Fake It Like You Matter

"You don't know a damn thing about my daughter," My dad replied pointing a finger in Pete's face.

"I know more about your daughter than you ever cared to," He said becoming strangely calm, but there was still fury in his voice, "Do you know what Love is always doing in that needle infested park? She plays her guitar to earn money so that she can buy food for the homeless people who live there."

"Pete..." I pleaded quietly, holding my cheek, now tender, and sinking to my knees after letting the fabric of his shirt slip out of my fingers.

"Do you know what the tattoos on her neck that you hate so much even mean?" He asked.

My dad was still breathing rapidly and looked more angry than I'd ever known he could become, but he was listening.

"One means Love and the other means Joy, after her mother. It's like she always has a piece of Joy with her now."

My father shot me a look as though to ask if this was true, but I couldn't look back, I just stared at the carpet in front of me, sobbing silently.

"The day of the accident," Pete continued suddenly softer, "When they were trapped in the car together, Love was scared and started to cry. Did you know that Joy sang to her? She was dying, but she knew Love was terrified so she sang Edelweiss to her, from the Sound of Music and told her everything was going to be okay. Did you know that?"

My dad was staring down at me as I cried, still asking for the truth with his expression. He had never known what my mother's, his wife's, last moments had been like, and he was finally finding out from some punk kid who he'd never even met before because I had never known how to tell him.

"She gave her every bit of advice she could think of that she thought she would have the time to share." Pete went on, but at that moment, when I finally looked up at my dad, it felt more like it was just me and my dad in the room, "She told her to always do what made her happy, and not to change for anyone. That she was beautiful just the way she was. Then she told her never to be afraid to live and never to be afraid to love... and she's not."

The room was silent except for my sniffs, and my dad let in a shaky breath. I saw that he had been trying to hold in some tears of his own unsuccessfully.

Pete turned from my father back to me, pulling me up into his arms to comfort me.

"Shh, Lovely," He whispered, "Come on... Lets get out of here."

"You get away from my daughter," My father stepped forwards angrily again.

"Let's just leave, baby," He said more urgently, ignoring my dad, "I'll take care of you..."

"Shes not going anywhere!"

"She can make up her own mind," Pete dismissed him and turned back to me, "Come with me to LA... We'll make it. I'll take care of you, Love, and we'll never have to be apart..."

"You're not going anywhere," My father said, and then to Pete, "But you are leaving..."

"Not without Love," He pulled me closer to him.

"Get out of my house, and leave my daughter alone," He warned, "Now! Let her go!"

"No!"

"Pete..." I whispered, "Please, boy..."

He looked at me in surprise.

"Just go, okay?" I said softly, "I'll call you... I just... This is between me and my dad."

His surprised expression morphed slowly to one of confusion, then hurt.

"What?" He breathed, "But Love..."

"Please," I begged, "Just go..."

Pete's arms loosened around me, and then he pulled away all together. He stood there looking at me with a new expression on his face, one I'd never seen on him and began to back away. He turned and left without a word, shooting my father a look of loathing before exiting the room.

We heard the front door close behind him and after a few moments of uncomfortable silence my father sighed deeply.

"Was he telling the truth, Love?" He wondered gently and I nodded at my shoes, missing Pete's arms around me, and folding my own around myself to compensate.

"I'm sorry," He whispered and tried to hug me, but pulled away when I didn't return it.

I just shook my head at him and walked out of the cold library, climbing the stairs up to my attic bedroom, where I secluded myself for the rest of the day.