This chapter is dedicated to Maryleslie3 for being such a loving friend and always pushing me to move foward.
Thank you dear❤

Character;

Anthony Roger Downer (Stella's dad).

*

My dad and I are just like similar magnetic poles that can never attract.

I don't know why all guys have to be ass-holes including the matured ones.

"Please can we talk?" He asked me.

Anthony Roger Downer, I don't want to have anything to do with you anymore. I wonder why we still bear his last name.

I looked away, my face as firm as stone. I felt Kelly's hands on my arms, rubbing it slightly. I looked at her and into those expectant dark brown eyes of hers.

"Fine," I replied.

My mom turned to leave and signaled for Kelly to follow her. They both left and it just remained the both of us in the sitting room.

Him and I.

"Let's sit," he said, motioning to one of the couches. I did as he said and tried to make my self comfortable on one it, as far away from him as possible.

"What the fuck do you wanna say?" I asked, my face as firm as it could be.

He scrunched his face, I knew he had a problem with my rude statement but it's not like he could do anything to me.

He took a deep breathe.

"I'm sorry," he surprisingly said.

"Sorry? For what exactly?"

"For everything....Stella, for everything," he replied immediately.

"I know that I've made a few mistakes--"

"--A lot of mistakes..." I interrupted.

"Yeah....a lot, but I really want my family back.....I want my children back....I want to see y'all grow and--"

"You already missed that dad.....We've grown....big enough to make our own decisions and one of them is that we don't want you around! We've lived a lot of years perfectly without you.....we'd already watched one other grow without a father! So there's no point having you around anymore!" I spat at the top of my voice. I can't really tell what made me talk like that but there was this growing anger inside me.

I can't just stand him! We couldn't just have a normal conversation! What was he even still doing here! Having him here and seeing him everyday is just like adding fuel into the fire of my problems!

He didn't say anything else but I didn't expect him to though.

I stood up from the couch.

"I guess we're done here," I said before storming angrily up the stairs.

I opened the door and closed it immediately I got in. Tears started to well up in my eyes as I sat slowly on the floor, just in front of the door.

All that anger faded into sorrow as the thoughts of everything happening and the ones that had happened earlier hit me.

I damn miss him...

But I hate him....

I wanted him back...

But I didn't....

I just wish he could feel all the pain we'd felt.

"Your ego keeps on getting the best of you," I heard a familiar voice say.

I got startled....I thought I was alone....not until I saw Ivy standing up from my bed.

So she'd been here?

I quickly cleaned the tears already streaming down my cheeks and tried to keep my face as straight as possible.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, trying to stand up from the floor.

"I thought that it'd been long we've had our usual 'sister talk' ya'know," she responded.

"I don't think this is the right time to talk--"

"I feel like this is the perfect time Stella....I need to know what exactly has been bothering you," she interrupted.

She walked towards me and cupped my chin.

"Please talk to me."

I looked into her golden brown orbs, unlike all of us that had dark brown ones, hers is just so unique. She might have just been three years older than me but she's almost like a mother to me. As young as she was then, she filled the space mom couldn't.

I wish I could just throw myself into her arms and pour out all my problems to her but I know that she also had her own problems even if she doesn't show it, the last thing I want, it's to be indebted or a burden to someone else.

I can be strong....alone.

"I'm fine," I assured feigning a smile.

She took a deep breathe, it was clear that she wasn't taking it.

"I understand....but promise you'll talk to me when you're ready."

I nodded in reply.

She walked back to the bed and sat on it. Seems like she wasn't leaving anytime soon. I sat down beside her.

"Your discussion with dad...I'm sure it went wrong," she stared and I looked at her.

She knows me so well...

"Yeah...you could put it that way," I faintly replied.

She took another deep breathe.

"Ya'know, it's.....nevermind," she said, cutting off whatever she wanted to say.

"Hey....you know I'm going to mind," I retorted.

"Fine," she replied.

"It's also hard for everyone," she continued.

"But sometimes we all have to adapt to change in different situations....just like this one."

"You're talking about dad?" I asked.

"Yeah...it's also a bit hard for him, a lot of things had been happening presently and in the past that we don't even really know about."

What is she talking about?

"What do you mean?" I asked again.

"A lot had happened between mom and dad that they'd always tried to hide from us but that doesn't mean I didn't notice it and I bet you still know nothing about it," she continued and I only had a confused expression on my face.

"The thing about you, Stella, is that you judge matters only through your perspective, you base things only on what you know and not what actually happened," she said, her voice getting louder with each word.

"Then what happened...what is it that you know that I don't....yeah...tell me!" I retorted.

"We're not having an argument Stella! Don't raise your voice at me!" She yelled back and I found myself calming down.

"I'm not also so comfortable with having dad around but the fact is that, this is still his house and you're all still his children...besides, mom also had her own fault too and Kelly deserves to be with her dad," she continued.

"...You're all still his children.." I said, rephrasing her own words.

She stopped talking and looked away.

"What do you mean by that? Or is it just a mere mist--"

"I'm not dad's biological child....mom had me out of wedlock," she suddenly said, cutting me off in the process and leaving my mouth agape.

The sudden information hit me and it felt like I just got ran over by an aeroplane.

"Dad was also wrong though....he had a mistress outside marriage, he left us for years but he was fed up...Mom was also cheating on dad with her co-worker, Dad and mom always had their silent argument and mom even went to the extent of even sleeping with dad's friend just to make him jealous," she said.

I was short of words.

"They'd always had numerous fights and arguments but they tried not to let any of us know so it won't affect us in any way. Dad can be an asshole but he's not such a bad person. He took me in even if he knows that I am not truly his child, he never deprived me of everything I needed and that's because he loves mom...very much."

"How did you know all these?" I asked in bewilderment.

It can't just be true!

"They never told me but that doesn't mean that walls doesn't have ears...I might have been young but I was sensitive and sometimes I even feel like I knew more than I'm supposed to."

I couldn't believe it but I had a feeling it could be all true. Ivy never showed any of her problems. How did she feel when she found out she was born out of wedlock..

That she is almost a mistake!

I know that I wouldn't have been able to take it or handle it the way she'd been.

She's a very strong person. Someone I aspire to be like.

Still my elder sister no matter what...and I still don't love her less.

*

I didn't know what to think about my dad...

Or my mom.

My conversation with Ivy yesterday left me confused.

I was sitting in the hall, where the exhibition for the project event is going on. The last set of student were presenting on the stage but I wasn't even paying attention.

Timothy and I had presented our projects earlier and I was satisfied by the dazzled expression on the audience faces. It went smoother than I thought and the noise of suprise in the hall increased when Timothy controlled the helicopter to fly round the hall.

Few minutes later, the exhibition was done and everyone started walking and chattering towards our separate classes.

"You were so good on stage Stella," Kelly complimented immediately she got to me.

"Awwwwn...thanks," I replied.

She hurried off meet her friends before I felt someone's presence beside me. I was very surprised to see Amber and Tianna.

"Nice one," Tianna surprisingly said to me.

"Yeah....you too," I replied.

We walked quietly to our class. I got into the class and was suprised to see someone already seated comfortably on my seat.

Cheryl?!

What the hell is she doing?

"Stand up," Amber briefly commanded and Cheryl looked up at her, replying her with a smirk.

"Are you deaf? Get lost!" Tianna spat.

"This is Stella's seat....not yours and not yours either," she said, pointing at Tianna and Amber respectively.

"And so what?' Amber asked with a very disgusted look on her face.

"If I'm going to stand up from 'her' seat..." She started, putting enough stress on the word 'her'.

She stared right at me.

"Let her make me...."

~~~~~~~~~