Who Are You Now?

Who Are You Now? Chaper 10

                I felt something start to make its way up my throat. Before I could respond to the stranger I had to sprint to the bathroom, slam the door closed, and lean over the toilet. It was the most awkward meeting I could have ever anticipated. I knew my dad had a girlfriend; I had seen a picture of her on the piano.  

                A red liquid poured into the toilet. Blood. Of course I would be throwing up blood, because I hadn't seen enough of it yet that day or anything.  

                When my stomach decided it was done torturing me, I flushed the toilet and went over to the sink. I looked into the mirror and saw a line of blood trickle down my chin. I rinsed my face in the sink and swished some water around my mouth to get the metallic taste out.  

                When I walked out of the bathroom I tried bee lining it to the stairs. Unfortunately my dad stepped out in front of me, blocking my way. 

                "We're going to be having dinner with Lisa, okay?" he said slowly, looking into the other room. I remembered that I needed to talk to him about Larry. 

                "I already ate," I said. "But I need to talk to you." 

                He looked at me quickly, probably wondering why I actually wanted to speak to him for once. When he saw my slightly bruised face he pretty much glared at me.  

                "You're right, we need to talk. Upstairs, now," he said. He moved aside so I could go up the stairs first. Lisa came around the corner looking worried. 

                "Everything okay, Honey? Do you need me?" she asked, wiping her hands on a towel. I turned away from her and glared into the carpet. This was between my dad and me. I didn't even know Lisa; how could she think we would need her to talk about this. If she thought I was going to listen to her she was crazy. 

                "No, thanks though, Sweetie," he responded, coming up the stairs after me. I rolled my eyes and mentally gagged from the pet names.  

                I went into my room without any hesitation. I stood in the middle of the floor and turned around to face my dad. He closed the door behind him and sighed, wiping his face with his hands then running them through his hair.  

                "Don't..." he started. He stopped talking and just stared at the wall, shifting on his feet every once and a while. He was trying to think of something to say. I decided it was my turn. 

                "What did you tell Larry about me?" I asked, crossing my arms and looking at him expectantly. He snapped out of his thought process and looked at me curiously. 

                "Why? Did he tell anything to Zane?" he asked, pretty much admitting he told everything he thought he knew about me to Larry.  

                "He said something about me being 'used to' getting beaten up. Why does he think that, Dad? You may have heard some stories from Mom, but those are only bits and pieces of my life! You don't know about me yourself, so I'm going to ask that you not tell anyone else about what you think you know about me. You obviously don't know anything," I said angrily.  

                He looked at my face for a few seconds before responding. His expression told me that he wanted to think more about his answer, but with me being so angry he probably knew he didn't have much time before I got sick of him standing there dumbly.  

                "I just... you're right, Amanda," he looked at the wall again and ran his hand through his hair. "They weren't my stories to tell, and your mother isn't the most reliable source of information."