“She says because they’re so small.” I glance up at him, both of us still laughing.
Our laughter dies down and we both sit back against our chairs. “I think she’s really pretty,” I finally say, stumbling over my words.
“Oh, really?” he asks with his brows raised, eyeing me with amusement.
I bite my lips together and nod. My dad always said I could come to him about anything. I hope he doesn’t make fun of me.
“Well, I hope you’re nice to her.”
I fidget with the holes in my pants, pulling on the loose thread. “I am.”
“You know how they say if a boy is mean to a girl it’s because he likes her?”
I nod.
“That’s not true,” he says more seriously as I look up at him. “No girl should allow a boy to be mean to her. No one should be mean to anyone,” he adds, eyeing me. “You understand?”
I nod again, looking him in the eyes.
He places his hand on my shoulder. “Good. Now let’s go inside. I need to shower, and you can see if your mom needs help with dinner.”
I’m pulled back to the present moment from the wind blowing through the trees.
“I left Rya,” I blurt out. He turns his head to face me, but I avoid his gaze, still staring out at the trees.
He places his hand on my shoulder in a comforting manner. “Are you okay?”
I snort a small laugh. “That’s the thing,” I say facing him. “I feel relief.”
A small smile forms on my dad’s face, but he hides it by biting down on his lips.
“You can say it.”
He shakes his head and furrows his brows. “Say what?”
“I told you so.”
“Son, you know I’ve never been like that. I won’t start now. Your mom and I have always let you and your sister make your own choices.”
My sister, Danielle, has never been a fan of Rya. Even when we were friends, she never liked her. She’s three years younger than me, and I always thought it was because she was too young to understand our relationship. But she was right about something. Rya is fake. That’s what she always told me, and I could never see it.
“Then why are you holding in your smile?”
He lets out a sigh. “Okay,” he says, swaying his head back and forth. “I’ll be honest with you. This marriage lasted longer than I thought. You know I’ve always liked Rya, but you know I never saw you two being more than just friends.”
“Yeah. I know.”
“So what was the final straw?” my dad asks.
I let out a bitter chuckle. “Ah. That’s the other fucking kicker.” I lay my head against the chair, looking up at the darkening blue sky. “She and Zayn slept together.”
“What!” He sits up taller in his chair and turns to me.
I nod my head.
“What the fuck?” He lets out a breath. “Zayn.” I look over at him. His jaw is tight and his eyes burn sharp as he looks over at me. He looks madder than I ever was. “I just…I can’t believe it. I mean, I can see Rya doing something like that. But not Zayn.”
My eyes widen in shock that he can see her doing that. Why was I so blind about her?
