My Doll

Chapter 11

The next day, Ella had just got out of her class, talking with Kamsi. "So, you're not gonna go hang out with your boyfriend and your other boyfriend?"

Ella shook her head, knowing that Kamsi was going to bring that up to her. She sighed, hugging her books closer to her body. "I mean, I did promise my dad that I would meet his new girlfriend tonight, so that's a valid excuse, right?"

Kamsi huffed, rolling her eyes. "I guess so, but you have to admit that you try to get yourself out of all these dates and parties."

Ella stopped walking, looking at Kamsi with an annoyed expression. "Well, I can't cancel the other things I had booked in advance, Kami! Brendon asked me to hangout last night and I told my dad I would visit them tonight about two weeks ago."

Kamsi held up her hands in a fake surrender, a smile on her face. "Hey, hey, hey. You need to calm down. I was only joking with you."

Ella playfully rolled her eyes, then looked at Kamsi. "Whatever you say."

~~~~~~~~~~

Brendon sighed, tugging on the collar of his button-down. He knew that it wasn't guaranteed that Ella would show up tonight, but he was still gonna push the limits.

Before leaving his room, he looked at himself in the mirror, making sure he looked good. There was one tiny strand of hair that fell out of place, but he didn't bother to pull it back.

Brendon was excited, even if nothing went his way. He could just imagine seeing Ella, standing in the dim lit club, her eyes sparkling in the strobe lights.

Brendon bit his lip, then sighed. He couldn't excite himself too much because in the end, he'd be disappointed with the outcome.

~~~~~~~~~~

Standing on the front door step, Ella waited for her dad to answer the door. She was a bit nervous to meet his new girlfriend, Karen. 

It was going to be tough for her to get used to Karen as well, since she had tried her best to not think about what happened to her mom a few years back.

She shivered, a chill running down her spine. Soon, her dad opened the door, a big smile on his face. "Hey, El. Come on in."

Ella smiled back, then made her way inside, immediately forgetting whose house she was in. The whole house had been redecorated and repainted since the last time she had come to visit.

The smell of chicken tetrazzini made its way  throughout the house, making her stomach growl. "So, how was school today?" Ella shrugged, hugging her dad.

"It was just school. I passed my Spanish exam I took last week, so that's a plus." Luke nodded, showing her to the dining room table.

"Well, that's always a good thing to hear. Anyway, I'm going to go get Karen. Stay right here." Ella fake saluted her father, then began playing with her thumbs.

She could hear the stove turn off and some footsteps making their way in. When Ella felt a hand on her shoulder, she turned around, locking eyes with Karen.

"Oh, my! You must be Ella. I've been dying to meet you cause all your dad talks about is how great you are!" She blushed, shaking her head.

"It's nice to meet you too. My dad has talked a lot about you as well." Karen laughed, then made her way around the table.

Karen sat down across from Ella, folding her hands on her lap. "I made chicken tetrazzini for dinner. Is that alright?" Ella nodded, a big smile on her face.

"It's actually my favorite meal!" Karen smiled back. All this time, Ella had been worried about not liking Karen, but she was glad she was nice.

Luke walked in the room, his hands protected by oven mitts as he carried the hot bowl of the pasta over to the table. "Dinner is served!"

Ella's mouth watered at the sight of the beautiful food in front of her. I mean, who doesn't love food? Just as she was about to grab a ladle and scoop some up, her phone began to ring.

She groaned, looking up at Karen and her dad. "Would you mind, if I take this?" They both shook their heads.

Ella walked away, looking down at the contact that was calling her. She rolled her eyes, picking up the phone. "Richard, I told you that I was going to my dad's house. Why are you calling?"

In the background, she could hear music and people yelling. "I thought you said you were coming."

Ella's heart stopped. Richard had given his phone to Brendon. "Look, I'm sorry, Brendon, but I told you that I had-"

"Where does your dad live?" Ella scoffed.

"You'd be crazy to think that I would give you his address. I need to go and spend time with him, Brendon. By-"

Brendon sighed. "If you think this conversation is over, then you're wrong. We'll talk later."

And with that, Brendon hung up, leaving Ella in shock. She pulled her phone away from her ear, then sighed.

"I should've just gone to the out of state university when I had the chance." Ella walked back into the dining room, feeling like she was now in trouble once again.

"Everything alright, El?" She nodded.

"Yeah. Everything is just going perfectly."