Chapter 5: Let's Meet The Family

Tasmine’s POV

It’s one of those mornings where you want to sleep in but no one lets you, Lee was very keen for us to leave the house before seven-thirty in the morning, he is lucky I am even up this early on a weekend, which I know it’s not the weekend just yet but it sure feels it to me right now.

I got dressed in one of my mother’s favourite outfits for me, a white dressy singlet, that I had teamed up with my high waisted pastel pink short shorts, with my mum’s colourful sheer chiffon retro floral batwing shawl baggy kimono, with the matching necklace that my mum bought me when she found the pants, I know I am angry at her right now but she did have a good sense in fashion.

Walking out of my room towards where dad was waiting for me he looked up from his phone and right away I knew I was in trouble. “Oh, you are not wearing that today!” He snapped at me, I glared at him, “Nothing wrong with this! My mum bought me it and this is hers!” I snapped at him, I glared at him as I swished the kimono around.

“I know! I bought her that kimono! Now get out of it and into something a sixteen-year-old would wear!” He snapped at me, I like that he bought it for her, and she kept it, but I know this hurts him but doesn’t stop her from still being my mum.

“The rest is what a teen wears, dad!” I snapped at him, I glared at him, “Those shorts are about the same size as your underpants so no! Go change now!” He yelled, pulling off the kimono, pulling it up and throwing it at his feet, “Argh! Nothing is wrong with this outfit or my pants size!” I screamed at him, he bent over picking up the kimono, “My house my rules! Change now!” He yelled, “NO! You cannot boss me around like this!” I screamed back at him.

“Oh, I can, and I will change now!” He yelled back at me, hold your ground Tasmine, “No!” I screamed back at him, wow, he looked pissed off, “Don’t you dare make me bring my old man out of me! Move it or you are getting a sore bum, young lady!” He roared, I glared at him, he looked scary. “FINE! FUCK YOU!” I screamed.

Storming towards my room slamming the door shut, while I am trying to find something else to wear that he would let me wear he storms into my room with a screwdriver and starts to unscrew my bedroom door. “What the hell?” I asked.

Not even looking at me as he continues to unscrew my door, “Well one you swore then you slammed the door so you now lose the door and nearly any say over your daily life.” He snapped at me, my mouth dropped open, “What! So, what now I am being punished for my mother buying me clothes and lending me hers?! If that is the case you best go out and buy me a whole new wardrobe! Because news flash she bought me everything in that wardrobe!” I screamed at him.

He looked shocked that I snapped back at him, “You heard me you have five minutes to move it! You act like a spoiled child and you will get treated as such. I don’t care if the clothes are from her or she bought them. If I see too much flesh or breast then you are not wearing it! I don’t care if she has approved of it, because she is not here, I am, so it’s my rules.” He snapped, he took the door away, all I want to do is scream some more at him. Instead, I just screamed out not caring how much trouble I am going to be in either.

I found my Metallica black shirt that has the shoulders cut out and black jean shorts that stop just above my knees. Once I was dressed, I stormed off into the kitchen for something to eat. “No longer have time for that, grab something to go!” He snapped at me. Is it wrong that I want to punch him right now? “Argh! Fine!” I snapped at him, “Car now!” He yelled, grabbing a banana as I yelled back at him, “I am coming!”

I ran down to the car slamming the front door behind me, which locks it, jumping in looking at him extremely pissed off. “Metallica uh? Right, I sure hope you are wearing that cause you know their music and you like it.” He snapped at me, eating my banana. I replied to him with a mouth full of it, “Yes, I do, and why?” I asked with my voice dripping with sarcasm.

As I say this very loud Metallica music is coming from the car sound system, he takes off and we are parked in front of the school within a few minutes, I follow him to the office building.

He talks to the other adults that are at the school and enrolled me into the school for this Monday. He hands me my class timetable and shows me to the uniform shop. He tells this lady that I need enough school clothes for the week, so he only has to wash on the weekends only.

I ordered four school polos, six navy shorts, two sports polo in red, two jackets, two hats, two formal blouses, two formal skirts, and two ties. I made dad buy me enough if he’s going to be doing washing once a week, you just never know what could happen. Dad paid he was saying his goodbyes to the ladies, as we got to the car I thought I better ask how he managed this. “Dad, how did you manage this? No one is here today, I know it’s Friday, but the school looks empty and the uniform shop says it’s only open Wednesday.”

He chuckles, “Oh did I forget to mention the Principal and Head Office lady are my exes? They would do anything to help you get into school. Plus, they love your grades which helped, and the chance of having another famous hockey player from the town.” He said, sounding so proud of himself.

I groaned, “Oh, gross are you sure they just didn’t want to get into your pants again now they know your wife is dead and not going to come back from that?” I asked, he looked shocked, “Oh, God I hope not, their husbands are my best clients.” He said.

“Right, what’s next?” I asked, “School supplies and the last of your uniform which is shoes, and then BBQ supplies.” I nod my head in response, an hour and a half later we are pulling up to the house as a van pulls up. “Perfect timing.” Dad said I smiled yes, a bed, “Sure is!” I smiled.

The delivery drivers brought the bed up to my room and set it all up for me. I put all my new clothes into the washing machine and set that up to go. Dad has two washing machines. I see one is dirty as hell and the other is brand new. I'm using the new one. “Tasmine use the new one! The old one is for my work clothes only.” He yells out to me, I roll my eyes, “I have!”

“Go fix your room up with your bedding etc! Once done you can help me with this BBQ stuff before everyone starts arriving!” He yells from the kitchen window that I can hear him downstairs. Finally I sorted out my room the way I liked it. It felt good until I turned around and saw Noah is watching me at my open doorway. “Argh! Fuck! How long have you been here watching me you creep!” I girly screamed at him.

He is trying not to laugh, “Long enough to know you're sexy as hell when you’re in your zone.” He said softly. I quickly looked towards the kitchen, “Shh don’t say shit like that with Lee in the kitchen!” I whispered and yelled, and he started laughing. “He’s not, he has gone downstairs setting up the patio area for the barbie. Do you think he will let me join in on it?” He asked hopefully.

I think about it for a bit, before I put him out of his misery, “Right, doubt it as far as I know it is a family thing.” I said, he smirks at me, “ahhh but I am family.” He said, I raised an eyebrow up at him, “Are you?” He nods his head, “Sure, I look up to Lee as a father figure.” He said smugly. “Sure, your dad wouldn’t mind at all?” I asked him.

I see something flash across his eyes that I cannot read again, but before I could question him about it, it was gone just as quickly as it came, “Please, he is way too busy being at work or too drunk to notice what any of his offspring are doing.” He snapped out.

Wow, something is going on here, but he hasn’t said anything about it yet. What I didn’t realise was that we are standing remarkably close to each other now, he leans down just a little, his lips not far from mine. “I really want to kiss you, Tasmine Kelly.” He whispered. “Then what is stopping you?” I questioned him.

He smiles as his lips lightly touch mine, he stays still until I start kissing him back, as soon as I do that his hands grip my face pushing me up against my wardrobe as we fight over who takes control of the kiss, for my first kiss this is amazing. I moaned out, pulling at his hair as he whispered in my ear, “I am dead for doing that, but I want to do that again.” I smiled back at him, “So do I.” I whispered back at him.

He moves away from me while he is whispering, “I hear Lee, better not risk it just yet.” I smiled up at him and nodded, wow not even forty-eight hours living here and I had my first kiss! 

Whoowooo!

My first kiss I feel like dancing around my room!

“I have left you speechless?” he asked, I nodded my head, “A little maybe.” I whispered, I blush, “Am I your first?” He asked softly, I blushed again while nodding my head yes, “Really? A beautiful girl as yourself, really? I am honoured Tassie.” he sounded so shocked, I cannot stop blushing, “You seem shocked at that news?” I whispered back. “Just a little.” He whispered.

I shake my head at him, “Shh his coming.” I whispered yelled at him, we quickly made a beeline to the kitchen, I started looking in the fridge seeing what needs doing. “What are you two up to?” My dad asked, I looked up at him from the fridge, “Trying to help you with the BBQ.” I said, trying not to sound like I am hiding something from him, he shakes his head at me, “Yeah, get out. I am a good guys, head downstairs and chill with your cousins who have just arrived.” I smiled up at him, “Cool, thanks, dad.” I said I sounded a little nervous, I made my way towards the door, but dad stopped Noah for some reason.

Lee’s POV

“You stay right there Noah,” I said, trying not to snap at him, he looked at me oddly, “Okay?” he drags the word out in confusion. Once Tasmine was out of earshot, I looked at Noah, trying to keep my cool. “Right Noah, you cut the pretending like I did not notice you had kissed my daughter.” I snapped, his mouth dropped open in shock, as he tried to talk, “Wh” I cut him off, “Did I say you could talk?” I snapped as he nodded his head no.

“I may not have seen it but I did hear the pair of you talking, neither of you can whisper by the way. You’re only allowed to be in this house to fix cars, nothing else. No more being around Tasmine. I find out you are near her again lookout, this is not your boss talking right now, this is a father of a girl talking.” I growled out, he looked panicked as hell, “What? Are you kidding me, Lee? I’m her only friend!” He whispered yelled at me.

“The minute your lips touched hers you two stopped being classed as friends. I will see you at the shop for your shift Thursday bye Noah.” I snapped out at him, Noah stormed out of the house, as my brother walked into the house with a questioning look on his face. “Wow, what the hell did I miss?” My brother whispered to me.

Looking up at him as I am doing my best not to race downstairs and start yelling at my daughter as to what she was thinking, “Oh, hey” I said to my twin, he wasn’t buying it at all. “You didn’t answer?” He snapped at me, I let out a loud sigh, “Bloody Noah just kissed Tasmine in her room. I’m pissed off right now!” I snapped at him.

He didn’t look shocked by this news at all and that made me even more angry, “Well it’s bound to happen, she is of that age you know? Also, you cannot be the ridiculously hard type of Dad that normally sends the teen running the other way. Like in the arms of a bad boy like Oliver or just a boy like Noah.” He said, sounding like he knows it all, I glared at him, is he saying I am being too hard on my daughter?

“Really you think that is helpful?” I snapped at him, he threw his hands up in the air, “Come on man father of three girls here. I know some things and that is teenage girls when it comes to father’s being too hard.” He said, I should listen to him, shouldn’t I?

“Well right now please drop it and let’s get this family party started.” He points a finger at me, “Fine, but we will be talking about this later.” I know he is right, we do need to talk.

Tasmine’s Pov

Dad must have wanted to talk to him about work or something. Great, car full of people has just arrived and I have no idea who they are. As a man who looks related to my dad steps out of the car with the biggest smile on his face, makes his way towards me. “Hi Tasmine, I’m your Uncle James, your dad’s twin brother, you are getting a hug kiddo!” He yelled at me.

He has the same body build as my dad too, he draws me into a big hug whispering, “I missed my little sidekick.” I pulled back looking at him in shock, “What?” I was shocked, the realisation that I don’t remember clicks in, “Sorry when you lived here every time, I came to visit you used to follow me around copying what I was doing.” He replied.

He had a big smile on his face, as I smiled at him, I wanted to slap my mum so much right now as I laughed at my Uncle, “Oh, cool.” I replied as to how else do you reply to that? He turned around as three girls walked up towards us, “This is my eldest daughter Amanda she is seventeen turning eighteen this year.” A girl taller than me with very long straight dark brown hair looks a little like me too, brown eyes and tanned skin. She has a big grin on her face too. “Hi Tasmine, cannot wait to catch up.” She said kindly.

She leans in for a hug, whispering into my ear, “Need to talk to you about someone who is spreading lies about you” I looked back at her in shock, “What?” I whispered back. Uncle James didn’t even notice that Amanda had whispered in my ear, as he pointed to a girl who is my height and she looks a lot like me. It's amazing, I didn’t think we would look alike but we do. “This is Ava, my middle child. She's in your grade, oh forgot to tell you Amanda is in year twelve.”

Ava walked up to me wrapping me up in a big hug, “Hey Cus!” I hugged her back, “Hi” Uncle James pointed to the little girl who was standing so close to him like she is shy. “And this is my baby girl Emma who is ten.” She must take after her mum, she has blonde hair and bright blue eyes, she glares up at her dad, “I’m not a baby dad! Hi, Tas” I smiled at her, “Hi Em.” My uncle looks at me, “Hey, Kiddo where is your old man at?” I smiled as he sounded just like my dad then, “Up in the kitchen with Noah.” He smiled, “Cool, see you soon, girls behave.” Off he goes I turn towards Amanda. “Amanda, you need to explain.” I calmly said.