Chapter 20 – Don’t You Dare #2
“Yeah. My kiss...” I coughed into my hand. I’d almost let it slip that I’d had a kiss thief.
“Your what?”
“It was kismet,” I said, hoping that was believable. “He’s had a crush on me for a while. So I asked him to the dance.”
“Does Leo have a last name?”
“Of course. It’s Moore.”
My dad seemed lost in thought again. “And you want to go with him? Instead of Axel?”
“I want to go with someone who likes me back. And that isn’t Axel.”
“I really could talk to him...”
“Dad, I would literally die if you begged Axel to take me to the dance. He doesn’t like me and he never will.
No matter how much I love him.” My own words surprised me.
I’d been trying so hard to let this go. And failing miserably.
Sophie was right. Maybe I’d never stopped loving Axel.
That would explain why my chest hurt so much right now.
“You love him?” My dad shook his head. “You’re too young to be in love, pumpkin.”
He’d said something similar about my feelings toward Jacob.
As if I didn’t know myself. I’d had a lot more honest conversations with my dad ever since Jacob broke up with me.
We’d gotten closer. And it was nice to have someone to talk to about this, even if my dad was weirdly judgy.
“I do love him. It’s pathetic, but I’ve loved Axel since as long as I can remember.
Don’t pretend you didn’t realize. I’ve been completely obvious and embarrassing about the whole thing. ”
“Nothing you do is embarrassing.”
That wasn’t true. I was like some love sick puppy that followed Axel around. I was a total loser. “I can only be rejected so many times before I stop believing in fairytales.”
“But this Leo Moore said yes?”
“Yes.”
“And you...like him?”
“Yeah. I do.” But I’d be lying if I said I liked him as much as I liked Axel.
My dad was quiet when we got home. And I had the oddest feeling that he hadn’t known how much of a loser I was and now he did.
I hurried into my bedroom and tried my best to focus on my homework. But all I could picture was Axel’s look of pity. And then I’d see Jacob staring at me with pity too.
We’d all promised to be friends forever. I never thought I’d be the one to mess everything up.
I closed my laptop and headed into the dining room when it was time for dinner. Everyone was already sitting around the table, passing around food.
“How was your day, sweetie?” my mom asked.
I glanced at my dad. I guess it was nice of him not to tell my mom that I was a loser too. “It was fine.”
“I heard you asked someone to the Sadie Hawkins dance,” Liam said.
“And, um...what did you hear?” I asked. I wondered if Axel had made fun of me in the locker room. The thought made me want to cry.
“That you’re going with Leo,” Liam said.
My dad cleared his throat.
I looked at him.
“About that,” my dad said. “That’s not happening.”
“What?” I asked.
“You’re not going to the dance with Leo Moore.”
I opened my mouth and closed it again. “Yes. I am.”
“No, you’re not.”
“James,” my mom said. “What is this about? If someone asked Scarlett to the dance...”
“She asked him,” Liam said.
Not helping!
“She can’t go with Leo Moore,” my dad said.
Why did he keep using his full name?
“Because Leo Moore is a criminal.”
Oh give me a break. “Dad.”
“What did he do?” my mom asked.
“He was caught shoplifting,” my dad said. “He’s a common criminal. And he’s not getting anywhere near my daughter.”
If he only knew how close I’d already gotten with Leo. “How do you even know that?” I asked.
“I had Porter run a background check.”
“You had Porter... Gah! Dad!”
“I’m sorry, pumpkin. But you’re not going to the dance with a convict.”
“I’d hardly call him a convict,” I said.
“I would.”
“Dad! He went to wilderness camp. He already did his time.”
“So you knew about this?”
“Yes and I don’t see why it matters. He’s not a current criminal.”
“He’s probably a repeat offender. Pumpkin, surely you can ask someone else.”
I felt tears welling in my eyes. “I already did, you know that!”
“What?” my mom asked.
“I asked Jacob and Axel and they both said no.”
“I didn’t know about Jacob,” my dad said. He was staring at me with that stupid pity look everyone always gave me now.
And I was so sick of it. “I know, whatever, I’m pathetic. And I have no one else to ask.” I pushed my chair back, making a horrible squeak on the floor.
“Pumpkin...”
“Don’t pumpkin me! You knew how upset I was after what happened with Axel. I thought we were getting closer. Why would you do this to me?”
“Because Leo Moore is...”
“Stop using his full name!”
“He’s leading a life of crime.”
“No he’s not, Dad. And he’s the only person in the whole school that actually likes me.”
“James,” my mom said. “It’s just a dance. Let her go with Leo Moore.”
“Absolutely not,” my dad said.
“You were fine with me dating Jacob, but he was a complete asshole to me!”
“Language,” my dad said.
“Leo is a good guy, Dad.”
“No, he’s a criminal. And he will get nowhere near my daughter.”
“Well too late for that! I already hooked up with him!”
Liam laughed.
“Excuse me?” my dad said. “Hook up? What does hook up mean these days? Penny?”
My mom shrugged.
“What do you think it means?” I said.
He turned to my brother. “Liam, what does it mean? What is she saying?”
Liam shrugged. “I think it means different things to different people.”
Thank you, Liam.
“That’s kissing, right?” my dad asked. “Are you saying you kissed this Leo Moore boy?”
I just shrugged.
“You won’t go anywhere near him again, do I make myself clear?”
“But you expect me to go to family functions and see Jacob when he broke my heart?” My voice cracked.
“Pumpkin...”
“I thought you were on my side.”
“I am on your side. And I’m going to talk to Axel and get him to take you instead.”
I screamed at the top of my lungs. “Stop ruining my life!”
“Would you rather me get Jacob to take you?”
I screamed again. “I never even want to see Jacob again!”
“Pumpkin, you have to see him, he’s family.”
“God, it’s like you love him more than you love me!”
“You know that’s not true,” my dad said. “And I wish you’d tell me why the two of you broke up. He’s a good boy...”
“Are you serious right now? You know how much Jacob hurt me. He is not a good boy! He’s a terrible boy!”
“No, Leo Moore is a terrible boy.”
I screamed again.
“Can we maybe all just talk this out calmly?” my mom said.
“Mom, make Dad stop ruining my life. Please.”
“I...” She opened her mouth and closed it again. And then she just sighed.
“This is ridiculous. Are you doing a background check on Liam’s old Russian girlfriend?”
“Natalivanka is a princess,” my dad said.
What the F? “Well, great for Liam.”
“And she’s not my girlfriend,” Liam said.
I forced myself not to scream again. “Well, great. My own mother wants me to put up with Axel because love hurts. And my dad wants me to keep hanging out with Jacob because he’s a great boy even though he broke my heart. You’re both traitors.”
“Sweetie,” my mom said.
“I can’t wait until I go to college,” I said.
“Me too,” my dad said. “It’ll be fun being a professor again.” He gave me a hard stare.
“Stop threatening to follow me to college! Liam can do whatever he wants and you treat me like a prisoner!”
My mom sighed again. “Sweetie, we both just want what’s best for you.”
“Then let me go to the dance with Leo. Please.”
“It’s a hard no, Scarlett,” my dad said.
Well, that’s what he thought. I was going to that dance with Leo. And he couldn’t stop me. He wasn’t even chaperoning this one.
“Fine,” I said. “You win. I’ll go by myself and be miserable.”
“Great,” my dad said and started eating.
“Great,” I lied. I forced a smile onto my face and sat back down at the table.
I was used to smiling through family dinners when my dad was being an ass.
That was just my life. I was going to the dance with Leo and my dad could screw himself.
I mean...a background check? On a date to one dance?
My dad was a total psycho. And I was done letting him mess with my life.