“Dad? Are you okay?” She said as she was slowly creeping into the living room. She heard nothing. She was confused about what was going on.
“Dad, are you here?”
He left.
Instead of talking to his daughter, he left. What a dad. She went back over to Laurissa’s with her head filled with thoughts and questions. She looked around again and realized that Paige wasn’t at Laurissa’s, either. He took Paige and left. She didn’t know what to say. She was shocked. She went over to Sammy and just hugged him. Luna had felt betrayal before, but this was the lowest someone could go in her eyes to make a point. They all sat on the couch. Laurissa knew she was going to start this conversation. She said, “Well, that was one way of stopping the fight. Not the smartest way, but a way.”
“I can’t believe he would just leave,…” Luna started thinking more, and finished that line. “… actually no I’m not. Of course, he would leave. He always does. Why am I not surprised?” Clearly, from all the reactions Luna got from that line was… unexpected. What was depressing was that she wasn’t wrong?
“Luna, you don’t mean that?”
“Yes, I do. He is hardly around in my life, and he expects me to be happy to see him. The last time I saw him, I was pretty sure that it was my fault that he got kicked out by that horrible woman that ruined me. He is okay with not calling me for weeks on end and expects me to be overjoyed when he tells me only bad things on the phone. Did he tell you that at the beginning of this school year, I was nonstop crying because of him? Did he tell you he chose Raina’s side over mine all the time? Because I can guess the answer to both questions, I know the answer is no. I know he didn’t tell you. That’s why you guys were shocked when I told you that Raina and her band of beasts were bullying me to the point of no return. I am just tired of crying from all the pain he caused me; but I know I won’t stop crying because of him.” Luna couldn’t contain herself anymore. She was crying all over again. She couldn’t help but feel more pain in her than she started the day. She knew that this would be a problem, but she was expecting this problem later in her life. She didn’t want to get touched by anyone. Luna was done with the day. She felt like she was crashing and spiraling out of control.
“I’m sorry, Laurissa. I’m sorry, Sammy. You both shouldn’t be seeing me this way. I’m going to wait until my dad comes home with Paige and take my consequences for acting this way.” Luna wanted to be alone, but also she didn’t want to crash with anyone around. She needed to be alone. She learned that the hard way.
“Luna, darling. I don’t think that’s a smart idea. You shouldn’t be alone in a house that is practically falling apart from the inside.” When she heard Sammy say that, her thoughts switched to caring, questioning why her dad would move to a place that could cause problems later on in his life.
“Thanks Sammy, but I think it’s best if I am alone. I will be fine and if they aren’t back within the hour. I will come back and stay here until they get back.” They respected that decision because she was shaking and she was scared about what was going to happen. As she was walking back to her dad’s house, she heard the same words repeating in her head, ‘it’s always your fault. You caused this.’ As she heard the lines, she had to think of things she did well in her life right now. She wished she was strong enough to get through this situation alone, but she knew she couldn’t. She knew she needed someone to rely on because she was going down a dark hole without a flashlight. She wanted Oliver, she wanted her mom, she wanted someone that was strong enough to pull her out of the hole.
Luna was lying on the bed, staring at the popcorn ceiling. She started falling asleep on the bed, waiting for her dad. She felt like being in that house, that she lost track of time. She lost her sense of time. She fell asleep completely. She woke up to a loud bang from the front door; she went over to see who it could be; it was Laurissa. Luna was confused about what was happening. She looked around the room and realized it was nighttime, and her dad still wasn’t back yet.
“Luna! You should have come back hours ago. What were you doing?”
“Sorry, I must have fallen asleep. Is my dad back yet?”
“No, he isn’t. That’s why I am here. I was expecting you to come back before dark. Come on, eat something and you are staying with us tonight. I already texted your dad saying that you’re upset with him. He didn’t reply.” Of course, he didn’t. He would rather drop Luna off than spend time with her. She didn’t know what could make her feel worse. She felt abandoned. No, she felt thrown away. It was a pain that she couldn’t get rid of. As Laurissa and Luna walked back to Laurissa’s place, she felt like Woody and Buzz when Andy lost them in Toy Story. She wanted to be with her people, and she loved Laurissa’s family, but she didn’t expect her dad to just leave.
She decided she would not focus on that part of this break. She knew she had to find a graduation dress and a cute set of shoes. Her mom gave her dad the honor of shopping for it, to make him feel a part of the moment. She went to bed that night; she stayed in Laurissa’s guest room. Luna wanted to forget everything wrong. She felt like this was going to be a long week for her.
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