All Chapters of My Boyfriend's Dad?: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

LauraI sat on the couch for another hour.Rick's arm was around me. His thumb was moving in circles on my shoulder. The TV was playing something loud. Explosions. Cars. Men yelling.I was not watching.I was looking at the study door.It stayed closed.My phone did not buzz again.I thought about what he said. "we need to stop." "this is for the best." "i am trying to protect you."Maybe he meant it. Maybe he did not. Maybe he was just tired of me. Maybe the blonde woman was not just business. Maybe she was someone he could have without the guilt. Without the sneaking. Without the three month countdown.Someone his age. Someone who did not date his son. Someone who did not make him feel like a monster.I should have felt sad. I did. But there was something else underneath it. Something harder.I was tired.Not the kind of tired where you need sleep. The kind of tired where you are done. Done hoping. Done waiting. Done believing that someone will choose you when it is hard.Rick nudge

DamonI saw her walk down the stairs.I was standing in the doorway of my study. Coffee in my hand. I had not slept. I never slept anymore. I heard footsteps above me. Light. Careful. Like she was trying not to wake anyone.Then she came down.She was wearing the same dress from last night. Black. Short. Her hair was messy. Her makeup was gone. She looked young. So young. I felt sick.She did not see me at first. She was looking at her phone. Typing something. Then she looked up and saw me and stopped."Hey," she said."Hey."We looked at each other. The morning light was coming through the windows. It hit her face. She looked tired. Her eyes were puffy. Like she had been crying or not sleeping or both."I did not hear you come in last night," I said."We were quiet."She said we. We. Her and Rick. In his bed. Above my head.I nodded. Looked at the floor. The tile was cold. My feet were bare. I did not care."You are leaving," I said."Yes.""Rick is still asleep.""Yes."I took a ste

LauraTwo weeks until mocks and I was failing everything.Not failing failing. But failing the way smart kids fail. The kind where you stare at a textbook and realize you have read the same sentence four times and still do not know what it means because your brain has been on vacation for three months.I sat at my desk. My SAT book was open. My calculator was out. My notebook had exactly three words on it. "Page 47 start."I had not started.Chloe was sprawled on my bed. She was supposed to be studying too. Instead she was watching a video of a guy trying to open a jar for three minutes straight."Why are you watching that," I said."He is hot.""He is struggling with a jar.""That is the hot part. He is persistent."I threw a pen at her. She caught it. Did not look up from her phone."We are supposed to be studying.""We are studying.""You are watching a man and a jar.""Multitasking."I turned back to my book. Read the first sentence. "If x plus y equals twelve and x minus y equals

LauraThe last week of senior year was a joke.Teachers stopped teaching. Everyone stopped caring. We watched movies in class. We signed yearbooks in the hallway. We ate lunch outside because no one wanted to be inside anymore.Chloe brought a blanket and we sat on the lawn. Mia and Jess joined us. Rick showed up with Jake and some guys from the basketball team. Someone had a speaker. Someone had snacks. It felt like a party every day."I cannot believe it is almost over," Mia said."I cannot believe we made it," Jess said."I cannot believe I am going to miss this," Chloe said.Everyone looked at her."What," she said."You are going to miss high school?""I am going to miss the chaos. The drama. The free food at events.""There is not free food at events.""There is if you know where to look."I lay back on the blanket. The sun was warm. The sky was blue. A bird was flying in circles above us. I wondered if that bird had any idea how lucky it was.My phone buzzed.Mom: "Dress fittin

LauraI woke up on my birthday to a text from Chloe that said "HAPPY BIRTHDAY BITCH" in all caps with seventeen exclamation points.I wrote back. "thank you. why are you yelling.""BECAUSE IT IS YOUR BIRTHDAY.""you are going to wake up my parents.""GOOD. THEY SHOULD BE AWAKE. IT IS YOUR DAY."I put my phone down. Stared at the ceiling.Eighteen.I did not feel eighteen. I felt the same as yesterday. Same as last week. Same as last month.My mom knocked on the door. "Wake up. Breakfast.""I am awake.""Then come downstairs."I got up. Put on a robe. Walked downstairs.The kitchen was decorated. Balloons. A banner. A pile of presents on the table. My mom was wearing a party hat. My dad was holding a camera."Happy birthday," they said together."You guys are ridiculous.""We know. Sit down."I sat down. My mom put a plate of pancakes in front of me. My dad took a picture. The flash was too bright."Dad. It is 8 AM.""You will thank me later.""I will not."He took another picture anyw