In The Spotlight - Solangelo

Chapter Twenty Six

After dinner, we ran through the script a couple more times, before I decided it was best to go home. Will offered for me to sleep over, but I figured my Dad would probably want me home. Especially since he didn't even know I was with Will.

By the time I left Will's house, it was already dark. His Dad gave me a lift home, since he didn't want me walking around at night. I arrived home at 10:30, which was much, much later than I usually arrived, so I was expecting Dad to be a little mad. However, I was sure he would be fine once I told him what I was doing. Although, I wasn't planning on telling him about the... thing between me and Will. He didn't need to know the exact details. There was no reason for me to tell him that I had a boyfriend. It was none of his business.

I watched the car drive down the road, then turned around and walked towards my front door. It was already wide open, and a woman was standing in the doorway. She had a single, light blonde braid hanging over her left shoulder, with a rainbow of flowers weaved into it. She was wearing a long, pastel blue dress, just lighter than her sky blue eyes. She must have been a couple years younger than Dad.

"So, I'm assuming you are Nico?" she asked. She had quite a high, gentle voice.

"Yeah...?" I responded, clearly confused.

She held out her hand to shake. "I'm Persephone, your future step-mum."

I staggered back. "St-step-mum?" Had Dad really gone out and got himself another girl? It couldn't have been Hazel's biological mother, because she was dead, and I didn't recognise this woman, so she had to be new. I don't even think she lived in this town. Where did Dad find these people? And why did he think it would be ok to just throw her into my life without any warning, especially after I just found out I had a half-sister? What was wrong with him? "Where's Dad?"

Persephone (there was no way I was about to call her Mum) gasped, like she had just realised something. "He went out to look for you. You arrived late, and wouldn't respond to his texts, so he went to find you. I-I'll have to call him..."

She fumbled around on her phone, and called my Dad to tell him I was home. So he did actually care about my whereabouts? He was worried about me, because I didn't come straight home... I'm such an idiot. I should have called him to say I was at a friends.

Once he was back home, we all sat in the living room together, for once. Apart from Hazel, as she was upstairs sleeping.

"I'm, uh, I'm sorry," I apologised, breaking the silence. "I was just at a friends house. We were working on a project for school. I forgot to call you. I'm... really sorry."

Dad smiled. "Don't worry. I get it. You didn't think I would care enough to worry about where you were."

"N-no, I-" I sighed. "Yeah. I didn't think you would bother."

Dad shook his head. "I do care for you, son. It isn't my fault you never want to speak to me."

"Is that why you went and got yourself another woman?"

"Nicholas!"

"That isn't even my name!" I shouted, completely ignoring the fact that my younger sister was trying to sleep. "God, do you know anything about me? Did you even consider my feelings when this... this woman strolled into your life?"

"Nico, I... I know you are still upset about your Mum, and about Bianca, but you have to realise I am as well. And it's time to... move on. That's way Hazel is here, and why Persephone is going to be my bride. And... maybe if you would just talk to me, we could work things out."

I sunk into my chair, and spoke again, this time much quieter. "Maybe if you didn't shut me out every time I tried to talk about something personal, I would talk to you... Maybe if I wasn't so afraid to talk to you about it..."

"Talk to me about what?" he echoed. "Is it about your mother? About your sister? About school?" I shook my head. "Then, what is it?"

"I'm... I'm gay, Dad."