Chapter 34: Chapter thirty four

Arielle

I stood frozen, my eyes fixated on the news headline. My mind reeled as I tried to make sense of the information.

Our property burned down? When was thar? And how exactly did it happen?

I vaguely noticed Dan saying something, but I couldn't hear what he was saying. I couldn't focus on anything except the news.

I felt a tap on my shoulder and I jolted out of my shock. I raised my head to see Dan staring at me with a confused expression on his face.

“Rie, are you okay? I've been talking to you for a while but you aren't responding.” His expression went from confusion to feel concern.

“Uhm.. yeah.. I'm fine. I'm just a bit tired, that's all. I've been spacing out a lot since I woke up today.” I forced a smile on.

Dan didn't seem to believe me. He continued staring at me as if he could see right through my lies. He probably does.

“What were you saying?” I quickly changed the subject before he could ask more questions.

“I was asking if the fire was big and if anyone was hurt.” He said calmly.

“Oh yeah.. the fire… uhm, no. E..everyone is fine. Not much damage.” I stuttered.

I didn't even know there was a fire until now. I wasn't with my phone all through last night, and my mum had turned off notifications for any news regarding my father. I highly doubt she knew about it too.

“Why are you stuttering? You never stutter.” He said.

“Yeah, you're right. I'm just a little shaken up by the news.”

My palms had become sweaty due to my nervousness. I didn't know if my nervousness was because of the news I just read, or because I was lying to my best friend.

I clasped my palms together and forced them into my jacket.

Dan grabbed my arm and squeezed gently.

“Everything is going to be okay. It's a good thing no one got seriously hurt.”

My heart squeezed tightly in my chest at my best friend's kind words. I was lying right to his face and he was comforting me.

In that moment, I felt like a monster.

“Let's just go inside and get the shoes.” I blurted out.

“Mum asked me to get home early. Also, we're just standing in the middle of the parking lot instead of doing what we came here for. And I'm going to tell you all about the incident on the way in.”

Fuck! Why was I rambling?

If Dan noticed my jittery nerves, he didn't mention it. He probably thought I was this nervous because of the fire.

“Yeah sure. Lemme grab your purse.”

He walked to his car, took something, and came back. He handed my purse over to me and I muttered my ‘thanks’.

Silence settled between us as we proceeded into the mall. I couldn't say anything without lying and I didn't want to lire anymore. But it was too late to tell the truth now.

“You know you can talk to me if something is bothering you, right?” Dan said when we walked into the mall without saying a word to each other.

I turned slowly from the shoe I was checking out, a smile plastered on my face.

“Of course, I know that. We're best friends. Why would you think something like that?” I let out a nervous chuckle.

“It's just feels like you've been hiding a lot of things from me lately. I mean, I didn't even know there was an accident at your house. I had to find out on the internet.”

That's because I had no idea about the fire. I wanted to say, but then I'd have to explain everything that has happened ever since school resumed, which included telling him that I lied to him.

I wasn't ready for that conversation yet. Hopefully, he never finds out about it.

“You even acted like everything was okay when I called you this morning. Is that why you insisted I shouldn't come over to your house?”

“First, I only asked us to meet here so I could shop for some new heels.” That part was true at least.

“Second, I didn't tell you because the fire wasn't that serious. The media is just making a big deal out of nothing.” I said as convincingly as I could.

I really hoped I was right and things weren't that serious. I was certain from the way he was looking at me that he didn't buy my lie. But he didn't ask anymore questions, he simply sighed and nodded.

“So which one are you buying?” He asked.

I was grateful for the change of subject despite the churning of my guts.

I pointed to a random black heel on display.

“Really? You have a closet full of black heels, you still want to buy more?”

“Hey, a woman never has too much shoes. There's always room for more.”

And my entire shoe collection was currently in a house that might or might not have burned down.

“Okay okay, I'm sorry.” Dan raised his hands defensively and chuckled.

We moved to the clothing section and we checked out some clothes. I grabbed a cute gown from the rack.

“I'm gonna go try this on.” He gave me a thumbs up.

I walked towards the changing room, my mind wandering back to the news. I haven't been able to stop thinking about it all afternoon.

A part of me, the one who knew my father well, knew the incident might not be as bad as the media made it seem. He probably asked them to exaggerate the whole thing.

But what if that wasn't true and the fire was really bad?

I had to know if he was fine. He might be an asshole but he was still my father. I didn't want anything bad to happen to him.

Once I was in the changing room, I dialed his number on my phone. I had blocked his number when we moved out, but I had it memorized.

My heart beat erratically in my chest with each ring as the memories of our last conversation filtered into my mind. I forced the images away and focused on my plan.

He picked up after a few rings right before the call went into audio mail.

“Princess,” he said before I could say anything.

I gritted my teeth together and tried to ignore the irritation I felt at the mention of the nickname.

“I heard about the fire. Is everything okay?” I asked before I could change my mind and hang up.

“Ah yes, everything is fine. It was just one car that got burnt. It was probably some silly prank from someone trying to scare me. Total rookie move.” He chuckled.

“So no one got hurt?”

“No. Infact whoever caused the explosion just did me a big favour. I could pin it on my opponents. With the elections coming up, this could really help me gain the public's support. Things are really working in my favor, Princess.”

That explains the over exaggeration of the news. It was always about the media with him. I felt stupid for worrying about him in the first place. I should have known.

“Good to know.” I said sarcastically.

Silence fell between us. I knew I should end the call now but I couldn't. Our last conversation had sent me into a panic attack. I wanted to see if he would apologize even if a big part of me knew that would never happen.

“Come home, Princess. I'll take you and your mother on a vacation to make up for everything that happened.”

But as always, he didn't get it. I didn't know why I expected him to.

“If you want your family back, you're going to have to think bigger than expensive vacations and shopping spree. Money isn't everything.” I hung up before he could say anything.

I picked up the dress I came here to try on and stormed out of the changing room. I met Dan at the men clothing section.

“Are you done?” He asked. I shook my head.

“I want to pick a few more things.”

I picked a few other dresses, not bothering to try them on. I knew they were my size. Shopping did what it always does when I'm mad or anxious, it calms me.

I picked a few things for my mum and Penny. After a few hours, I was satisfied with everything I got.

“I gotta go the restroom. I'll meet you at the counter.” Dan said.

I walked to the counter, my hands full with shopping bags. I handed my card over to the cashier to pay for everything.

The lady's brows furrowed as she attempted to run the transaction. She shook her head after a few trials.

“I'm sorry, ma'am, but your card has been blocked.”