Magnetic

Chapter Twenty-Seven

On my calendar, the date was May 15th. Just a mere two weeks away from the end-of-the-year play performance.

Earlier this morning, after I made the two of us breakfast, I decided that I wanted my father to come to my play.

When I alerted him of it, he pretended to check his cell phone agenda.

"Sorry, hun, I don't think I can make it." My father was a terrible liar. Every time he'd lie, he would avoid eye contact. His eyes stared at the sink, unwavering. "But I would love to come."

Without saying another word, I left the kitchen, feeling the heat rise to my face. Of course he didn't think he could make it. He just didn't want to, or had a prior engagement with someone. Probably Ireland.

For almost the past month, I had been playing second fiddle to her, never getting to see my father while she saw him too much.

After asking around about her, because everyone in West Cliff knows everyone else, I was told she was a sophomore at the university in Monraville. Her major was singing or something like that.

I guessed he was going through some sort of mid-life crisis, because my father, a fifty-something-year-old man, was dating a college student. Not even a senior or a junior, but a sophomore. That was enough to make me want to vomit uncontrollably.

In my rage, I left my house, wanting to stay as far away from my father as I possibly could.

Because of all my extra hours I'd picked up at Wishing Wells, I had significantly more money in my pocket, meaning that a trip to the mall alone was in order.

My favorite store was this place called Charmed, where they sold handmade charm bracelets and charms. When Paisley and I had come here to the mall to get prom dresses, we stopped in here and both bought a chain and a charm for each other. I bought her an elephant charm because I knew she loved elephants, she bought me a charm shaped like the two masks that symbolized drama, one for comedy and one for tragedy, and we placed them on our bracelets, saying the charms signified our friendship.

With just one charm, my bracelet seemed quite sparse, so I stopped by Charmed to pick up a few more. I had set a charm of a Siberian Husky in the palm of my hand, analyzing the gems on it, when someone bumped into me, causing the charm to fly across the store, hitting some older lady with with black hair and gray roots in the cheek. She didn't seem to notice it.

I spun around, ready to confront whomever had bumped into me, when I realized I recognized this girl.

Paisley.

Her cheeks were bright red and she was obviously embarrassed. She mumbled a "sorry" and turned around to leave the store when I grabbed her arm and pulled her back. She was out shopping alone, as I was.

Seeing her made me realize how much I missed having her, Gage, and Brady as friends. Now, I just felt so alone. Even at home, I didn't have my father. Yes, I had Tesla and Dominic--I guess?--at Wishing Wells, but those were work friends. Not true ones.

Anyways, Tesla had to be nice to me at work. We were related. Gage was much more hardheaded than that, though. Because he felt like I had done something wrong, he would avoid me at all costs.

"I haven't talked to you in a while," I said, shifting through a decorative box full of charms. There had to be another husky one. I'd never be able to find the one that flew across the store.

She raised a blonde eyebrow at me. "And who's fault is that?"

Of course she'd still be pissed off towards me. I couldn't really blame her. If the roles were reversed, I'd still be, too. "I'm sorry, Paisley."