Not Exactly What it Seems

How was she even human? I don't see how she could possibly be human. She is absolutely perfect and yet she denies it. Even the fact that she denies it makes her more perfect. Why was she still with me? What made her want to stay? Whatever it was, I knew that it wasn't going to last long and she would realize that she deserved so much more. But I would fight like hell to make her stay.

For the last little while until midnight, we were just hanging out and doing nothing in particular. It seemed like that was what we always did, but it was just the way that we found enjoyable to pass time. We always had something to talk about and if we didn’t feel like talking, our silences were always really comfortable. There was nothing awkward about our relationship which, to be honest, kind of surprised me. I thought that with the way I shied away from him in the beginning, he would have some animosity towards me that he would have to resolve. But he was so understanding and held nothing against me.

Why he still found me interesting was beyond me, but I figured it would be best not to bring that up again. So we just danced and acted crazy because that was just who we were and we were perfectly fine with that.

I noticed that my parents were nowhere to be seen and normally I wouldn’t have worried so much, but they never missed counting down to midnight with me. There was something that did not seem right to me so I went to look for them. Though I did not want to leave Hayden, I figured I would look by myself, just in case. Not that I thought there would be anything wrong.

I guess that’s where I made my mistake. Taking for granted that everything would be okay.

When I found them, they were screaming at each other. At first it sounded like nothing but useless screaming, but as I drew closer I could hear just what they were talking about. Was I wrong to stand there looking around the corner of the hallway they were in and listen to them? If it was, I was doing it anyway.

My father was accusing my mother of cheating. My mother was accusing my father of spending all his time at strip clubs. I, apparently, was slacking in my job as America’s daughter and they needed to have a talk with me. They did not want to have Frankie hanging around the house because it took me away from being America’s daughter. Hayden was also a distraction.

Apparently, they decided to argue about every aspect of our lives right before the New Year. That was just perfect. That was just the thing to get me into the mood to celebrate the New Year. Why did they decide to fight right then of all times?

And all I could do was stand there. I couldn’t leave them or go to them and confront them about it. I just stood rooted in place watching helplessly.

But then came the part of the conversation that I could not leave alone, yet I was still unable to do anything about it. They wanted me to break up with Hayden. Apparently, they had picked out a perfectly acceptable guy who would make things better for my reputation. This was the only part of the conversation that they agreed on; the only part that was not a screaming match.

And then I felt a presence behind me, and it was all too familiar. Slowly, I turned around to find Hayden looking devastated and as unable to move as I was at the moment.