Rebel

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In the mirror, Matthews gaze slightly shifted to the direction of his daughter.For the first time, Annabelle thought her father had actually bothered to look at her since she entered his bedroom. " Yes I do. I heard every word you said."

                       "Listening is way more different than hearing"

                                "That may be true, Annabelle, but we've talked about this. I am your father and I know what is  best for you."

                                 "What's best  for me! What's best for me in your view is to be, act, say, think, want, and exactly become *what* you decided for me to be!"

                     She heard the rise of her own voice but couldn't control it. "I am tired of being your test subject. I'm tired of having each second of my life orchestrated,organized and choreographed to meet your expectation. I want to live my own life, not yours!"

   Matthew's face changed to an expression of mild and interest. "Given at your age, your attitude is not surprising, but you have picked a very wrong time to be defiant and argumentative."

   "Oh sorry, it wasn't on my schedule" said Annabelle sarcastically.

       "Sarcasm, is also typical and unbecoming"

           "I don't care. I just want a father who listens, who gives a damn about how I feel"

   "That kind of language only shows lack of maturity and intellect"

      Enraged, Annabelle threw her hands up and screamed "Damn! damn! damn!"

                      "And repetition doesn't help either. Now would you please take my garment bag downstairs, my car is almost here"

                  Still full of anger, Annabelle, for the first time, looked straight to her father's eyes, and yelled "NO!" and went to her bedroom and slammed the door shut. She threw herself on the bed and stared at the ceiling with tear blurred eyes, waiting for her father to come asking for an apology, but he never did.  Patience was Matthew's greatest weapon.       

***

It was Annabelle's first night of freedom. She still couldn't believe her father just left like that. She went to her bathroom, took a pair of scissors, and gazed at the mirror, then looked at her hair.

    "My hair, my choice"

Then she cut her hair to a short spiky form which brought out all the edges of her face, and then colored it to raven black. She looked gooood. Then she went downstairs, opened the fridge, and heated one of the pre-labeled foods and that was dinner.

      The next morning, Annabelle went out of the house, to at least feel that cool morning breeze. She went inside later, and figured she could do whatever she wanted because she was free for the next :SIX MONTHS:.  She went out to THE MALL. She had never been to any sort of informal place before and she had never been on a shopping spree. It was her first time there so she couldn't decide which store to go to. She was lost and just as she was about to give up, she came across a high school acquaintance or rather classmate, Julie.

 Annabelle and Julie never did talk much in school, or you could say Annabelle never talked to anyone in school...

     She went up to Julie to say ' hi '. But then Julie was crying for some reason,

"Hi Julie..."

 Wiping her tears "Hello, do I know you? Wait a sec... Annabelle Cosgrove?"

"Yes"

"Whoa! Your...Your hair... What did you do to your hair?"

"It's bad right?" Annabelle said ,feeling sad and scared.

"It's... It's AWESOME!!"

  "Really? You think so?" Annabelle said smiling.

"Of course! Ann, you've got style"

   Ann... She was Ann... no more Annabelle...