Chapter 7

“Dad?!” She screamed in surprise. “Mum? What are you both doing here? How did you even know I was here?” She questioned narrowing her eyes at them. 

She was not at ease with their presence here because she had deliberately not told them she was coming here with Evander. She had also not even mentioned the fact that she finally decided to go with the pressure and attend Easton University after all.

Evander chuckled nervously not meeting her eyes and whispered, “Sorry.” 

He ran into the bathroom, screaming something about taking a shower, leaving her to deal with the two angry parents seated on the second bed in the massive room they had been lucky enough to get last minute.

“Well?” Her father asked, pulling a frown at her which only added to the wrinkles on his face. Add that to his graying hair and brows which he tries to keep black like Mom's by dyeing. There were still streaks of grey and you have the adorable old man she hated and loved at the same time. “Are you just going to keep standing there or are you going to explain yourself?” 

Her mother placed a slender dark hand over his larger pale ones, reminding him to calm down. Her dad always had a bit of a temper and she was not in the mood for it right now. If she did not say something soon, it would only get worse. She looked at the plain, rectangular clock placed above the fridge.

Ten-thirty? It's not even noon yet. Lord!

“Well, good morning.” She tested the waters and drowned when she got a firm look in response. “I wanted to make sure I got the admission first and sorted out the acceptance before I told you guys about it. If I hadn’t done that and changed my mind halfway, you both would not be answering my calls right now, not to talk of visiting me,” She rushed out hoping they would not hear some of the passive aggressive comments she had made along the line.

That seemed to have calmed them down, just a little bit. “What do you mean by we wouldn’t be answering your calls? We always answer your calls and hope you’d call more.” 

Sure, that’s why you never picked a single one of my calls when I had decided to ‘waste a year of my life doing something that would not give me a good future,’ she thought to herself. 

Instead she said, “It’s nothing, never mind. So why are you here and how did you know I got in?” 

When her mum started playing with the bed sheet, she knew she was not going to like the answer. 

Her dad, forever being the advocate, said, “One of our old schoolmates works at the admissions office and gave us a call when he saw you pulling out a receipt.” 

Instead of apologizing which she knew was what he wanted, she asked with the most menacing glare she could muster, “Who?” 

Then, she saw those stupid numbers again. 

00:45:00

00:46:00

She blinked and as always, they disappeared. How much longer was this going to keep happening? Who would listen to her without thinking she was running mad?

“You know I am not telling you that. How am I supposed to keep tabs on you if I tell you the name of my informant?” He chuckled.

Already used to her dad’s constant need to know everything about her life, she didn't bother asking again.

“I’ll be right back. Would you like me to order room service? I had no idea you two were coming so I didn't get anything... healthy.” 

She knew her parents did not take anything with frosting or icing. Not because they hated it but rather because her dad was trying to live healthy and her mum being ever supportive was embarking on the ‘healthy journey’ with him and as an added plus, she would not be adding any extra weight anytime soon.

“Don’t worry, sweetie. Your mum made my all-time favorite as my bribe for letting her come.” He licked his lips and giggled. “Moreover, we would be leaving soon. We only wanted to see you after three years of you avoiding us.” He tried for a puppy dog face but he reminded her of a matured bull dog.

“First, never do that again,” she cried between laughs. She really had missed them. “And second, I was not avoiding you guys deliberately. It just sort of happened with work and all. I’m sorry if it seemed that way. You know I love you both.” She closed the space between them and pulled them into a hug. 

She felt bad that she had made them feel that way at any point. Even though half the time, they were either being too intrusive or trying to make her be ‘perfect’, she knew they did so from a place of love. They were her parents, the same people that gave life to her and she loved them more than she would ever admit to them.

“Alright, now. I have to go freshen up and eat so I can see you both out without smelling like a dumpster dude!” She pulled away already running into the bathroom before they could stop her.

”You! You disloyal chicken, you fed me to the wolves!” she whisper-yelled as she walked into the bathroom and found Evander shaving.

“You know I love you, babe but your parents are like hawks. Before you walked in, they've asked like twenty questions!” He faked a sob. 

She shook her head. “You're hopeless.” 

She chuckled as she ambled for the bath tub and her heart warmed when she noticed he had already filled it up for her. She placed a quick peck on his cheeks and dipped into the tub. “They would be leaving once I finish with my bath. Want to come with?”

The conflict between an incredulous look and the scared look gave her an answer and she just laughed it off, wondering why he had always been so scared of her parents. It had always been this way since they were together and she would understand why to some extent. Her parents were quite a lot, especially when you're a guy dating their only child.

She finished bathing, rushed the cakes and almost choked on the coffee because her mum kept yelling, about her dad’s tight schedule. By 11:00 am, she rounded up and they were out of her hotel room while Evander cowered in the bathroom.

“My source told me you'd be resuming in a week or two so we'd be coming over again to check on you.” Her dad paused as if to gauge her reaction. 

Clara maintained a poker face without looking like she was trying to keep a poker face. She stared at his dark eyes trying her best to ignore how uncomfortable looking people in the eye made her feel and even though the first reaction she was going to give was an eye roll at the way her dad said ‘source’ like he worked for the FBI or something. Not being able to look a person in the eyes was a sign of guilt, disrespect or both.

In about eight minutes, they were at the massive parking lot of Easton University again. The car was only a few feet away. On the way, her mum had mentioned she finally got to watch the television series, Euphoria, and argued that she did not see what Clara had seen in Jacob Elordi.

“Oh admit it already. Yes, Daniel is fine as hell but he is old news. He does not compare to the beauty that is Jacob Elordi,” she swooned just remembering his face.

“Who are these Jacob and Daniel?” 

Both Clara and her mum stopped to look at each other, bursting into a fit of laughter before Clara finally answered, “Don’t worry about it dad, you won't understand.”

She was beginning to feel guilty for leaving him out when her Mom answered, “I’m telling you that little boy has nothing on Daniel. When you're ready to ogle real men, let me know, little one.”

“Sure. You know he isn’t half as handsome so you go with the age defense, real smooth, Mom.” She laughed.

“I’d go get the car while you both keep having mindless conversations,” her father grumbled hating having to hear Clara’s mum talk about another man so animatedly. He had only walked but a few steps when he started running back.

It all happened so fast. It was almost like a scene from a horror movie. One moment she was arguing with her mum about how Jacob Elordi from Euphoria was two times sexier than Daniel Gillies from The Originals and the next, her mum was pushing her out of the way and ended up under the wheel of a truck driver in her place.

She could not believe her eyes. She blinked, once, twice, thrice. No! Fuck no! She stood there gasping for air but it felt like she had been punched in the gut. She would hear a voice calling for her but it sounded like distant whisper. Everything moved slowly like a scene in a horror movie.

A tear rolled down her cheeks until it became a stream. She made no effort to stop them and sat on the floor, watching the chaos that broke out. Watched as people around screamed for an ambulance to be called, dragged the driver from the truck, and watched as he begged for mercy using the drunken excuse.

She watched as her father who had run after her mother in an attempt to save her sucked in air exactly three minutes after her mother. Her eyes went wide as she screamed at the top of her lungs rushing to his side. 

“Dad, look at me, look at me!” She turned his head to her, growing nauseated as his temperature dropped. 

He reached a hand to her cheek and smiled, “I love you,” he whispered as his hand lost its strength.

“Dad! No! Don't do this to me. The ambulance would be here soon. You would be all better. Please hold out a little longer,” she begged. “Dad please, I promise I would tell you everything from now on. Please, hold on a little longer.” 

She sobbed, pulling his hand to her face. She sat there, on her knees, staring as he slowly started losing everything that gave him life. She watched as he let out his last breath exactly two minutes after her mother. 

She knelt there watching as the light faded from his eyes, watched the smile plastered on his face. She lifted her head unable to look at him without wanting to be where he was right now. She watched behind blurry eyes as people held down the driver responsible and as he gave the drunken excuse, screaming he had a family and they shouldn't harm him.

Watching him built up a rage in her that she could not understand where it had come from. His sorry excuse for an apology was not going to bring back her parents no matter how many times he said it. What about her family?! She had a family! Was he thinking about his family when he decided to get wasted before he drove?!

She lunged at him, wrapped both her hands around his neck holding it in her hand till she could feel his veins underneath her index finger, till she could hear him gasp for air. She could feel arms pull at her, but she didn't care. She let the tears roll as she tried to make him feel as much pain as she did at that moment.

01:10:30

She didn't know where the strength to lift a large man had come from and she didn't care. All she cared about was swapping a life for another. She wished he could rip his heart out at that very moment. 

The numbers that appeared on the top of head of the man responsible for her misery continued to change until…

00:10:30 

She blinked, once, twice. The numbers didn't go. Just then, a pang of pain wrecked through her brain, causing her to loosen her grip on the man. Without wasting the opportunity, the man screamed and ran away without looking back.

She held her temple screaming as number after number flashed through her mind. She saw faces, numbers, Xs, faces of people she knew, faces of people she didn't, faces of people she had only met briefly, all with numbers above their heads, images of moments she had never experienced kept swirling through her mind. 

She did not realize she kept holding her head, screaming at the top of her lungs until a warm hand covered hers, and she was kissed by darkness.