Give and Take (poly) (bxb)

Four

"What?" I ask in bewilderment staring at my father before noticing his unamused expression isn't changing. It's wide-eyed and becomes more alarming when he points a finger directly at me.

A chill runs up my spine as my eyes follow his direction. I look down at my body prepared to scream and swat away whatever horrid insect or spider managed to come upon me, only there isn't one. What I do see is my exposed skin. Cleavage bearing the end of a red, pink, and purple trail of circular bruises. The hickeys Seven left me. I know my father is staring right at them and if the look on his face doesn't prove it what he says next does.

"You've been having sex?!"

I'm dead. Mortified isn't even the right word. My father is looking at me like I just grew a second head, like he doesn't even recognize me anymore. He probably doesn't! What I did just now was so out of character I don't even recognize myself.

"I-" I struggle to think of a lie. What was I thinking? He's a police officer he catches liars and criminals for a living. The stare he gives me is all-knowing. It knows I didn't burn myself with a curling iron. It knows I didn't get a bruise there in my bike accident. It knows.

"I have a boyfriend," I say it in one breath, rushed and barely audible but I know my father catches every word and the next question he asks is more of one of disbelief than of actual curiosity.

"You have a boyfriend?! When were you going to tell me about this?"

My heart does a backflip as he rushes over to my balcony. The only thing stopping me from running over with him and blocking the area off is my current pants-less state. There's no way all four guys have already gotten down and are out of my backyard already.

My father checks and I'm preparing for my imminent death when he turns back around with a still worried but otherwise unchanged expression on his face.

"We're not really that serious dad, so I didn't see the need to."

"Not serious enough to tell your father but serious enough for you to be sexually active with him?"

My heart stops and subsequently gets stuck in my throat causing me to choke violently. When my father comes forward to help me I hold a hand up and control myself. "We're not sexually active. This doesn't mean we're having sex okay? I promise!" I make a face that hopefully lets him know that I don't want to talk about this anymore.

"I need to meet him."

"Of course," I utter the generic remark half sarcastically.

"And I don't want him over here when I'm away. I don't want anyone over here but I'll get you a babysitter if I have to." Okay so maybe he still knows someone was over here even without physical evidence.

I remember the bi-monthly trip he goes on as a police chief. It's coming up in a few weeks. Something about reforming the other police officers in the northeast. It's only a weekend long and he's been doing them for the past seven years but he always gives me a list of rules to follow and a list of emergency contacts like I'm an infant. He just recently stopped getting me babysitters actually.

"No one is going to come over here, Dad." I can sense that he doesn't believe me and I wouldn't be surprised if one of his police officer friends ends up stopping by every other hour once he leaves.

A wave of relief crashes over me when my father's phone rings and he doesn't send it to voicemail. "We'll talk more about this later. Get some sleep." He pats my head before closing my bedroom door behind him.

I listen to my father's voice fade down the hallway and reflect on everything that has been going on lately. My life is in shambles. I'd put it back together but I don't even recognize the pieces anymore.