Dolls

Chapter 10: Staying Away

     Father's words stuck in my mind like a sore thumb. I still didn't understand why I couldn't go to a simple dance. It seemed awfully harsh to refuse my request, but I wouldn't dare argue with Father. I couldn't bear to see him explode like that. Maybe it would be better if I stayed away from Sam and Bailey and the rest of them. If I did what he told me to then maybe he's calm down enough to change his mind and let me go, although that idea was pretty farfetched. Father seemed set in stone when it came to school. When we got home from school Father had gone straight down to the basement and locked himself inside. He never locked himself in unless he was extremely annoyed or frustrated with something. It seemed that something had turned out to be me.

     I sat in bed that afternoon, contemplating what had happened in the car. I had never seen him that mad. I probably shouldn't have asked for so much at once, it probably overloaded his system a bit. I sighed and flopped back on my bed, trying to decide whether I should even go to school tomorow after what had happened between Father and I.

     Maybe Father is right, I thought to myself as I turned, propping myself up on my elbow so that I could gaze out my window, I mean, what if all those things really happen? What if they are using me because I'm so naive?

     Suddenly dropping my face into my bed quilt, I groaned. I was so torn! Maybe it would just be best to listen to Father for a few days. Tomorrow, I'd stay home and then next week when I went back I'd try to avoid Sam and the others. Hopefully that would make him happy. Then again, I did have to tell Sam that I couldn't go to homecoming with him. I couldn't even imagine how he would take that. Maybe it would just be easier for Father to yank me out of school without any notice. No one would try and talk to me and no one would get hurt; I'd just disappear. I rolled over, my gaze turned toward the ceiling as I thought about asking Father to pull me out, but...that wouldn't work, would it? Sam knew where I lived so if he wanted to know why I had suddenly vanished he would probably just show up on my doorstep, and that would be even more of a problem. I just needed to confront him.

     I sighed softly and sat up on the bed, finding my plan satisfying. As long as I explained things then everything would be fine. I spent the rest of the day in my room, only coming out to make dinner and eat it silently by myself at the table. Father took his dinner downstairs with him and kept the door shut and locked. He was still frustrated with me; I could tell. It wasn't like I meant to irritate him, but looking back on it, I should have known he would react that way. He wasn't fond of Sam in the first place.

     The next morning, when Father came to wake me up for school, I told him I wasn't going and closed the door before crawling back in bed. Father didn't seem to have any argument against it and left me alone. To tell the truth a heavy feeling of guilt settled over me the moment after I made the decision that morning. Sam instantly came to my head. I could only guess how happy he was at the moment, believing that I was still going to go with him. What a silly little thing to believe, now wasn't it?

     It was around three in the afternoon when I finally came out of my room, driven by hunger. I didn't have to eat as much as a regular person, being Created and all, but I did have to eat sometime. Stepping out into the rest of the house I noted that it was eerily quiet. Father wasn't grumbling from the basement or sitting in the living room watching TV -which he never let me watch either- while he ate a sandwich. I stood up on my tiptoes, glancing out the small window above the kitchen sink. Sure enough his car had disappeared from the driveway. I guessed I was so deep in my sulking that I hadn't even realized he had told me he was going out; that or he just didn't tell me.

     I began to search the cabinets to see if we had anything that I could make a good meal out of. Father hadn't gone out for groceries lately, so we were running a bit low on edible things. I had come up with half of a bag of chips and enough to make a decent sandwich when a rough knock nearly made me jump out of my skin.

     I couldn't imagine who might want to visit when there wasn't even a car in the driveway. Wouldn't it be inferred that no one was home? Sighing to myself I shuffled over to the front door. I yanked it open and glanced up, surprised to find a strangely familiar figure standing there, although he wasn't one I really wanted to see at the moment.

     I was frozen in place as I gaped up at Sam, who looked fairly teed off. He glanced at me as if he expected me to say something, yet here I was still standing in my tank top and shorts that I had worn to bed and at a complete loss for words.

     "Why didn't you show up at school today?" he finally asked me, although his voice was tinged with concern, not anger like I had expected.

     "I-I was sick. I had a fever," I told him. It was an easy enough lie. Everyone got sick now and then, so it shouldn't be too hard to believe that I had stayed home for that very reason.

     "Oh, really?" he asked me. I tried to take it that he was surprised by that, but something in his voice told me he knew I was lying.

     "What are you even doing here?" I asked him, trying to get the spotlight away from my absence.

     "Please don't try and change the subject, Charlotte," he said softly, glancing out towards the lawn for a moment. It was as if he had to calm down before he could say anything else to me. I couldn't understand what had happened to make him so upset.

     "I'm not trying to change the subject," I continued.

    "Of course you're not. Would you mind explaining to me then why your father had to show up at my front door and threaten me?"

     Once again I couldn't speak. Father had gone to Sam's house personally, and verbally threatened him to stay away. Was he crazy!? He couldn't go around to people's homes and tell them things like that! And to do that behind my back was even worse.

     "I didn't even know he had done that," I replied softly, shocked at the news, "When was he there?"

     Sam shrugged, although the irritation was still clear in his expression, "I don't know, about thirty minutes ago or something. I left for your house as soon as he was out of sight, hoping he hadn't come back here. I was lucky that he went off somewhere else," he explained.

     "Look Sam," I began, watching as he shoved his hands in his pocket, "I'm really sorry about what happened, but I had no clue Father was planning to do anything like that. He did it less than an hour ago, so how would I know?" I said to him.

      Sam sighed softly, glancing down at his shoes as they shifted slightly. "It's okay. You don't have to apologize for something you had nothing to do with," he paused for a moment, "But, Charl, would you mind telling me why your father doesn't like me?"

     "He thinks you're a bad influence on me, but I really just think he doesn't want me to grow up," I said with a soft smile, "Father's a bit strange, but he's normally right about what's good for me. However, I don't really understand his decision on this one."

     "Yeah, I don't quite understand it either," he paused for a moment as if thinking about his next move. "Why do you call him Father as if that's his name?" he asked, curiosity lining his voice.

     "He told me to call him that, so I do. I don't really think much of it," I explained with a soft shrug.

     "So, what about homecoming? Is he letting you go to that?"

     I quickly shook my head, "That was a strong no, too."

     Sam laughed, his voice exasperated, "Do you really have to listen to everything your father tells you? Why can't you just be rebel somtimes, Charl?" It was obvious that he had been strongly looking forward to going with me.

     "I...I can't. I won't do that to him, he's been to good to me for me to go behind his back like that," I answered with a soft sigh.

     "Alright, then how about I be a rebel for you?" He asked.

     There was a hint of an underlying meaning in his words and I gazed up at him, confused. I opened my mouth to question him but his lips were suddenly pressed onto mine. He kissed me gently and eventually my shock melted away and I let him.

     The soft pressure lifted away and Sam stepped back. He gave me a smile before turning away and heading back out to his car, leaving me still standing in the doorway. Had he really just...kissed me?