Soul Mates

Chapter 6

"Hey, Dad." Ada smiled as she, Cole, Ezra, and Cameron approach Jack beside his car. Exactly an hour and a half later, the group of teens met back up with Jack. She had been surprised her father had given in so easy for her to hang out with the group, seeing as they had just met moments earlier. Especially after the way she had seen him eyeing them in the store, like he didn't trust them or something.

"Hey. Did you enjoy lunch?" He wrapped his arm around his daughter's shoulder. He was more than relieved to have his daughter back where he could see and touch her. Something about those guys gave him a bad vibe, but he had let his daughter go. Against his better judgement, of course.

"Yeah, it was fun." She smiled up at her father. He meant well, he really did. But, sometimes he had no idea how to be father. Ada would give him credit, he really did try. Which was what this entire thing was about. Him trying to make up for his f**k up, and her taking advantage of the extra freedom that gave her.

"Good. We've got to get going. I picked up some groceries and need to get them home. It was nice to meet all of you." Jack said, and gently eased Ada towards the car. Even though the only thing he wanted to do was throw her over his shoulder and into the car, getting her as far from this group of guys as he could.

"Thank all of you so much for lunch. We'll have to do it again the next time you're in town." Ada threw a sweet smile over her shoulder at the guys as her father all but forced her into the cars.

"Of course. See you later, Ada." Cole called out with a wave as Jack shut Ada's door.

When Jack shut his door, Ada turned to her father. Whereas just moments ago she was all smiles, now if looks could kill, Jack would no longer be sitting in the driver seat.

"Really? You couldn't let me enjoy getting to know some people in this God forsaken town you've forced me to? I have to sit at home with you? No friends? No social life? Nothing?" Disbelief coated her voice. She didn't know why she was so shocked. This was exactly how Jack always was.

"Those guys have me a bad feeling. You're lucky I even let you go to begin with. I was trying to be nice, and let you meet some people. I see now that was the wrong thing to do." Jack stated as he cranked the car up. "You will not be meeting back up with them next time you're in town."

Ada opened her mouth to argue, but Jack cut her off, "There will be no argument, or conversation about this. Understand?" His voice was hard, matter of fact. He really wasn't up for any discussion on this. Ada snapped her mouth shut, and nodded.

"Dad, they were all really nice. I don't know why you don't like them. They were respectful to you, and were perfect gentlemen at lunch." Ada spoke up a few minutes later. The heavy silence in the car was too much for her. Jack was misjudging them so much, and it bothered her for some reason.

"Drop it, Adalynn. We are not talking about this." That couldn't be good. Adalynn. He only used her first name when he truly was pissed with her.

"Yes, sir," Ada whispered, and dropped her head back against the headrest.

Back at the house, Ada wasted no time, running up the stairs with an arm load of bags for her room. She slammed the door, hard. Good. She wanted him to know how pissed she was. Not that it mattered, he would never budge on this. Ada would be locked up in the house forever, if she so much as thought of trying to get in contact with any of them again.

She began the tedious task of unpacking. Sometime later, around 6:30 or so, Jack knocked on Ada's door before opening it..

"Go away. I'm busy." Ada didn't even look up from the box she was unpacking.

"Ada, I'm sorry for snapping earlier. You have to understand it from my point of view. You were hanging out with a group of guys you just met. A group that gives me a bad feeling, at that." Jack paused, as she set the picture frame back down in the box. "I just want you to be safe, and the best way for me to do that is set rules, boundaries. This is just one of them. I don't think its a good idea for you to spend anymore time with them, just in case. Okay?" He was grasping for straws, all but begging for her forgiveness yet again.

"I get it, but you've moved me from the only place I know. Now, you won't let me hang out with a group of people, who were super nice." Ada explained as she sat next to Jack on the side of her bed. "I just want to fit in around here, make friends. You know?"

Jack wrapped his arm around her shoulder, as she laid her head on his shoulder. Jack could see it from her perspective. He had uprooted her entire life and moved her across the country, but still his protective father side couldn't be helped when it came down to it.

"I know. Listen, honey, I love you and I want you to make friends, but I also have to protect you. This is just my way of doing that."

Ada nodded her head against his shoulder. It made sense. Her well-being was his responsibility, but that didn't make things any easier.

"Now, I've got some freshly delivered pizza downstairs. Want to come eat some with me?" Ada smiled at the hopefulness in his voice.

"Nah, I'm not sure hungry right now. I'll come get something later. Okay? I want to work on this disaster for a while longer, anyway." Ada said as she got to feet.

Jack took that as his cue to leave. "Alright. I'll be downstairs if you need anything."

Ada nodded, but didn't turn to face her father again as he made his escape. She looked back down at the picture she had been looking at before Jack came in. A picture of her and her mother, not that anyone could tell who either was. They had their backs to the camera, facing the sunset across the ocean. Ada's arm was linked through her mother's. She could remember that day like it was yesterday.

"I miss you, Mom. Why did you have to run off like that?" Ada hugged the photo, before setting it down on her desk. Before everything, Ada and her mother had been close, almost like sisters. Now, Ada was left full of questions about why she left, and absolutely no answers.

She let out a deep breath, and dug into the box.