Rick POV
I am angry beyond belief. My baby, my little Róis, is no longer a virgin. My world is spinning and I'm trying to find an anchor. I remember not too long ago she asked me to put her hair in pigtails for school because Kate was called into work early. Or when I would pick her up from kindergarten and go out for ice cream, and we would eat smorelettes on Saturday mornings. No it feels like I don't know her at all. There's space between us that feels like a hundred miles even though we're only ten feet apart. I stare into her smoky grey eyes that were once olive green. They show fear. It's like I'm bearing into her soul and she's trying to protect it, but the most expressive things on her face tell me all that I need to know. What I just heard was the truth, and there is no way I can unhear it. Damn me for trying to surprise them during an intimate conversation. I would've preferred being left in the dark. It may sound like the easy way out, but how else am I suppose to react? She's only 15! I know I should've stopped her from dating Liam. I mean what kind of 16 year old boy wants to date a lower-classman? Even if I tried, it would've pushed them together I suppose but it doesn't make it an easier to hear this. I wasn't prepared for this day. I thought I would have a few more years to even consider it, but logically they've been together for quite some time, but still, they're still in high school! She was a freshman at the time! Only thing I can think of doing is rushing over to his house and beating the crap out of him, but it wouldn't solve anything, it'd just land me in a cell for a couple of hours. I feel my nostrils tremble from the minutes they've been flaring in anger. I feel my hand ooze the blood after crushing the glass in my hand from the shock. The pain is welcomed as it distracts me from the current situation.
"Oh my God, Rick!" Kate says as she rushes to my side and attempts to grab my hand. Róis is still frozen in her spot on the bed looking crestfallen.
"Is it true?" My voice trembles but I am met with silence so I repeat with a bit more firmness. "Is it true?"
"Yes," Róis replies quietly and I am ashamed for raising my voice.
"Róis, sweetie, I'm not mad at you, just the situation. You're my little girl, you'll always be my little girl, and I didn't expect this day would come so soon," I try to reason. I notice she's been looking pale and closed for the past few months, and the pressure of my unfortunate outburst would surely not help, so I hold it in.
"I know Daddy, I'm sorry," she says with unshed tears in her eyes, and if it were impossible before, her eyes grew into a darker shade of grey they almost resemble black.
"Don't be, it's whatever parent experiences, I'm just glad you told your mom, and if you ever want to talk about anything, whether its boys, cars, writing, sports, make-up, I promise to be open minded and attempt to help," I say and pull her head into my chest and she finally breaks down and cries for what feels like hours. I hear a buzz in the background coming from her cell phone on the nightstand and I feel her tense in my arms, but I don't question it. A couple seconds later there's another buzz, but we ignore it. Over the next two minutes there seems to have been ten buzzes which slightly annoys me to the point that I have to address it. "Wow you must be pretty popular,' I attempt a joke and it works because she cracks a smile. I haven't seen one of those from her in ages and I immediately worry. There's a buzz, but it doesn't come from the phone, instead I hear it coming from her backpack.
"What is that?" I question.
"Oh its nothing," she tries to brush the question under the rug, but I persist.
"I heard buzzing from the bag," I continue.
"Yeah, it's nothing," she says and I see beads of sweat come through her pores, which lets me know that whatever is in the backpack is not nothing. Kate gets the message and walks towards the backpack to where the buzzing is coming from and opens it.
"Wait mom! What are you doing?" Róis jumps from her position on the bed.
"Just checking what nothing is," Kate replies nonchalantly.
"Mom, you can't just go through my stuff!" she reasons, but it is too late and Kate finds the source of the buzzing. It was another cell phone. In fact it's the latest iPhone that was released last month.
"Where did you get that from?" I question.
"Uh...Um...nowhere," she stutters.
"Answer me with the truth!" Kate voices.
"Liam gave it to me!" she yells back with fear in her eyes, but fear of what? "Can I please have my phone back?" Instead of waiting for an answer she walks towards Kate and snatches the phone out her hands to reply to whoever was texting her continuously minutes prior.
"Hey! Don't snatch things away from your mother! And who are you texting?" I ask
"Liam. He gave me this phone so he can reach me," she replies.
"Why? You already have a phone?" Kate asks.
"In case I don't answer my phone, it's so he can always reach me to make sure I'm okay," she replies nervously and something doesn't sit well in my gut and Kate and I share a knowing look.