Preacher's Daughter: A Modern Clato Fanfic

Chapter 3

Clove stood in her bedroom, staring at her reflection in the mirror. The Hadleys were to arrive any minute now, but Clove couldn't bring herself to make her way downstairs. She didn't want to wear a stupid dress and sit and smile and be polite. She didn't want to do any of it anymore. 

Clove sometimes wished she could just get rid of every dress she owned, but her mother would have none of that. Clove wore a dress to mass, a dress to dinner, a dress to parties. She never told anyone, but she honestly hated them. 

Clove frowned as her gaze fell upon her hair. She hated wearing it down, so she always wore it up. With a sigh, she brushed it out for the umpteenth time that evening and put it up in a high ponytail. She smiled lightly and decided she should join her parents before one of them came up to fetch her. 

Clove found her mother in the kitchen, taking a large turkey out of the oven. "Hello Clove," her mother greeted with a warm smile. Clove nodded before saying, "Hi Mom. Do you need any help?" The woman shook her head in reply. "No thank you, dear. But can you go ask your father if he needs anything?" 

"Sure." 

Clove exited the room and walked into the dinning room where her father was setting the table. "Hi, Dad," Clove said. "Do you need anything?" 

Her father looked up and smiled just as he placed the last fork on the table. "No, thank you sweetheart. Although I must say, you look very nice, Clove. Be very careful, though." 

Clove rose her eyebrows. "Careful with what?" she asked, helping him place plates on the place settings. Her father merely shrugged. "I hear this woman has a son your age." 

"So?" Again Clove was confused. Her father had never told her this before, not even when boys were in their house who were a tad but older than she was. Her father trusted her. So why was he so worried now?

"Clove," Mr. Sevina looked at his daughter. "I just don't want to see you get hurt. Okay? This boy has a bad reputation and I don't want to see you get into that kind of stuff." 

"I won't," the teen promised. "Trust me, Daddy. I would never commit such sins." 

***

The doorbell rang, taking Clove away from her thoughts. "Okay," she murmured to herself, taking in a deep breath. "You can do this, you can do this." Clove was definitely nervous, there wasn't a doubt about that. Which was peculiar, seeing as she never worried about such things. Maybe it was because of the rumors. Yes, that was probably it. 

She walked carefully down the stairs and met her parents at the front door. She put on a small smile, mirroring the adults before her and straightened her back. Clove gulped just as her father swung open the door. 

The first person she laid eyes on was a blonde woman with gorgeous hair that fell over her shoulders in curls and a pair of eyes that shone like diamonds. She smiled and said hello. 

"Hello!" Mr. Sevina cheered, throwing his arms around the woman. "Welcome to our home. My name is John, and this is my wife," he gestured toward Mrs. Sevina, "Catherine. This is our daughter, Clove." 

"It's wonderful to meet you," the blonde woman responded, casting a glance in my direction. "Please, call me Cynthia. Oh, and I'd like you to meet my son." 

A tall blonde boy stepped through the doorway. He was extremely handsome, Clove would say. He had a strong build and a well defined jawline. Clove noticed how large he was. She figured he must have worked out a lot, considering the way his posture was. He wasn't beefy, but he wasn't scrawny, that was for sure. Clove was drawn to his eyes. She couldn't help but stare at them. His mother's were beautiful, no doubt. But there was something about the boy's that seemed to put Clove in a trance. 

"This is Cato," Cynthia introduced him. "My only child." 

John stuck his hand out to shake Cato's, and the teen did so hesitantly. "I can lead you to the dinning room," Catherine said with a warm smile on her lips. "Clove? Can you take Cynthia's purse and put it in the living room?" 

"Yes, mother," Clove nodded, and took the bag from the blonde. It was then Cato turned to look at her. The two locked eyes for a moment, and Clove bit her lip. Cato smirked as she slowly backed away, and Clove could have swore that she saw him wink. 

She rounded the corner and placed the bag on the couch in the living room. She sighed and shook her head. Come on, Clove. Pull it together. You can do this. 

She headed toward the dinning room, anxious to see what the evening would lead to. 

***

It sucks, I know. I apologize. 

It's Saturday, which means Monday I go back to school. *Tear escapes eye.* I obviously do not wish to go back, but it is supposed to be terribly cold on Wednesday, so there is a possibility that they will cancel it for such a day. 

By the way, for those of you who don't know, I am in eight grade and am religious. I make my Confirmation soon and have to pick a saint's name. Does anyone have any good ideas? Drop a comment down below if you do. 

Preferably one that sounds nice with my name: Caitlin (First Name) Michelle (Middle Name). 

Thanks!