QUICK FILLER... To explain some things, this is a shortish chapter. Thanks to BiWiccanPrincess for the suggestion... Here is a lil insight into the current going ons of Jude and her dad... and... well. Read.

I'll try and update again tomorrow.

I'm late I'm late I'm late... latelatelate this is bad...

Just as I'm heading out the front door, my cell phone goes off. I pause with my hand on the doorknob and whip out my phone, hitting the receive button without bothering to check for the number.

"Hello?" I ask. I'm out of breath from running around the house, trying to find my car keys.

"Jude. How are you?" My dad's voice comes out of the speaker.

If I was breathless from running around, I'm amazed that I didn't die from lack of oxygen right then and there.

"...Dad? Um. Hi. Nice to hear from you. I guess." Is all I can muster. When really, I'd love to be saying a thousand things right now. The same thousand things that ran in my head every time he tried to come in contact with me. But I hadn't thought about those things in a while. Because he hasn't tried to talk to me in a while.

"Honey, I called to say happy birthday. And also that I'll be at your party tonight..."

I cut in. "With Yvette?"

"Well, yes. Unless of course-"

"No, you know what, Dad? Fine. It's fine. I don't care. I couldn't care less about her."

"Honey, now wait a minute..."

"How about not? Dad, why are you calling me? Why are you even coming tonight?" I'm on the verge of tears by now. My voice starts to choke up and I'm not sure at this rate that I'll ever make it out the door.

"Jude, it's your eighteenth birthday. My last daughter is all grown up. I couldn't possibly miss this."

I don't say anything. I mentally tell myself to breathe. I finally let go of the doorknob I've been gripping so tightly and fall back against the wall.

"You know I still love you."

And suddenly, I'm angry. More angry than I have been a long time. "Yeah, Dad, of course you do. You always have, haven't you? Even after breaking Mom's heart, and hurting the entire family over it, and moving in with Yvette, and not even trying to contact me for the past year!" I screamed into the phone. "And you still love me, don't you?"

"Jude, you don't understand."

"Of course," I laughed, my voice dripping with sarcasm. "I never understood the love you had for Yvette. And how it was so much stronger than the love you had for Mom. I'm sorry, Dad. Does that make you feel any better? Do you feel less guilty now for tearing the entire family apart?"

On the other end of the line, I heard him sigh. "We should talk about this in person. Some other time. Tonight I would just like to wish my girl a happy birthday, a good life. And Yvette would, too."

"Fine, Dad. Whatever." I hung up, not even bothering to say goodbye.

I took a few minutes to calm myself down and make sure I wouldn't crack. Just as I'd pulled myself together enough to finally leave the house, I remembered a conversation I'd had before, about my dad. My hand froze in midair while reaching towards the doorknob.

"He loves you, you know that."


"Yeah, okay, I know you're trying to soothe me and whatever, but it's not gonna work. If he loved me, he wouldn't have done this to me. Or Mom, or Sadie. If he loved any of us..."

"So he made a mistake! People make mistakes, Jude. You'll learn to forgive him in time."

"Then maybe I'm just not ready to forgive him yet, Tommy."

"You will, though. If you love someone enough, you'll always forgive them."

I let out an involuntary groan and forced myself to open the door. "Great. I was late enough in the first place..."

Leaving the house and locking the door behind me, I let one thought surpass myself before putting the barriers back up again.

Proved you wrong there, Quincy. 'Cause I sure as hell never forgave you.