Ding-dong!
"I'll get it," Hanna insisted, while Kate was washing up before bed, a facial mask on her face and her hair up in a loose bun, while also balancing the phone between her neck and ear, talking with her best friend. It was close to 10:30, and Aunt Theresa was already in bed, and Hanna and Kate were tired from beginning their tedious job of packing.
Hanna pulled the door open, and there stood Jack. He reached his arms out for an embrace, but Hanna just walked away from him, saying behind her, "Follow me."
Jack's arms dropped, and he mentally berated himself, wondering who he was kidding. He followed Hanna upstairs and into a colorfully decorated room in back, where Kate was sitting at a desk, filing her nails and talking about menstrual periods with a phone pressed to her ear. Jack's face pinkened a bit and he quietly knocked on the door, while Hanna slipped away, a smirk on her face.
Kate looked over and smiled, waving at Jack with her nail file, but continuing her conversation about Tampax versus OB. She motioned for Jack to sit down on the bed while she wrapped up her phone conversation.
Jack idly listened to her chatter on and on, while examining her room. There were various trophies and awards scattered around, among other, more "girly" things, like lotions, make-up, and perfumes. Lining the frame of the mirror above Kate's vanity were photographs of friends and family members. There were a few large boxes sitting around on the floor, each about half-full, and from Jack's place on Kate's bed, he could see that her closet was completely empty.
"Mm-hmm...yeah. No, I've never tried that while I'm on my period. No. Well, I don't know, actually," she giggled. "I can ask, if you'd like. HEY, HANNA!" Kate screamed, blowing on her nails and reaching for some clear polish. Hanna appeared, drying her face with a pink towel.
"What do you need?" Hanna asked, a hand on her hip. Kate giggled.
"Val wants to know if you and Kevin ever slept together while you were on your period..."
From the bed, Jack's eyes went wide. Hanna laughed and grabbed the phone, walking out into the hallway with it.
"Oh, I think I need some alone time with Val to answer this one," she sang, closing the door behind her while Kate just giggled again, starting a clear coat on her nails. She finally turned to Jack, smiling at him.
"Hi, dad. What's up?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at him.
"Uh...uh..." Jack was at a loss for words. His first instinct was to go out into the hallway and hang up the phone, then send both of his daughters to bed. It was almost eleven o'clock, and he was hoping that they would have already been in bed when he got there, just so he could say goodnight and be on his way. The laughter from the hallway broke into his thoughts, and he finally regained his composure.
"What the hell are you talking about?" he snapped, standing up. Kate's eyes clouded over, a befuddled look on her face.
"Huh?" she asked, blowing on her nails again. "What's the problem, dad?"
"You shouldn't be talking about sex like that...you're too young for that shit," Jack said, his voice going up an octave. The door opened again, and Hanna came in, reaching to hand the phone back to Kate. Jack reached over and roughly grabbed the phone, intercepting the phone from Hanna.
"Goodnight, Valerie," Jack abruptly said, hanging up the phone before either daughter could react.
Shaking her head, Hanna grabbed the phone back from Jack, shooting him a nasty look.
"WHAT the hell is your problem?" Hanna asked, handing the now-quiet phone to her sister to place back in its cradle. "Who the hell do you think you are?" she demanded, poking Jack in his chest.
"I don't THINK I'm anything; I KNOW I'm your father!" Jack began, his face turning a shade of pink while Hanna just stared at him, her hands on her hips. "You should both be in bed by now; not talking about sex, of all things, with your girlfriends!" Jack took a deep breath and tried to calm down some. "So come on, girls. Let's get in bed and put all of this behind us..."
Hanna and Kate exchanged a look, then each turned back to face their father.
"Oh, and what gives you the authority to tell US what to do?" Kate asked, raising her eyebrows. "Oh wow, hello random sperm donor...you were never there for us growing up, and when did we even hear from you?! We DIDN'T. Gee, father of the YEAR, ya know?" Kate finished, the sarcastic tone in her voice biting into Jack's last nerve.
But before Jack could shoot back another rebuttal, Theresa came storming in, her eyes bleary and hair unkempt from sleep.
"Jack," she began, her normally soft voice hardened with annoyance. "Why on earth are you screaming at this hour? What is the problem back here?"
"Wha, who, well, they were screaming, too," came Jack's muddled reply. Hanna smirked and turned on her heel, walking into the hallway and towards her room.
"Jack, it's late, and I'm going to have to ask you to leave now." Theresa's firm response was not a request; it was a demand.
"Can't I at least say goodnight to the girls?" Jack asked, feeling as if the ground was slipping out from under his feet.
Theresa's eyes flickered for a moment before she finally sighed and nodded, returning back to the master bedroom. Jack turned towards Kate, who just looked at him, obviously not making the first move towards him.
"Uh...goodnight, Kate," Jack said, reaching towards her for an embrace, which she was quick to push away from.
"Nails are still wet," Kate said, ice crystals forming with each word.
Jack gave his youngest daughter one last look and left the room, quietly closing the door behind him as if it was made out of glass. Taking a deep breath, Jack began walking down the hallway to find where Hanna's room was. At the opposite end of the hallway, Jack found Hanna sitting at her desk in a more toned down room, with cream walls and carpeting. There was a high pile of text books on the desk right next to a notebook laptop computer, which was closed at the moment. Feeling like an ass, Jack gently rapped on the open door with two knuckles, while clearing his through at the same time. Hanna didn't even look up.
"Hanna..." Jack said, stepping into the room. "I didn't mean to blow up back there—"
Hanna whirled around in her swivel chair, cutting Jack off before he even had a chance to apologize.
"Save it for someone who cares," she sneered, glaring at him. "Look, I don't want you here, my sister doesn't want you here, and I KNOW my aunt doesn't want you here, so why don't you just leave?" she finished, turning back around to her textbooks.
"Goodnight," Jack whispered, kissing Hanna on the head before leaving her room, missing the tears that were running down her cheeks. "I love you."
"I'll get it," Hanna insisted, while Kate was washing up before bed, a facial mask on her face and her hair up in a loose bun, while also balancing the phone between her neck and ear, talking with her best friend. It was close to 10:30, and Aunt Theresa was already in bed, and Hanna and Kate were tired from beginning their tedious job of packing.
Hanna pulled the door open, and there stood Jack. He reached his arms out for an embrace, but Hanna just walked away from him, saying behind her, "Follow me."
Jack's arms dropped, and he mentally berated himself, wondering who he was kidding. He followed Hanna upstairs and into a colorfully decorated room in back, where Kate was sitting at a desk, filing her nails and talking about menstrual periods with a phone pressed to her ear. Jack's face pinkened a bit and he quietly knocked on the door, while Hanna slipped away, a smirk on her face.
Kate looked over and smiled, waving at Jack with her nail file, but continuing her conversation about Tampax versus OB. She motioned for Jack to sit down on the bed while she wrapped up her phone conversation.
Jack idly listened to her chatter on and on, while examining her room. There were various trophies and awards scattered around, among other, more "girly" things, like lotions, make-up, and perfumes. Lining the frame of the mirror above Kate's vanity were photographs of friends and family members. There were a few large boxes sitting around on the floor, each about half-full, and from Jack's place on Kate's bed, he could see that her closet was completely empty.
"Mm-hmm...yeah. No, I've never tried that while I'm on my period. No. Well, I don't know, actually," she giggled. "I can ask, if you'd like. HEY, HANNA!" Kate screamed, blowing on her nails and reaching for some clear polish. Hanna appeared, drying her face with a pink towel.
"What do you need?" Hanna asked, a hand on her hip. Kate giggled.
"Val wants to know if you and Kevin ever slept together while you were on your period..."
From the bed, Jack's eyes went wide. Hanna laughed and grabbed the phone, walking out into the hallway with it.
"Oh, I think I need some alone time with Val to answer this one," she sang, closing the door behind her while Kate just giggled again, starting a clear coat on her nails. She finally turned to Jack, smiling at him.
"Hi, dad. What's up?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at him.
"Uh...uh..." Jack was at a loss for words. His first instinct was to go out into the hallway and hang up the phone, then send both of his daughters to bed. It was almost eleven o'clock, and he was hoping that they would have already been in bed when he got there, just so he could say goodnight and be on his way. The laughter from the hallway broke into his thoughts, and he finally regained his composure.
"What the hell are you talking about?" he snapped, standing up. Kate's eyes clouded over, a befuddled look on her face.
"Huh?" she asked, blowing on her nails again. "What's the problem, dad?"
"You shouldn't be talking about sex like that...you're too young for that shit," Jack said, his voice going up an octave. The door opened again, and Hanna came in, reaching to hand the phone back to Kate. Jack reached over and roughly grabbed the phone, intercepting the phone from Hanna.
"Goodnight, Valerie," Jack abruptly said, hanging up the phone before either daughter could react.
Shaking her head, Hanna grabbed the phone back from Jack, shooting him a nasty look.
"WHAT the hell is your problem?" Hanna asked, handing the now-quiet phone to her sister to place back in its cradle. "Who the hell do you think you are?" she demanded, poking Jack in his chest.
"I don't THINK I'm anything; I KNOW I'm your father!" Jack began, his face turning a shade of pink while Hanna just stared at him, her hands on her hips. "You should both be in bed by now; not talking about sex, of all things, with your girlfriends!" Jack took a deep breath and tried to calm down some. "So come on, girls. Let's get in bed and put all of this behind us..."
Hanna and Kate exchanged a look, then each turned back to face their father.
"Oh, and what gives you the authority to tell US what to do?" Kate asked, raising her eyebrows. "Oh wow, hello random sperm donor...you were never there for us growing up, and when did we even hear from you?! We DIDN'T. Gee, father of the YEAR, ya know?" Kate finished, the sarcastic tone in her voice biting into Jack's last nerve.
But before Jack could shoot back another rebuttal, Theresa came storming in, her eyes bleary and hair unkempt from sleep.
"Jack," she began, her normally soft voice hardened with annoyance. "Why on earth are you screaming at this hour? What is the problem back here?"
"Wha, who, well, they were screaming, too," came Jack's muddled reply. Hanna smirked and turned on her heel, walking into the hallway and towards her room.
"Jack, it's late, and I'm going to have to ask you to leave now." Theresa's firm response was not a request; it was a demand.
"Can't I at least say goodnight to the girls?" Jack asked, feeling as if the ground was slipping out from under his feet.
Theresa's eyes flickered for a moment before she finally sighed and nodded, returning back to the master bedroom. Jack turned towards Kate, who just looked at him, obviously not making the first move towards him.
"Uh...goodnight, Kate," Jack said, reaching towards her for an embrace, which she was quick to push away from.
"Nails are still wet," Kate said, ice crystals forming with each word.
Jack gave his youngest daughter one last look and left the room, quietly closing the door behind him as if it was made out of glass. Taking a deep breath, Jack began walking down the hallway to find where Hanna's room was. At the opposite end of the hallway, Jack found Hanna sitting at her desk in a more toned down room, with cream walls and carpeting. There was a high pile of text books on the desk right next to a notebook laptop computer, which was closed at the moment. Feeling like an ass, Jack gently rapped on the open door with two knuckles, while clearing his through at the same time. Hanna didn't even look up.
"Hanna..." Jack said, stepping into the room. "I didn't mean to blow up back there—"
Hanna whirled around in her swivel chair, cutting Jack off before he even had a chance to apologize.
"Save it for someone who cares," she sneered, glaring at him. "Look, I don't want you here, my sister doesn't want you here, and I KNOW my aunt doesn't want you here, so why don't you just leave?" she finished, turning back around to her textbooks.
"Goodnight," Jack whispered, kissing Hanna on the head before leaving her room, missing the tears that were running down her cheeks. "I love you."