extends his arms out and the flowers are practically in my face. The smell fills my nostrils and I remember where I recognize them from. They're Jess' favorite flowers.

"I-I can't take these," I take a small step back so the smell isn't as intoxicating.

"Well, they were already paid for. They're for a Jessica Hemmings?"

"She doesn't live here anymore," I say through clenched teeth. His arms retract back to his body, lowering the flowers and raising an eyebrow. "does anyone know who sent them?"

"Only the people at the flower shop, I just deliver."

"Listen, I'll just pay for the flowers and for your troubles; Please send them back," I cross the living room to grab my wallet and return to see a flash of pink crossing the front yard behind the delivery kid. My eyebrows furrowing and, completely ignoring the kid, I step out to see Alice climbing in to Calum's car, her backpack tossed to the side of his house. As she gets in, our eyes meet, and her face stills.

"Uh, you don't have to worry about paying," the kid whispers, noticing the scene before him.

"Tell me one thing," I turn to look at him, hearing his car take off on the road. "you are absolutely positive you have no idea who sent those flowers?"

"Well," he chews on his lip, pulling a clipboard off his hip and looking at it. "the return address is 350 Sunset Hill. That's all they gave me, and a phone number." She couldn't have possibly been stupid enough to leave her phone number.