The Mute Girl's Tutor

Surprise Surprise

▪Anneliese's P.o.v▪

"What?" I groaned into the phone after the fourth call in a row paused my music. She told me not to come home. What could she possibly want that was so important that she had to call twenty times and not leave a voicemail?

"Anneliese! You better get your ass home right now!" The high screechy voice of Sarah rang through my headphones. It sounds like she's frantic and in near tears which wasn't specifically a new thing so I wasn't exactly worried. Her hookup probably hit her. Or just didn't show up, not that I blame the guy.

"M'kay." I mumbled and hung up. I gave a lasting look to my mother's grave and touched a finger to the beautiful face carved into it. "Bye mom, I love you."

Wishing she could reply I heaved a sigh. Starting the ten minute walk home I walked with little haste knowing I'd get a beating later but not really caring at this moment in time. I keep reminding myself 'She told me not to come home' so there should be absolutely no reason for me to come back unless she was on the floor dying, in which case I don't think she would have the strength to pester me.

"Honey I'm home." I grumbled fakely entering my household.

"Anneliese? Darling is that you? Come here please." The high voice of Sarah came from the living room and I stopped short.

Darling? Since when had we resorted to darling?

I walk toward the living room and kick off my shoes careless knowing I'll pick them up when I inevitably run upstairs. Turning the left toward our ugly furniture I see Sarah sanding in her even uglier mink robe and sandals.

"Ana I'm so glad you could join us. Aren't you, Daniel?" She smiles with a bit too much teeth and steps aside to present my father. Tailored suit and most definitely Salvatore Ferragamo shoes where presented to me sitting up straight in the form of a 5'8 man who had the same rusty brown colored hair as me and the same button nose.

"Dad." I said and smiled the first real smile I've had since I departed with Aaron. I try not to think about that as I launch myself at my now standing father.

"Ana." He half sighs and pulls me close to him, awkwardly patting my back. I'm not an overly affectionate person, got that from my dad, but the part of me that still belongs to my mother appreciates the soft pats he did to try to sustain my sudden need for sentiment.

"Darling why don't we give your father some time to breathe. He's going through a lot right now." Sarah says and I immediately back off to inspect my father. He didn't look ill and if I didn't see the fire in his eyes I would have at least tried to ask.

"Because of you." He lowly growls in a voice my insolent mind couldn't register. I hadn't heard that voice in years. Since mom. When the doctor told him my mother couldn't be helped. She was too far gone. To bruised. To hurt.

Sarah placed a hand to her heart and sat down as if wounded by my fathers words. Hell, I was. Sitting on the opposite couch I look up at my father as if to get him to explain the slightly rushing of his chest and the lock in his left cheek.

"Sarah's been cheating on me." He says his glare remaining on the now frail looking woman on my ottoman. "Sleeping around like a little race skank! Whoring herself out to the highest bidder I presume." He raised a brow.

"Daniel!" She yelps in shock grasping at her chest, sparing me an evil look and let's tears slip down her face. Sure, it's my fault my father found out about your completely unsubtle affairs with guys half your age.

"She's seventeen, not seven, she can handle it. My daughter isn't an idiot." He said looking at me as well. Even through my horrible grades and muteness, no matter how much we mutually shut each other out he still believed in me. As much as I believed in him. "You need to go."