I readjust the collar over my neck and sniffle once of twice, keeping my walk at a forward pace. I quickly glance behind me to see if anyone followed my tracks.
I walk up the last step on the endless set of stairs and squint my eyes to adjust them to the bright sun. I see him, resting his shoulder against a vent pipe. I sigh and walk towards him, a shiver rolling down my spine just like last time.
I finally come to a stop and put my hands in my pockets to keep them warm. He lifts his head and cracks a light smile when he sees me. He steps forward and I notice a stitched cut on his temple.
"Hailee."
"Father."
Silence settles over us for a moment.
He looks down and heaves a deep sigh. I roll my eyes and take another step forward.
"You got the stuff?" I mumble and look at him straight in the eyes. He nods softly and pulls out a bag filled with green herbs. I smirk.
"You got what I want in return?" a hint of hope reflects in his eyes and I furrow my brows.
I pull out the money and hand it to him. We trade the stuff and I turn around so my back faces him as soon as I got the weed in my hands. I walk away but his voice intercepts me.
"Don't be a stranger, Hailee Rose. Give your father a call when you can. I'm sure he's impatient to receive news from you."
I snap my head around in a heartbeat.
"Oh and that's probably why he slapped his daughter and never bothered to move a fucking finger when she ran away, I guess?" I raise my voice which makes him lower his head in shame.
"Everyone makes mistakes, Hail-"
"And the worst mistake I've ever committed was probably to keep in touch with you after what happened." tears start to sting my eyes but I swallow the sorrow and keep my head up.
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No way I'm going to cry in front of this bastard.
I turn around and walk away, leaving him behind like I did so many times...
-----
I giggle and spin around as we keep running towards the carousel.
"Come on, turtle!" I shout and let go of his hand to run faster. I sit on one of the carousel horses and buckle up.
"You run too much..." Grayson hops on the carousel platform and bends over his knees to catch his breath. I burst out laughing.
