Chapter 5

"People are dying, I close my blinds. All that I know is I'm breathing now."

- Ingrid Michaelson

Black.

I don't remember very much. All I know is that was looking at my father, and then I saw black. I don't think I fainted, I think my wish came true. All I wanted was for this to end, to be somewhere else, somewhere my father wasn't.

I got my wish, I thought, as I looked around the white room. I was lying on an uncomfortable bed that was covered with a white sheet, like the ones in hospitals. Was I in hospital??

"Scarlett, your awake." A relived voice came from across the white room, scaring the crap out of me as I tried to focus my eyes.

"Tom, what's going on?" I asked groggily, suddenly feeling very light-headed as I sat up.

"You fainted." Damn it.

Tom walked over and sat on a chair beside the bed, looking concerned.

"Where am I?" I asked, rubbing my sore head.

"A medical room in the airport." Tom replied.

"What?? Oh my God! We missed our flight?" I started to get hysterical.

"Hey, hey, calm down." Tom soothed, reaching his hands out aimlessly in attempt to control me.

"Are you okay?" He asked, when I had settled and was breathing normally.

I was about to reply, when I realised why I fainted. It was all coming back to me. The stuffy lounge, the stupid girl at Jamba Juice, my father appearing out of nowhere.

My dying father……

"Scarlett." Tom whispered, placing a hand on my shoulder.

I looked back up at him, feeling something wet crawl down my cheek. I was crying. Why was I crying? I hate my father. I hate him…… I do.

"What's going on, Tom?" I asked, my voice cracking, "What's happening?"

More tears fell. I wasn't sure what I was referring to when I asked Tom what was going on. Was I asking him why I was in the white room? Why my father was here? What's wrong with him?

"Scar," He rubbed my arm, "He's outside, if you want to see him."

And like that, without even saying, Tom answered the question I was really asking. I didn't even know I was asking it.

I looked at him, the large sunglasses were gone, and his dark brown eyes looked at me with pity. I didn't like that look. I don't like people feeling sorry for me. But for some reason, I couldn't be angry at Tom for pitying me. My head was too cloudy right now to be mad at anyone.

"Scarlett, he wants to see you. He's very worried."

"Do you believe him?" I asked.

Tom sighed and frowned, thinking hard about everything that had happened,

"I don't know, Scar." He finally replied, "I really don't know."

I sighed now, "Me neither."

Tom stood up, "Can you stand?" He asked, extending out his hand to me.

I took his soft hand in mine and stood up, feeling slightly woozy, but not caring.

"I want to talk to him." I decided. Tom looked hesitant, but nodded anyways. He went to walk away,

"But I don't know what to say."

Tom turned back.

Tom

"I haven't seen him in years. In my life, I think I've said about three full sentences to him. What do I say?"

Scarlett stood in front of me, in her now creased jeans and fluffy hair. Tears left marks on her pale face. She looked genuinely petrified of what stood outside.

"What do you want to say?" I asked, not really knowing how to answer her question.

She frowned, "I have a lot I want to say to him. Before, out in that food court, I wouldn't of hesitated in saying what I wanted." She paused, "But now…. I can't shout at him. I can't tell him how much of a bad father he was, how I hate him, and want him to leave my life forever."

She sighed and shook her head at the ground, "I just can't."

Now I really didn't know what to say. I knew Scarlett would never be able to say those things to her sick dad. She was too much of a marshmallow for that shit, even if he is a jackass.

"Tell him that."

I had no idea where those words came from, or how they left my mouth, but it got her attention. She lifted her head and looked at me like I had just told her the meaning of life.

"It can't hurt to try, Scar. Tell him how you feel and see how it goes from there." The wisdom kept coming from somewhere in me.

She nodded, "Okay."

I walked forward and rapped my arms around her small frame. I loved hugging her, she was always so warm and her hair smelled of coconut and all the other wild flowers in her shampoo. Scarlett wrapped her arms around my waist and rested her head on my chest. I could tell she was scared.

"Thanks, Tom." She whispered.

I gave her a squeeze before we pulled away,

"Anytime, Scar." I tried for a smile, and she tried back.

Scarlett

Tom opened the door and left. I stood there for a while, in the middle of the white room, not really knowing what to do or where to go. Before I did anything, the door opened, and in walked my father.

I took a deep breath, here goes nothing! I thought.

"Scarlett, are you feeling okay?" He asked as the door closed behind him.

And just like Tom said to, I told my father everything. I told him how for years I hated him, I hated him for being a bad father, for never loving me, and when I ran away, for never coming after me. I also told him I was scared, scared of what would happen now that he's back. And I told him, that I didn't want to tell him any of this, but I needed too.

And that I was sorry.

2009

"But Annie…. How can you leave after everything I've-

Boring.

"And then you just add the lemon zest, and your-

Boring.

"You can now clean anything with this new-

After 5 minutes of flicking channels, I gave up and turned the Ranger's game back on.

It was the 3rd day in the boys tour and we were in Madrid, Spain. I was lying across the couch in Tom's room watching his TV. Well, the hotel's TV. Gustav and Georg were playing Call Of Duty in the other room and Bill had gone shopping.

He had asked (begged, more like) me to come with him, but I passed. Every time I went shopping with Bill, he would use this opportunity to dress me up like his own personal doll. And I hated it.

I heard a door click open half way through the game, and two seconds later, Tom's head popped round the wall.

"Oh. It's you."

Obviously.

I frowned, " Eh… yeah…. It is me." What was going on?

He walked into the room, revealing his whole self.

"So….umm…. What you doing?" He asked, acting very suspiciously casual.

"Watching TV." My frown stayed. He was up to something.

"Tom, what did you break?" I sighed, rising from the chair.

"What? Nothing! I didn't break anything…."

And then it clicked.

"Ohhhh……. I know what's going on!"

"Shhhhhhh!" Tom whispered/shouting, running over to clamp a hand over my mouth.

"Do you want to be any louder??" He was still doing that weird annoyed whisper thing.

I removed his hand from over my mouth,

"Yes, actually. I would love to be louder and get you into crap with your bum chum." I smiled evilly.

Tom glared, "Funny, Scar. Real funny."

I laughed at my own joked and turned to grab my jacket.

"I'll leave you two love birds alone." I patted Tom's shoulder before walking past him to the door. He winced at my comment. He always did when I referred to his one night stands as anything more.

"Thank you!" Tom whispered/shouted, before the door shut behind me.

Okay, so I was really hoping to post before next week. And I did it!! :D Hopefully this chapter was better than the last? Worse? Please tell me! I really hate how bunched up it looks like on the page, but trust me, when I write it out I space it LOADS! I dunno why it goes like that, but hopefully it makes sense. Also, when I look on who views my story, I see all these people read it, but only one comments?? (I love your comments, twizzmochaocha, don't get me wrong) But come on, people! I need your criticism!

Katie.