over me. “Last night was kind of a blur. And this morning was just…confusing.”
“Yeah, what about this whole thing with you waking up in a boy’s bed?” he inquires in a stern tone.
“Like I said, nothing happened. I promise.”
“That still doesn’t mean I’m okay with the idea of you sleeping in a boy’s bed,” he says, giving me the disapproving parental look.
“I know. I’m sorry. It won’t happen again, okay?”
“Damn right, it won’t happen again. And if I find out whose bed you woke up in, he’s going to be looking down the barrel of my revolver.”
“Seriously, Dad. It’s not that big of a deal.”
“Yeah, we’ll see about that,” he replies. He turns and heads back toward the door. “I feel like I don’t even know my own daughter right now. Sneaking off to parties, waking up in boys’ beds, drinking. Are you doing drugs too?”
“No, I’m not doing drugs,” I respond.
“Well, what else have you lied to me about? Did this all start after your mom left?”
“No. Surprise Dad, not everything is about Mom. Even though lately you seem to think so,” I feel a twinge of guilt, but he needs to hear it.
“That’s not fair, Dani. You don’t get to turn this around and blame me for why you’re lying. I know I haven’t been here as much as I probably should, but that doesn’t give you the right to use my recent actions against me. We’re both going through hard times right now.” He shakes his head and turns his eyes up the ceiling, almost like he’s asking the man upstairs for some guidance. After a quiet moment, he asks, “Why’d you feel you had to lie?”
“Everybody lies once in a while, Dad. But it doesn’t necessarily change the person they are.”
That statement really resonates with me. Unfortunately, my lies have changed who I am. My father has no idea I’m no longer a virgin, nor does he know that I’ve been drinking since I was fifteen. This party is just the tip of the iceberg of my lies, but I could never tell him that. He already has enough on his plate with what he already knows now, and with Mom.
“Little white lies. Those don’t change the person you are. Yours are very different. How am I supposed to trust you with anything now?” he answers.
I take a few moments to think it over. I sigh when I can’t seem to find an answer fitting enough for his question. “I don’t know, Dad,” I say softly, anticipating his heart breaking at any moment.
“That’s disappointing, to say the least.” Opening the door and stepping one foot out, he stops and peers at me over his shoulder. “Oh, and one more thing. You know you’re grounded until you leave for college, right? Just so we’re clear on that?”
“Yeah, I kind of figured that already.”
“Good,” is all he says before closing the door.
When I hear the rain beginning to pound on the roof, I look back over to Janice’s window. A streak of lightning illuminates the outside, followed by a wicked clap of thunder. The light in Janice’s room turns on and I immediately press the button on the walkie.
“Janice, are you there?” I ask, and wait for an answer. I groan with frustration when there isn’t one.
“Marshmallow, this is Mint Chip, are you there? I see your light’s on. Are you there?”
I hear the crackle of the walkie-talkie and then Hattie’s voice. “Who is this? Dani, is that you?”
I toss the device onto my bed, not really wanting to talk to her. I shut my curtains when I notice her peering at me through the ones covering Janice’s window. Guilt envelops me as the thought of being the one responsible for this whole mess starts to really sink in. I don’t even know how I’ll face her mom if this all comes out.
The sound of my cell phone vibrating draws my attention to the nightstand. Thankfully, my dad hasn’t decided to take that away yet. Hopping onto the bed, I grab it and settle into a comfortable position, propped up by my pile of pillows. Unlocking the screen, I see that a text message from an unknown number has come through. It reads:
Want to know a secret?
I stare at the screen until it fades to black, wondering what the message means, and more importantly, who sent it. I start to reply with sure, but then delete the text.
A loud clap of thunder makes me jump while I’m concentrating