Extra Credit

Reality Strikes

Over the following 2 and a half months, my father did what he co

uld to keep me safe. I barley left the house unless I was with him and if he had to leave on a MMA trip, he would always leave me with security or take me with him. Although I was enjoying being around my father, I was somewhat missing my old life in Texas. I missed waking up early in the morning, getting all dolled up, and heading into school. I missed reaching goals and having that feeling of success in my heart. Hell…I even missed having Alberto as an enemy. But what I missed the most was my best friends Sami and Ally. I felt like I needed them more than anything right now, and I would do anything to see them again.

"Hey,"

I looked up from the book I was reading at the sound of my father's voice. I was sitting on the balcony upstairs in my bedroom one morning and he was coming to check on me.

"Hey dad, what's up?" I asked.

He shrugged and handed me a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice, "Nothing I was just coming to see how you were."

"Oh I'm alright dad. Just enjoying a good book." I said with a smile.

He smiled, "Glad to see you smile…I haven't seen that in a long time."

"And I haven't seen you this close to me in a while." I said. "It feels nice."

He glanced out at the open sky and then back at me, "Well it's nice to have you around. I'll have to admit going away on my trips tears me apart. I hate leaving you."

I smiled at him warmly and then took a sip of my orange juice. "Dad…tell me more about mom. You barely talk about her."

He dropped his head for a second and then sighed, "Your mom was a wonderful woman Aria. We were sure that we were deeply in love at first sight."

I turned onto my side and watched him as he told the story. I almost felt like a child again back when he used to read me bed time stories.

"As you know…she got pregnant with you very early in her teenage years. After you were born, life was pretty hard. I had to go to school, then watch you while your mom went to work…then give you back go to sleep, get up and do it all over again. I had no freedom and neither did your mom."

"Were grandma and grandpa mad?" I asked.

"That's the whole reason life was hard. Your mom's mother never took an interest in your life since Arica was adopted. Your mom did it all on her own with my help…and Mark's…."

I noticed the twitch in his face when he mentioned Mark's name. I sighed and finally asked the question I'd been dying to know.

"Dad…why did you hate Mark so much?"

"Your mom loved him." He said as he glanced out at the open beach.

I chuckled, "Of course she did they were best friends."

He shook his head, "No Aria, I mean she really loved him…I could tell by how often they were together. They acted like a couple…at one point I questioned whether or not you were my daughter. I got a DNA test to be sure."

I sighed, "Then how in the hell can you call him a murderer?"

He looked at me, "How can't I Aria? It's obvious that he was jealous of our relationship."