“I cannot believe you completely skipped the whole day.” Cassidy slurred, chunks of lettuce falling out of her mouth. “You know your dad is going to completely kick your ass, right?” I shrug and lean over and steal one of Rogers fries.

“Hey no!” he yells, grabbing it back “You said you didn’t want anything other than a milkshake, if you wanted fries, you should have ordered some.”

“But Roger!” I fake whine “I’m probably going to die when I get home, do you really want on your conscience that you refused me my last fry ever before my death?”

“You wouldn’t be dead if you had just gone to class on the first day like I said.” he stuffs the fries into his mouth and looks at me “That way it’ll be easier for me to forge your attendance, but no you wanted to go get high in the woods and didn’t even want to share.” I rolled my eyes and leaned back in the booth.

We had been coming to Luke’s Deli since freshman year. Cassidy had found it when she was out looking for jobs and the minute, she tried one of their burgers she knew it was the perfect place for us. It didn’t look the greatest, it was run down and dirty and the tables were so sticky it was like they had never washed them. The booths were all torn up, you couldn’t find a single one that didn’t have some sort of tear in it, there was always a light flickering and I’m almost positive at least one cook was always smoking a cigarette while they were cooking our food. Most of these things would turn people away instantly, I wanted to leave the minute we entered the first time, but when you take your first bite of food you understand why they’re still in business. It was the best thing I had ever tasted, the fries just the right amount of crispiness and the burgers juicy and the milkshakes so rich it made my stomach hurt when I was finished. We decided after our first meal that the food was good enough for Luke’s to become our new spot. Plus, the staff never said anything about us skipping school or smoking weed inside, hell they usually shared with us.

“I just don’t see why you had to skip.” Cassidy said “Was it because you wanted to avoid seeing Jack?”

“Absolutely not, I could care less about that douchebag, it’s just that my dad already expected me to skip today so there was already gonna be a fight. Why not give him a reason to be mad?” I hadn’t told them about the fight with Luna, I learned a while ago that they didn’t care about her spouts of anger and I didn’t need another rough confrontation with them and her.

“So instead of proving him wrong you decided to prove him, right? Yeah, sounds like you.” Roger says.

“Shut the fuck up Roger, not everyone can be a slacker and a genius like you, okay?” I snap.

“I’m not saying you need to be good at school or anything.” He says looking me dead in the eyes “I’m just saying I don’t see the point in giving your dad what he wants, wouldn’t it make more sense to go against what he thinks? It would piss him off more, wouldn’t it?”

“You don’t live there and you don’t know what it’s like okay? So just back off.”

“Okay, okay everyone calms down.” Cassidy says, putting her arms up between us. “Roger, Kat is right you don’t live in the house and the only knowledge you have of her relationship she has with her dad is what she tells us. Kat, Roger is just looking out for you. He cares about you just as much as I do and he just wants to do his best to protect you from your dad and his overly intense punishments. Now that we’re all on the same page are we all good now? Or do I have to whip both of your asses?” Roger and I both give each other a quick look before nodding. “Good, I hate having to get my mother tone out but you bitches made me do it, you both owe me a drink at the next party.”

Roger takes a couple fries and hands them to me. “I don’t know why this is what you want for your final meal, but it would be cruel for me to deprive you of it.” I laugh and take them dipping them in my milkshake. “Dude come on! You’re ruining them!” He exclaims “Now you’ve got a crappy last meal, don’t expect me to sing at your funeral.”

“Excuse me if anyone is singing at Kat’s funeral it’s me.” Cassidy says “And I’m going to sing a beautiful rendition of All Star by Smash Mouth while in a Shrek cosplay.”

“Oh yeah my dad and mom would totally love that.” I say sarcastically. “I probably won’t even get a funeral; they’ll just take my body and toss it in the dump and act like I never existed.”

“I refuse to believe that your mom, the woman that had to throw a huge party for your brother getting out of rehab, would refuse to give you a giant extravagant funeral.” Cassidy says “She probably has everyone in your family’s weddings and funerals already planned out.” She was right, my mom never passed up a chance to show off her decorating and cooking skills with a party. When I got my first report card in first grade, she threw a massive party to celebrate the singular A I got, inviting all my family and the kids in my grade and their families as well. There were many more parties like that as well but they were all blurred together into one big chaotic unnecessary mess.

“So, what’s the plan for the rest of the day before we have to send Kat to her death?” Roger asks.

“I think some people are getting together at Jamie’s tonight at 6, we could go there.” Cassidy says.

“No can do, Michael is always with Jamie and I’m not hanging around that pedo.” Roger says. At least I know where Luna will be tonight, I’ll definitely be hearing about all of it later.

“Isn’t that pedo your cousin?” Cassidy asks.

“Yeah, that doesn’t mean I gotta like him though.” Cassidy nods her head and goes back to her food.

“We could go to Trevor’s? I know his house is always open and I could go for some Call of Duty since you guys never want to play with me.” Roger says.

“That’s because you suck, I kick your ass every time and it’s not even a challenge.” Cassidy says “It’s no fun if it feels like you’re not even trying.”

“That’s because I go easy on you! Come on, we’re going to Trevor’s and I’m showing you how I really play.” and with that we make our way to Trevor’s where I can at least zonk my brain out with as many drugs as I can get my hands on before I have to face my dad and whatever screaming match and punishment, he has waiting for me.

It’s eleven pm by the time I get home. We stayed way later than anticipated. Trevor had just bought 20 tabs of Acid and gave each of us two of them. Cassady and Roger took them right away, I held on to me for later tonight as a cool down for whatever happened so I ended up just taking some molly and playing trip sitter all night. Roger swore he could see cloaked figures staring at him so we couldn’t leave until we were sure he was good enough to drive.

I’ve been standing outside my house for the past fifteen minutes repeatedly spraying myself with perfume Cassidy had lent me and trying to hype myself up. I had been getting the same speech almost every day since eighth grade from him and by now I could recite it word for word, but the punishments always got worse and my cockiness from this morning had all but disappeared. I reached out to the doorknob and took a deep breath before turning it and heading inside. Maybe if I was lucky, he would be asleep and I could just do my best to avoid him for a couple days.

“Katherine, so glad you finally decided to come home.” No such luck. I turned, following the sound of his voice. He was sitting in his armchair in the living room, his pj’s on arms crossed and fake happiness on his face. “You know your mother was very worried about you. I had to promise her I’d stay up until you came home. It was the only way I could get her to go to sleep.” He was only partially telling the truth I could tell; he was happy to wait for me, he loved having the advantage of surprise.

“Yeah, I’m sorry Roger and-” He puts up his hand cutting me off

“Why don’t we finish this conversation in my office.” It was more of a command then it was a question. “That way we don’t risk waking your mother. She has a long day of work and needs the rest.”

I followed him into his “office” where he kept all his awards and medals from the navy, artwork Claire made him from elementary school, mine and Daniel’s were taken down years ago, and his computer where he whatever got him the big bucks. This was his favorite place to yell and deal down his punishments without anyone else around to step in and interrupt. If he brought you in here that’s how you knew you really fucked up. Daniel was in there so much that I think it lost its power over him because the punishments never lasted until he eventually left. Claire had only been brought in once, after she got caught drinking and driving underaged and got her first and only DUI. Whatever my dad did in there must have really traumatized her because she made sure to never get in trouble again to the point where she was so pent up tight, she has severe panic attacks anytime she gets a grade below a ninety-eight.

This was my fifth time being brought in here. The last time he made me spend the whole summer completely fixing up and reorganizing the attic. I watched as he slowly made his way to his desk, sitting down and pulling a piece of paper from his printer. “Go ahead, sit.” He said not looking up. “We have a lot to talk about.”

“Dad if I could just explain.” I try to think of anything that could get me out of this, but it already felt like a lost cause as I sunk down in the chair.

“I said sit.” his voice getting sterner. There was no point in fighting, his mind was already made up. We sat there for a couple more minutes in silence as he looked over the paper in front of him. He was loving every minute of this, making me anxious, and I hated that I was giving him the satisfaction. Molly probably wasn’t the best drug to take. There was no way he couldn’t tell I was rolling.

“So, your school called today.” He finally said. “Told me you didn’t show up for the first day. Now I expected this so it was lucky that I was the one who answered because your poor mother would have been heart broken.”

“Dad look-”

“No, no I’m talking right now so you’re going to shut up and listen.” I wanted to punch his shit eating grin off his face. He was enjoying every ounce of this, letting me know that even though I’m 18 he still has power over me until I leave this house.

“Now I can’t say I’m surprised; you’ve barely shown up for school ever since you’ve become best friends with those two little trouble makers and despite my best effort you still seem to hang out with them. I have tried the nice route, going easier on you then I did Daniel.” I scoffed. “It hasn’t seemed to work though so we’re going to have to start some drastic measures.” He stands up and moves to the front of the desk, leaning against it and letting out a deep breath. “From now on you are not allowed to leave the house without me or your mother present, I will drive you to school and your mother will pick you up. I will be calling the school every day to make sure you’re there and I will regularly be emailing your teachers to find out your grades and if you were there that day. You are not allowed to see your friends anymore while you’re still living under my roof, they’re a bad influence and I never liked them.”

“Are you fucking serious dad? It’s my senior year and I’m going to have no social life!”

“You will watch your language around me and respect me while I’m talking!” He looked me dead in the eyes, any smile or joy he had on his face was gone. “I’m not done. Every weekend you will go to work with me, the library down the street from there has a volunteer program that you will be attending every Saturday and every Sunday you will be going to church with us and then spending the day with your mother cleaning the house. This will continue for the rest of your time in this house.”

“This is completely unfair!” I yell “I missed class because I was sick, I spent the day sleeping in Roger’s car and then he took me to his mom’s house because she’s a nurse you can ask them!” This was a lie of course. Roger’s mom was technically a nurse yes, but she spent most of her night shift taking her clothes off instead of prescribing medication. “You’re going to make me cut off everyone in my life and not allow me to have any fun at all my senior year just because I missed one day?”

“This is more than just one day, regardless of whether what you’re telling to me is true you have been failing your classes for years by not showing up and then miraculously passing in your last month. It’s a miracle your mother and I haven’t been arrested for child negligence for all of your absences! Your brother was also able to pull this off somehow and I do not enjoy being made a fool of twice. As for your social life? I think you’ve been social enough. It’s time you stop acting like a total dumbass and take accountability for your life, you’re never going to get into any college if you can’t even get a C average?”

“Who said I even wanted to go to college?” I yell back

“I did! I’m not having another child who’s a lowlife!”

“Like Daniel? The kid who had an obvious addiction issue and instead of helping him you just called him a waste of space and gave up on him?”

“I did not give up on your brother, he gave up on himself!”

“Oh yeah go ahead and keep telling yourself that so you don’t feel bad. How about Claire huh? Would you much rather I be like her? A daughter you put so much pressure on that now she’s terrified of you and is too scared to come home? Who was forced to take a break from college because she had a mental breakdown and had to be institutionalized?”

“That is enough!” I jumped at his voice. The last time I heard him yell like this was when he kicked Daniel out. “I am your father and you will respect me!” He walks up to me until we’re face to face “You will follow my rules and you will learn to show me respect.” He reaches out his hand “Now give me your phone and go to bed.”

I glared at him, tempted to just turn around and walk right out the front door and never come back just like my siblings, but I knew that would destroy my mother and I couldn’t do that to her.

I hand him my phone and inch closer to him. “You never even gave me a chance.” I say “You just expected me to be just like him and gave up just like you always do.” and I turn around and storm up to my room.

Next Chapter: Chapter Five