Surprise, Jason
Jason Davenport
I watched Ashley share “juicy gossip” with Dad from across the table. She had returned two days ago and since then had proceeded to bore us out of our minds with unwanted info.
I still wasn’t talking to dad. I was still bitter about the last time. It’d be an embarrassment if I had to tell the boys I couldn’t afford to pay for drinks this weekend. They’d probably make fun of me and wouldn’t let me forget it for the rest of my life.
I frowned, downing my cup of hot chocolate. I resisted the urge to scream as the very hot liquid burned my tongue. In order to not look stupid, I held it in and gulped down a cup of milk instead to help with the pain.
Fucking hell.
I was so frustrated with everything. And Ashley’s babbling was really not helping.
“Babe, what do you think?” Ashley asked, her head tilted to the side.
What had she asked him?
“Sure,” Dad replied. “Am outing sounds good. It’s 8pm and I’m bored, so why not?”
Ashley cheered, clapping her hands together and bopping up and down in glee.
I swear this bitch is high on something.
It wasn’t surprising anyway. She’d jump at any chance to spend an unnecessary amount of dad’s money.
I rolled my eyes feeling irritated.
Ashley jumped up. “I’ll go get ready,” She squealed, giving dad a kiss on the cheek and literally bouncing up the stairs.
“I just lost my appetite,” I murmured, getting up and going up to my room.
A good long sleep should do the trick. For a second the thought of calling Kimberly over when they were gone crossed my mind.
But I waved it off. Kimberly and I were over. Plus I really didn’t feel like getting into any more trouble with Dad.
As I got to the entrance of my room, I heard someone talking on the phone in very low tones. I ducked into a corner as I saw that it was Ashley.
My heart started to race and I moved closer, flipping out my phone and turning on the recorder.
“Yes,” She whispered, sounding irritated. “I convinced him already. How many times do you want me to confirm that?”
As she waited for the person on the other line to respond, she placed one hand over her forehead quietly.
“Yes. We’ll park at the entrance but I’ll go in first. . .”
Silence. Then,
“Obviously he’d come in to look for me. . . Yes. You can strike from there.”
Some silent moments passed and then she let out a quiet laugh. “Relax, we’ll be there soon.”
She hung up, looking around carefully before walking into her bedroom to get changed.
My hands shook in anticipation and I tried to calm my beating heart. So she really was planning something. I knew it.
My chest ached. Her plan was to get him kidnapped and then demand a huge amount of money.
I leaned on the wall, thoughts and escape plans running through my mind.
For a moment I felt bad for Dad. In his quest to replace Mom and heal his broken heart he was always meeting the wrong people.
With the amount of love he showered on this bitch she still wanted to do something like this to him.
In anger I barged into my room and started to get changed. I would follow them. I froze in the process of taking off my shirt. I didn’t have a weapon. What would I do if the need for defence came up?
I thought of calling the guys to come over and help. But I didn’t want to put their safety at stake. For the first time in a while, I was afraid.
But I shook it off. Ashley needed to be taken care of. And I would take responsibility for that. Throwing on a pair of joggers and a hoodie, I waited. Watching from my window for them to get into the car so I would follow them.
As I sighted them I tiptoed down the stairs, stopping at the kitchen to grab a knife. Also, I had a baseball bat somewhere in my car. I hoped it would be sufficient.
As they drove away I quickly got into my car and followed slowly a good distance behind them.
I tapped my fingers on the steering wheel like I always did when I was nervous. In a last minute decision, I dropped a voice message explaining what was going on in the guys’ group chat. At least they’d know if something happened.
Putting my phone down, I followed Dad and Ashley out of town until they came to a stop in front of a gloomy looking building. There were no lights in the building. The only light source was the dim street light in the corner.
My heart pounded faster and I clutched the steering tighter. Having parked a reasonable distance from them, I watched as Ashley got out of the car and walked into the building.
It took about 15 minutes and then I saw the car door open.
Please. Please don’t get out.
Dad got out, looking towards the building and then his phone. He was probably trying to call her. After a while of waiting he shut the car door and walked into the building.
Heart racing, I tucked the knife I’d taken safely into my hoodie and followed behind Dad. On closer inspection I saw that the building was actually a house.
I waited until Dad walked in through the doors. Quickly, I jumped in after him just as a group of people screamed.
“Surprise!”
For a few seconds I was still dazed by the bright lights. Then I looked around.
Lots of people stood in an extremely large room, Ashley in front.
There were waiters serving, food, drinks. And in the middle of the room, a gigantic cake stood. Glitter decorations high up in the ceiling spelled out, ‘Happy Birthday Baby’.
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Apparently no one noticed me yet. Ashley reached out for Dad and enveloped him in a tight hug after pecking his cheek.
“I knew you’d forget your birthday but I wanted it to be special. So I spent weeks planning everything out.” She smiled as dad held her tightly around the waist. “And it’s perfect,” She whispered, as he raised her off her feet and placed hungry kisses on her lips.
The crowd cheered, whooped, wolf whistled, and broke into a birthday song led by Ashley.
I staggered backwards. His birthday. It was dad’s birthday. And in my journey to hunt down Ashley I’d complete forgotten. We always celebrated his birthday together. But this time I’d let him down.
I felt. . . stupid.
Maybe Ashley really did like him. I was so desperate to find something on her that I’d forgotten my priorities. I’d been chasing after something that was nonexistent.
Bummed and feeling like an idiot, I slowly retraced my steps, dumping the knife into the bushes.
Getting into my car, I drove slowly back to town, ignoring the wetness on my cheeks from the tears that stood in my eyes.