Rock Bottom

Chapter Three: I Should be Working the Street Corner

"Kayla, I swear if you don't find a way to convince your dad I am-"

"I'm trying!" I shout out in frustration. Olivia stares at me with wide eyes obviously taken back by my sudden outburst. I take a slow deep breath before I continue. "I know you really want me to go with you. You know my dad hates parties. The fact that I scared him to death the other day is just the cherry on top of this sundae of disaster. I'm going to try my best to change his mind, but it's not looking good," I tell her calmly.

I know what you're thinking.

I hate parties.

Especially popular hockey boy parties. I just felt bad for leaving Olivia the other day at McDonald's without tell her so I want to make it up to her. This was apparently the only thing that would make her forgive me. She claims she had been 'worried sick'.

"Okay, I get it. You better actually try to convince him though. Just remember I know where you live. I'll ask him myself if you were on your knees begging to go to the most amazing party in history," she smiles wickedly.

"Why don't you just ask him yourself since you are on such good terms?"

"Never going to happen," she parks her car outside of my house. "I want to stay on your dad's good side."

"Great," I sigh while sliding out of the passenger seat. Olivia offers me two thumbs up as her final encouragement before I slip into my house.

"Kayla? Is that you?" My dad calls from the kitchen. I take off my black Nike shoes which were a lucky find from the local thrift shop.

"Yeah, how was your day at the bistro?" I ask him while leaning against the counter.

"It was pretty busy. We've been getting a lot of new customers lately. Keira and Troy have been doing a lot better. Not as good as you of course," he winks at me. "I decided to come home early and let them take the reins for once."

"When you first hired Keira it was like she never made a sandwich before. Troy didn't even know the difference between Cheddar and Swiss," my dad chuckles. A couple months ago when business really started booming my dad decided to hire some extra helpers. I was forced to train the two of them. Let me tell you, those two teens were a piece of work. It was almost comical how horrible they were at slicing tomatoes. I told my dad he should fire them since they were so helpless. My patience were running out. He wanted to give them a chance. I was eventually proved wrong. Keira and Troy are now the best employees anyone could ask for.

Besides me of course.

"I'm making pasta for supper. Want to pick the noodles?" Dad questions. He senses my hesitation causing him to look up at me.

"Actually I was hoping I wouldn't be home for supper," I chew my lip nervously. Dad squeezes the water out of the dishcloth he had been using to wash the dishes.

"Is this about that party again?" He narrows his eyes at me. "I thought I already told you no."

"Please dad, Olivia is depending on me," my dad is all about helping others. It's my weak attempt to try to change his mind. "She can't go if I don't. I can't let her down like that."

"No Kayla," he says sternly. I know what's about to happen is not going to be good. I never raise my voice at my dad or disrespect him in any way. However, right now I can feel my blood beginning to boil through my veins. I rarely ever ask to go out anywhere. He can't even cut me some slack this one time.

"It's like I'm not allowed to have a life just because Mom's life is over. I forget to call you and it's the end of the world. You never let me go anywhere because you're so scared you're going to lose me all the time. I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself," the words spit from my mouth like venom.