starlight, luke hemmings

the fight that revealed it all.

Vivian Hemmings knew when to hold her tongue.

She knew how to hold her tongue and hold back her remarks against the people she was standing in front of. With her hands behind her back, and her lips pressed together.

Vivian knew how to play her cards right.

Last night, Vivian and Luke watched movies until their heart's content. Vivian slept under the roof of safety— being in the same room with her dad.

But now, she was being driven home. Her knees were up to her chest as Luke hummed a song under his breath and turned the familiar corners to her house. When they pulled up to the tan house and got out, Luke held his daughter's hand.

"Ready?" He asked her.

"Don't ask me that." Vivian responded to him.

Vivian brought out her keys and began to unlock the front door. When she pushed open the front door, she immediately regretted it.

There Cassandra was, rubbing some guy in a blue flannel, on the couch with her lips on his. Vivian's eyes trailed to her mom's hand and saw that his penis was out.

Vivian screamed loudly and slammed her hands over her eyes. "Mom— What the fuck!" She screamed.

Cassandra instantly stopped giving the man a handjob and stood straight up. Her eyes with horror written in them as her eyes moved from the traumatized daughter to the furious dad.

"I told you I had a client today—" Cassandra tried to spit out. "I-I–"

How in the hell was she going to explain to her ex-husband that she was a sex therapist? Giving people pleasure while her daughter, often, sat upstairs?

"What the fuck is going on?" Luke asked, putting a hand over his daughter's eyes for her. "What the fuck was that?" His voice raised.

"I—," Cassandra sputtered, looking at Vivian. "Luke—"

"What is going on here?" He repeated, his chest rising in anger as Vivian realized she had placed the 3, or 4, of them in an awkward position. "Who is he? And what the fuck are you doing?"

"Luke..." Cassandra slowly said. "You should know something..."

"Know what?!" Luke's voice raised.

"I-I'm a sex therapist—" Cassandra stumbled out, "It's how I've been making money—"

"Goddamnit, Cassandra, I pay you nearly half of my life savings in fucking child support! You don't need a fucking job, holy shit— You're a sex therapist? Under the same roof as our 16 year old child?" Luke shouted. "Our daughter? What if the people you're—" Luke paused, "pleasuring— are pedophiles!"

"They're not!" Cassandra defended. "You shouldn't be giving me parenting advice! Besides, Vivian couldn't give a fuck!"

Luke glanced at his daughter, and then at Cassandra. He pointed at her. "Either you buy an office where you can do this, or you quit. I refuse to let my daughter live in a house where her mother has sex 24/7."

"That's unreasonable—"

"How?" Luke shouted. "I pay you enough to get by. I pay you for Vivian's needs—" Luke began listing things on his fingers, "—Groceries, gas, doctor appointments, dentist appointments, school supplies— anything else my daughter desires. Where is all that fucking money going?"

For the first time, Cassandra was completely speechless. Vivian and Cassandra both knew where the money was going, but neither said a word.

Luke looked at the man on the couch, who looked horrified. He shouted, "Get the fuck out!"

The embarrassed man left the house in such a hurry. He didn't even put on his shoes. Luke ran a hand through his hand, stressed, and went to sit down on the couch.

"Don't," Vivian said mid movement.

"What–"

"I'm sure that since you just found mom giving a handjob to someone, that there are millions of dried children on those couch cushions." She pointed out, making Luke's face twist.

Cassandra blinked for a moment. "Luke," She said, "I refuse to sit in my house 24/7. So where am I supposed to work now?"

"Anywhere that doesn't involve our teenage daughter underneath the roof with unknown men all fucking week." Luke spits, "Even if it's not neglect, it's insanely fucked up."

Cassandra rolled her eyes. "Viv doesn't even fucking see it," She looked at Vivian. "Do you?"

Vivian stays quiet. Her lips sealed and no word left her mind.

Luke's jaw went clenched as he asked, "Honey," He softly asked. "How long has this been happening?"

But Vivian didn't say anything else. Because if she had to admit she had been lying to her dad about everything, the guilt would eat her alive more than it already has.