Facing Love

Chapter 16

The drive home was nerve wracking. I had almost forgotten what happened with my father, but there was no way I could avoid him forever. I knew he would still be at work, unless the hangover took over. What I should have done was call him to make sure he was okay, but instead I pulled over and tried looking for Derek's necklace. 

Let's get this straight. I am a teenage girl who basically has her life in her car. Looking for the necklace wasn't going to be easy. I scrimmaged all over the floor and to my surprise, I spotted it right by where I found his wallet. How did he not see it?

I shot Derek a text letting him know that his necklace was safe and sound. I fix myself up and finally head home. My dad's car wasn't in the drive way, so he must have actually went to work or to the doctor's. I open the door to a huge mess. There were bottles and shattered glass all over the floor. I wasn't phased by the possibilities of what had happened. Instead, I just cleaned the mess and headed to my room. 

My phone started ringing and it was Kayla. Shoot. That date was still happening. "Hey Kayla."

"Hey, you still down for tonight?" Before I could even answer, "We're heading out at 7."

"Yeah, I'll have Victor come get me before then, what's the plan?"

"We're most likely just going to go bowling, is that cool?" I felt my phone vibrate in my ear and I looked down to see a text from Derek. 

"Sounds good, I'll text you when we're on our way. I gotta go, bye." Instead of texting Derek back, I settled on calling him.

The phone rang for less than a second before he picked up. "You found my necklace?" 

"Hello to you too? But yes, I found your necklace. Maybe if you didn't run off so quickly, you would have found it." I could sense him shift uncomfortably. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No, I'm sorry. It just kind of sucks when you hear the girl you like say she's going on a date with another guy." It makes sense. Honestly, I should have been more considerate about his feelings. I put myself in his shoes and realized that if the roles were reversed, some part of me would be upset.

"You have nothing to apologize for. I'm sorry. I just figured since Victor knew Hayden, the whole date would be less awkward. It really isn't much of a date, we're just going bowling." 

"Yeah, that's a date." I struggled to find words. He's right. "Honestly, it's no big deal, you can hang out with whoever you want. It's not like we're together." This conversation was beginning to get awkward. How do I end it? "You mind if I come over and pick my necklace up? I just have to stop by my job and get a few papers signed first."

Just as I was about to answer Derek, I hear the front door open. This was the confrontation I was hoping to avoid, but I had to make sure he was okay. "Derek, my dad just got home. I kind of want to talk to him."

"Oh shit. Yeah, I understand. Good luck and let me know how it goes." With that, I put my phone down and headed down the stairs. I spot my dad fixing himself a plate a left overs. He seems okay, until I glance at his hand and see it wrapped up. He still hasn't realized I was there, and for a second I wanted to make a run for it. The last time this happened, he couldn't forgive himself. I didn't want to make him hate himself this time.

"Dad?" He jumped and dropped his fork.

"Jesus James, you scared me." I see him struggling to pick up the fork with his wrapped up hand and I walk over to help him. He avoided any eye contact with me. "I- I can't begin to say how I sorry I am. James you shouldn't have seen me like that."

"I want to say that it's okay, but I can't. You know you have a problem and you know how it affects me. You're lucky I'm old enough to defend myself. But what if I couldn't? That was stupid and foolish."

"I know that Jamie." Tears started to fall down his cheeks. "Don't you think I know that? I'm so sorry. I know you won't forgive me, but I love you and I will never hurt you again."

"I love you too daddy. What happened to your hand?" I grabbed his hand to see the intensity of his injury. 

"A glass shattered in my hand." I looked up at him in disappointment. "Okay, I smashed it after you left." He took his hand away and grabbed his plate of food. "Can you please join me for dinner?"

"Of course." I had time to kill. I prepared myself a plate of left overs and shot Victor a text letting him know the plan. My dad was sat on the couch when I looked over at him and started to get worried. How could I trust him to be alone right now? I second-guessed going out, but it was a Friday night. I couldn't keep letting the fear of my dad going off the rails again stop me from living my own life. I sat down and ate my food while I waited for Victor to arrive.