Torn Between Two Worlds

Daddy Issues

Mary-Kate’s POV

“Hi darling, how was your first day?” I hear dad ask as he walks into our little kitchen.

I turn around to face him. I am just finishing up with preparing our supper. Nothing fancy but decent, pasta with leftover meatballs from last night’s dinner.

“Hi daddy. I can tell you all about it as we have supper.” I suggest with a smile.

“Sure, let me change out of these clothes then join you shortly.” He then turns to leave the kitchen.

I resume warming the meatballs then dish out two potions of the food in two separate bowls. I set the table with the bowls, cutlery and two glasses with a jar of water.

Dad returns just in time and joins me at the table.

“How was work?” I ask him.

“Eyyy nothing fancy the same old boring things. I am more excited to hear about your day.” He smiles.

“Oh,” I say sounding a little disappointed that his day was boring. “Anyway, my first day was alright. I made a new friend.” I say with a bit of excitement.

“Wow that’s amazing!” He exclaims with all the joy evident on his face.

“Yes, his name is Billy and he seems like a nice person.”

Despite our first interaction Billy seems like a nice person. I am yet to see where our friendship will lead us too.

“I am happy to hear you’re making friends already.” He says.

This is the first time I am telling dad I have a friend, a real friend that is. I easily make friends with people who are not my peers, like Mr Benjamin and Mr Andrews although he is my boss we still have good conversations.

“This friend is not a teacher or ......” he starts to suggest that Billy is an older person like all my other friends.

I roll my eyes skywards.

“Dad I can make a friend who is my peer, Billy is my classmate.” I pause wondering if I should add his preference, maybe I should. “Although I think his gay.” I finish off biting my bottom lip.

“What makes you think so?” he asks giving me all his attention.

I put my folk down and claps my fingers together and let one of my index fingers play with my chin.

“Well firstly he is a boy that speaks like a girl. He talks a lot using his hands and makes a lot of feminine gestures. He said from today onwards we are BFFs and we shall be doing everything together including shopping.” My hands are now semi raised in the air in disbelief.

“Which boy that is not gay wants to go shopping?”

Dad starts to laugh, “Well it seems to me that this Billy really wants to be your friend and do things with you. But I wouldn’t call him gay.” He says.

“Dad no guy wants to go shopping with a girl, that never happens, ever! I am so sure he is gay dad.” I say then pick up my folk to get some pasta.

“Okay and does that bother you?” he asks.

I pause for a thought. Honestly I am not bothered by Billy’s preference. If his comfortable, I bet I should too as his friend.

“I think I am okay actually, if he were female and lesbian, then maybe I would be a bit uncomfortable.” I nod my head agreeing with the last part.

Dad chuckles, “Then that’s good. What of the other kids?”

“Meh...they all seemed like rich kids talking about their rich errands and what they did during the holiday and what not.” I say not really interested in lives.

“I am sure with time you will make more friends.” He says.

I am not so sure about that, I need to figure Billy out first and focus on school. My sole purpose is to keep my grades up, making friends is the least thing on my list.

“And the fancy school?” he asks.

“Oh dad the place is huge……” I tell dad about how big the school is and how I feel I will get lost within the school grounds if I go anywhere without Billy. I tell him about the amazing food they serve and of course the grumpy lady in the cafeteria.

After supper I tidy up, washing all the dirty dishes and putting away whatever needs to be put away. I check my uniform and all my school essentials are set for tomorrow before I tuck in under my beddings.

I set my alarm for 05am before I close my eyes and let the sleep carry me away to dreamland.

I had a good day, lets hope for sweet dreams.

Jordan’s POV

“I hear you dropped business class to play basketball.” My father’s voice sounds very calm, but you can tell that he is very unpleased.

I swallow the food in my mouth and take a sip of my water before I respond. “My grades in business class have been good the past two years I have taken the subject. I thought of using the time to improve my bask...” he cuts me off before I finish.

“Good.....and if you take another exam at the end of this year you think they will still be good after missing a whole year?” he yells a little.

“No son of mine will quit an important class to play ball, playing basketball will never take you anywhere!” now he is yelling loudly for the entire house to hear.

“Dad basketball is important to me as well and yes my exam will be fine.” I calmly respond although I feel my nerves about to burst.

“No!” his fist hits the dining table making all the cutlery click and make noise. Mom jumps a little in her seat.

Dad is seated at the head of the table with mom on his right and I on his left.

“Honey calm down.” from the corner of my eye, I see mom stretch her hand to hold dad’s, “Yelling will not solve anything.” She says in a soft voice

“You expect me to be calm when this son of ours is choosing games over making a future for himself.” He speaks to her much calmer then turns to face me with even more furry.

“If you think I am working my ass off for you to play ball and have all the fun you lazy young people have now, you must be insane. I want to hear none of this basketball nonsense again.” He says then pushes his chair back with so much force it falls back hitting the tiles on the floor.

“Darling.” I hear mom say to me.

I look up at her and meet her teary eyes, she is always this sad when he is around. Why she is still with him is what I don’t understand. Everyone knows how unhappy she is with him, but she is still with this man I call my father that does nothing but terrorizes everyone.

“I am sorry baby.” She says.

Why does she always have to apologize for him? Ever since I was little, he treats me like I am nothing to him then she comes and comforts me.

I gently push my chair back to leave the table, I have nothing to say to my mother. I am angry and will not let it out on the innocent woman.

“You have barely touched your food.” She notices the food I have been poking at all evening. I only managed to have a spoon or two before I lost my appetite waiting to hear what he was angry about, since everything I do makes him angry.

Everything I do is worthless to him, from the time I was young all he wants to do is boss me around, tell me how to dress, walk and who to speak too. He is such a control freak it makes me so angry. Mom just follows whatever he says and lets him make us both sad.

Last time he threatened to cut me off and mom pleaded with him not too. But I have had enough of him. If he wants to cut me off so be it. I will get to live my life, I will be 18 in a few months, and I can move out.

“Not hungry anymore.” I get up and leave my mother sitting at the dining table.

I climb the stairs and go straight to my room. I change out of my formal attire that my mother forced me to wear when I got home after freshening up. I pull some sweats, a t-shirt and my runners on.

It’s a chilled night for a run.

Mary-Kate’s POV

With an aim to catch up in my studies I left home just before 06am. Dad had just woken up and found everything set, I managed to make us both peanut butter and jelly sandwiches before I left.

Because I was too early, I didn’t catch Mr Benjamin’s bus. The bus I actually got on was empty with only two other people on the bus with me. I bet we were the only early birds for the day.

The walk from the bus stop to the school doesn’t feel too lonely despite the streets being void of any other people. I look up at the skies which are clear, the sun is just waking up from its slumber at exactly 6:20am. These days the sun takes its sweet time to grace us with its beauty and when it does the sky has the most beautiful shades of pink, purple and orange I have ever seen.

As I walk through the school gates that are already open, I see a lot of gardeners tidying up the school loans, gathering all the fallen leaves off the loans and sweeping away all the fallen leaves on the sidewalks.

The car park only has one black sports car parked. One of those fancy ones you get to see in movies owned by a rich person. Whoever owns it must really have a lot of money but hey who am I kidding, I bet anyone at this school can afford such a car.

I walk into the main school building and of course I find a few janitors cleaning, mopping the floors and wiping door handles to all the doors. I of course greet and excuse myself to the few I bypass on my way to my class.

As I walk past what I think should be the school basketball gym, I hear a ball hitting the floors and slumming the basket hoop.

I quietly open the door a little and peep through the little space. I see someone bouncing the ball on the floor and trying to get the ball through the hoop but every time he tries, the ball bounces off the ring and falls. He groans in anguish.

“Arrgggg!!!!” he shouts, and I close the door immediately before he sees me spying on him.

I continue walking towards my class where I find one of the janitors just finishing off with cleaning. I settle in my seat and pull my notebook and text book out. It’s 6:45am now and I have more than an hour before classes begin. Might as well get studying.

So absorbed in my studying I do not realize that Billy is talking to me until he snaps his fingers in my face bringing me back to earth from the world of biology.

“Girl.... did you sleep here? Because I left you here and I have found you.” He says in a dramatic tone which makes me chuckle.

“Seriously, did you ever go home?” he asks.

“Yes Billy I did, I just came in early.” I respond.

“To do what?”

“To study as you can see.” I gesture towards the textbook on my desk.

“Kate it is only January which is too early to be studying. We only have our first exams in two months and you’re already studying.” He says as if what I am doing is something strange or a crime.

“I know it’s January and exams are two months away, but I prefer to study every day to avoid panicking at the last minute.”

“I bet you’re a 4.0 GPA kind of girl, but you need to relax a little and enjoy life. You don’t have to sleep at school you know.” He whispers the last part.

My eyebrows furrow together, “I did not sleep in school.” I whisper back at him.

“I know. He softly slaps my hand.” He giggles.

Lord give me strength for Billy. I say a short prayer.

The class soon fills up as Billy fills my ears with crazy stories and talking about how his parents are not letting him go on holiday with them in a few weeks because he has school.

Must be nice to just get up and fly out of the country to go on holiday. I have not done that in many years, last time I went on holiday was when I was very little with my parents. I remember very little of the trip when I look at the photos dad kept for me. They are the last good photos we took as a family.

Jordan walks in a few minutes before the teacher does. I turn to say hello but then I notice the anger present on his face. He looks angry, very angry. It is quite early for him to be this angry. Did something happen at home, or did someone piss him off on his way here?

“Good morning Jordan.” I greet with ease not wanting to sound too happy since he is in a bad mood.

He looks up at me with his eyes which are dark with rage. He looks nothing like the Jordan I met yesterday. Yesterday’s Jordan was nice and friendly, he looks like he will snap anyone’s head off if they cross his path.

He looks away from me and says nothing. I think that’s my queue to turn around and mind my own business.

“His probably going through his usual daddy issues, he will come around when he cools down.” Billy whispers to me once I am facing the front.

Daddy issues?

“Okay.” Is all I say. I am not going to get involved in anything that doesn’t involve me.

“Good morning class.” Our biology teacher greets.