All Of You

Chapter Five

The bitter wind picked up outside as the branches of the large oak tree that sat outside of her bedroom window tapped against it. Tapping in the rhythm of a beat of somebody knocking on the door. But everything was just a blur to her. Her vision was blurred and her hearing was too. Her mind was clouded with thoughts of what was going to happen next with her family. What she was going to have to do now that her father had passed away. She knew one thing, that she had to be strong for her mother. To be there with her when she was down. When she was feeling at her lowest. When she would wake up in the morning and not hear the sound of her husband's tone-deaf voice coming from the shower. The sound of her husband snoring peacefully behind her, but sometimes not to peacefully as it would be so loud that the bed would shake from underneath them.

Allison took a deep inhale of breath as the thoughts came rushing in at her all at once. The thought of her never seeing her father again, at least not the way that he used to be. Not seeing her father with all of his luscious, thick brown hair, the hair that she had inherited from him. Not seeing the goofy smile that he would produce when she was down. When she was sad. Not making her laugh when she was down and had to be cheered up, as he was the one that she would always go to first when a boy had broken her heart. She never went to her mother because she knew that her mother would reply with 'there are more boys out there who are dying to be with you.' Saying what she thought that Allison wanted to hear. Her dad, on the other hand, told the truth. Told her what she should hear and not sugar coating the situation. And that's why she would always go to him, he would tell it as it was, and she loved that, loved how honest he was with her. Loved how she could tell him anything and not have him judge her. That's how close their bond was. It was closer than any other bond that a father and daughter would usually have, and she knew now that she was never going to get that back. She wasn't able to go to him when a guy broke her heart, or when a guy asked her out on a date for the first time, she wouldn't be able to seek his advice on what she should do. He was her wingman and he would guide her towards the right guy, even if they did turn out to be heartbreakers, he did his best to help his daughter along, and even though she had Mandy – who would also be her wingman and help her with guys – her father was her true wingman and nothing would ever be the same again.

As Allison sat on the bed with her back pressed up against the cold wall, she tilted her head back and closed her eyes. Thinking about the first time that she and her father had their first father daughter conversation about boys. About one boy in particular that had annoyed her. Ethan Owens. They were both teenagers, he was a senior and she was a junior. She remembers the conversation very clearly as they both sat on the sofa in the living room as she would rant and rave over his pathetic and immature behaviour towards her.

Allison slapped her hands down on her ripped denim jeans. "I hate him, dad." She said angrily.

Ken nodded. "I know that you do, but the boy is going through a tough time at the moment. Give him time and he should go back to the way that he used to be."

"That's the problem, dad. I don't remember the person that he used to be. All I remember is him being a complete and total dick towards me for no apparent reason. I just don't get it. Why does he always pick on me all of the time?"

Ken sighed and shrugged one shoulder. "I don't know. When I was younger, and I mean a lot younger, younger than he is now, when I liked a girl, when I found her attractive I would be cruel to her as that was the way that my friends would tell me to do. That being cruel to a girl was the way to grab their attention and show that they liked you. But that was when I was in the 7th grade and I was twelve years old."

"Then what's his excuse? Because I certainly know that it's not because he likes me or finds me attractive because he has straight out told me that." She asked.