Daddy

Two

I woke up to the sound of high pitched screaming... Melanie. I groaned loudly rubbing my eyes  and squeezing them shut before rolling over and grabbing my phone. Ten o'clock in the morning and I'm already annoyed I think to myself. I sigh and find myself walking down the hall to find the source of all this ruckus.

My nose carries my feet into the kitchen where my dad stands over the stove cooking. Biscuits and gravy, my dad has always cooked the same thing on the weekends my whole life and it smells amazing. My mother stays crouched down beside my sister try to soothe her.

"Someones having an early morning melt down." I say pouring myself I cup of coffee and reaching on my toes to reach into the cabinet. "Melanie, what could possibly have you this upset the day hasnt even started and you're five." I giggle. If only she knew what was going to come her way in the future. I wish I could go back to having problems as small as my favorite colored crayon breaking...

"We promised we would have pink lemonade for the barbecue. Your father thought I picked it up and I told him last week to get it. So now neither of us have time and she is heartbroken." My mom laughs slightly looking down at Melanie and wiping her tears.

"All this over a little juice?" I laugh. I don't ever remember being this spoiled as a kid.

I yawn walking over to the stove and smiling up at my father, holding my plate out for him to load with his wonderfully cooked breakfast. "Thanks dad." He pats the top of my head and chuckles.

"I can go to the store later, it's no big deal." I say attempting to talk with my mouth full.

"See sweetie Stella can go get it before everyone shows up, it will be perfect." My mom boops her nose and wipes her tear stained cheeks. Melanie smiles brightly as if nothing has happened at all before running off. I stare at my mom with a blank expression before rolling my eyes.

"Dont you dare say she's spoi-"

" I  didn't say anything mom." I hold my hands up in defense.

---

After showering and changing into a tank top and loose grey sweatpants, I grab my keys, "I'm headed to the store!" I yell not at anyone specifically but earning a few graons from down the hall.

I laugh at the memory of my bags spilling yesterday, shaking my head I start my car and pull away. My fingers tap along the steering wheel to my favorite All Time Low CD and soon enough I'm pulling into the Wal-Mart parking lot.

I make my way to the juice isle and groan a little too loudly when I see the empty spot on the shelf. I don't even have to look to know that it's where the pink lemonade should be.

I looking around trying to find anything similar, knowing that if I come home empty handed the day will be ruined all because of a five year old girl's life depending on a certain flavor of juice.

"Are you really that upset over lemonade?" A voice startled me and I turn to see none other than my freak-in-the-sheets neighbor.

I scoff,"I have a sister at home who is obsessed with all things pink." I smile crossing my arms across my chest.

"Would it help if I said I snagged the last one." He grins pointing to his shopping cart that he is leaning over.

"No, because you have it." I laugh at how unbelievably ironic this is. Of course my neighbor would be standing in the super market talking to me about juice...? What a small fucking world we live in.

"Here," he reaches over stretching his hand holding the juice out towards me. "it's yours." He smiles again looking disgustingly attractive.

"Oh I can't deprive a strange man of his pink lemonade." I joke pushing it away slightly. He continues to hold it out for me giving me a strange look. Demanding maybe?

I sigh, "okay but at least let me invite you to a barbecue?" I offer feeling slightly bad for the guy and also a little creeped out.

He looks at me for a moment before nodding, "Okay." He says nonchalantly.  As if we were best friends, seriously what is with this guy?

"It's the house across the street," I say feeling like a complete fool for thinking that he would simply know that I'm his neighbor. Of course he's not going to remember who I am after seeing me once. "I'm Stella by the way. I sort of....My parents live across the street from you." I ramble nervously trying to explain myself without coming off as a stalker.

"I saw you yesterday washing your car." I laugh shaking my head. Way to go Stella, that's not stalkerish at all. "Sorry I didn't mean-"

His laughter startles me, it fills up the entire isle booming. His eyes squeeze shut and he actually throws his head back, laughing, at me. "Where you spying on me Stella?" He looks me straight in the eyes with the most serious expression I've ever seen.

"What no," I scoff rolling my eyes. "I was not spying on-"

"I'm Luke," he smiles interrupting me completely. "and I'll see you later, neighbor." His snarky tone matches the smirk on his face.

I hurry to the checkout line, paying and then hurrying to my car with the strange man that is Luke floating through my thoughts. Something about his vibe made me feel shivers and the need to take a shower at the same time. It had to be because of my sister right? As far as I knew he was just someone I knew nothing about, a complete stranger but for some reason he was labeled a freak by someone else and I let that affect my impression of him...

As I drove around wandering the streets of  my small hometown trying to clear my head, I started to feel bad for the way I treated Luke. Not that I really treated him any certain way, I felt bad for letting the words of others affect how I felt about the guy. How I felt about the guy? Why the fuck am I even thinking these things?

I shake my head and let a small giggle escape me. In that moment I decided to let go of whatever weird thoughts of Luke that seemed to be latching onto my brain. It was ridiculous to be thinking this much about someone so unimportant to my life.