Faking it.

CHAPTER 32

"Hailey, why are you here if your school doesn't end until three?" Mom asks me again after I don't answer her the first time.

"I skipped history. I didn't feel all too well." I lie and mom opens her mouth to probably scold me, but the still unknown man beats her to it.

"You let her skip school?" He asks mom in a heavy British accent and I raise an eyebrow. "I don't think that any of your business mister." I snap and everyone is silent again. Did I say something I was not supposed to say?

I look over to mom and see that she is having something like a silent conversation with the unknown man. Dad is just standing there, glaring at the ground.

"I-" the man starts but mom cuts him off. "Hailey, why don't you sit down first?" I cross my arms over my chest and answer her in the most sassy tone I can, "I feel quite comfortable standing here, so how about you tell me what's going on."

Something about this situation is not right and I am itching to know what it is.

"I think I should just tell her." The man says. "Tell me what?" I ask but my question seems to be ignored and ends up unanswered.

"I think that you shouldn't be here in the first place." Dad fires back and mom warns him. "Hal.."

"Tell me what?" I repeat myself but again am ignored. No surprise here.

"I think I have every right to be here since-" "No!" Mom interrupts the man again before he could finish that sentence.

All of a sudden the three of them are talking at the same time and I can't make out a single word. What is it with them today?

"STOP!" I shout as loud as I can and the three adults in front of me finally remember my presence in the room. I lean forward and rest my hands on the kitchen counter, looking at all three of them.

"Someone should start explaining what the hell is going on here and what the fuck it has to do with me."

They scrunch up their faces, probably because of me swearing but I could not care less about talking proper language in this situation right now.

"Hailey.." Mom starts and all eyes are on her now. "There's a reason why you and your father could never get along like Joey and Abby do."

"And that reason is?" I say and make a hand gesture for her to elaborate.

"It's because he's not actually your father." She says and a scoff leaves my mouth. She realised that only now? "Yes, I obviously know that he was never a real father to me." I say and shoot dad a glare, as does the man next to me.

"No- Not like that, although you are right on this one." Mom corrects me and a little part inside of me likes it that she admitted how shit of a father he was. If you could even call him that. But that little part of me vanishes as soon as I remember what she said. If she doesn't mean what I mean... than what does she mean?

"He is not your father. You don't have his DNA." Mom continues when she notices my silence and confused look.

I stay silent for a minute and wait for one of them to tell me that this is a joke. When no one does I start to panic. "WAIT WHAT?!" I shout.

"You are not my daughter." Dad says and I almost loose it.

"This man here. He is your father." Mom says, pointing to the British guy next to her and he gives me a smile.

"No." I say and shake my head, trying to get this thought out of my mind before it can be envisioned as true. This man can never be my father.

"Fortunately, you are my daughter." The man answers and I look him up and down, but my eyes linger on his face a little bit more. He has the same blue eyes, same brown hair, same rosy cheeks.

Everything is starting to make sense, but I don't want it to make sense. I don't want it to make sense. My brain is already putting the pieces together against my will.

Mom lied. Everybody lied.

"You are a liar." I say to mom and she looks hurt. Well she should.

"About this I'm not." She tries to defend but I shake my head, cutting her next words off.

"No. You are a liar. You have been lying to me for the past sixteen years, letting me ask myself every night why I wasn't enough to receive the love of a man who is not even my father. Asking myself what I did wrong for him to treat me the way he did." I say and feel the tears running down my cheeks. "I hate you. I hate you even more than I hate him right now." Right now all I feel is anger. I am angry at mom for lying to me. Angry at dad- well not dad anymore- for treating me this way. And angry at my so-called father for never reaching out to me and not wanting me in his life.

If I don't get out now I probably will loose it and it would not surprise me if I break something expensive.

"Hailey, I never wanted-" Mom starts but I interrupt her again.

"You never wanted what mom? You never wanted for me to feel this way? You never intended for it to affect me that much? Bullshit. Don't try that emotional guilt trap with me. You fucking knew what this would do to me and you never once since you gave birth to me cared about it." I shout and start to back out of the kitchen.

"Hailey where are you going?" mom asks but I don't answer her. I just simply take my bag and reach for the front door, but mom prevents me from getting out by holding my arm. "Hailey stop. Please-" "If you don't want me to completely run away and never talk to any of you ever again I suggest you let me go right about fucking now and don't follow me." I threaten and see mom think. Eventually she nods and let's my arm go. Without a look back I leave and slam the door behind me.