“Dad,” Artemis groans.
He gives her an innocent smile before slipping out.
She covers her face. “Oh my gosh.”
“What?”
She drops her hands with a huff. “Now you know why I don’t have a boyfriend.”
I just stare at her.
She rolls her eyes. “He chases guys away.”
“Why?”
“Because he thinks I’m this delicate little flower and he’s worried I’ll get hurt? Your guess is as good as mine. I mean, most girls have had a few boyfriends by now. But me?None. All because my dad plays police over me.” She huffs again.
We’re quiet as we work on the project, only uttering things here and there when we need to.
Her dad enters a few more times, pretending to be searching for different things. He even asks me if I’ve changed my mind about dinner, and I once again decline.
“One sec,” Artemis says before getting to her feet and leaving the room.
I bend my head forward, tearing my fingers through my hair. Her dad might be a little overprotective, but she’s lucky she still has one. I’d give anything,anything, to see my dad and mom one more time.
We never got a chance to say goodbye. Everything happened so quickly. Would they forgive me for not trying harder to save them?
Chapter Eleven
Artemis
“Dad.” I stop him down the hall. He’s holding a stack of folders he hasn’t touched in years. He just took them from the study room, where he’s been keeping them for storage. “What the heck?”
He gives me a look like he has no idea what I’m talking about.
I place my hands on my hips, returning the look with a roll of my eyes. “Stop embarrassing me.”
“I’m not embarrassing you.”
“Dad. Coming into the room like that? Pretending to look for something you obviously don’t need?”
He presses the folders to his chest. “Do you like this boy?”
My eyes widen and I start sputtering. “No! Of course I don’t. I’m not going to have a boyfriend until I’m, like, thirty.”
His grin is wide. “Good.”
“It’s not like you’ll let me anyway,” I mutter.
He doesn’t seem to hear that.
“So will you quit coming into the room?” I ask.
“No.”
If Ryan wasn’t in the room, I’d stomp my feet like a little kid. It’s not fair. I’m sixteen for heaven’s sake. I should be free to choose when to date and who to date.
But maybe I’ll never find anyone, anyway. I’m not like the other girls at school. And of course I can’t forget that Ryan doesn’t like me, either. Not even as a friend.
