PROLOGUE

Ashley’s POV

“Don’t worry, you are going to like the place, it is quiet and also safe, uhh--, so I’m told, and again you are going to make new friends, start anew, there is nothing bad in that, hon” my Dad tells me, glancing at me from the rear mirror.

 I don’t know, but I maybe to check my reaction, even though he knows he can’t get any from me.

“but they are not my fucking friends, they are fucking different, the place is fucking different dad, entirely different, different environment, different school, different neighbor or neighbours, who knows whether one them is a creep or a pervert or some stalker” I tell him, waving my hand frantically to get my point across to him and looking at him through the rear mirror.

“oh God, don’t give me that crap” he tells me, waving his hand in a dismissing way, “you don’t even consider those from your old school as friends, don’t give me that shit” he adds.

“but I am still familiar with them, I know them at the least, what ‘bout a creep being our neighbor, or a pervert looking at me through the window when I’m naked or changing clothes” I tell him, knowing the conversation is not going anywhere and he is not going to fucking change his mind.

“What do you take me for, a fool or some idiotic father who does not know the meaning of safety, of course I made sure it is safe, didn’t you hear when I said it’s a safe area” he tells me, getting more and more annoyed with me.

“Yeah you said that” I tell him, looking out the window again

“You can make new friends, write a new slate and make sure no one finds out about what happened at your last school” he tells me

“Uhn-hn” I mutter, looking outside the window still.

“And again, in everything that you do, keep in mind what you mom would have expected from you if she was here”

“And here we go again” I mutter, knowing my dad, he is going to go on and on about how great my mom was before she died.

Knowing he was going to continue to rant and he is not stopping anytime soon, I put on my headphones and zone out, thinking about what really happened that has made me move school, which is not really my fault.

I know that sometimes my dad can be too much, but I know it is because he wants to do his best in keeping me safe. Like when he made me take self-defense classes that I attended until we left our former place.

I am sure he is going to try and get another place to have my trainings and self-defense class. He is a great father, but he can go a little bit overboard, and not just once in a while, it is almost like every time.

I know he knows that I know what happened in my last school was not my fault, but he is trying to protect me. I also know that that might not be the only reason we are moving, there might be something that prompted him to make the sudden decision.

“Ash” I hear my dad yell my name

“yes, why are you yelling my name like that” I tell him, yelling at him also, the way he called my name startled me, and he knows I don’t like my name being yelled.

“Did you hear what I fucking told you last, ehn” he asks me

“ehm--is it about mom?” I ask him, squirming because of the look he is giving me, the type of look you know you have fucked up.

“yeah, because that relates to how you should behave, that was like thirty minutes ago” he tells me, still giving me the look.

Did I mention that my Dad talks a lot, Oh My God, he is like a machine gun when he starts, he doesn’t stop easily, with this journey I know the best thing to do is to zone out whenever he wants to start or listen to songs from my phone.

“I was talking about your mom and what she would expect of you though” he tells me, smirking at me like he caught me, and that he did.

And did I also mention that sometimes he can be childish, extremely childish

“why can’t you just join in my conversation, and not your ‘uhn-hn’, ‘hmm’ addition, I mean real statement, ‘cause that’s what you’ve been doing” he tells me

“okay, I get that, how many hours until we get there?” I ask him, feeling my legs cramping.

“We will soon take a break, I want to refill the gas before we continue, and from the map, seems like we will get to one soon”

“okay”

“Is there anything you want to eat, there is a restaurant on the way” he asks me, turning his gaze to me and the road simultaneously, which almost made us go off lane to hit another car.

“DAD!!” I yell out seeing how close we were to having an accident

“I’m not hungry, let’s just keep going” I tell him, still shaken up with what happened.

“I’m sorry hon” he tells me, now focusing on his driving.

“Is it not part of driving rules that you should focus your attention on the road” I mutter, looking outside the window because of how annoyed I am with him.

“I have already apologized, I’m sorry, I will make it up to you” he tells me, turning his gaze to me again.

“Dad! you’re doing it again” I tell him

“Just focus on driving please, and I will think about what I want later, so you owe me one” I tell him, turning my attention back to the movement outside the window.

“I know, just don’t ignore me, we are only two in this car, unless you want me to play the radio loudly” he tells me, threatening me because he knows how much I hate the music from the radio.

“Okay” I reply, knowing he hates feeling alone, especially with only two of us without mom.