Chapter 3: Asshole Father

"Is this Michael Andrews?" I ask as the ringing stops.

"Yes? This is..." he trails off, searching for an answer.

"Your biological daughter," I snark a little bitterly, although rightly so. I reserve every right to tell him to **** off. He left me, with my troubled mom. Just my twin brother and I to pick her up. And he left too.

"Oh, um... how are you?" he says awkwardly.

"How am I?" I try to keep my tone even, not conveying my rage, but his question is so fucking ridiculous. How am I? How the **** do you think I am? My mom just died and he wants to take me away from the only other person who cares about me. "I'm not doing so well. I want to stay here, and they're telling me I have to stay with you."

"Yes, you do. I'm not giving up my parental rights of you. Your mother is gone, you're my responsibility, not some stranger."

"He's not a stranger. Why can't you let him adopt me? I want to stay with him. I have two years before I'm eighteen, it's not long. I have a life here."

"But you'll have a better life here, I'm sure of that. And you can't change my mind about it."

"What gives you the right to decide my life? You are no type of father to me," I exclaim.

"You're coming to live with me, there's no doubt about that," he states firmly. "I own a boarding school here in Michigan. It's for boys but I have a place for you. You'll attend this school and graduate in two years. You'll have a very good education."

"I don't care about that," I snap.

"You don't have a choice. I've booked you on the next flight out here. I'll pick you up at the airport and get you settled in. You'll like it here, Cadence. I'll see you soon." He ends the call abruptly before I can say anything else. Now I know why Roland was so frustrated. This man is infuriating. I wouldn't even care if he just said that he didn't want me, that he didn't care, that he didn't see me like a daughter. It may hurt me a little, just to hear those words, but he would give away his parental rights, not having any connection to me. He doesn't see me like a daughter and I don't see him like a father. But why can't he just be like that? Instead of this? If he wanted me, why didn't he stay before? All he has over me are parental rights, and that's all he needs to control me. He's taking me away from Roland. And there's nothing I can do. I could ask Roland to fight, but it takes money, and he's only a cop. I love him, I don't want him to spend hundreds of dollars on lawyers. And he's right, he might not win anyway, and it would be for nothing. He told me he would call every day, that he would come visit for holidays and birthdays and would answer my calls. He said I could come back when I'm eighteen, that I could live with him and he'd always be there.

"You okay?" I give Roland a sharp look and he sighs. "Sorry, very stupid question."

"He's an asshole. The first conversation he has with his daughter in eight years and he's bossing me around. He's such a fucking-"

"Asshole. I know. Watch your language, Cade," he scolds once again and I huff.

"That's another thing. He calls me Cadence. He doesn't know me. He doesn't even know what I like to be called. He knows nothing about me, how can I go live with him? He's a stranger."

"You'll still have me, Cade. You know that. You don't have to be patient with him. I know I shouldn't be advising this, but I wouldn't cut your father any slack. I agree, he is an asshole."

"I have your permission to act out?" I ask with a small cunning smirk.

"That's not what I'm saying. I just don't think you need to be civil is all. Don't do anything crazy, Cade. I know how you can get," he tells me with a stern look on his face. I shrug, keeping the smirk on my face. He's right, why be civil with my father? He left me, he didn't care. He still doesn't. He wants to ruin my life, take me away from Roland.

"What's this boys school he was talking about?" I ask. He searches it up and turns the computer to face me.

"Some posh boarding school for boys. It has a sister school, but he probably couldn't get a place for you there. I'm not sure it's wise to put you in an all boys school," he says, shaking his head as he knows how I can be. "Blonde hair, big blue eyes, at an all boys school. Hmm."

"Whatever happens happens."

"I don't like the sound of that," he comments, raising an eyebrow in disapproval. I give him another shrug which he sighs to, chuckling a little. "The school's quite away from everything. It takes a half hour drive to get into the closest town. I doubt you'll have a car, so, you'll be stuck at the school."

"Where's the sister school? Is that an all girls school?"

"Yep and it's a twenty-minute walk from the boys school."

"Sounds so fun," I say sarcastically. But me in an all boys school, that could be interesting.

Soon enough, I'm packing some clothes from my house, and some things from Roland's apartment, and heading to the airport. I can't believe I'm leaving to live with my estranged father and attend his all boys boarding school for rick pricks. He's the principal of it, which means he doesn't stay on sight. He has a house not far from it, living with a new family, his family. And he forgot about me for all these years, his own daughter.

Once we get to the airport, Roland holds my shoulders, his eyes tearing up as if a proud parent sending me off to college.

"Every day, I'll call. Call me when you land tomorrow and then I'll call you tomorrow night as well, make sure you're settling alright. Oh, God." He pulls me into his chest and strokes my hair.

"Roland, we'll be okay. I'll be coming back soon," I tell him and he gives me a cautious look with narrowed eyes. He should be wary. I'm going to make my dad give up his parental rights, I'm going to push him that far. I want a good life, and Roland could give that to me. I'm not giving it up because of my stuck up commanding father.

I give Roland one last memorable smile and skip off, saluting him on my ways through customs. The truth is, I'm scared. I won't know anything or anyone in Michigan. And I'm still morning the loss of my mom, even though she really died a few years ago. I'll be thrown into the deep end. I know Roland is a call away, but he won't be there, with me. He won't be in the flesh. And I can't bother him all the time. I'm strong, I'll get through it. Tough facades are my defense. My father will have a hard time breaking through them. And what he would see, he won't like. I'm damaged, badly damaged. Roland was my saving grace, but my father is forcing me away from him.

He hasn't seen me since I was eight years old, I look fairly different, being sixteen now. I have golden long cascading hair paired with baby blue eyes. My small nose goes with my small body, small hands and feet and ears. I definitely dress different to my eight year old self, now wearing light blue jean shorts, black healed ankle boots and burgundy crop top. I threw on a khaki bomber jacket over that for the temperature of the plane, the known cold breeze felt at high altitudes on a plane.

My attitude is incredibly different, with my snarky comments and the heavy cursing. I can't help it, swearing is a way of expressing my anger at life. I think I have every right to use it, even though Roland doesn't like me using it. I'm also quite insane. I know how to have fun and to irritate and clearly how to drive people away. I should be able to drive away my father in no time. He'll give up his parental rights and then I'll get to live with Roland.

I board the plane with my sunglasses and baseball cap in hand. No more sun, not in Michigan. They have cloudier skies and more rain. Finding my seat, I settle in by the window, staring out at other planes taking off. I've never left the state before, and I'm slightly... terrified of flying, but I won't let alone know that. All first time flyers have some fear.

"Hello," a male voice greets as he takes his seat next to me. He's slightly older than me, a college cap on his head and a smirk adorning his handsome face.

"Hi," I greet back with a flirtatious smile.

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