Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 90290 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 451(@200wpm)___ 361(@250wpm)___ 301(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 90290 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 451(@200wpm)___ 361(@250wpm)___ 301(@300wpm)
Do I pay a visit to the school? Is that the right thing to do?
Probably not, but then what adult asks a teenager how they’re going to live up to what her brother and father did?
The front door slams, I jump, and Stevie Nicks starts in again, making sure everyone in the house knows someone is here. My heart races, knowing exactly what’s going to happen. “We’re in the kitchen,” I say before my dad can holler anything. I meet him in the dining room and instantly step back when I see the rage in his eyes.
Shit. Is this what I have to look forward to when I’m a parent?
“Who was it?” Dad demands as Paige steps out of Mom’s hold.
“Mr. Pendelgraf.”
“Wait, what?” I ask.
“He thought it would be funny if he asked your sister if music was in her future or if she planned to take the path of a groupie.”
My mouth drops open.
“Why didn’t you tell me this in the car?” Mom asks.
Paige shrugs. “Because it’s … his wife read that stupid book that lady wrote about Dad and . . . all I could think was to tell him to fuck off.”
“So, you’d rather fight with me than tell me what’s going on?” Mom covers her face with her hands. “Jesus, Paige. I’m not the enemy here. I’m your mom. I’m going to protect you from everything I can, especially fuckers that say shit like that.”
“How did you find out?” Paige asks Dad.
“Mack called me,” he tells her. “You should’ve called me.”
“I was angry and then sad, and then just pissed off because sometimes I really hate your job. And yours,” she says as she looks at me. “I’m this ordinary person and my teacher thinks I’m going to be some groupie. Like, is that how he sees me?”
“As long as it’s not how you see yourself, you shouldn’t care how others see you. Especially some middle-aged teacher who should know better than to imply . . .” Dad pauses. “Things.”
The door opens again causing Stevie Nicks to bark. I head into the other room, hoping Peyton doesn’t get up and almost collide with our dog as she races me to the front door. By the time I round the corner she’s sitting in front of Mack, waiting for him to attach her leash so he can take her on a walk. We make eye contact briefly and I get the sense he knows what’s going on right now.
“I’ll be back in an hour,” he says. “You have my location on your phone?”
I nod. “Yeah. Be careful,” I tell him. There seems to be a group of teenagers who think it’s okay to speed down the residential streets and not pay attention to the crosswalks. The town is working on hiring more police, but the process takes time, and the teens don’t seem keen on listening to others.
As soon as the door closes and before I can head into the living room to check on Peyton, my dad stalks toward me.
“I’ll be back later,” Dad says.
“Liam, where are you going?” Mom asks, as he shuts the door. “Go with him,” she says as she looks at me.
“Peyton.”
“I’ve got her. Make sure he doesn’t do anything stupid.”
Heavy charge, especially since I’d like to do something stupid. “All right.”
Outside, I jog to him as he swings his leg over his motorcycle. “Mom says I have to go with you. So, I’m either riding on the back or we’re taking my car. And I don’t want to piss Mom off any further,” I say as I rock back on my heels. When he doesn’t answer right away, I place my hand on his shoulder and get ready to claim the seat behind him.
“Fine.” Dad gets off his bike and stomps toward my SUV. He gets in, slams the door before I have a chance to get in, and glares out the front window.
“To the school?”
“Yep.”
I nod, start my car, and put it into drive. None of this is smart, but I’m also not a parent yet. On behalf of my sister, I’m pissed, but there are other ways to handle shit. Showing up at the school may or may not be the right way. I suppose it all depends on how my dad plans to handle things.
It doesn’t take long before he’s directing me to pull up in front of the school. I do and shut my car off. “What’s the plan?”
The normally calm and collective Liam Page stares out the front window. “As her father, I need to protect her from men like that.”
“And as her brother, I agree. However, storming into the school and confronting this piece of shit isn’t the answer. Neither is waiting for him in the parking lot.”
Dad’s chest rises as he huffs out a breath. “He needs to know he’s in the wrong.”