Collided

Chapter 24 | Getting Back On Track

The Next Day

    I Woke Up Because Zero Was Kissing My Shoulder Up And Down. He Looked At Me, And I Squinted My Eyes At Him.

    "What?" I Asked, Annoyed.

    "We're Going On A Field Trip." Zero Stated As He Stood Up Properly.

I Scrunched Up My Face.

     "Field Trip? What Are We, Like Five?" I Hissed.

     "Come On. It'll Be---Interesting."

I Let Out A Sigh.

      "Fine." I Gave In.

***

    After I Finished Getting Ready, We Hopped Into Zero's Audi. We Didn't Drive Too Far But I Noticed That The Neighborhoods Were Getting Familiar. I Faced Zero.

"We're We Going?" I Asked, Curiously.

"To Your House."

"What? Why Are We Going There?" I Exploded.

"So You Can Be Happy With Your Father, And Be Back On Speaking Terms. I Don't Want You To Not Be Able To Communicate With Your Family."

"Zero---"

"End Of Discussion." He Interrupted.

I Folded My Arms And Looked Out The Window. I Let Out A Aggravated Sigh, And Tightened My Jaw. I Can't Believe He's Doing This. This Is Not His Problem, I Don't Want Him Budding In.

Zero Parked His Car Into The Driveway, And Stepped Out. He Opened The Door For Me, And I Got Out As Well. Zero Held My Hand And Led Me To The Door. He Rang The Doorbell And Awaited A Answer.

My Dad Opened The Door And His Face Fell. I Gripped Zero's Hand.

"Hi Mr. King, I Haven't Fully Introduced Myself. I'm Dominick."

I Looked At Zero, And He Smiled Back At Me. My Dad Didn't Say Anything, He Kept Staring. It Was Getting A Bit Awkward. My Dad Walked Away And Me And Zero Stepped In.

    "Mom?" I Called Out.

Lucas Walked Out Of His Room, And Engulfed Me Into His Hug. Once He Pulled Back He Gripped My Shoulders.

"How've You Been?" He Asked.

"Better. Have You Seen Mom?"

"She's At Work. I Can Leave A Message For Her---"

"No, It's Fine. I'm Actually Here For Something Else." I Explained As I Looked At Zero.

   I Heard Footsteps Behind Me, And I Turned Around To See Dad. He Folded His Arms, And Looked Directly At Me.

     "What It Is?" He Asked, Sternly.

     "Um..." Zero Nudged Me, And Lifted His Eyebrow. "Can I Talk To You In Private Please?"

Dad Turned Around And Walked Towards His Room. Okay, I Guess That's A Yes. I Followed Behind Him, And I Shut The Door Behind Me.

"Are You Pregnant?" He Asked.

I Scrunched Up My Face.

"What? No. I'm Not. I Actually Want To Apologize To You--Which I Shouldn't--But I'm Doing It Anyway."

Now It Was My Dad's Turn To Scrunch Up His Face.

     "You Should've Apologized A Long Time Ago. I Don't Know Why You Want To Come Out Of The Blue And---"

      "Just Shut Up, And Listen." I Hissed. "I Am Sick And Tired Of Being Your Pin Cushion When I Am Your Daughter And All I Did All My Life Was Respect Your Wishes. Not Mine. But The One Time I Want Pursue My Dreams Everything Crumbles Apart. You Should Be Happy For Me."

   My Dad Got Closer To Me, And Clenched His Jaw.

     "You're Not Going To Talk To Me Like That---"

      "Like What? Like You're A Piece Of Shit That Doesn't Allow Their Children To Be Happy Because Of Your Depression? Or How About A Insecure Husband That Is Afraid Everyone Will Leave Him? Do You Want Me To Go On?" I Retorted.

   My Dad Slapped Me Across My Face. I Held My Cheek, And Looked At Him With Tears In My Eyes. I Took A Deep Breath.

     "I May Be All Of Those Things, But I'm Trying To Raise You All Right. I Don't Want You To Make The Same Mistakes I Did. I Want You To Be Better." Dad Said.

    "You're Holding Us Too Tight. If Lauren Wants To Be Who She Is, She Is Going To Find A Way To Get There Either Way It Goes. Lucas Is Perfectly Fine---"

     "He's Gay."

   I Shut My Mouth. I Turned Around And Held Myself. Damn, We're A Weird Bunch. I Turned Around And Faced Him.

"So What? We're Not Perfect. But We Are A Family, And We Shall Love Each Other If Our Lives Depended On It."

The Bedroom Door Opened And Mom Stepped Through. She Sat Her Purse Down On The Dresser, And Looked At Us.

"What's Going On?" She Asked.

   "We're Just Talking. Father To Daughter On Why He's So Bitter." I Answered.

   "Alright Enough. Here's The Deal, I'll Try To Be More Of A Father To You If You Just Come By And Visit Time To Time. I Just Don't Want To Wake Up One Day And All Of You Are Gone." Dad Stated. "It'll Be A Task But I'll Try."

I Chewed On My Bottom Lip To Weigh My Thoughts.

"Deal. I Also Want To Introduce You To My Boyfriend Dominick." I Said With A Smile.

***

I Texted Lauren The Good News As I Entered Into Zero's Car. Zero Faced Me And Kissed Me. He Parted His Lips From Mine And Accelerated Down The Street.

"What Was That For?" I Asked Through A Chuckle.

  "Because You Did Great. I Don't Know What You Said To Him But He Came Out Of That Room A New Man." Zero Said As He Turned A Corner.

"It Was Like Pulling Teeth But I Managed." I Commented. I Grabbed Zero's Hand And Laid My Head Back Against The Seat. I Began To Sort My Thoughts. "Do You Want Kids?"

Zero Glanced At Me For A Second And Focused His Attention Back On The Road. He Tapped His Fingertips Onto The Steering Wheel.

"I Mean, They're A Hustle To Maintain. They're Also Expensive---"

"We Can Afford It." I Commented. "Just Answer The Question."

"Yeah. I Do. Why?"

   I Removed My Hand From His And Twiddled My Thumbs. I Shrugged My Shoulders.

      "I Always Wanted Kids. I Wanted To Show Them How To Really Love Someone, And Let Them Know They'll Always Have Someone To Hold Onto When They're In A Tough Spot." I Answered.

Zero Smiled.

    "I'm Guessing You Have A Whole Life Plan Set Up For Us, Huh?" He Asked. I Mumbled A Maybe. "Tell Me About It."

    I Looked At Him. He Looked At Me. I Opened My Mouth And Let Out Our Hopes And Dreams.