Annabeth has a twin sister who's completely spoiled and rotten in every possible way you can possibly imagine. But what happens when she rises to fame and gets even more spoiled and rotten as the days go by? And how come she happens to steal away he very thing that Annabeth likes?
Disclaimer: Rick Riordan's Characters, not mine.
~~~
My father is a serious man. Not too serious, but serious enough to intimidate someone.
He has blond hair, like the color of a sharp crayon. I suppose I got that from him, the blonde hair and the forbidden smile he has. The only thing that I didn't inherit from my father was his chocolate brown eyes. Ones that were so intelligent whenever needed, and crinkled when he smiled at true happiness. That was my father. A serious man filled with happiness and gleaming with intelligence. And oh how I missed him.
Molly hugged him first, so much to my annoyance. She clung on to him longer than necessary.
"I missed you both so much." My Dad said. He kissed the top of Molly's head and pulled me in for a tight hug.
"Three months can go by so quickly." Dad patted my head.
It was nice to feel the comfort of him once again. The smell of his cologne was familiar, and even the ridiculous khaki shorts he was wearing right now… I loved them. I love every bit of my Dad. He keeps me grounded to this insane world.
Molly grabbed Dad's hand. Let the attention hogging begin. "Have you been working on a new movie Daddy?"
I tried not to gag. "Daddy" just sounds so wrong. Especially when you call your own father that.
Dad chuckled. "Of course. Three months and Disney studios has seen some interesting stuff. I don't want to bore either of you though. Tell me Molly, have you grown taller?"
Molly suppressed a giggle. "No Daddy. But tell me. When have you been? A victim of the fashion police?"
As much as I love to disagree with Molly, she was so right about Dad's taste in fashion. I'm not one to bush boundaries, but enough is enough when a grown man is wearing a beat-up baseball cap and sandals with socks. I wouldn't have been surprised if he picked up golfing or some sport like that. Maybe he played poker with his buddies at night.
"Oh! I know!" Molly threw her bag into the car. "We can spend some time shopping! You and Annabeth definitely need new clothes."
"I don't need new clothes!"
Molly turned toward me. There was a sparkle in her eyes. "It's Dad Annabeth. Quality time. Am I right Daddy?"
"Of course my sweetness." My father kissed Molly on the top of the head again. "Shopping will do. Actually, I was also thinking of taking you both out to dinner tonight. To a place right in the heart of L.A. I hope that's okay with you two?"
"Of course it is!" Molly jumped up and down excitingly. "Dinner with the Dad."
Of course we'd go out someplace fancy. I hadn't really thought about what Molly and I would do now that we're with Dad, but the possibilities seemed endless.
"So... We're going to your house?" I asked, not really sure what to call. I've never been to the place where goes when he isn't home.
My dad casualty smiled. "Yes. It's our house Annabeth."
"Well than we know what we're doing for the day." Molly beamed. "Drop our stuff off at the house, go shopping-."
"Is shopping really necessary?" I but in. "Can't we catch a movie or something?"
Molly laughed. "You can stay at home of you'd like Annabeth. Nobody's stopping you."
I fumed. What's Molly's problem with me not thinking shopping is fun. In fact, she never likes any of the shit that I do. It's always bitch and moan about how Annabeth doesn't want to do what Molly wants to do. I swear, my twin sister is a twelve-year-old.
"Fine." I said coolly. "We can go shopping. As long a it's okay with dad."
"Of course it is." My dad hopped into the car. "Come one you two, I can't wait till you see the house."
~~~
"So, how are your brothers doing?"
My dad decided to strike up a one-sided conversation with Molly and I. She sat in the front of the car while I had to sit in the back pouting like a ten-year-old. I was right behind her so I wouldn't have to look at her stupid face.
"There fine." I spoke. "I think they were a little upset they couldn't come. They told me tell you that they miss you."
I saw my dad smile. "Great boys those two are. Your mother and I decided what would be best for you two. Matthew and Bobby with her, and you two with me."
Molly snickered in the front seat. "I really thought I would ride solo with this one, but shouldn't I just be with to Daddy? I mean, I am going to be a star, can't have any siblings distracting me. No offense Annabeth."
"How could I be offended?" I muttered under my breath.
"The sarcasm isn't needed" Molly snapped back.
"Hey!" My dad put his right blinker on. "Would you two like some Chick-fil-a? I know how much you love their sweet tea Annabeth."
So that's it? He doesn't even tell Molly to knock it off with her bratty comments? Instead, he distracts himself with food? This doesn't sound like my dad. Usually he's be the first one to tell us to knock it off.
"We could go and get Chick-fil-a and then go shopping." Molly's voice sounded jagged. "What's the house like daddy? Is it big?"
My dad made a right hand turn, shifting my body. "It's big enough I suppose. For the three of us, and someone else."
For a moment I thought he was talking about a maid or some sort of servant. I had this weird image of a sexy woman in one of those old-fashioned maid outfits giving my dad a sponge bath. Momentarily, I gagged.
"What do you mean, 'someone else?" Molly asked. "You mean like a butler or something?"
Well, at least she was on the same page with me on this one.
My dad roared with laughter. "Your mother would kill me if I had my own personal servants doing everything for me. No, not a butler my sweetness. A dog. A puppy in fact."
My jaw dropped. A puppy! My mom absolutely hated puppies. She hated how the barked, when they shed in the summer, and their smell. I could almost imagine my mom yelling at my dad for being so stupid. Growing up, there were no animals in the house. Matthew was allergic to cats, and Molly almost got strangled by a snake once. What a pity that it didn't cause any further damage.
"What kind of dog is it?" Molly asked. "Please don't tell me it's one of those ugly hairless dogs or something. What are those called?"
"A Chihuahua?" I offered.
"Not a Chihuahua." Dad stopped the car. We were at a red light. "A golden retriever."
"And why did you get a golden retriever?" I didn't mean for it to come out so rude, but I don't really think dad could really take care of a dog. He's to focused on his job.
"Not sure. Saw it in the store, said what the hell, and bought it. I wasn't really thinking when I bought it."
"How old is it?" Molly asked.
"Three months. It's a he by the way. Named him Rolf."
"Rolf?" That name didn't stick well with me. "Sounds like a name from one of those villagers on Animal Crossing."
"I like it." Molly put in. Of course she has to suck up to my dad, even though she perfectly well knows that the name sucks. "Rolf. Rolf Chase."
I rolled my eyes and stared out the window. I could see the Chick-fil-a coming up on my right, having flashbacks with dad and I eating the nuggets there and me playing in the ball pit.
"So Molly." My dad said. "What's the first thing you're going to do when you're famous."
Oh great, something that revolves around Molly. Here we go.
"I don't know!" Molly gushed. "Buy shoes? Go to Aruba? There's just so many things... That I can't decide."
I didn't want to day the obvious thing, that Molly's career could up just being a flop. Her album could do bad and sell like three thousand copies, or her movie could be pure shit. Secretly, I hope she would fail, but on the other hand my family would be super rich. That makes me sound like an opportunist or something, but that's exactly what we were all thinking when Molly got her record deal. We could be extremely rich. Even more rich than we were now.
"Well that's great Molly." My dad said while pulling into a parking space. "Were all so proud of you. You know that, right?"
I looked into the side rearview mirror, seeing the reaction on Molly's face. Her smile was so big that all of her teeth were showing and the white pearls could blind someone. She had sunglasses on, so I couldn't see her eyes, but I could tell you right now they were devious, and they had to be staring me down in the mirror.
"I know daddy. Now let's get some Chick-fil-a!
~~~
For the first time in three months, Molly, dad, and I had a meal together. It wasn't a special meal at a special place,(I take that back actually, chick-fil-a is amazing)but it was just us three trying to have a normal, non-famous, conversation.
I had the classic number five, waffle fries and eight chicken nuggets. The perfect chick-fil-a meal. And sweet tea of course.
"When's the last time Mom let us have fast food?" Molly asks me while scarfing down her chicken salad.
"I don't know." I say, curious to why Molly was being nice to me. "I think it was that time we went to Disney. Remember?"
Molly sighed. "Can't say I remember, I've been having trouble remembering things before I got that record deal."
"Tell me about that." My dad marveled. "How you got the deal. And the acting too."
I prepared myself for the story that could bore a million people. Molly loved to talk about herself, it's one of her favorite things to do, and at moments like this I usually leave the room, but I couldn't quite do that right now. I was in a fast food restaurant with screaming children, I didn't the self-absorbed story of my twin sister. I could go to the bathroom, but I didn't want to be rude in front of my dad. I was going to have to suffer.
"Well." Molly tapped her manicure nails on the table. "It's simple. I just... Came to the studio."
My dad leaned forward, his brow slightly creased. "Your mother told me they saw a tap of you singing. Is that true?"
"It's not wrong." Molly sounded like a hoarded bitch now. "I came into the studio to record some basic songs-and they gave me the deal. You know how it is daddy, a tuff neighborhood equals a sure-about girl."
"And the acting? Sweetness, nest thing you'll know and you'll be dancing!"
"Don't you already know how she got famous?" I butted in. "Even our cousin Rachel up in New York knows. News of being famous travels fast."
"I want to hear it from though. "My dad put a reassuring hand on Molly's shoulder."It's not the same hearing it from other people."
Molly flipped her long blonde hair. "Maybe later. I'm stuffed."
I took a long gulp of my sweet tea. "I'd like to see the dog."
My dad winked at me. "You'd like Rolf Annabeth. When I bought him, I was thinking of you."
That wasn't as comforting as it was supposed to be. If it was meant to sound like that anyway. My dad thought of me, but for some reason I could give less of a crap about him thinking or caring about me in general. Why is that? Is it because I haven't seen him in three months? Maybe, but during those three months I felt neglected, like the last kid to be picked in gym class. Actually, I felt more left out than anything. All I had going for me in life was maybe a chance to get into a school like Harvard and maybe become successful in architecture. My dream job.
But that's nothing compared to being a famous singer or a well-known actor, which I know what Molly will become. I couldn't compete with her, she'll always be the better twin. No matter what I do or say.
I had no idea how to respond to my dad's comment. "That's nice to know." I picked up my last waffle fry and dunk it in some ketchup. "So... Go to the house or shopping?"
My dad sighed. "Why don't you two go in ahead without me? I think I'll just be a bother to you two."
"No." Molly and I said in unison.
Molly gave me a dirty look. In reply to that I gave her the evil eye.
"We just thought you needed new clothes daddy." Molly said in a vexatious tone. "If you don't want to do shopping, we could always-."
"Hang out?" I suggested, cutting Molly off. "Why do we have to go someplace to spend time together? Let's go to the house." I got out of my chair, picking up my tray in one hand and my sweet tea that I haven't finished in the other. "Anybody want to argue with me?"
Neither of them said a word. My dad raised an eyebrow, looking pleasantly surprised, and Molly just sat there looking irritated. I can be bossy sometimes, even if my reputation is for being a wimp.
"Alright than." My dad checked his phone. "Oh god, seven new messages. If you two don't mind, i'll be right back."
The man hobbled off out of the store while Molly and I sat in a weird uncomfortable silence.
"You know you ruin everything." Molly finally said, her arms crossed around her chest.
"Why? Because you want to go fucking shopping and dad clearly wants to punch you with any chance you get."
Molly popped her gum. "Careful what you say Annabeth."
"Moms not here to protect you Molly." I said sternly. "And dad knows you're a phony. Who you going to tell on me?"
And that's when I realized I should keep my mouth shut, Molly's evil smirk that could make puppies whimper was something I detested, especially when it was made toward me.
"I could feel you shaking from all the way over here." Molly said. "With my twin telepathy."
"You're what?"
Molly's eyes brightened. "With my twin telepathy I see you're scared."
What the hell is she talking about?
"That's the dumbest piece of shot I've ever heard. Why would I be scared?"
"Because." Molly hissed. "Why not? For someone in this situation, I'm surprised you didn't piss your pants."
"Whatever." I mumbled. "I'm not scared."
Molly shrugged innocently. "I hope to see you in hell bitch."
Molly's comment aggravated me so much that I bolted for the Chick-fil-a door, stomping my feet along the way. Yeah, I might've looked like an immature kid who never gets her way, because that's exactly what I felt like. I was frustrated, angry, and I needed fresh air so I wouldn't have to breath in the same little bubble that Molly did.
Outside, I leaned against the building, soaking in the sun. I still had my sweet tea, clutching the Styrofoam cup in my left hand.
It's a shame that Molly gets the last word in almost every fight that we have. She gets me all winded up, knowing that the conversation will get me super pissed so I storm off like a brat. And maybe that's what I am, a brat, but at least I don't go around making people feel like shit.
I looked around for my dad, he should be out here somewhere, answering his calls or whatever he needed to do. Cars came around one corner, veering slightly to the right so they wouldn't hit people crossing the street.
"Where's your sister?"
I turned around. My dad was standing there with a worried look on his face.
"Inside. I came out here to get some air." That's a pretty lame excuse considering it's completely obvious we just got into a disagreement, but my dad didn't think much of it.
"Oh. Are you two ready to go?"
I put my hands behind my back and rocked back and forth. "Yeah. Do you want me to go get her?"
Please say no.
"No i'll get here." My dad handed me the keys. "You can wait in the car."
Thank god. I definitely didn't want to go back into the lion's den. I gave my dad a small smile and walked over the Range Rover. I unlocked the car and prepared to be uncomfortable and sticky in the hot car, but surprisingly it wasn't all that bad.
I took a moment to look at my phone, placing my sweet tea in one of the nearest cup holders in the back. Three messages from Piper, One from Matthew, that's weird, he never texts me, and one voicemail from a number I didn't recognized.
I started with Matthew, seeing he wrote nothing but that weird Santa clause emoticon, (what the hell) I didn't even bother to respond. Maybe a quick, hey Molly and I just got off the plane, would be alright, but I'm sure they know the both of us are fine.
The voice mail I didn't even bother to check, seeing as that was just from some random person and I didn't even need to bother with listening to nothing for five seconds.
Piper's messages are the ones I really want to look at. Even though I haven't seen her in a few days, I'm completely and utterly getting any chance to talk with her. Even if it is just through a text message.
Hey Annabeth! She wrote in her first message. I miss you so much, and Jason's been acting really weird lately! I told the little bitch to keep his nerves down about college and stuff, but he keeps shutting me out. Could you try and call me sometime today? I know your with the queen bitch on a private place that's probably serving you calamari or something, but it would be nice to her your voice.
Piper's second message was short.
Annabeth you slut, text me back.
I laughed to myself. Piper can be so pretentious sometimes.
Lastly the third message had about twenty little plane emoji's and a message tagged onto it saying, Hey bitch, how far up are you in the sky?
Classic Piper. I wasn't sure what to say to her, I miss you, dump Jason. Yeah, that last one's a little mean. I ended up just saying, Just had Chick-fil-a with the princess and pops, miss you! That's good, right?
I hadn't even realized that I've been sitting in the car for such a long time until Molly yanked her door open. She caught me by surprise, knocking the sweet tea in my hand all over my pants.
"Fuck you Molly!" I shouted. There was still a lot of ice in the cup, and some tea, so right now I looked like a six-year-old who didn't want to tell their teacher that their bladder was about to explode.
"Oops.", Molly lifter her sunglasses to get a better look at my thighs. "You shouldn't wear pants in the summer anyway. Don't you know that?"
I was about to tell her to go fuck herself but my dad climbed into the drivers, asking me for the keys that I handed to him obediently. He didn't say anything after that, which was a little strange.
Molly slammed the passenger side door. "Let's get a move on."
You ever see a house and you're jealous. Of the fucking house. You're not jealous of the owner, your madder at yourself for being jealous of a stupid house than actually wanting to live in it. I know that sounds silly, but that's what I saw when we pulled into the Chase residence.
Huge fucking gates opened up to a mansion that looked like it could house a hundred people at the most. I had to hold onto my seat so I wouldn't get sick. The house in San Diego was big, bigger than a lot of my other friends' houses, but this house made that one look like a shack.
It was a typical rich person's house, topiary's scattered throughout the yard and the garden looking like something you can copy out of a garden book. It's that perfect. I could give you a million descriptions about how the grass was all evenly cut and the fountain of a naked baby looked like a Greek statue, but I'm really just too fascinated about how all of this…. How could I have never known about any of this?
Molly gasped in the front seat. She must have been impressed too. "Daddy? It's-It's-."
My dad waved his hand, cutting Molly off. "I know. The house needs a new color. I've been thinking blue. How about it?"
"How about it?" I asked in an astounded tone. "I didn't know we were this rich! How come nobody ever told me?"
"And me!" Molly shrieked. "Daddy, have you been keeping secrets?"
"Look." My dad pulled up in front of the steps of the house. "It was for your own good that you didn't know we were... Wealthy. I promise you-."
"Is that your excuse?" Molly clapped her hands loudly. "All this money and you don't tell any of us? I get not telling the twins, but why not me?"
"And me." I add, feeling sick of being left out.
"Girls." My dad put the car in park and turned around so he could face both Molly and I. "We haven't always had this amount of money. It was different before I got that job at Disney. And it was different after. Your mother wanted all of you to live regular lives. And you did." Dad smiled at Molly. "Well you'll being living the life of a-."
"Famous person." I put in. "How come you're telling us now? And what about Bobby and Matthew?"
My dad put his hands up in surrender. "Okay, I know you both have a lot of questions-."
"More than a lot."
"-So I'll tell you inside."
"Inside the house you've been keeping a secret from us all these years?" Molly mocked.
"Seriously girls, I just want to show you the house. Come in?"
It was something that was kept private. It was something that was kept away from my siblings and me to 'protect' us. It was something that I despised being even though I never was one. Rich. A rich girl in the heart of L.A.
It was a load or bullshit that my dad-and my mom-kept this from all of us. How many years have they kept this up? Twelve? Since my dad first got the Disney job? Was it better that they kept us away from money and fame and fortune? It doesn't matter. They lied to us.
"I would like to see the house." Molly said. "But only because I have nowhere else to sleep."
"Agreed." I said, which felt a little weird because Molly and I never saw eye to eye with anything.
"Fine." My dad said in a defeated tone. "You can stay mad at me, but I can explain everything."
I pushed my door open. "I'd rather see the dog."
My jaw dropped.
When you walk into a mansion, you expect a grand staircase, the marble floors to be pristine with care, and my favorite, the chandelier that holds up all he glory in the room. And did I get that sort of vibe off of my dad's mansion. Hell yeah I did. What I'm telling you right now, you couldn't even imagine with this house. Words do not describe a rich person's house. You have to see it with your own eyes.
"So what do you think of it?" My dad asked, his shorts suddenly clashing with the fine scenery.
"You've been holding out on us for way to long." Molly huffed. "But it's nice. Where's my room?"
The living room was just as bold as the entrance, with silk curtains, cream walls, and another luxurious chandelier that hung from the ceiling. Which were high by the way. I could guess it was at least forty feet tall, the ceiling. Maybe I'm exaggerating, but that's what it felt like. This place felt more like a place than a home, and I've only been in here for less than five minutes.
"Shall we sit?" My dad offered. "I know it's a lot for you two to take in."
"Well…." Molly marveled at the ornate fireplace. "I could get used to all this." Molly turned around quickly and gave my dad a hug. "I forgive you daddy!"
And just like that she forgives him. I try to pretend that I'm not annoyed, but hell I'm pissed. Money makes issues, and having money doesn't, I don't see why my dad would think fixing something like this could be so easily done.
"I don't." I sat down on one of the couches, putting my feet up on the coffee table. I don't care that I was acting like a bitch.
My dad sighed. He shook himself away from Molly and sat next to me on the couch.
"That's alright Annabeth."
As far as he knew, this was not alright. I'm already back and I just discovered that my dad is keeping secrets behind my back.
"So... Sorry to break the awkward." Molly said. "But I'd like to see the rest of the house. You know, the grand tour?"
"Well I don't want to see the house." I grumbled.
As much as I wanted to dump all the shit that my dad put on me, with being rich and all, I felt a little bad that I was being a bitch. But I had to be. I wasn't the grown up here, I didn't have any real responsibilities. You could pin something down on me like school, or me getting my driver's license, but I don't have to do any of that crap. I could forgive my dad now, but I'll always resent him for this.
"I'm sorry." My dad's voice was hoarse. "I hadn't realized that you guys would react this way."
Molly sat down on the couch next to my dad. She looped her hands around his right arm. "Well, just Annabeth. For me, I think you did the right thing, you and mom."
"You didn't five seconds ago." I spat.
Molly put both het hands up in surrender. "Okay, I did." She gave dad a small smile. "But I change my mind. Now let's go see that dog!"
My dad chuckled and got up from the couch. "Alright. Annabeth, are you coming?"
"No." I took my feet of the coffee table. "I'll be wallowing here in self-pity. You guys go on ahead, I'm pretty sure I can find my way around the house."
Molly shrugged at that and followed my dad out the room. I feel like I should've saw this coming, Molly trying to turn dad against me. It sounds stupid because I know for a fact that I've always been dad's favorite, but Molly's pretty good with words. Turning other people around and their thoughts. If Molly was any smarter, I'd say that I was dealing with an evil genius.
I hurried to get up from the couch and go the opposite way the Molly and dad did, down a long hallway that looked like it could've been in a horror movie that led to a huge wooden door.
I marveled at it for a little bit. Should I push the door open, or should I just go back up the stairs to find Molly and dad. I hesitated, putting pressure on my right foot. There wouldn't be any harm in exploring now, would there?
"Well there better be no dead bodies in there." I muttered under my breath.
Before I could even touch the door handle, I felt something soft against my leg. Looking down, I was a little startle to see a dog, I'm guessing the golden retriever my dad was talking about named Rolf, circling himself around my legs.
"God." I took a step back. The dog locked eyes with me and ran off.
"It was nice meeting you too!" I called after him. "In the five seconds you were feeling me up!"
Oh god, that last sentence sounded so wrong. But I've lost my dignity way before that, even before I spilled sweet tea all over myself.
I took a look at the wooden door. I guess I could come back later and see what's behind it, right now all I wanted to do was crash on a nice bed and sleep forever. That was my main goal for today, and I'm not letting anyone get in my way of it.
I turned back, going down the hall and back into the living room. I felt out of place here, like a dull knife thrown into a draw with a bunch of sharp ones. The fancy house, and even the freaking smell give me some really bad vibes. I'm not sure why, but I have a pretty good feeling that none of this is going to work out for me. Even if I'm here and reunited with my dad.
I can't wait till this is over. This whole summer, this whole being here with Molly for absolutely no reason because she has dad. My mom did this to torture me, just because I'm nothing like Molly.
And I'm sick of it.
~~~
Dinner was good. Okay, let me expand on that. Dinner was…. Predictable. It was just Dad, Molly and I and at a small table near the back of the restaurant. The restaurant itself was impressive. I always knew my parents had money, (until I saw that fucking mansion this morning) enough to blow it all on four kids, but this was a luxury I wasn't expecting. From what the waiter told us, this place used to be a bank. One in the 1920's and 30's. The place was doing well until the stock market crash, and after that it was remodeled into a restaurant. The most expensive and fancy restaurant in L.A.
In knew I had to sit tall, to put my non-paper napkin on my thighs, and to keep my hands in my lap whenever I wasn't using them. It's pure dining etiquette. I knew a lot about that stuff. My mother used to teach me how to set the table when little. Forks go on the left, knifes go on the right. It really never seemed useful to me since my family and I don't see each other a lot these days. I either eat alone, or we go out. I was grateful for the etiquette teachings though. I would be totally at lost right now if I didn't know where my glass was supposed to go. Or even how to cross my legs under the table. With the classy tone that the restaurant acquired, you just had to wear something fancy. You just have to. Actually I'm not kidding. They'll kick you out if you're wearing jeans and a t-shirt. The people working here mean business.
Molly looked like a million dollars, of course. She had her curly blonde hair up in a tight knot, showing off the freckles that are splattered on her nose. I don't have freckles on my nose. Anyways, she had the perfect amount of make-up on and walked with grace in her four inch heels, making her even more annoying. Molly's dress was actually something I once ogled in a dress shop once. She knew I wanted it and pounced on that thing. And tonight it looked damn good on her. It was tight around her skinny body, making her look like a supermodel. She looked stunning in Maroon.
My Dad was in a simple suit. And by simple suit I mean something all men wear to a freaking fancy restaurant. All black and no surprises. He looked good though. For a forty-two year old man. I'm not playing with incest here folks. But seriously, he looked hella nice. Like he could afford to go out every night to pay for fancy dinners. That kind of hella nice.
As for me, I went for the standard cocktail dress. It was a nice cream color, so I clashed with my Dad and Molly, but I didn't mind standing out for once. I straightened my hair (with my own straightener obviously) and pitched for a simple cover-up and mascara for my make-up. I'd never admit it, but Molly was always better at putting on make-up than I was. I just hoped that I didn't look like a clown or something.
As soon as the three of us sat down, we were served bread, with butter that was easily spread, and asked what drinks we wanted. Molly had to be difficult about it of course.
"I'm more of a wine kind of girl." She batted her eyelashes at Dad. "Daddy, can you confirm that I'm over the age of twenty-one?"
My dad gave her a lopsided grin. "Of course sweetness." He turned to the waiter. "One of your finest red wines for the lady, and for me, a nice rum and coke. On the rocks of course. Annabeth? What would you like?"
I can feel Molly's beating eyes staring me down from across the table. "Oh. Waters fine. I'm not really one to be so picky."
That insult was aimed at Molly, who didn't quite seem to catch it.
"Picky?" Molly straightened her diamond necklace. "Water is simple Annabeth. You should order a beer. It'll get your cheeks all warm. Put some color in you."
"No thanks." I looked back at the waiter. "Really, a water would be perfect."
The man smiled. "Alright than. I'll be back as soon as your drinks are finished being made."
Once he was gone my Dad struck up a one-on-one conversation with Molly. I guess it was about acting or something, I wasn't really listening. I was a little hurt that he hadn't bothered to give me any one-on-one time, but at the same time I was relieved. I don't have anything interesting going on in my life right now and my Dad might as well find me utterly boring.
So I stared at everything else going on around me. A woman sitting at the table next to us kept on complaining to a waiter that she wanted her duck dead. Not medium rare. I rolled my eyes at that. Not too far away I saw an older couple admiring each other at the bar. No doubt they have money. And they've probably been together for a very long time.
But that was the problem. I didn't fit in here. I wasn't making thousands or millions of dollars by the second. I wasn't an actor or a singer. And I sure as hell don't work at million-dollar Company. I was just me. I'm a speck compared to these people. They have their money. Something that would either keep your grounded or slip away from everyone else. Just like Molly.
"Annabeth?"
"What?" My head shot up. "Oh, sorry. What was that you were saying?"
My Dad raised an eyebrow. "Are you excited for your sister? I mean, she's going to be an amazing singer, I hope, and an excellent actor."
Molly giggled. "Oh daddy, stop it! You both support me so much! I wouldn't be able to be here if it weren't for you."
"Ahem."
Molly forced a smile. "And of course you too Annabeth. I just can't wait till next week though. I'm finally meeting up with the cast." Molly gave my dad puppy-dog eyes. "I just hope they'll like me. Daddy, it's very important."
"Of course they will sweetness." My Dad said gravely. "And if they don't…."
Molly taped her fingers on the table cloth. "We'll have to come up with a devious plan to get rid of them!"
Dad chuckled. "Now that's too far sweetness. Say, where's our drinks?"
"There's a lot of people here." I chimed in, finally entering the conversation. "And I think they're getting orders wrong too."
"I don't think so Annabeth." My dad leaned forward. "This is a highly sophisticated restaurant. One of the bests in the country. What makes you think they're getting orders wrong?"
"Dads right." Molly scoffed. "Where do you get off saying stuff like that?"
I could feel my face burning. "Whatever Molly. Can we please talk about something else?"
My Dad looked between Molly and I. If he thought something was going on between us, he was clearly oblivious about it. I guess he thought we snap at each other once in a while because we were sisters, but it was so much more than that. Dad knew about the straightener, he knew I burned Molly last year. I remember him telling me to never do it again. He didn't yell. He was surprisingly calm about it.
He had no idea that Molly is a monster.
"Oh look!" Molly gushed. "Here come our drinks!"
The waiter carefully put down our drinks and my father thanked him. Molly was a little busy checking out her reflection in her spoon.
"Are we getting an appetizer?" She asked. "Because I'm on a strict diet. Mother wouldn't like it if ate too much and Calamari."
"Then I guess we should just order dinner." My Dad folded his hands and placed them on the table. "I think it would be the best if we could hear the specials once more."
The waiter looked annoyed. "Sir, I've told you the specials three times."
"Really? Well I suppose I wasn't paying attention. Please tell me again."
As the waiter rambled on many delicious sounding dinners, I studied my Dad. He seemed like his normal self at the airport, even at the house, but right now I feel… like he's disconnected. And not from me. From himself. I don't know if Molly did some weird evil voodoo magic one him, but it's clear this wasn't the man I saw three months ago. He's different.
Earlier today he seemed like the man who would stay up late just to tell me bedtime stories so I could fall asleep. Or carry me to the ambulance when I broke my arm at a soccer tournament. Now he seems... More arrogant? The way he demands to hear the specials, it sounds like a rich, spoiled, brat who has more money than he's letting on.
I look at my menu. There's steak, which I'm not a huge fan of, and even cow brain. I searched for where the seafood was. Clams, Calamari, Shark, Fish... And Shrimp. My favorite
"I have to go to the little girl's room." Molly announced. Like we gave a crap that she had to pee.
"Wouldn't you like to order?" My Dad asked, his voice full of concern.
Molly shrugged. "Get me a salad."
"With a lot of fattening dressing?" I teased.
Molly sucked in her teeth. "Just get me the salad. Please Daddy."
~~~
I didn't realize I would have such a terrible time with my Dad. I mean, I've been thinking about the day I see him again for weeks and months and all he does is talk to Molly. Literally all they talked about is the fame and the fortune, and I just sat there feeling dumber by the moment.
I stared at my stuffed shrimp. I shouldn't have come.
"I'll be right back." I announced. My Das smiled. Molly looked irritated.
Molly pursed her lips. "Come back soon, I suppose."
I clumsily got out of my seat and headed towards the ladies room. I expected that it would be nothing like a school bathroom and there would be a candy dispenser.
I wasn't wrong. There was an array of perfumes set to the side of one of contours, and a basket set to the side of the room with tampons and pads. It didn't smell like shit, more like the smell of a cold winter day. If you could smell the weather.
I didn't have to go to the bathroom. I wanted to get away from Molly. And I hate to admit it, my dad too.
He's different. Different in a bad way. Not in a good way. He calls Molly sweetness and other pet-loving names and I'm just Annabeth. I might have been Daddy's girl back then, but Molly sucked that away from me. She knew Dad was only one in the family who truly cared and loved for me, so her obvious plan is to wrap that man around her finger and turn him against me. Just like she did with mom. The only upside is that Dad might be harder to work with. Mom always like Molly better than me.
Call me overdramatic, but if Dad acts like mom now, than I'm truly alone. I know I shouldn't put on the blame on Molly because, hell, she is talented at what she does. But that doesn't mean she should act like a gigantic bitch to me. Were still sisters, twins, and I don't see why she's willing to put me down so hard? She's the one whose career is already taking off, I'm not even sure what my major is going to be in college. She has money. She can get any guy she wants, and she knows it. So why does she always have to rub it in my face? Is she jealous that I'm smarter and more athletic than her? There's just too many questions I have right now.
What I know is that I have to keep a strong pays in these up and coming months. It's just half of June, July, August, and then I can go back home in the beginning of September. Back to my mother who hates me and brothers who don't even give a crap about me. Home sweet home.
Right now I can't think of one good thing about being here with Molly, it used to be seeing my dad, but now those dreams have been crushed. This is a punishment, and it was working. I hope to make it through today. Because if every day is going to be like this, I know I'm going to be put in a mental ward by the end of the summer.
Maybe it's how Molly clings onto my dad every three seconds, or even how my dad calls her 'sweetness.' Like Molly is sweet. When we were younger she used to rip the head off of Barbie dolls. That should've been a sign to my parents that she was going to grow up to be psycho. Actually, psycho isn't a strong enough word for Molly. Trust me, bitch and cunt are the only curse words to me that don't having a strong enough content on them. Molly surpasses both of them.
I thought about how similar Molly and I looked, yet she's always dawned to be the more attractive twin. One time, when we were little, we decided to screw around with people and claim that we were the other one. We ended up grounded for life, but it was still fun. I wish Molly and I could still do stuff like that.
I glared at myself in the mirror. My hair was a little frizzy in the back, but I couldn't give less of a crap about that. My mind was wandering. How long could I stay in here until they realize I've been gone to long? I'm betting on fifteen minutes. At the most.
"Came here to sulk? Did you?"
The voice behind me came from a girl who just entered the bathroom. She wore a scandalous skin-tight black dress that went up to her thighs. It seemed inappropriate that she would wear something like that to such a nice place, but the girl didn't seem to care. She had intimidating blue eyes and spiky hair that went all the way down to her butt. Her five-inch heals could cut someone's throat for sure.
"You see." She said, ambling towards me. "I don't like it here. I don't like the food. I don't like the people. And god knows it, I'm sick and tired of all the rules." She looked at herself in the mirror, and then faced me. "By the way, that dress is so not in season."
I crossed my arms over my chest. "I came here because my family is…"
How would I even describe Molly and Dad? A psycho bitch and a soon-to-be abusive father.
"I get it." The girl muttered. "Everything's difficult. Family is difficult. I don't like to stick around for all the drama though. I duck my head out….. Then I end up here. In a fancy bathroom with a sexy blonde chick. Tell me, which awful relative dragged you along to this hell dimension?"
I took a deep breath. "I was forced to come to L.A. I'm only here because I'm seeing my dad for the first time in three months. I could've stayed in San Diego all summer long and do nothing but watch Netflix, but no, I'm here.
I decided to tell this tad-bit on information because I feel like I could trust her. In the seconds that I just met her. I wanted to vent. I wanted to talk shit about my family because I'm sick and tired of Molly always calling Dad, 'Daddy', and my Dads-transformation.
"Ah. So the whole separation of the parents deal. Been there, done that. Not too excited with the whole….. Parents making it the kids fault. I only they knew the hell they put me-us into."
The girl picked up a nearby perfume and sprayed it. She walked through it like a runway model and tossed the bottle to me. I caught just before it would ram into my nose.
I sniffed the air. "Smells like cotton candy."
The girl leaned up against a bathroom stall. "It does. It smells like a fourteen-year-old girl who's desperate for that one senior guy to go out with her. He does. Has sex with her. And then he dumps the little bitch." The girl smirked. "It's my favorite scent."
I decided it was time to change the subject. "Is my dress really not in season? I thought it looked good on me. I mean, is it the cream color-?"
"It looks good on you." The girl said sharply, cutting me off. "It's just not in season."
"So what's in season than? Goth? Punk?"
The girl snickered. "Punks always in season. If you really want to know…. It's up to the places you shop at. I myself have a better fashion taste than girls my age. People assume I'm trash because I like rock music. I like ripped jeans and heavy eyeliner. I'm not saying it's bad to wear lip gloss and-." The girl rolled her eyes. "Hipster stuff, but I prefer the wannabe punk look. Say, are you a natural blonde?"
I smiled. So far, this girl has probably been the nicest/most strange person I've met since I came to L.A. She reminds me of a saucier version of Piper. The kind of girl who isn't afraid to get down and dirty. I like her.
'I'm naturally blonde, and I naturally don't give a fuck."
The girl smirk. "You can say that blondie. Let me give you a tip, wearing a light color in the summer is great. I like it. And so does wine. I'm not saying you should never wear it, but just don't go out to places like this in a light. Whether it's in season, or it's out. Accidents can happen."
"That's some great advice." I tugged at my hair. "What about this? The blonde."
The girl squinted her eyes. "It's obvious you straighten your hair. You should get keratin. Permanently straight. You'd look hot."
I sighed. Ditch my curly locks for a straight boring look? I'd thought about it in the past, but right now it seemed to really hit me. Was it because this girl was so convincing or something? She seemed to have a nice way with words, better than Molly. Actually, Molly is shit compared to this goddess. She didn't seem to want to impress anyone. She struck me as the kind of girl who didn't take anyone's shit. I had to smile at that. I wish I could like this girl.
"I'm Thalia." Her dark blue eyes sparkled. "Can I guess that your name I Heidi?"
I laughed. "Good guess. But not so good. My name is Annabeth. Anna….. And then Beth."
Thalia perched up on one of the bathroom counters. "Creative name. A little unusual, but creative. You don't mind if I call you B? Do you? I have a habit of giving people nicknames."
"Oh… well on that case I'll just call you Thalia. I'm not good with making-up nicknames. I'm better with…. For some reason I'm just blanking on it."
"It's alright." Thalia kicked her heels off. "Those have been hurting my feet for hours."
"Are flats not in season?" I joked.
"I like to be taller than my prey. Shows men whose boss. Unless their over six foot. Then I'm screwed."
I nodded. "I got you right there. I hate to cut this off, but I've been gone for a while. About six minutes I think. Do you think my family would notice?"
Thalia shrugged. "It depends on the family. It depends on the kid. You could always pretend your shoving in a tampon. I think they'd understand. That you're all bloody down there."
I wasn't so sure. But Thalia does have a point. If I get back just in time and my dad asks me what the hell took me so long, than I know he cares. And if he doesn't…. I'd rather not think about it now.
"How bad is it?"
I turned toward Thalia. I self-consciously crossed my arms over my chest. "What do you mean?"
Thalia rubbed her thigh. "Your family. I mean, I don't want to be rude but…. Is it bad?"
"It used to be good."
"All broken families used to be good." Thalia studied me. "I'm good at reading people B. I could see the pain in your face as soon as I walked in here. I want to help."
"So you feel bad for me?" I snapped. "Am I just a charity case? A lost soul? Tell me Thalia, how could you possibly help me?"
"I have rotten parents. And I can tell you do to."
This girl was really getting on my nerves. "What if I have the greatest parents in the word? What if I'm happy? You don't know anything about you. You should really think before you speak."
Thalia jumped off the counter and bent down to get her heels. "Sorry. Sometimes I forget I have no filter. That my mouth runs for miles and I can't catch it. Why don't we talk about this some other time?"
I flinched as she put her hand up to feel my hair. She stroked it like you would pet a dog.
"What do you mean talk about this some other time? I'm never going to see you again."
Thalia stopped touching my hair and put her hand down. "What's your phone number?"
We both ended up exchanging numbers and walking out the bathroom in opposite directions. Thalia gave me a wink as she walked away. That was weird. Like I said before, Thalia has a way with words. She could twist them around or spit them back into your face. I worriedly looked at my contacts. Thalia was the only T in my phone.
My dad didn't ask what took me so lone in the bathroom. I brushed that off as him not giving a crap if I was gone for an hour. That really hurt.
"Finish up your shrimp Annabeth." My Dad sang. "We should get home soon. Rolf can't stay all by himself for four hours."
Had it really been four hours? I checked my phone. Oh shit. He wasn't kidding.
"That's so sweet of you Daddy." Molly put a hang on his arm. "What's more important than the dog the stage he's in in his life?"
I slumped a little in my chair. "He's a puppy Molly. A puppy."
Molly puckered her lips. "You should really finish eating your shrimp Annabeth. The dog could've peed on your bed."
I rolled my eyes. "I'm not that hungry actually. It would be the perfect time to go now if it weren't your special night."
Molly bit her bottom lip. "Were here with Dad. The man we haven't seen in three months. It's not about me."
"Your sisters right Annabeth." My Dad sounded a tad tipsy. How had I not noticed that before? "We could take home the shrimp. They wrap it up real nice here."
I nodded. I thought about what Thalia said, that families were difficult, that she had trash parents. But for some odd reason she could tell that I wasn't okay. That my family isn't at its best right now. It may never get better, it could always be like this. I could still have hope that my Dad won't turn out to be like my Mom, and like Molly more than my, but I couldn't get my hoped up. I thought about my brother's. Matthew and Bobby. They get along fine and their twins. It would've been better off if I wasn't the same age as Molly. Or if I was never born.
I studied my Dad once more. He looked happy, happy to be here with Molly and I. Back at home he either went on doing stuff with Matthew, Bobby, and I, while Molly and Mom were too preoccupied with doing whatever. Did my mom and Dad interact on a daily bases? I always assumed they had a healthy relationship. They never fought or anything, and I always saw my mom and dad exchange multiple kisses and hugs as the years went past. I never once thought that my parents would get a divorce. If something like that crossed my mind, I would have to mentally force myself out of it. Right now, sitting at this table, with rich people riding up my back, I worried.
"Are you singing pop songs Molly?"
Molly looked up from her phone. "Excuse me?"
"Pop songs. You know, Britney Spears? Or are you going to be a party girl like Kesha? I can see that."
"What does it matter to you?" Molly asked in a sadistic tone. "I heard you don't even like the songs that I write."
"You mean the songs people are going to write for you."
"Now that's enough girls." My Dad said carelessly. "We could sit here and argue for days. Now Annabeth, Molly has written some fantastic songs, that I'm sure were all eager to hear." My dad gave Molly a proud smile. "I just can't believe my little girls going to be famous."
"Don't worry Daddy." Molly rested her head on his shoulder. "I'll always be your little girl. Your famous little girl."
I almost threw up. Thalia was right. This is a broken family. A broken family that needs mending.
"Let's go." I finally said. "We wouldn't want the dog to pee on the rug or the carpet or something."
My Dad checked his watch. "Your right Annabeth. Let me call the limo man and get us the hell out of here. I think I had too much wine."
While Dad went outside to call the limo driver, Molly and I had a silent staring contest. She was giving me a hell look, while I tried to look casual with it.
Molly took a big gulp of her wine. "I think this dinner was a success. On my part anyway."
I tapped my fingers on the table. "On your part? What makes you think you've won?"
"It's not about winning Annabeth." She leaned in and whispered, "It's about playing the game. And you suck at it. Just watch, you'll be lower than a nobody by the time September rolls around."
I swallowed. "What makes you so sure?"
Molly gave me a sinister smile. "I just know."
Rolf was fine. The golden retriever was laying on my bed the whole time we were out. As soon as I opened my door, he was in a little ball on my pillow. After all the stuff that happened to me tonight, I feel like I needed some serious spooning. With a dog. Yeah, call me crazy, but my first night in Los Angeles wasn't exactly I had imagined it was going to be.
I managed to change into more comfortable clothes, sweatpants and a t-shirt, and curled up right next to Rolf. For a dog who's only a few months old, he sure as hell is calm. Maybe my dad drugged him. Or maybe my sister drugged my dad. I could believe that. Sometimes Molly is completely immoral, like tonight.
Is it just me, or was my dad completely oblivious to the jabs Molly was making at me? He pretended that Molly didn't snap at me or… anything.
The only bright spot of the night was meeting Thalia. She seems awesome, but I wonder what her story was. I wonder why she seemed so relaxed in the bathroom. Calm. Kind of like Rolf right now. But it doesn't matter, I'll probably never see Thalia again, even though I have her phone number. She probably forgot about me as soon as she got to her table.
I sighed and rolled over to get my phone off my nightstand. No new messages. I have junk mail, like what's my zodiac sign and useless birthday messages on Facebook. I'm hoping that maybe Piper would call or even text me, but she hasn't. I suppose she's sucking Jason's face off right now. How absolutely stunning.
I busied myself with scrolling through Tumblr and listening to my music. A Britney Spears song came on, but I skipped it because it reminded me too much of Molly. I ended up listening to some Nick Minaj song, when I suddenly was reminded of something.
I looked over at my suitcase. Did I remember to bring it? It could help me right now. With all my white girl problems and such.
Rolf followed me to where my unpacked suitcase lay by my soon-to-be bathroom. He sniffed my suitcase curiously, like he couldn't understand why the suitcase and I have a completely different smell.
"I hope it's in here." I muttered to the dog.
After scrounging around my suitcase for what it felt like hours, with Rolf poking his noise in the bag to smell literally everything, I finally found it. My journal.
Let's make one thing clear. This is not a diary. It never was, and I'm never going to call it that. I'd like to think that the difference between a diary and a journal is that one is more venting to a piece of paper and the other is just writing your feelings down or some shit like that. But just the word 'diary' sounds so lame so I just say journal.
Anyway, after a long day of shopping and wanting to stab myself with seeing Molly call my dad 'daddy', I decided it was the appropriate time to express myself in the most violent way possible. By writing down a whole boatload of shit.
I turned up the Nicki Minaj song, which is massive attack by the way, and sat on my bed. Rolf was dashing all around the room, sniffing the things I've unpacked so far and just being a puppy I suppose.
I realized I didn't have a pen to write with so I looked through my new desk draws.
"No pens." I announced, shutting one of the draws.
"I'll be right back Rolf." I told the dog. "If Molly reads my diary while I'm gone, bit her."
Since it was only twelve thirty at night, there wasn't a peep at all in the house. All the lights were shut off downstairs and the house was all locked up. I felt like I was in a scary movie. Me gliding up against the walls seeing if a demon or something is right behind me. It's truly terrifying. I figured there would be pencils or a pen somewhere in the kitchen, since my mom kept them in the kitchen.
As I stepped closer and closer to the door of the kitchen, I heard a faint noise coming from it. That's odd. It almost sounds like my dad. I pressed my ear up against the door. This time, I could hear it. That was a voice. My dad's voice. And he was having a serious conversation with someone on the phone.
"Yes." I heard him whisper. "Yes, the girls are here, their fine."
There was a slight pause. Was that mom he was talking to?
"Yes. Yes." My dad's voice seemed agitated. "They don't know about our…."
I didn't know what he said after that. His voice got surprisingly lower. Whatever he was saying, he didn't want anyone to know. I'm guessing.
I couldn't hear what he had to say after that. Was he really talking about Molly and me? And was it really mom that he's talking to? For some reason, I doubted it. Mom would rather ask how Molly is than me.
The one thing that was really bothering me about what dad said is, 'they don't know about our…" Our what? Was this some new Disney movie that he's creating that's totally top secret? I put my ear up against the door again. I couldn't hear anything. My dad must have lowered his voice to a piano.
Taking a huge chance, I pushed open the kitchen door, expecting to find dad lazily talking on his phone. But he wasn't. He was nowhere to be in sight. There wasn't a living soul in this kitchen. He must have gone on through the other door in the kitchen.
Long story short I managed to find a pen in one of the draws that also had scissors. I quietly made my way up the stairs, making sure I wouldn't wake Molly or anything, and slipped back into my room.
Rolf was curled up in a ball at the end of the bed. I really hope he doesn't have the need to pee.
"What's up dog?" I tugged one of his ears gently. "Are you comfy? Sleeping in bed? You know, you're the nicest one in this house. And I'm talking to a dog."
Rolf's ears perked up. He was really a cute dog. I'd hate to see anyone mistreating him. Dogs being mistreated in general was a crime of its own.
A few minutes later I was at my desk scribbling wildly in my journal. For just one day, I sure had a lot to write about. Usually, I didn't write much in my journal, only about a paragraph, but today was different.
Dear Diary-Journal, sorry,
I wish I could chuck a brick at Molly like I did at our eight birthday party. It's totally annoying that she's my sister, the blonde bitch who always gets her way. If he could sing as well as Christina Aguilera, she could be an exact copy.
Anyway, I'm not sure what to think of my dad. A new piece of shit in my list of….. People who are just shitty. He acted like a buffoon today, always taking Molly's side and ignoring me when I ACTUALLY HAVE SOMETHING INTELLIGENT TO SAY! I MEAN, WHAT THE FUCK! The point is, my only friend I have right now is a puppy who likes to poke his nose into things. Not the toilet.
I met this girl Thalia, who looks pretty badass and looks like someone I should know for some reason….. Hmmmm. Whatever. I have her number, maybe she'll text me. Or maybe she'll ignore me because she already a million people in her contacts. Whatever. I hope I don't get the bad end of the stick though. That would suck.
See you soon you bitch,
Annabeth
p.s. I spilt some sweet tea on myself in the car. I think I'm more embarrassed that I look like I peed than looking dumb in front of Molly. And my family's wealthy, who knew?
Finished! Finished this chapter! It literally took me the longest time ever but I finished! Finally! I tried to make it really long cause I just had so much to write. Did you guys like Thaila? I hope. If you're wondering where Percy comes in all of this, you're going to have to wait. Patience is the key. Annabeth is a tiny more… of an extrovert in this chapter. I didn't want to make her totally OOC like a lot of people do in fanfictions, so I decided to make her slightly bossy. Should I keep up with the diary entries? I personally aren't fond of them, but if you guys are…. Review please