Brittany sang and danced to Nobody like U by 4*town. Most people did not like their songs because they were not real. They came from the cartoon, Turning Red. Brittany didn't care if they were real or not, she found them cute and liked their songs.
"Brittany!" Lisa screamed and Brittany yelped and fell on her bed, "Lisa you scared me" she said and Lisa gestured towards her headphones and she removed them. "Your father has been calling you for dinner. I figured you would be using those headphones, so I came to get you myself" Lisa said.
Lisa's screams could collapse a building. It was so loud that it could penetrate through Brittany's pink headphones and block out Robaire's voice. "I'm coming" Brittany said with an eye roll and Lisa left. Brittany dropped her headphones and went downstairs.
"Well it's about time!" her father, Scott said and she smiled, "I was busy with homework" she said and kissed his cheek then she sat beside him. "So have you found a tutor?" Scott asked as Lisa poured him a glass of orange juice "Yes! His name is Damian and he's really cute but he lacks fashion----" "You are to pay attention to the studying and not your tutor" Scott chastised "I also have to focus on the tutor or I wouldn't learn anything" she rolled her eyes.
There was silence and then Lisa cleared her throat and looked at Scott, "Say something" her eyes said and his eyes said, "There's nothing to talk about. Let's just enjoy our dinner in comfortable silence". Lisa sighed and looked at Brittany, "How's Jake?" she asked and Brittany nodded, "Fine! He's still annoying".
Scott looked confused, "Who's Jake?" he asked "Brittany's boyfriend" Lisa said "Ex-boyfriend" Brittany coughed. "I did not know you had a boyfriend" Scott said "Well, you haven't cared to know anything about me except school and my studies" Brittany said as she put a spoonful of rice in her mouth. "Well that's because right now, your studies are more important than any relationship" Scott said and Lisa kicked his shin.
"So what's he like? Do you like him?" Scott asked "He's annoying and I don't like him again. We have broken up" Brittany said "Why did you guys break up?" Lisa asked "Well...you can say I got tired of him" "Is he rich? You should invite him for dinner someti----" Scott was saying but Brittany interrupted him, "Anything interesting happen at work?"
"Well, work is the same. Boring, tiring, stress----" "Can I get a new car?" Brittany suddenly asked "What happened to your car?" Lisa asked "Some runt sat on it and now it has a dent" "Is the dent big?" "Nope! It's just the right size to tick me off!" Brittany said and Scott sighed, "I hate dents!" "Me too!" "I'll get you a one during the weekend" he said and Brittany hugged, "Thank you so much! I love you daddy!" she said and kissed his cheek then she bounced upstairs.
"Wait, finish your----" Scott was saying but Brittany was gone already. Lisa looked at him and shook her head then she went to the kitchen. "What did I do?" he asked. Deep down, Scott knew he had done a lot of damage to him and his daughter's relationship. After Violet, his wife had died, he became depressed and started drinking. Brittany was just nine at that time.
One night, out of drunkenness, Scott almost killed Brittany. Lisa was scared and decided to send Brittany to a children's home where she would stay for a year. During that year, Scott was sent to rehab and when he came back, everything had already fallen apart. He tried to rebuild the relationship he once had with his daughter, but there was no way it could work, so he just focused on her studies and gave her everything she needed.
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Brittany tried to do her homework but it wasn't working. Why did math have letters and numbers in one equation? She groaned and pushed her books away then she took her phone and tried calling Damian but his phone was switched off. She couldn't call Maddie cos Maddie slept early. Brittany did not have any friends except Maddie. She considered her posse bunch of idiots that would do anything just to gain popularity, so she made them her slaves. She did not need much friends anyways, she just needed men she could trust.
Her mind immediately went to the boy she had seen by the lake and Seth. Bunch of idiots! she thought and rolled on her bed. She laid in the same position for sometime before she got up. She had made up her mind to show Seth and the lakeboy that she wasn't scared of them. She could deal with Seth in the morning but this night was for lakeboy. She threw a pink sweatshirt over her head and took her keys then she opened her door and ran.
"Brittany, where are you going?" Lisa's voice startled her "Umm...I was going to the kitchen to...get a glass of water" she said and smiled. Lisa peered at her for sometime then she smiled, "Okay!" she said and Brittany nodded and walked to the kitchen but Lisa called her, "Don't be so distant with your father. After your mom passed away, it has been so hard for him especially since you are a splitting image of her. Just give him some time and he'll come around" Lisa said and Brittany nodded, "Sure!" "Don't stay out late!" Lisa said and Brittany looked at her, "How did you----" "Sweetheart, I helped your mother raise you. Of course I'll know when you're lying" Lisa said with a smile and Brittany hugged her, "Thanks Lisa! Don't tell dad!" she said and ran out.
~~~~~~~
Brittany was fully prepared for lakeboy. She was not going to get scared. She switched on her flashlight and gripped the golf club tighter then she ventured into---- according to her, the valley of death.
"Here kitty, kitty!" she whistled as she walked stealthily. "Lakeboy, where are you?" she sang shakily. Sadly, it was a moonless night and the wind was blowing making the leaves to rustle and the trees to sway. "Kitty, kitty" she whistled and something ran in the bushes. She froze at the spot. This was a bad idea, she thought and shook her head, "It was a bad idea and I did not think it through but when have I ever thought something through?" she said and started singing the lullaby her mom sang to her every night as she moved closer to the bushes.
She was about to swing the golf club but strong arms carried her from behind and she screamed then a hand covered her mouth and out of fear, she dropped the flashlight and golf club. Her arms and legs flailed and then she bit her kidnapper's hand and he let go of her. She quickly grabbed her flashlight and tried to switch it on but it wasn't working. She saw the silhouette of the man coming for her so she grabbed the golf club and swung it.
"Chill sweetheart" he said as he caught it before it hit him. "Lakeboy?" she asked and he smirked, "That's better than Kitty but I can tell you my name" "Are you insane? How dare you scare me like that?" Brittany asked and he held out his hand to help her up but she stood up without his help. "What would a pretty girl like you be doing here alone in the dark?" "You haven't seen my face, how do you know I'm pretty?" "Well, I can recognize a pretty girl by her voice and...scent" "Ew! Pervert!" she said and he chuckled, "Cute! I like it when your cheeks are pink" he said and her face heated up. How did he know she was blushing?
"Do you have night vision goggles in your head? How do you know I'm blushing?" she asked "Well, from my experience with lots of girls, I know when they blush, why they blush and how they blush" "So you are player?" Brittany asked. "Chill sweetheart. Player is a strong word. Take it like girls throw theirselves at me and who am I to refuse free things?" "Disgusting! Girls are not 'free things'" she said and was about leaving but he held her arm, "I'm sorry. We got off on the wrong foot. I'm not a bad guy, if you get to know me better" he said and she rolled her eyes, "Fine! Just let go of my arm!" she said and he let her go.
"I'm Se... Michael" he said and stretched out his hand for a handshake and she looked at him, "Hope" she said and he grinned, "I'm hoping you'll give me a lot of hope" he said and she folded her arms, "That's it! I'm leaving!" "Hope, I'm sorry! My pick-up lines need some work" "A lot of work!" she said. "By the way, you didn't shake me" he said "Shaking you means touching my own saliva and I'm too grossed out to do that" "But it's your saliva! You bit me!" he said and she shrugged, "You scared me!" she said and bent down to pick the golf club and the flashlight. She tried switching on the flashlight but it didn't work, "Stupid flashlight!" she said as she hit it on her palm.
"It won't work like that. Let me help" he said and she gave him the flashlight. "Fucking flashlight! Why won't you work?" he said as he hit it on the ground. "It will break if you continue----" the flashlight broke and Brittany looked at him with a sarcastic look on her face, "Well done muscled idiot! You solved the problem!" she said sarcastically and took the flashlight. "I'm sorry, I'll buy you----" "Don't bother! It was already useless!" she said and threw it away.
"So why does a beautiful girl like you come here?" he asked and she looked at him, "Don't you think that's too personal?" she asked and he nodded, "I'm sorry" and there was silence. "Which school do you go to?" he asked "Disnee" "Euphorium! Woah! So we're just across each other. We could hang out in the day time if you want" "Not gonna work pretty boy! I'm busy during the day" "Busy doing what?" "Studying" "Don't tell me you're a nerd cos you don't sound like one". "Trust me, I'm far from being a nerd. I just want to make my dad proud of me" she said sadly.
"You have daddy issues?" he asked "It's not really daddy issues. Just have an awkward relationship with him" she said and sat on a rock "If it helps, I kinda have mummy issues" "Wow! We're birds of a feather" "So we should flock together" he said cockily and she rolled her eyes. "Well, since we both have parents' issues, how about we become each other's mummy and daddy" he said and she stood up, "That's it! I'm outta here!" she said and was walking away but he called out, "I'll see you tomorrow?" "Maybe!" she yelled back "Wait! I didn't get your number!" he shouted but she had already gone.
Seth smiled as he walked back to his motorcycle. Although he had not seen her face, he knew she was really pretty and that she was different. Different from girls like Samantha and Brittany. She's probably a nerd that likes to bury her head in her books, he thought and looked back. He was going to see her face one day and maybe that day will change him.