New To This

Loyalty

Daya's POV

"Make sure you guys have everything," my mom advises as she parks the car in front of dad's apartment which is really now that I think about it my only home. I couldn't be happier to be over here as the whole weekend has been my mom yelling at me, and calling Ziyah a bunch of names. She's been holding my phone hostage, and it's not that I can't live without my phone, I just wish I could've gave Ziyah a warning before she threw my phone into the top drawer of her nightstand.

We get out of the car and Vince wraps his arm around me as mom and Dani lead the way to the apartment gate.

"She's like her little sidekick," I say glaring at Dani. Just like mom kept her mean scold Dani kept her little smirk, and I almost thought about ruining the probation I've been put on by slapping the smirk off her face, but I'm not mom.

"Don't worry mom is going to be on her ass about something soon," Vince says.

"I don't want that," I mumble. Vince looks at me for a second, but when mom knocks on the door we focus our attention on walking into the apartment.

"Look who is here," my dad says happily. He gets up from his spot on the couch in front of some ESPN segment and smiles at us all. Mom's scold still remains as it always does when she lays eyes on dad. It's hard to remember times when she didn't look at the father of her kids like he was the lowest scum to exist on earth.

Dani wraps her arms around dad with a big smile. "Hi daddy, " she says.

"Hi sweetheart," he says. Dani runs into our room and my dad looks at me as Vince waves at him before plopping on the couch. This leaves me, mom, and dad exchanging awkward glances in the living room before my mom opens her mouth.

"I already told your father what you did," she says scolding me and then looking back at dad. "I'm keeping her phone because I know you're going to just give it back to her like she didn't go see her boyfriend."

Mom doesn't look at me and goes over to the couch where she gives Vince a half hug. Dani runs out of our room and almost knocks mom over with her arms as if she isn't just inches shorter than her. "Bye mommy love you," she says.

"Bye love you too." When mom and Dani separate mom looks at dad and then at me. "Bye," she says and walks out the door.

I stare the floor until I can look my dad in the eyes. He likes Ziyah, and I just screwed that up. Oddly though when I make contact with him and move further into the room he has a smile on his face one that doesn't look like he's about to lecture.

"You're a uhhh boyfriend dropped off your shoes if they were my size they'd be on my feet." My dad gestures behind me and all the angst from the weekend washes away at the sight of shoes with a detailed dandelion on one of the sides. I pick them up and run my hand over the dandelion that looks like he picked it up from the grass and pasted it on my shoe. Widening my smile even more I see the writing around the dandelion that's in the cutest cursive. No mountain high no valley low, which is a lyric from one of my favorite songs.

"Yeah they're nice now come on over here so we can talk," dad says. Reluctantly I drop the shoe and join my dad at the dining table where we sit across from each other and my dad's smile remains, but is more chill.

"I'm sorry," I blurt out.

My dad slits his eyes. "Are you sorry you did it or sorry you got caught?"

I tap my fingers against the dining table as I digest his question. There's no sense in lying. "I'm sorry I got caught and betrayed your trust." I'm not sorry I went over there.

Vince begins hollering as a burger commercial comes on. "Oh give her a break I snuck out plenty of times to see Vicki the only difference was Daya held it down and wasn't a snitch." Vince shakes his head. "Gotta teach Dani some loyalty man." Vince begins bobbing his head and tapping his hand on his knee. "Loyalty, loyalty, loyalty,tell me who you loyal to? Is it money? Is it fame? Is it weed? Is it drink? Tell me who your loyal to?" he raps while touching his afro pick. I'll give it to him, I didn't think he would remember the words after loyalty, loyalty, loyalty.