You Bring Out the Best In Me

Chapter 15: Expect the Unexpected

A/N: Yeah the title's the name of my first book...oh well it fit for this chapter!

Normani's POV

"Dad..." I breathed.

"Hey, sweetheart." He reached forward to touch me but I scooted away.

"Why...Why are you here?" I looked around the room, frantically searching for a way out of this situation.

"Well, can you blame me?" He smiled at me, but it sent chills through my body. "I haven't seen my baby girl in a whole year!"

"You didn't want to see me." I say, throwing the covers off of myself and sitting up further in bed.

"Now, why would you say that?"

"Because that's what you told me." I stood up completely this time, as he tried to come closer once again.

"When?" He looked surprised.

"Right before you kicked me out."

"I would never say that, Normani!" I felt myself start to shake with fear as he reached forward again to wrap his arms around me.

"No!" I jumped out of his range and right into Siope, who caught me. "Get away from me!" I shouted to my dad as the tears started to stream down my face.

"Normani-"

"Stop it! Go home!"

"I just wanted to talk to you-"

"You said you wanted to kill me!" I yelled. Dinah gasped and took a step back to where her boyfriend still had me in his arms.

"Baby, you know I didn't mean that."

"Yes you did! You-you said that if I didn't have all of my stuff out of your house in a week, you would find me and kill me." I cried. "You said that even if you found me a year later, you would still kill me because I was a disgrace."

"Oh my God..." Siope muttered under his breath.

"Did you ever find a girlfriend?"

I froze. "What?"

"Did you ever find a girlfriend?" my dad repeated.

"I mean...no...not really...why?"

He shrugged. "I just wanted to know."

Siope loosened his grip on me and I stepped out of his arms. "I could've had one..."

"What happened?"

"She was dating someone else...another girl...and then..." my voice cracked as I spoke. "She died yesterday..."

"Oh...that's awful." He looked down at the ground when he spoke, but somehow, I knew that he meant what he said.

"I know." I answered dismissively.

"Do you guys have school today?" I nodded. "What time does it start?"

"Eight," Dinah answered.

"Do you guys really wanna go today?"

I shook my head. "But we're not going anywhere with you."

He looked genuinely hurt by my comment. "Okay..." he sighed. "Can you at least give me a hug?" He arms were open wide and I walked very slowly into them. He held me tightly but gently at the same time, and I almost immediately started sobbing at the familiar touch.

"I'm sorry dad," I whispered. "I'm sorry I let you down."

"S'okay baby girl. You didn't let me down...I love you..."