Who Breaks First (Clearwater University)

By the time we both sit up to dive back into studying, I’m actually looking forward to Friday night.

Before I know it, another couple of unproductive days pass and Friday is upon me. Dad said he’d pick me up on the way to dinner, so at seven o’clock, I head downstairs to wait outside my dorm building. I’m wearing a cute floral dress I found at a thrift shop, and I actually changed my outfit three times before settling on this one. Funnily enough, I’m feeling kinda nervous.

As I see my dad’s green Prius pulling up, I glance from side to side, desperately hoping that none of the guys are watching. One of my biggest fears has always been that dad will find out about the bullying. I kept it from him in high school, and if he knew what happened, it would kill me. West, Reese, and Trent might not survive it either, but that’s not the kind of revenge I want. I don’t want my dad to get involved and do something stupid, and I don’t want him to look at me with pity.

Dad stops the car, and I quickly hop into the passenger side.

“Hey, Ems.” He grins at me, excitement beaming from his pores.

“Hey, Dad,” I reply, leaning over and giving him a kiss.

“You look beautiful.”

“Oh, thanks. I found this at a thrift store.”

“That’s my girl. Always so resourceful.” He shoots me a wink as we pull out of the parking lot. My gaze scans the street as we head toward the edge of campus, my nerves still on high alert. Please don’t let any of the guys cross our path. As far as I know, Dad doesn’t even know they go to school here. When he offered to pick me up, I actually told him it would be better for me to ride my bike, but he insisted.

We catch up during the car ride, and when we pull up outside the restaurant twenty minutes later, my jaw drops in surprise. “Seriously? Louie’s?”

“You know it’s my favorite steak house.”

“This girlfriend must be pretty fancy.”

“She’s not all that fancy. She just has good taste,” he jokes.

I’m beginning to wonder if I dressed up enough for this occasion. Why couldn’t Dad have told me we were coming to Louie’s?

And Jesus, is there going to be an engagement announcement or something tonight?

“Can we talk before we go in?” Dad pulls the keys out of the ignition and turns to me.

“Sure,” I say slowly, a little apprehensive about what “the talk” is going to be.

“You know I’ll always love your mother, right?”

I cock my head, favoring him with a duh look. “Dad, of course, I do.”

“Because I don’t want you to think anyone is ever going to replace her. She was a woman I can never compare anyone to. And she gave me the greatest gift I’ve ever received in my life.”

Clearing my throat, I glance down at my hands in my lap. “Come on, Dad. You’re gonna make me cry.”

“I’m going to cry.” He chuckles, and his voice does sound a little watery.

“You don’t have to say all this though,” I tell him. “And you didn’t have to hide from me that you were dating someone. All this time, I wanted you to meet someone nice.”

“It’s not as easy as you think. I mean, there have been women in the past.”

“Okay, just don’t go into too much detail though.” I raise my hands as I pull a face.

“I won’t, Ems.” Dad snorts a laugh. “I’m just saying that this one is the most special. She’s really important to me, and I know you’re going to love her.”

“If she makes you happy, that’s all that I want.”

“Thank you, sweetheart.” A contented smile blooms on his face. He starts to unbuckle his seatbelt, then stops. “Oh, and before we go in, I want to ask you about school.”

I freeze, my heart practically seizing in my chest. The way he spoke makes it sound like he knows something bad has happened. But how could he know? I haven’t told him anything.

“What about it?” I ask, thinking that must be the lamest, most guilty response in the history of the world.