Better Than Any Ride

Chapter 5

The fear in her eyes was evident when she saw my phone in my hand. "W-w-what is that?" She asked nervously as her eyes went from side to side looking for a way to escape. "My phone." I said innocently as I looked at the both of them with big puppy dog eyes. I couldn't wait to play the recording. After that she would be out of my life for good. I would finally be free from her. I could start new. With a fresh slate. "Claire, do you have something you want to show us?" My father said moving away from Vanesa towards me slowly. "More like I have something for you to listen to." I said to my father. He looked at me questioning what I was saying. But I was serious. Dead serious. I wanted to be free from what happened that day and this was the only way. He looked at Vanesa and then at me again and shook his lowered head. It reminded me of the old him. Whenever the stress from work got to be to much for him he would sit like that. And if you asked him a question he would answer with a lowered head shake yes or no. "Then by all means, play the recording." He said sighing heavily. "What? No. Matthew, you can't be serious. You're going to believe her over me?" She said with pure shock. But I could tell she was trying to hide her shock with a look of hurt. "I need the truth, Vanesa! Maybe, maybe if I just listen to this recording she'll finally let it go." "No, Matthew, you don't understand." "What? What don't I understand? Explain to me what I don't understand?" "You can't listen to that recording!" She screamed finally cracking under the intense stare of myself and my father. "If you didn't do it, you will have nothing to hide. And there will be nothing to reveal in that recording. Claire, play the recording. I'm done listening to this bullshit. I want the truth and I want it now!" He said harshly as he paced up and down the length of our porch. I started unlocking my phone to access the recording. As I was about to hit play Vanesa interrupted again. "I killed her okay! I thought it was Claire so I decided to pull a hit and run. Claire was never meant to be in our lives and I was going to get rid of her so we could be happy, dear." She said sweetly as she ran her hand up and down my father's arm. But before she could get closer to him he ripped his arm away and walked over to me. "She may not be your daughter, but she is mine." He said as he wrapped me in his arms. I struggled against his arms trying to free myself. "What, uh, are you, uh, guys talking about? Uh. Can you let me go now?" I said looking at my father who was still holding onto me. He slowly let go of me so I could catch my breath. "Everything would have been perfect if she had been taken care of from the beginning." Vanesa said bitterly as she shot daggers in my direction from her intense gaze. "How can you say that?" My father said shocked at her. "What are you guys talking about?" I finally screamed. This was ridiculous. They were obviously hiding something. Something that was a big part of my life. "Vanesa, I think you need to leave." My father said with the anger apparent in his voice. "You're going to make me leave?" "Vanesa. Leave." "Fine." She said as she stomped of to her car and drove down the road so fast that all you could see was dust even after she had been gone for a good five minutes. "Well?" I said looking at him expectingly. "Can you just pack and get in the truck? I'll explain later. In the truck." He said sadly. I looked at him with shock but mainly anger. "Whatever." I said as I turned and slammed the screen door behind me as I ran up the stairs to my room.