βOkay, Iβve called every police station in the area,β Noelle said, furiously tapping her phone. βAnd no one has seen him.β
She was sitting in a desk chair while she called. I had my face buried in the couch cushions and was attempting to suffocate myself.
I groaned. βWhat if he got run over or something? Where could he have gone?β
Noelle squeezed my shoulder. βItβs okay, Mr. BeβAce, I mean. Letβs get in the car and drive down the road. Weβll see what we can do.β
I pulled myself up and tried to unsuccessfully smooth my hair. Iβm sure it stuck up in all directions, but for once I didnβt care. I needed to find out if my father was okay.Β
Donβt get me wrong, I still didnβt like the man. But I didnβt want him to be homeless. I figured the best I could do was set him up in a semi-nice apartment with provisions to last him a couple of months. After that, he was on his own.Β
Noelle and I walked to the car and she motioned for me to get in the passenger seat. I was tempted to argue, but then I realized I was in no state to drive. I would probably drive into a tree.
She backed out of the driveway and we drove in silence for a few minutes, with me craning my neck and Noelle biting her lip nervously.Β
βSo, um, Ace,β she said tentatively, βI just want to say, Iβm really proud of you. Youβve changed so much over the past few weeks, and being around you is actuallyβ¦ pleasant.β
I glanced over at her, grateful for her presence. βWell, I would still be a self-absorbed snob if it werenβt for you, soβ¦ thank you, Noelle. Really.β
She gave me a rare smile that lit up her entire face. I had a strange urge toβ¦ no. Pretend I never said anything.Β
βAce!β
Noelle slammed the brakes, almost breaking my collarbone as the seat belt snapped me back. Her eyes were fixed on something outside the car.
I frantically peeked out the window, but nothing caught my eyes.Β
And then I saw it. A flannel clump lying in the grass. I gasped.Β
βPull over, pull over!β
βI am!β
Noelle steered the car over to the side of the road and I jumped out before it came to a complete stop. I hurried over to the sorry man with the scraggly beard.Β
He looked up as he heard me approaching and I sucked in a breath when I realized that it was, in fact, my father. When he saw me, his head fell back to the grass. He didnβt say a word.Β
I could tell that Noelle was hovering by the car, unsure if she should interfere. I stepped closer to my father and sat down beside him. I ignored the fact that I was probably ruining my two-hundred-dollar pants.Β
We were silent until I couldnβt take it any longer. I took a deep breath and began to speak, but I kept my eyes on the sky.Β
βI know it was hard on you when Mother died. I donβt think you really knew how to handle your grief. But thatβs no excuse for your behavior. You should have cared for me, instead of leaving me.β
I paused, expecting a snarling retort, but when none came, I pushed forward. Although I tried to voice my feelings matter-of-factly, I could hear the tint of emotion in my own voice.
βIβm sure the loss of Mother was as devastating for you as it was for me. You werenβt open to me, and I wasnβt open with you. We avoided each otherβs feelings for the longest time. That was partly my fault. I resented you for not crying over Mother. I never saw you cry.β
βI couldnβt cry,β my father said suddenly, sounding hoarse. βI was so numb with grief I couldnβt bring myself to cry. I hated myself for it.β
I swallowed. βI think, deep down, I realized that you were still my father. But I refused to see it. It was easier to hate you than forgive you.β
Tears were running down my cheeks now, and I swear I even heard a sniff from my father. A warm hand gripped my shoulder.Β
βIβm sorry, son.β
I finally met my fatherβs eyes. The same eyes that stared me down in the mirror every morning. They were glistening with tears.Β
βIβm sorry, tooβ¦ Dad.β
He hugged me then, and I gave him a fierce hug back. I didnβt even hesitate to ruin my shirt. The whole outfit was probably ruined, but I donβt think I had ever been so unconcerned.Β
My father was back. After so long, he was finally back.Β
We finally pulled apart, each attempting to wipe our eyes without the other noticing. After a slight hesitation, my father spoke again.
βSon? I really did try, ya know. Thatβs why I convinced yur aunt to write ya in her will.β
I froze. βYou told her to do that?β
He nodded. βYep. I downright begged her.β
βDad, I own my own company. I donβt really need any help.β
βI know that now. But I didnβt even know where you lived until a few months ago. I just wanted to help you out.β
The realization that my father was behind the large sum of money made me feel queasy. Why would he do that for me? Something was tugging at the back of my mind, but I couldnβt place it. Something was off.Β
But his face was so open and sincere, so I beckoned for him to follow me to the car, where Noelle was standing. There were many emotions written on her face, some I could read, some I couldnβt. But there was something there that was different, that I had never seen before.
It kind of made me want to kiss her.
Woah. I did not just think that.Β
My expression must have given something away because Noelle suddenly looked uncomfortable.Β
βThereβs grass on your pants,β she muttered, looking away. I smirked.
βDo you enjoy making fun of me?β I joked. The corners of her mouth turned up, although she still didnβt meet my eyes.Β
βI think you know the answer to that,β Noelle answered, helping my father into the backseat. She tossed me the keys. βYouβre driving home.β
I smiled. βHome,β I said, rolling the word around in my mouth. For once, it didnβt taste sour.
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82 comments
"You got no jams" is from Aladdin as far as I am concerned. It is the bit where 'Prince Ali' offers jams to Jasmine in place of her hand and then the genie says it.
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lol I didn't even think of that, but you're right :) I was actually thinking of something else, though.
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XD
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Hey Saphira! I really liked this story, definitely made my heart go warm and fuzzy. We stan healthy relationships here ;) The confession from the father was really good timing, didn't feel awkward or scripted at all. I could see him butting into his son's apology and I think it fit the moment really well. Also, probably the wrong takeaway from this, but I think it's kinda funny in a backward way how the dad looked up to see his son then immediately dropped his head back down again. Could practically hear his thoughts: "who what who's there...
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Hi Lyvia! Thank you so much for all your compliments! Your feedback is super helpful and I really appreciate it! I actually never considered writing another sequel, but I feel like I should definitely expand on what Ace felt was wrong. Anyways, I'm really glad you enjoyed reading my story! It's super encouraging. :) -Saphira
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It would be pretty cool to see a sequel, feeling like there's something sus about Ace's dad... Glad to have helped!!
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I LOVED IT!! It was different and new. Also, well writtenππΌππΌ ....read mine?
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THANKS :) I'll read yours right now!
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50th follower! LOL
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Hi Great Story!
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Hi! :) Thanks, glad you like it!
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amazing! i hope one day master 10% english like you.
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Thank you very much! Sorry for taking so long to answer you.
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heyy! do you think you can give my story a read? π
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Oh my goodness, I just saw this! So sorry that I didn't respond, I haven't been keeping good track of reedsy, to be quite honest. I promise I'll check out your most recent story (even though you probably won't see this message, judging from your bio) (((PS. Totally sad to see you leave reedsy, even if it is temporary, but I understand your situation! You'll be missed!)))
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I must say I am not the hugest fan of Miraculous but I definitely went through a phase. I totally agree with the rest of your faves tho. I haven't seen Pirates of the Caribbean yet, but I really want to(love Johnny Depp). My half-hearted guess at your quote quiz(ooh I like the sound of that) is Louis Carrol since he said lots of stuff about "impossible things before breakfast"
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I just love Miracuclous because it's so cute!! Yes you totally need to watch the pirates of the Caribbean, at least the first 3. That's actually not what the quote is from, but good guess!
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I read your bio and, I'm a miraculous ladybug fan too! I'm literally obsessed- Have you started watching season 4? π
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OMGGGGG YESSSS!!!! I am so obsessed too, it's kind of a problem actually :) but yeah I've started watching season 4 but only up to wishmaker. I need to watch the rest ASAP but I never have time!!!! btw, who's your favorite character?
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Me too! So much that I watch new episodes in other laungages, guessing what they say- I've started watching season four too, until Simpleman! Still need to watch dearest family though, THE BEST episode ever in the miraculous world! THE TRAILER LOOKED SO INTRESTING! I'm so excited!!! π "Cat noir, yeah, cat noir." and "Just a normal girl, with a normal life" are my favorite! β¨
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I haven't watched dearest family either, but it looks SO GOOD!!! I literally know the entire theme song in both english and french, that's how obsessed I am π. Cat noir is totally my favorite character!!! I seriously hope that this is the season where their identities are revealed because I don't think I can stand the suspense any longer!!!!
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Ahh! I'm glad to have found a β¨miraculousβ¨ friend! I watched Dearest Family and OMG, we finally have the Ladybug and Catnoir duo back! :) But like seriously, what would happen if Ladybug and Cat Noir discovered their secret identities? To defeat a villain, Ladybug calls on literally nine superheroes when all she needed was Cat Noir and his cataclysm. But she couldn't call him because she doesn't know his "secret" identity. What if the Celestial Guardian (Marinette) finds that this situation cannot continue? That its too dangerous to le...
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Yayyyy!!! Me too, I don't really know anyone else who is genuinely invested in that show π I totally agree with you! If Cat Noir and Ladybug discovered their identities, I think it would make everything so much easier because they wouldn't have to keep making up lame excuses to each other during the school day. They could seriously help each other out! And Marinette told Alya, so why can't she tell ADRIEN????? So frustrating...
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Hey! I just read your bio that your trying to learn french rn and iΒ΄m flewent in french so if you want some tips, just let me know!
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Oh my gosh! That is so awesome! Is french your first language? I'm sad because ever since summer ended I pretty much stopped studying french because my schedule is so full. I really need to get back into it. Thanks for the offer, I'll be sure to keep you in mind.
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I moved here from france when I was a 3 and my parents would teach me a mix of the two languges (english and french) I would say that I know french better then english (and you can really hear my french accent when i pronounce some of english words)
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That is so cool!!! I would love that, because I know that learning a language as a child is so much easier than learning when you're older.
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yea, i'm trying to learn Russian rn and its a lot harder then when i learned Italian when i was 5.
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The answer to your quote is Flynn Rider (AKA eugene fitzherbert) from Tangled duh ;P
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Good job! π That's like my favorite quote from the entire movie!!! :)
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Also thx for reading my bio!
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Haha yay i got it right! Lol np I like reading peoples bios. It's a good form of procastion ;)
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you watch ncis, ncis, ncis- i've never met anyone who knows that show exists- i think this is like some soulmate-type voodoo. are you a pisces?
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I know, literally so many people haven't watched it before or even heard of it! It's sad. I'm a virgo, but I'm not really into the whole zodiac thing that much
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:0 we can be besties- *mini-celebration commences*
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YAYYYYY :)
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Awesome! I love these so much!
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Thank you!
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Np!!
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Aww hi!! This story is so sweet and I love your writing style! (By the way, I saw your bio and you should totally check out the kdrama Sky Castle if you haven't already!! I'm watching it rn and it's so good! :D)
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Awww thank you! That's so sweet of you, and I'm glad you enjoyed my story! (THANK YOU for the kdrama recommendation... always looking for new shows to watch lol. I've heard of Sky Castle and it looks so interesting... I'm gonna have to add that to my watch list for sure. It seems like a show with lots of drama.... I love that ;p)
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Not sure if you're still active on the site, but I've read two parts of your "Philanthropist" series and it tells an interesting tale of jaded wealthy characters who find their humanity under adverse circumstances. I was wondering if you could take a look at my latest story and make an honest comment or two... Thanks, and I'm looking forward to reading other parts of your series to get a more complete picture of your work.
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I wish I was active... but lately I haven't been making time to publish stories anymore. I'm glad to hear that you are interested in my stories, and I'm hoping to write more, but I don't know if that will happen any time soon, haha. I would love to look at your latest story though!
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hiya :o)
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HAHAHAHHAHA DFGHPIHGDSJF
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BAHAHHAHAHHAH
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HIIIIIIIIIIIIIIi
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You changed your name!!!!!! you are sienna right?
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Haha, love it!
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Yeah! That was the answer to the previous one, good job! Can you guess the one I have posted today? So far no one has guessed that one! :)
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Yeah, that one is kind of hard... it's from a book, not a movie, so there's a little hint.
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Hey, Sienna! So sorry it took me so long to reply, I've been super busy lately. I'm good, other than being busy with sports. How are you?
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Yeah, I haven't really been active at all. Glad you're doing good tho!
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No, I haven't but I've heard that it's really good! I really want to read it! I'm pretty good, my life is super hectic right now because school's almost over and they're loading us up with so much work!!! But I'm excited for summer! How are you doing?
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Wow! That's so cool! So exciting!
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