Life Of The Party × CH

38

I hadn't heard dad arrive home due to the fact that I was lying in bed listening to music through my earphones. I realized he was home when he knocked on my door and I noticed his figure standing in the doorway.

Taking off my earphones, I sat up, leaning my back against the headrest of the bed.

Dad sat down on the side of my bed and turned his head to look at me. "I spoke to your mother on the phone," he says. "She told me about Cole."

He avoids eye contact as he speaks. This was probably a hard topic for my dad to speak to me about. Cole was his best friend's son, and my dad had always thought of Cole as someone who could do no wrong.

"Why didn't you tell me about what was going on?" he asks, looking up and catching my gaze.

I look down, as if ashamed at what he'd just asked. "I didn't know how," I shrug, embarrassed. "You really seemed to like Cole," I defend myself, "and it wasn't like you were the best person to talk to about something like that.

Dad caught my eye again. "Did you really feel like you couldn't come to me with this?" he asks, looking at me sadly.

I nod. "Well yeah," I say. "You always spoke so highly of him. And his dad is your best friend, so I thought it wasn't the best idea to tell you."

"So you told your mother but not me?" he asks, almost sounding hurt.

I look at him guiltily. "Mom was easier to talk to about this," I tell him.

"It's this because she's a girl?"

"No," I say. "I mean, maybe that does play some role, but mom was also always on my side of things. She even talked bad about Cole sometimes."

"But you got mad at her for it," dad reminds me.

"Yeah, back then," I admit. "But in the end, it proved useful because it was easier to talk badly about Cole to her. I couldn't do that with you because you liked him way too much."

"Devin," dad let out a laugh, "You're my daughter. You're above everyone else for me, remember that. If you'd had told me I would have probably done something about it."

"No, you wouldn't have," I argue.

"I told his father about this, Devin," dad says in a serious tone, catching my gaze.

I'm almost too afraid to ask what had happened after he had. I would have never expected my father to go straight to Richard, I expected him to go to Cole with this, to try and talk to him and maybe sort things out somehow. "And?" I finally bring myself to ask in a scarred tone of voice.

"I wasn't sure of whether you wanted Richard to know about this, but I had to do something," dad defends himself. "And I think telling him was a good decision. He's sending Cole to military school next month."

"What?" I ask, not believing what I'm hearing. Cole hated military school with a passion.

Before getting into the business world, Richard was in the army. This led him to wanting the same future for his son, which is why he'd proposed military school to Cole around the same time we were dating. I remember Cole knocking on my door that very same day and walking inside, ranting to me about how much he didn't want to go and was dreading of talking to his father about it.

In the end, I had convinced him to talk his dad out of sending him to military school. At the time I was happy, finding myself regretting the same exact thing a few years later.

"Yeah," dad nods, pressing his lips together in a thin line and looking away from me. "He's sending him to military school."

"But Cole hates military school," I say, not at all sad about the fact Cole would have to go through that.

"That's why he doesn't have a say in this," dad explains.

"Okay," I say, not sure what was appropriate so say. "Thank you."

Dad looks up at me, smiling at me and taking my hand. "Please tell me next time," he says, tears slowly filling his eyes. "I got so scared when your mother told me. I was so close to driving over to their house right that instant. Instead, I went after the barbeque, which is why I took so long."

"It's fine dad," I say, giving him a small smile.

"I know you were at the party," dad says. "That's why you're saying it's fine."

My eyes widen in shock. How could he have possibly known?

"I know you," he answers my thoughts. "It's okay," he says. "You're officially ungrounded," he tells me.

A smile spreads on my face. "Does that mean I can go celebrate the Fourth of July with friends tomorrow?"

"You can," dad says.

I narrow my eyes, remembering something. "What about Calum?"

Dad sighs, "I realized that if anyone knows what's best for you in your love life right now, it's you, so I trust your decision."

"And?" I ask, fishing for the end of his speech.

"And..." dad continues, "...Calum seems like a nice kid, maybe a little rough around the edges. He hasn't gotten into any trouble ever since your night at the station, so I'm taking your word for him."

"And?" I say, smiling this time as I lean closer to my dad.

Dad lets out a laugh, "And I'm sorry I didn't trust you and did something as stupid as stopping you from seeing him."

"Thanks, dad," I smile, leaning back against the headrest.

"Next time," dad says, "talk to me."

"I will," I say, smiling at him.

He gives me a smile before getting up off my bed. "Now get some sleep," he tells me before kissing my forehead. "The party is probably going to be big tomorrow."

I laugh before lying down in bed with my head against the pillow. I leave my phone to charge on my nightstand as dad walks towards my door.

"Goodnight, Devin," he says from the doorway.

"Night, dad," I give him a smile before shutting my eyes.

The bedroom door closes.