I Fall Apart

Nora

I was hoping to sleep in the next day, but Dad wasn't having it.  He woke me up at 7 a.m. just like it was a regular school day.  I lazed around in bed, though, and didn't end up getting up until around 7:30.  I ate breakfast quietly with Sebastian.

"I'm gonna go drop Sebastian off," Dad told me as he cleaned up some breakfast dishes in the kitchen.  "When I get back you need to be started on either your homework or your chores."

"Okay," I said with a bit of attitude.  He chose to ignore me.  It was kinda true that I had punched that girl yesterday because I wanted to stay home more.  She had insulted me, so I had to do something.  I didn't have to punch her, but I felt like putting her in her place.  It felt good.  She was totally shocked.

I was feeling lazy, so I decided to start with my homework first.  Maybe I'd have more energy in the afternoon.  I made my bed and propped up a few pillows and began working.  I must have forgotten to log out of my Facebook and Instagram because I had notifications pop up.  The hits kept on coming.  I quickly opened up the pages and logged out, not looking at what anyone said.  I let out a breath, not liking the feeling that people were still talking about this.  I dreaded turning my phone back on.  I wasn't sure how long my dad was keeping it.

Dad came home about half an hour later.  He popped his head in my room to make sure I was working.  Luckily, he left me alone for the most part for the morning.  When it was lunch time, I wandered out to the kitchen to see what looked good.  There was some leftover lasagna from the other night, so I heated it up in the microwave.

"Mrs. Hennig called," he told me as he got a plate out of the cabinet.

"Who?" I asked.

"The debate teacher," he said.  "Asked if you'd be back."

"Huh," I said, surprised that she would actually call a parent about it.

"Are you gonna try?" He asked as he began to make a sandwich.

"I don't know," I said.  "Seems kinda dorky to me."

"It's good practice," he said.  "And it'll look good on your college applications."

"Who says I'm going to college?" I asked.

He raised his eyebrows at me.  "You're going to college.  You're too smart not to.  Didn't you go to a practice the other day?"

"Yeah," I said, then the microwave beeped.

"What did you think?"

I shrugged.

"Well I think you should try," he said.  "You don't do any extracurriculars and that's something colleges look at."

I didn't respond as I took my plate out of the microwave.  I grabbed a fork and headed to the kitchen table.  He joined me with his plate.

"Have you thought about what you want to major in or what school you want to go to?"

"Nope," I said simply.

"Junior year's a good time to do college visits," he said.  "I'll be happy to take you."

"That's next year," I pointed out.

"I know," he said.  "But you need to start thinking about it."

This was something my mother had never brought up.  College was never really talked about.  It wasn't until Dad and Vanessa started bringing it up that I began to think about it.  My grades weren't anything to write home about, but I could get into a state school.  I honestly had no idea what I wanted to do for a career.

"How about I just marry a sugar daddy and start popping out kids?" I suggested cheekily.

Dad grinned at me.  "I think you should aim a little higher than that.  Actually, you know, there are career counselors.  You can take a test to see what your interests and strengths are and they can give you suggestions."

"Sounds fun," I said as I finished off my lasagna.  "Can I go get some Starbucks?"

"If you get me something," he said, reaching for his wallet.  He requested a frappuccino.  I took his cash and headed down the street to the nearest Starbucks.

When I got home, Dad was finishing up a conversation on the phone.  He looked really annoyed.  "Yeah, I'll get back to you soon," he said and hung up.  "Nora, come sit down."

"What now?" I asked, giving him his cup.

He sighed, putting a hand on his hip.  "That was my agent.  There's a tabloid that's planning on running a story about you and your photo."

"What?!" I yelled, exasperated.

"Yeah," he said, shaking his head.  "We have no choice but to sue."

I opened and closed my mouth, but couldn't think of anything to say for several long moments.  "But isn't that, like, child porn?"

"Yeah it is," he said.  "They can't publish the photo.  They can publish the story though.  We're gonna sue them for defamation."

"Dad!" I protested, not liking this turn of events.

"Nora, I know you don't like it, but we can't let the press think this is okay.  You're my child.  You didn't ask to be a public figure."

"But if we sue it'll be even more over the news!" I protested.

"That's something we might have to deal with," he said.  I could tell he was in papa bear mode.  My dad and I didn't always agree, but I knew he loved me unconditionally.  He wasn't gonna let some reporter mess with his kid.  On one hand, this all felt terrible, but it also felt good that he was standing up for me.

Dad pulled out his phone.  "I'm gonna call V and get things rolling," he said.  "Are you done with your homework?"

"Sort of," I said.

"Maybe it's a good time to start on your chores."

I nodded in agreement.  When I was angry, it felt good to do something physical.  I annihilated the floor with the Swiffer Wet Jet, and scrubbed the toilets into submission.  When Vanessa got home later, she was on a mission.  She threw her bag down on the counter and crossed her arms as Dad cooked dinner.

"What kind of assholes publish a story like this about a 15 year old girl?" she asked.

"Well, if we move fast enough can we stop it from even getting out?" he asked.

"I don't know," she said. "I'd have to lawyer the hell out of this."

Lin nodded and Vanessa looked determined.  "Do it."