That Summer (Completed)

Chapter 20

He looked like he was on his way to work, with his dress pants and a navy blue button down.

I looked up at him, shocked.

He was healthy, I noticed immediately. It took me a minute to realize what was so different about his face. It was his eyes; green and vibrant. Eyes of sobriety.

He gave me an assessing glance, his face showing signs of pure contempt. My eyes shot from him to Jake and then back at him, suddenly so confused. In fact, I was so confused, that I forgot that I was supposed to be angry. His eyes paused at the cut near my temple.

"Please tell me," Dad started, his eyes bulging, "why I had to find out about last night from a police officer?"

I looked at him, speechless and dumbfounded. I hadn't seen him in over a year. In fact, I had done a fantastic job avoiding him whenever he tried to get in touch.

Suddenly, Dad stopped looking at me and his eyes swept over the room. He took in the closet, with Jake's clothes thrown on the ground, and then looked at the bed and lastly, at my clothes. Jake's clothes.

He clenched his hands into tight fists at his side and squeezed his eyes shut, like he was trying to control his rage. I felt my face heat up.

"Please tell me I'm jumping to the wrong conclusion here," he said, gritting his teeth. "Please tell me this isn't Jake's room."

I sat there, gaping at him like I was incompetent. His eyes flashed as he stared at me.

"Tell me she isn't in your bed right now," Dad roared at Jake, who looked like he was he was going to bolt.

Oh no. No way. He did not just get to come in here and decide he was going to start acting like a father. He didn't get to make that choice after everything he did.

"Stop it," I said, testily. "Why are you here?"

He ignored me and continued glaring at Jake, like he was wishing his eyes were laser beams.

"Wait, no. No. This isn't what it looks like. I swear nothing happened," Jake said, putting his hands up in defence.

Dad crossed his arms. "You've got two seconds to explain yourself before I kill you."

"I slept on the ground," Jake said, pointing at my makeshift sleeping bag like it was his oxygen supply.

Dad still looked pissed off, but his arms were no longer clenched. "Ok. Ok, I think I can breathe again."

I have absolutely no idea why I said what I said next. I have no clue what came over me, except that I wanted to make him angry. So angry that he did something irrational, so I could hate him with every bone in my body. I wanted him to prove what an asshole he was.

"Jake, stop lying," I said, looking my Dad right in the eyes. "We're together. I'm an adult, we can sleep together. Except there wasn't much sleep happening last night, was there?"

Jake looked at me, his mouth falling open. "Lauren, what the actual fuck?"

He turned to my Dad. "I swear on my life I didn't touch her. She's a little loopy right now. We're not like that. I don't think of her like that."

Well if that wasn't a splash of cold water to wake me up, than I don't know what was. Of course he didn't think of me like that. Little ol' Lauren, with her little girl crush on Jake. He was just trying to make me feel better this morning, after last night's events. It was my very own pity party.

"If I ever find out you so much as laid a finger on her, I will kill you. I swear it. For God's sake, she was almost raped last night," Dad sputtered out. I half expected there to be smoke coming out of his ears.