It's Our Last Chance to Feel Again

The hard chair I sat in was strangely comfortable, but then again, it could have just been my biased opinion. Jacob sat in close proximity to me, his arm loosely hung around my shoulder, his knee touching mine.

I watched as Jacob reached forward for yet another chicken wing, and I soon found myself doing the same despite my stomach's silent but painful protests.

"Whoa, Kat. That's your, what, fifty-seventh wing now?"

Quil's (at least that's what I think his name is) voice shocked me and I looked up to see everyone at the table, both huge and normal sized, looking at me strangely. Putting the wing I had in my hand down, I looked over at Jacob who had his eyes on me, his teeth tearing the wing into smaller pieces.

Thank goodness for the dark sky because at that moment, my cheeks were on fire. I hated attention, especially since situations with me in the centre of attention usually ended with people laughing at a very embarrassed me. "But I've taken the same number of wings Jacob's taken," I feebly pointed out.

Paul's smile was big. "Exactly. That's a lot."

Emily gave a kind smile, although it only showed on one side of her face. "Aren't you full?"

I slowly let out the breath I had been holding in and painfully replied, "Bloated. I think my stomach's about to explode."

Everyone seemed to exchange glances, and Billy, being the only brave one I suppose, asked, "So why are you still eating?"

I fidgeted in my seat, tucking my hands under my thighs to buy some time to think of a better reason than the truth, but when my wonderful brain failed me, I gave in. "I saw Jacob taking more food and I... I don't know. I guess it was just some instinctive thing?"

The table erupted in laughter. I looked over at Jacob for support, but I guess I shouldn't have done that because he sat with his mouth wide open, laughing almost as loudly as Uncle Jack was down the far side of the table.

"What's so funny?"

I folded my arms and turned around with a frown. "See, that's what I want to..."

I didn't have the opportunity to finish what I wanted to say because all control of my muscles were lost. I barely noticed the fact that everyone at the table had stopped laughing, or that the topic of my eating habits was forgotten temporarily as they greeted the newcomer. No, I was too busy panicking.

"Nice of you to be punctual, Ryan," Jared snorted.

The chuckle that escaped my dad's lips caused an eruption of emotions in me. I was afraid; afraid that he'd just turn me away, and at the same time, I was encouraged. The chuckle proved to me that he was real. That my dad really was here, not more than five steps away from me.

I felt Uncle Jack and Billy's alarmed expression and Jacob's worried eyes on me, but I felt no need to return their gazes with an assuring one. I kept up my intense stare on my dad, willing him to notice me, and wishing I'd disappear right then all the same.

I watched as he pulled up a chair and sat down. I tried to break down his actions, to see if there were any similarities in the way he and I presented ourselves. The moment he was seated, he clapped his hands together and announced, "I'm sorry I'm late, but what have I missed?"

He scanned the whole table, and for the moment his eyes glazed over mine, I held my breath, expecting him to notice me and for the drama to unfurl. Yet there was no drama. No declaration of the fact that he knew I was there. Maybe he knew, and didn't want to have to deal with me. Or maybe he was as oblivious to his surroundings as I was.

Embry seemed to take it upon himself to continue embarrassing me because he smirked, "Well, Katherine was just telling us about-"

"Wait, Katherine?" My dad cut him off rather rudely, holding a hand out.

Embry was so shocked, he was unable to speak for a while. Eventually though, he recovered and spoke slowly, like as if my dad was some retard (then again, maybe he was. Maybe that's why he left my mom and I), enunciating the one word, "Yeeeaaaah. Anyway! See, Quil saw her grabbing another-"

"Katherine as in, Katherine Cox?" My dad asked, cutting Embry off once again.

Embry must have decided he'd had enough of being interrupted because he pursed his lips together and gave an annoyed glare. Sam, who was a lot quicker and more intellectual, asked, "Cox? Isn't that your surname?"

My heartbeat was increasing rapidly as I waited anxiously for my dad's reply. Jacob must have noticed the look on my face (or maybe my heartbeat was incredibly loud) because he squeezed my shoulder comfortingly, pulling me closer into his warmth.

"Uhh, yeah. I've... I've heard of a Katherine Cox that's pretty famous. Rather good looking, too. Just, y'know, wanted to see if it was her," My dad lied.

I raised an eyebrow and turned to Jacob to see how I should react to his lie. He seemed to have thought the same thing, because he was looking at me with the exact same expression. Though it was a little irrelevant, the both of us couldn't help smiling at each other.

Everyone else seemed to buy his pathetic excuse of a lie though, because Paul shook his head, "Naw, it's Katherine Hithe."

"Hithe?!" My dad exclaimed, and suddenly his eyes were staring back into mine.

Paul replied slowly, adopting the same tone Embry had previously used, "Yeeeeeeeeaaaah. That's what I said. Katherine Hithe. What's wrong with you today?"

At that, he laughed loudly, some of the other people who were just as thick as Embry joining in.

"Kat?" My dad whispered, looking at me with wide eyes.

"Hey dad," I smiled weakly, whispering breathlessly.

It was either because my ears had been deceived into thinking that my whisper was loud from all the blasting of my music or the occupants of the table mostly had really good hearing because immediately, all laughter ceased and there was a moment of awkward silence.

"Wait, Katherine. Did you just say dad?" Seth asked, speaking on behalf of the rest of the table.

I nodded my reply, and a round of gasps echoed around the table.

"No way."

"But... But she's white!"

"Okay, that's just weird."

"The hell?"

Ignoring the stupid remarks that the people around the table had (okay, it's mainly just Jared), my dad stood up from his seat and reached me in just one stride.

"Oh my god, Kat!"

I felt myself being pulled up into a hug, and with a huge smile, I hugged my father back.

God, that felt good to say. My father.