Page 62 of Obsession

“Take it easy, honey. I didn’t mean to scare you.”

I noticed my father on the edge of the bed, watching me with an amused look, trying to reassure me. I muttered a few mental curses and rubbed my forehead with my fingertips.

“Thanks for the military wake-up call, Dad.”

He laughed, “Hurry up, you have to be at school in twenty minutes.”

I let my face sink into my palms and frowned at the memories of last night: the text message, the dream…Wait a fucking second! Twenty minutes?!

“Fucking shit,” I cursed and jumped out of bed, stumbling on my feet, one step away from falling on my face.

Why hadn’t I heard that stupid alarm clock? Oh yes, that’s right! Because I had forgotten to set it.

I ran to the bathroom and showered as quickly as I could, brushed my teeth and tried to tame the disaster that was my hair because I did not have time to straighten it. Growling, I quickly tied it into a low ponytail and ran the brush through it lightly. It looked acceptable now, even if I didn’t like tying my hair up that much.

I applied black eyeshadow and eyeliner, trying to cover up the redness that made my eyes look like beets. I ran back to my room, a sudden daze knocking me off balance for a moment.

Shit, I need drugs.

I could have taken my pills, but I doubt they would have done much good. There was no point in a sick person taking their medication if they kept drinking. I was in the same situation, and I had no idea where I could get ahold of drugs, I didn’t know anyone in the area who dealt them except….Ahh, no fucking way, I wasn’t going to beg that demon like a hungry puppy.

I went through my clothes, not knowing what to wear. His text flashed in my mind:“Wear something sexy tomorrow!”Yeah, right.Where the hell did I put those damn sweatpants? I’ll show him sexy.

My dad’s voice interrupted my rummaging and I sighed angrily, abandoning my plan, and pulling on a pair of blue skinny jeans and a black top. My boots were still at school, so I put on my sneakers. It seemed warm enough outside that I could leave the house without a jacket, which was good because mine was still in my locker.

On my way out the door, I stopped and looked at myself in the mirror.How the fuck? I had chosen clothes that actually looked good on me – both my jeans and the tight top. As simple as they were, totally not what I had in mind.

“Katherine!”

My father’s shout echoed throughout the house. I cursed, gave up on the idea of changing again, and headed straight out the door. I had a different bag, so I had to carry two of them after school.

Peachy!

“Come on, Katherine, for the love of God! How long does it take you to get dressed?” he scolded, almost angrily.

“Calm down, Dad, I’m not enlisting in the army.”

I felt weak again as I reached the last of the stairs. It was going to be a very interesting day.

“Shut up and eat something and I’ll take you.”

He moved aimlessly around the kitchen table carrying a plate of waffles. I froze in place for a few seconds, remembering how Harris had sat me down on it. After his text last night, what had happened in this kitchen seemed almost unreal.

“Don’t worry, I still have time to catch the bus if the others don’t come to pick me up.”

“Whatever you want. Oh, and thanks for dinner last night. You haven’t cooked since…” he paused, and I frowned.

He meant to say that I hadn’t cooked since my mother left. Before that, we used to spend hours together in the kitchen.

“Yeah, whatever…” I mumbled.

“If you think that’s how you get out of house arrest, you’re wrong,” he tried to change the subject and grinned slightly at me.

“Like I said, whatever. By the way, where were you yesterday? I called you like five times.”

His face suddenly changed as he was caught off guard. As he opened his mouth to talk, a car honked outside. Probably my friends, who had somehow found the best moment to show up.

“We’ll talk tonight, now go,” he urged me, ready to escape the interrogation.

---