Chapter 3

Ann tells a lie to her dad but she can fix it, right?

Chapter 3

When Dad and I walk into our house we both take a deep breath and smile. It's easier this way... both of us in our own little world no outside noise, no clutter. You'd expect a really messy and dirty house, but we manage to keep our paradise really clean. The floors we wash every Saturday and after we finish using something, like a mug, we instantly clean it up. Well, I do at least.

“Do you want to talk about what happened?” Dad asks, he starts to squirm, but his eyes are focused on me. He is worried, but he doesn't need to be I just want to go to sleep.

“There's nothing to talk about. I was clumsy and off in my own little world...” I let my sentence wander off as I made my way to my bedroom.

“Okay...” Dad still looks unsettled, “just shout if you need anything, I guess” and that's the end of our conversation, as usual. I sink into the mattress and let my dreams take over again.

Instead of a field today there is a shimmering pool. The one that Dad, Mom, and I used to go to all the time in the summer when I was younger and the days seemed golden. A younger version of my Dad is sitting in a pool chair holding my Mom's hand. There aren't as many bags under his eyes and his hair is clean and he's happy. The sun is shining brightly and highlights every one of my parents' features. He whispers in her ear and she bursts out in a fit of giggles. I dip my little toes into the cool water, I feel like air, that I could just float away. Dad gets up from his chair and I crane my neck to look at him. His eyes dance as he picks me up with ease and throws me into the water. The mini waves envelop me, I break the surface of the water just in time to see my parents holding hands as they too jump into the glistening pool.

This time when I wake up I feel refreshed like I just woke from a ten year long nap. I get up and stretch, as I walk to the door of my room, I glanced at the time and it's 3:56 pm. I should have just been getting out of school the nurse knew that my burns weren't bad I think that she could tell the kind of day that I was having. A small, but much appreciated mercy. I hop onto my desk chair and open up my laptop. As I wait for my computer to warm up I glance out of my bedroom window as I remember my dream. The first pleasant one in many days, I see the tree outside my window bending to the winds will. I stare at that dancing tree for what seems like days I shake my head, I need to focus. I take a sharp breath as my hands fly over the keyboard typing in my password and opening up my email. I quickly message my teachers in the classes I missed. Apologizing for my absence and asking them what I should do to catch up. I know that they won't respond for a while so I get up from my chair and wipe away the indents in the carpet that the chair legs made. But as I look back at my computer screen I see the new message notification, I groan as I slide back into the chair to see what homework I will have to accomplish before tomorrow. Surprisingly, when I open the message it isn't from a teacher, but Damien.

Hey, this is Damien from school. I just wanted to apologize for spilling my lunch onto you today. Are you okay?

I should know how to respond, but I don't even know where to start. It seems so trivial, like I should be able to breeze through writing a witty response. I just type and delete, then type some more, but I delete all of that and write instead,

Oh yeah, don't worry about it! I wasn't paying attention, sorry you lost your lunch by the way.

Not witty or clever just a basic response. It seems so distant that there is no way that he can respond. So I again stand up and walk into the kitchen make a grilled cheese and I walk back down the hall to my room. My feet pad along the hall as I quietly check in on Dad who is again at his computer, but he's looking up cat videos. I roll my eyes and smile as I retreat from his office and go back to my room. I set the plate with the grilled cheese sandwich on my bed. As I throw my long black hair into a messy bun on top of my head, I look back at the computer wondering. Did he read my email? I just hope he doesn't feel guilty for the lunch room incident. My glasses are pinching the bridge of my nose so much that I set them on my desk. Against my better judgment, I shake the mouse, and wake up the screen. And sure enough, there is the notification. It's probably one of my teachers as I think this I take a deep breath and completely shut down the computer. I go to sit down on my bed and wolf down my sandwich.

“Hey, Ann! Could you come here for a minute?” Dad hollers, as his voice echoes down the hall to my room. I launch myself up from my bed to go see what he needs. As I walk though the doorway I see that his eyebrows are knit together in a worried furrow.

“What's wrong?” I quickly scan his features to try to see if he's feeling alright. His shoulders are hunched and he looks defeated.

“Ann, your teacher emailed me again. Mr. Henrick, the German teacher...he noticed your classmates again. I'm so sorry you have to constantly put up with all of their jeers. I thought this school would be different for you.” he sinks even further into his chair and hides his face between his hands as he sighs. “Bud, I thought things were working out. Why don't you tell me these things. We're a team and a team can't function if there's no trust. Okay?” a lump forms in my throat as I whisper a brief apology.

“Dad, it's honestly not that bad they weren't laughing at me, it's just a big misunderstanding...” I take a step closer to console him, “it's fine, nothing is wrong, I love going to Enreald's..” a lie, but anything to calm him down. “I even have a few friends like; Emma, Rolly, and Tera.” He looks up at me scanning my face to see if I was lying. And I panic because I made up all of those names I say the first thing that comes to mind, “and I'm going to be hanging out with my best friend Damien this weekend.” I instantly regret it as soon as this sentence leaves my lips. Although, Dad eats it up as his eyes shoot up to look at me and a grin spreads acrossed his face. This is honestly the happiest he's been in a long time, wow. I wince, that lie is going to cost me. S**t.

“Where are you two going to go? Here lets go to the kitchen and talk about this over a cup of tea.” He practically explodes from his chair and in great strides leaves his office, kitchen bound. I feel beads of sweat forming on my brow. What did I just get myself into? I scamper down the hall and sit down at the kitchen table. Dad has the kettle on the stove and reaches into the cupboard to get two cups. His tall figure buzzes around the room, a blur of activity. He's babbling on and on about fun places to go to on a Friday night. How am I going to get out of this one?

Author's Note

Okay, so I already posted a chapter 3 but I wrote most of it at 3am and it just wasn't any good. So here is the new and improved Chapter 3 of The Story of Ann! Feedback would be fantastic, because I'll keep your comments in mind when working on Chapter 4.