His Flower (Rewritten)

Chapter 12

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Chapter 12

       Dad was coming home today, and that spiteful part of me didn't want to be anywhere near when he did. It wasn't a part I was proud of, or tried to linger on, but I couldn't shove it down no matter how hard I tried.

       He always said family never left, but he did. Coming home every other month for a week or two barely made up for the absence. But I had Luce at least, and Tate. When they were with me I didn't notice being alone too much. I sighed and shook my head, my bag clutched tightly to my shoulder.

       It wasn't his fault, not really. My dad, Parker Summers, was one important guy. He owned more than a handful of companies, ran multiple businesses, and even had relations overseas. The people that worked for him feared him. Even though it was more of a loyalty kind-of-fear than terror, and I'm sure that being the size of a grizzly bear helped too.

       Dad never had time to come home, never left enough time for his family. Some part of me knew the real reason why, knew that it was the guilt eating away at him. He thought it was his fault when I was gone, that he should have been able to stop it.

       He should have.

       I shook the hateful thought away and clutched tightly onto my bag's strap with one hand, a new prescription bottle in the other. I glanced down at the white label, its black letters almost taunting as I ran my thumb over the words.

       Rex would probably be furious if he knew I picked up a new bottle, but that wouldn't be anything new from him. I had taken one this morning, just one, because I knew I would need something. I wasn't going to school, I wouldn't have anything to distract me from those dangerous thoughts running through my head.

       One pill would be okay.

       I shoved the small container into the front zipper of my backpack before turning my gaze on the passing scenery. Rex said he's seen people's brains turn to mush from the stuff, but my therapist hadn't mentioned anything like that.

       I hated that office more than anything. It was quiet, dark sometimes, and held an impossible, immovable, adult staring down their nose the entire time. They loved reminding me of just how broken I was.

       I let my eyes wander to the trees and mountains zipping past the window as they slowly turned to crowded streets and open shorelines. It was Wednesday, and I should have been in school, especially with how much I had been skipping lately. I felt bad too, I didn't tell anyone I was leaving, not even the Big Four.

       I did send a text to Rex though, which threw my heart into overdrive. It was a simple message just saying that I wasn't feeling good and was just going to stay home. I didn't want to assume he was going to come pick me up like he did yesterday morning, but I just wanted to make sure.

       He sent back a one-letter reply: 'K'.

       I stared down at the text, the phone shaking in my hands as the public bus I had been on for the last thirty-minutes hit a nasty pot-hole. It wasn't a lengthy reply, and I wasn't honestly expecting one, but some part of me had really hoped he would text back more than one letter. Maybe ask if I was okay or if I needed anything. But then I realized that was selfish and my self-hatred only grew.