Eye Of The Hurricane

Dad Or Not

The doorbell rang shrilly in the empty house. I slammed the journal shut and shoved it into one of the many drawers of my desk. I opened the door and Mic rushed in all peppy and excited,

"Oh wow, is this the awesome condo. So where's he. At school I bet. Is he stuck up? Is he cute? I-"

I held up my hand,

"Chill out."

She smoothes out her dress and attempts to keep a poker face. She obviously failed. Miserably.

She raced into the hallway bursting into every room she gets within ten feet of. I sigh and follow her. Cleaning up the mess she made in her wake.

When we finally reached my room I was already exhausted. Mic gasped at the sight around her,

"This is your room?" She stared at me dumbfounded.

I shrugged, "Yeah, It's kinda... over the top."

She raises her eyebrows,

"Okay okay. Let's just hurry up and get this over with."

She prances to the large walk in closet and opens the door. I sit on the bed waiting for her as she pulls out outfit after outfit. She walks out holding a white chiffon blouse and black skinny jeans. I stare at her,

"What? It kinda shows you're not volatile and gonna explode in rage or cry in pain. Just trust me," She adds when she sees my dubious expression. I roll my eyes and snatch the clothes out of her hands.

I stepped into the bathroom and slipped out of my pj's. I put on the blouse and pants and checked to make sure I didn't look like a dork in the mirror.

It's not that bad. I walked out and Mic squealed,

"You look amazing."

She spun me around and shoved me into a chair.

"Whoa, what you doing?"

"Oh, don't worry about it~!"

Mic pulled out a bag. I recognized it right away, her makeup bag! My eyes widened in fear as I scrambled out of the chair to the other side of the room.

"No no no... Not a good idea, Mic. Stop where you are!" I yelled at her. Mic just smirked and inched towards me, evillike.

"Stop it Mic. Or I swear I will break your hands." I hollered, losing myself. When I looked up again, Mic was staring at me, her mouth wide open.

"Mic? I'm sorry I didn't mean-" I stammered, unsure what to do. Suddenly Mic laughed,

"I can do makeup without my hands. That's why I'm pro."

I smile at her in relief. The guilt pushed at me,

"Don't go overboard," I said as I sat back in the chair.

After what felt like forever, Mic turned me to face the mirror. It wasn't that bad. Mic had applied a little blush that added color in my cheeks and eyeliner with mascara to bring out my eyes. Lip gloss shimmered brightly on my lips and Mic added a silver pin in my hair. I smiled at Mic,

"Not bad considering the amount of makeup you're wearing."

She raised her eyebrows,

"Hey, I rock this look and you know it."

I laughed and grabbed her arm,

"Let's go."

Sitting in the car in front of my house, I took a large gulp of air. I marched out of my car with Mic by my side. I knocked on the door hesitantly and a haggard man opened it. I almost didn't recognize him,

"Dad?"

His dead eyes stared at me unseeingly,

"Anna?"

He hugs me and I froze,

"I missed you so much I didn't know if you were okay and I wanted to apologize. I was just so drunk and I got pissed. I didn't mean to."

I looked down at my dad who was once the man who took me to the playground and bought me ice cream.

I shook my head,

"Dad, I'm not here for a reunion. I just want you to get those stupid police officers off my back."

He stared at me,

"Aren't you coming home?"

I looked at him, unyielding,

"This isn't my home anymore. You aren't my dad anymore."

Pain flitted across his face and he nodded,

"I understand but just know, if you ever need me I will be here. I know that for a while I wasn't very present in your life and for that I'm sorry and maybe in time you will forgive me."

I smiled bitterly,

"Maybe, in time."

He nodded again and I turned back to the car.

"Anna," he called after me. I turned around, "I love you."

My eyes widened with shock and tears sprang into my eyes. He smiled at me one last time and closed the door.

I turned around and marched to the car with tears dripping down my face. Mic looked at me while biting her lip. She reached into her purse and pulled out a tissue. I took it and blew my nose,

"Uh, Mic... I- I'm sorry, but do you think you can get a ride home? I w-want to go somewhere and be alone."

She studied me for a minute then shrugged,

"Don't worry about me, I could always call Edmund. He is my slave slash boyfriend after all."

I try for a smile but it crumbled and I started crying even harder.

When I got into the car I could see my dad staring out the window at me with sad eyes. I looked away and backed out of the driveway. I sped down the road and towards the beach.