441 words
The conversation I had with Lilith yesterday plays back in my mind. "Just remind yourself that you must never, ever, show mercy on the job. Always carry out your employer's wishes."
Of course. She must have seen my name listed as Dad's family on a form. I didn't know what to do, and the pair was inching closer to the end of the line where I was.
"I'm telling you, Jonas. I feel terrible about abandoning my kids. I've been trying to track them down for most of this year." Dad said to his friend. They're finally right in front of me. I don't know what to do. Avery, the blond girl, passes me two watermelon slushies. Maybe Dad is a changed person. He's been trying to look for us, and he ordered one of the three non alcoholic options on the menu. I need to be sure he's my dad.
"May I see your ID, sir?" I ask him. Right after the words spill out of my mouth, I regret saying them. Why does he even need his ID checked here? Without hesitation, he pulls it out of his back pocket. Sure enough, it read Jayden Eli Caraway.
"You're looking very nice today-" He reads my name tag. "Ember." His eyes widen, and I can tell he has just realized the same thing. "Is your last name Caraway by any chance?" He asks me.
"Yes." I obviously can't spike his drink now, everyone will see me. "Listen, I'm so sorry about what happened in the last two years. I've served my time, and I want to be with my kids again." He sounds truly apologetic.
"Well, Beck can barely walk, we're living in the cheapest apartment complex in town, and we both lost the chance to go to college." I snarled. The vial of poison slips out of my hand, hitting the countertop with a ting. Dad's eyes travel from his drink to the vial, and then to me.
"You were going to?" He doesn't seem to care very much. "I was paid." I hung my head. The others have forgotten we're there, they keep serving drinks like they're supposed to. "Listen, Dad. You screwed up. Big time. But you're still my dad, and I can't hang on to this any longer." I mumbled. "Did you reveal those plans to the competitor?" Dad looks alarmed. "No, I never worked for Augustine. She must have pulled out the wrong file."
"Dad, I always said I'd never forgive you for what you did." I took a deep breath. "But you're a better person now. I guess we can just live and learn."
A/N: if you're here, I applaud you for reading this trainwreck.
