Perspective

Staying After Class Isn't Always A Bad Thing

When my mother pulled into the lot of the gas station in the cold night air, I climbed into her car quietly, trying to get warm. I wish I had brought a jacket.

"Charly! What happened to you?" She demanded, looking me over.

"Someone elbowed me in the face by accident," I explained. "It's not as bad as it looks." She touched my eye lightly and I winced.

"Oh honey, do you want to go to the doctors?"

"No, I just need some ice." I told her, avoiding to tell her about the club. "I'm really sorry. I know you're scared about driving and you haven't done it since the accident but I know dad would have been less calm about this because he didn't want me to go and I just didn't know what to do."

"It's okay, sweetheart." She stroked my hair and planted a kiss on the top of my head. "Driving is scary but I've got to get back out on the road sometime, you know?" She started up the car and she reversed and started driving into the road back towards the house. I leaned against the window, watching the world pass by in silence.

When we got back home, I got out of the passengers' seat and mom guided me to the doorway. I protested, telling her I was fine but she wouldn't let up.

She grabbed my hand and told me to sit in the chair in the kitchen and she hurried to the freezer.

"Danielle, I think the racoons have been getting into the trash again." Dad's voice floated over my head and I sighed, knowing he would most likely freak out. He walked into the kitchen from the entrance room. He looked at me sitting in the chair and I gave him a light smile.

"Hi," I said quietly.

"Charly! What the hell happened?" He demanded. He leaned down towards me and turned my face over, examining my eye.

"I got elbowed in the face by accident." I said, tired of explaining it to him.

"What, at an innocent dinner?" He asked doubtfully. "Where did you go? Where did Keith take you?" I bit my lip. I knew I would get my old friends all into trouble if I told my parents about the underground illegal club.

"Just to some dumb party." I said finally.

"Charlene Elizabeth Walker. Tell the truth." He said seriously.

"James, calm down. I just want the swelling to go down." My mother interrupted, pressing a rag filled with ice cubes to my eye.

"Danielle, you cannot be serious. You don't want to know where that kid took our daughter?"

"Of course I do! But this is not an interrogation, she doesn't need this!" She scolded him.

"I'm telling the truth. It was just a stupid party. They wanted Keith to get some beer and I tagged along because I needed an ice pack for my eye." I told them. "The closest thing was the gas station. Then, Keith and I were in the car and he was trying to do things that I didn't want him to. I broke it off with him, we're completely over." My dad's jaw tensed up from anger and I could tell he wasn't happy with me. I stood up.

"I'm really sorry, daddy." I said slowly. "I am so, so sorry. For everything. Daddy," I threw my arms around him tightly and I pressed my head to his chest. He slowly wrapped his arms around me and held me there for at least a minute. He stroked my hair and kissed the top of my head. When I pulled away, I gave him an encouraging smile.

"I'm okay, really I am. I'm just kind of tired, I think I'll go to bed." I told them. Dad nodded.

"Okay, honey. Good night." Mom said softly. I turned to go up the stairs. "Charly," I whirled around, back to my parents. "It's your eighteenth birthday next week. End of November." She told me. I grinned.