DARK SEDUCTION

chapter: 26

I woke up to the persistent ringing of my phone. My friends had long since gone home, partly because they hadn’t brought spare clothes, and partly due to the awkwardness with my nanny the night before. Jesus Christ, couldn’t people think? I wasn’t responding because I didn’t want to pick up. Fuming, I stumbled toward my dresser, where I had thrown the phone in frustration before crashing into bed. Silently, I willed the caller to give up, to understand that I didn’t want to pick up.

The ringtone was unbelievable. You wouldn’t believe it, but it was the sound of a high-pitched bell—pure torture under normal circumstances. But in my delicate, sleep-deprived state, it was grating on my nerves, driving me to the brink of smashing the phone against the wall. Finally, the caller seemed to get the message and stopped ringing. Relieved, I flopped back onto my bed, but before I could get comfortable, the phone started ringing again. I snatched it up, drowsily answering, "Hello?"

"Hello, Leila, what the heck have you been up to?"

My heart gave a lurch. The sound of his voice jolted me completely out of my drunken stupor. It might sound impossible, but I sobered up immediately. My tone changed in decibels, shifting from groggy and disoriented to sickly sweet and light—not at all like the drunken voice I had used to say hello just moments earlier. Luckily, he didn’t seem to pick up on it.

"Nothing much, Dad," I replied, trying to keep my voice steady. "I made this really cool new set of friends…"

"Really? Is that why you’re talking back to your nanny now?" His voice dripped with venom and sarcasm.

Honestly, I was completely furious. Because Maya and I had a tiny quarrel, she had to get my father involved, knowing how much I feared him. The beginning of hate and irritation began to spring up in my heart, as that rebellious streak took root more firmly. "Okay, Dad, this is annoying. You just called me after all this time, only to start shouting at me about an issue Maya reported, without even hearing my side of the story. I didn’t do anything wrong. You asked me to stop being a recluse, and I did. I finally made some new friends. You should be happy for me, not trying to ruin it."

"What? Delilah, how did I raise you? Is this what your friends are teaching you?" His voice rose, his anger palpable.

Oh, great. Now he was mad. He never called me by my full name, Delilah, unless he was really upset. Soft-pedaling my attack on my dad in an attempt to lighten his mood proved abortive. He was literally fuming. Honestly, parents are hypocrites, especially mine. Why was he suddenly pretending to care about me? It must be about their perfect reputation again. Eye roll.

"No, Dad, that’s not what they taught me," I said, trying to sound contrite. "It’s just that you and Mom hardly spend any time with me, and I miss you guys. So it seems to be getting on my nerves. And with you snapping at me and my friends hanging around me all the time, it was a bit too much to take all at once. Maya kept yelling all night. I literally had to go to bed without food. The sleepover I had planned with my friends was ruined, and I had to tiptoe around my own house. I’m sorry, Dad. Forgive me if you think I’m being rude, but I’m just not very happy."

There was silence on the other end of the line, and for a moment, I thought maybe I’d gone too far. But I was tired of always tiptoeing around his temper, of always being the dutiful daughter who never complained. It wasn’t fair. I had feelings too, and I deserved to be heard.

"Dad?" I ventured cautiously, unsure of what his response would be.

He sighed heavily, the sound filling the empty space between us. "Leila, I know things haven’t been easy," he said, his voice softer now. "But you have to understand, your mother and I are doing everything we can to provide for you. We want you to have the best life possible."