"You just remember that women are meant to be seen, and admired Stephanie, not heard." My dad yelled from the front seat. My mom and I were in dresses in the backseat, my brother and father in suits up front. "That stunt you pulled last week, talking during my conversation. I should've backhanded you right then, and there. You're truly lucky I waited till we got home." Shane gave an agreeing grunt from the passenger seat. "Do you have anything you'd like to say?"

"I'm sorry."

"Good. Those are the last two words I wanna hear out of you for the rest of the evening. Understood?" I nodded silently, trying to obey him. "Answer me!"

"Yes." I fought back the tears, he was always like that, always so mean to my mom and I.

We sat through Wednesday church quietly, I held my Bible in my lap tightly, shaking my foot every now and then. Every time I looked up, Mr. Levesque was looking at me, a flirty smirk on his face.

After church my mom followed my dad to talk with some people from the congregation. I walked alone to the car, it was beginning to drizzle. Women don't get umbrellas in my family. All I could do was wrap my sweater tighter around my shoulders. And try to stay somewhat warm in my light nylons.

"You're getting rained on." A man's voice said next to me. I watched him take off his jacket and wrap it over my shoulders. "Scoot in, then we can share my umbrella." He was dressed in church clothes, holding a stack of books in his arms, bible, notebook and book of hymns. "Come on Ms. McMahon, you can't enjoy getting rained on." He reached for my hand, pulled me under his umbrella. I wasn't holding his jacket on me, it swallowed my small frame and stayed on without any help. "So are you playing the stoic right now?" He leaned over and fixed his jacket, buttoned one of the buttons to it would stay loosely fixed on my shoulders. "I'm Paul, Paul Levesque. I've wanted to say hi for a long time now. But your dad was always right there. Today was my first chance." I stayed quiet, remaining unheard.

I had been admiring Paul from across the church or parking lot for several weeks, probably months. We'd never spoken a word to each other, and I never thought we would. "Ms. McMahon, let me hear your voice. I'm sure it's just as pretty as you."

"Excuse me." My dad approached us with his 'I mean business' walk. "Stephanie, are you, are you wearing his coat?" I stayed silent. "Explain yourself Stephanie!" He was embarrassing himself, his voice boomed even with an audience.

"Mr. McMahon, no disrespect, but there really isn't anything for her to explain. She looked cold, so I offered her my coat. She didn't say anything. But I wrapped it around her anyway. It started to rain, so I shared my umbrella with her. She didn't say anything again. Then you came over."

"I'm her father, and quite frankly I don't appreciate you speaking to her, or offering her your coat without my permission."

"I'm sorry, I didn't realize I had to ask."

"Well you do."

"My apologies. How do I go about asking your for permission?"

"Wouldn't matter, someone with your reputation has no reason to be around my daughter. Please retrieve your coat and excuse yourself." Paul was deliberate in his movements, he turned to face me wordlessly, took both of my hands in his and folded the umbrella inside of them. Without ever releasing eye contact Paul unbuttoned his coat. He leaned in closer to pull it from around my shoulders. "What in the world was that?"

"You said I couldn't talk to her. I didn't." Paul answered with a smirk. Paul didn't realize what had just done. My dad's veins were throbbing in his forehead. "See you Friday." I watched him away, waiting for my dad to instigate the punishment.

"In the car. I can't believe you would even make our family look bad like that. What made you do that? Accept his coat and umbrella. You let him touch you?" I lowered my head, counted the stitches in my skirt. "Go home and go straight to your room. Understand?"

"Yes." I was holding back tears.

"Shane will be up later, unless your room is on fire. I don't want to see you." I nodded to my father. "Go." I nearly ran up the stairs, and closed my door behind me.

"Paul almost kissed me." I whispered to myself once I was alone in my room. "Almost. If my dad hadn't been there, I would've gotten my first kiss." I laid on my bed with homework in my lap, I was halfway done when Shane barged in without knocking. "Hi Shane."

"Where's your phone? Give me you cell phone."

"It's right here, why? There's nothing in it, a few texts from you. That's all."

"I want to look through the contacts. Make sure there's no chance you've been talking to that scum bag."

"Why does everyone think he's so horrible?"

"He's been seen smoking cigarettes, and kissing girls. I don't want to ever see you smoking, or kissing Paul for that matter." Shane tossed my phone back on my bed. My brother was my dad in training. Sometimes he could be a real jerk, but others, he was sweet. He'd listen to me talk, and allow to me actually talk. "You look upset."

"He almost kissed me today Shane. He was the first guy to show an interest in me. He wanted me to talk to him, not to just stand there and be eyed like a puppy in front of Safeway. How do you expect me to be happy that dad interrupted us?" Shane sat down on the foot of my bed, kicked off his dress shoes.

"I've never seen you like this. You really like him don't you?" I nodded, embarrassed. "You don't even know him. How can you like someone you don't know?" I shrugged silently, I didn't have an argument that would make sense to anyone outside of my head. "I can try to work some magic on dad, see if I can't chaperone an afternoon outing with you two. But, don't get excited, dad is pretty set on this one. I'll try for you though Stephanie. I've never seen you smile. Not since you hit like, ten."

"Since dad realized I was a girl." I said under my breath.

"Now, now. Dad's not that mean. He's just strict, he does it because he loves us. Sometimes I even think he loves you more. The way he bars you in your room sometimes, restricts you to talking to me. Like he wants you all to himself for the rest of your life." Shane patted my hand and left my room.