"You look happy," Daddy said while we sat at the table eating cereal. "What's going on, Bunny?"

I giggled. "Can't I be happy?" I swirled my spoon in the bowl. "Do I need a reason to be happy?"

"Everyone needs a reason to be happy," he said. "It's not a state that just exists without any stimulus or effort."

I sent him a look. "You've been happy lately."

Recently, Daddy was all smiles. He was free with money and compliments. He wasn't on my case too much. It was nice but suspicious.

"I know," he agreed, "and there's a reason."

"What's the reason?" I put my spoon down and planted my elbows onto the table.

Daddy smiled. "I met someone."

I knew it. All those rendezvous and late-night calls. It all made sense.

"Who's the lucky lady?"

He drank some of his cranberry juice before responding. "Her name is Janice. She owns a local store, and I'm one of her loyal customers."

"I'm sure you're more than that," I said with a wink.

He rolled his eyes with his smile intact. "We've been talking and going on dates, and I really like her." His expression became serious. "Estella, I think I'm ready."

"Ready for what?"

"I think I'm ready to date again, like seriously dating," he said. "After your mother, it never interested me. But now, I'm ready. I'm ready to love again."

I touched my heart. "Daddy." I moved around the table to give him a hug before returning to my spot. "That's so sweet."

Daddy watched me with a brow perked. "Are you sure you're okay with this, Estella? I mean, Janice and no other woman can ever replace your mother, so you don't have to worry about that. It's okay if you feel a certain way at first. That's normal and—"

"Daddy," I cut him off, "I'll be fine. I think it's a great idea. Being alone for so long isn't good for you, and it'll be nice to have your attention on someone else."

He pointed his spoon at me. "I'm still your father, and I'll still act like one."

I nodded. "But you're also human. Humans need love, too."

"Mmm-hmm." He resumed eating his cereal. "You better not be getting too much love." I bit my lip. "Smiling as if there's a boy involved. I don't trust boys."

He would like Jax.

Jax seemed like the guy you could introduce to your parents, and they would become fond of him instantly. He was intelligent. He was kind, and he was honest. He withheld private information, but once he opened up, he spoke the truth.

He and I weren't together in that way, but Daddy would trust him, and that meant a lot to me.

Then there was Brice. I wasn't so sure about him. Daddy could misjudge him.

"Don't worry," I said. "I'm in good hands."

"Whose hands?"

Jax's hands, but hopefully, Brice's heart. I trusted Jax, but Brice was the one I'd always wanted. We had been spending a lot of time together this Thanksgiving break, and I barely saw Jax. He was probably with Ximena.

I frowned. Jax said Brice and I were odd as a couple, but he and Ximena were worse. Their interactions were...off.

Jax deserved better than that.

"Okay, Bunny." We stood up, and Daddy grabbed my bowl. "Let's go." He dumped the bowls into the sink, and we grabbed our things before heading for the door. "Time to take your permit test."

I groaned as we walked out the door. "Don't remind me."

"You'll be great." He pulled me into a side hug, and I wrapped my arms around him.

"I got my permit," I said while holding onto the paper version of my I.D. "I can't believe I passed. I barely studied."

"You're a smart girl." Daddy pinched my cheek. "But don't try that again. It's better to study and be safe."

I squealed. "This is amazing. By the way, can you drop me off to Mi Yun's house?"

I stashed my I.D. away, and Daddy snuck a peek at me. "How'll you get home?"

"Mimi will drop me off," I said. "She has her license." My shoulders sagged. "Great. We're both sixteen. She has her license, and I just got my permit."

Daddy rolled his eyes. "Life isn't a race, Estella."

He sounded like Jax. My expression dropped further. I knew his girlfriend was in town, but that didn't mean he had to cut off all contact from me over the break. Jax said he and Ximena weren't even friends. If they weren't friends, what could they be doing this whole time?

The heat rose in my face.

Oh...

"You okay, Estella?" Daddy asked, and I brought myself out of it.

"Yeah, yeah," I said. "So, I can go to Mi Yun's?"

"Yes," he said with a sigh. "Make sure you girls make it back safely."

"We will."

If she would talk to me. We hadn't really talked since I went to her house the first time, but Jax was right. I needed to talk to her and make up. Hopefully, Sabrina wouldn't be there.

It took a couple minutes for Daddy to drop me off to Mi Yun's house, and I rang the doorbell. It took a couple seconds for the door to be answered, and I came face to face with Jin Wook. The spiky hair confirmed it.

"Estella, hey." He adjusted his glasses onto his face. "How are you?"

I stepped into the house and removed my shoes. "I'm great, Jin Wook. What about you?"

"Great," he said before glancing up the stairs. "Mi Yun, Estella is here." Footsteps could be heard from upstairs until she came into my line of vision, walking down the steps. "I'll leave you girls to it. Nice seeing you, Estella."

"Same to you, Jin Wook," I said as he turned and went up the stairs. Once he was gone, I focused on Mi Yun,who stood a good distance from me with a nonchalant look. "We need to talk."

"Too bad Sabrina isn't here," Mi Yun said. "I'm sure you would have enjoyed insulting her again."

I sighed. "I admit. That wasn't the appropriate thing for me to do."

"You called her a 'bitch,' and you never curse."

"That tells you how much she rubs me the wrong way." A scowl took over Mi Yun's face. "Okay, I apologize for that, but she called me a 'little girl.'"

"Because you're acting like one."

That hit a nerve. I wouldn't have liked anyone belittling me in that way, yet alone Sabrina Fraser.

"You're acting like a love struck kid," I said. "Blind and naïve."

Mi Yun shook her head with her arms crossed. "This conversation is going in the same direction as before."

"Since when do we do this, Mimi?" I asked while motioning between us. "Since when do we fight, especially because of some girl. You're being juvenile."

"We are juvenile!" She dropped her arms. "Estella, we're only sixteen. You act as if we're supposed to have it all figured out like some mature adults, but we're not. We're young, naïve high schoolers who are supposed to take risks, so we can find our way. My way may not work for you and vice versa, but you still have to respect my choice. And I choose to be with Sabrina."

"I choose to be with Brice," I said in a small voice.

"Exactly," Mi Yun said with her hands jutted out. "I don't approve, but I allow you. Do the same for me, Es. If Sabrina is a mistake, let me learn. But don't get in the way of something that could be great. I may be 'juvenile,' but I'm not going to spend my whole life playing it safe all the time."

"I'm not asking you to."

"Good," she said. "Then let me be with Sabrina. I'm not asking you to be our number one fan, but still be my number one fan."

"Mimi."  I took a couple steps forward. "I'll always be your number one fan, who's always rooting for you."

"I'm not letting Brice change that, so don't let Sabrina."

She was right. I wasn't going to allow Sabrina to ruin my friendship with Mi Yun, even if she did hurt Jax. I knew something was off about her, but what Jax told me confirmed it. She wasn't good news, but Mi Yun had to learn that on her own.

"I'll never trust her," I said, "but you like her, so I'll tolerate her."

Mi Yun smiled. "Thank you, Es, and I'm sorry." She pulled me into a hug, and I held her tightly. "I'm sorry we fought."

"I'm so sorry, too," I said as we pulled back. "I shouldn't have been such a jerk. I was the one being a bitch."

"Stop saying 'bitch,' Estella," Mi Yun said with a chuckle.

"Why does everyone say that when I curse?"

Jax did the same thing, and now Mi Yun?

"Because you cursing is weird," she said. "It's not natural."

"The old Estella doesn't curse much," I said. "Who knows what the mature Estella would do?"

"Maturity doesn't equal cursing," Mi Yun pointed out. "Instead of trying so hard to be 'mature,' why don't you just enjoy the journey, Estella? The journey of growing up and making mistakes and learning your way. Stop trying so hard, and you may get to where you want to be faster."

"That's why I love you, Mimi." I pulled her in for another hug. "You're so wise, and I never want to fight again."

"Me neither." We grinned at each other.

What she said sounded like something Jax would say. Was I trying too hard? Daddy and my girls loved me. Jax hung out with me even when I annoyed him. Brice was showing some interest in me.

So, why was I so unsatisfied with the person I was now?

"Sabrina is actually a misunderstood person," Mi Yun said, bringing me out of my thoughts. "People think she's one way, but not a lot of people know her."

"Jax said the same thing."

Mi Yun nodded. "Sabrina told me they dated. She's told me a lot of things. She's actually really insecure, and she's fighting a lot of battles most people don't know about. Sabrina is just a broken girl who wants love but doesn't know how to keep it. We live a pretty simplistic life compared to what she deals with."

I did live a simplistic life. I didn't know if I should have felt guilty because my life wasn't complicated or difficult.

"I'll give her a chance," I said. "It's your choice, and you choose her, so I have to respect that."

"Thank you." She hooked her arm in mine. "Now, come on." We walked up the steps. "Let's catch up. We haven't talked one on one in a while."

"Please," I said as we entered her room. "I have so much to tell you."

We talked. I told her about Daddy dating again, me getting my permit, and also about me and Brice. I even talked about Jax. Honestly, I talked about Jax the most. There was so much to say, and Mi Yun chuckled as I talked about him. She brought up Sabrina and her brother and everything else going on in her life. After two hours, Mi Yun and I left her house, and an idea hit me.

"Can you drop me off to Brice's house?" Mi Yun jerked her head my way in surprise. "I'm not going there to hook up or anything, but I just wanna say 'hi.'"

"Does he know you're coming?"

"No," I said. "I wanna surprise him."

Mi Yun snuck a glance my way. "Does Brice like surprises or is he more of a private guy? Some people don't like people showing up to their house uninvited."

"He invited me to his house before, so I don't know why it should be a problem now." I ran my hand through my hair. "Should I not surprise him?"

She shrugged. "He's your boyfriend."

"We're only dating," I said, "but we're not dating. Not everyone DTRs as quickly as you and Sabrina."

I couldn't believe Mi Yun and Sabrina were a couple.

"Where's his house?" she asked, and I grinned.

I instructed her on how to get there, and we chitchatted while Mi Yun drove me to the Abrams' resident. It took a couple minutes, but before I knew it, I stood outside Brice's door with a smile on my face.

He'd be so surprised to see me.

Mi Yun's Camry was still parked in the driveway because she never left until the people she dropped off were safely inside of a house. When the door opened, I came face to face with Brice, and his expression was one of shock.

He furrowed his brows in an unreadable look. "Estella."

"Hey, are your parents home?" I asked, and he nodded. "Oh. Well, I just wanted to hang out, so I thought I should come over." He said nothing. "Can I come in?"

Was this not a good idea?

Before he could open his mouth, a female voice called out his name. "Brice, who is it?"

His eyes widened. "Mom, go upstairs." She called out his name again. "Go upstairs." He pushed me back so he could come outside and close the door behind him. "You need to leave."

I shook my head, thinking I heard wrong. "What?" 

"You. Need. To. Leave," he said through gritted teeth. "You can't just come to someone's house unannounced. What would make you think that's even a good idea?" I opened my mouth, but he brought his hand up. "Don't answer that." I clamped my mouth shut. "I just need you to leave." He turned me around and ushered me to walk away.

We stopped near the driveway, and I turned to face him. "Brice."

"Bye, Estella." He turned on his heels and walked off.

I stood, frozen. It was only when the front door slammed that it sunk in that he really just kicked me out and then left. It took Mi Yun honking her horn for me to snap out of it. I made my way over and entered the Camry.

"Let's go back to your house."

"Estella, what happened?" Mi Yun asked, but I shook my head.

"Let's go to your house," I repeated while putting on my seatbelt.

Mi Yun shook her head. "Girl, you're lucky I didn't leave, or you'll be screwed."

She backed out of the driveway, and all I could do was stare forward and agree. He just kicked me out like that, not caring if I had a ride or not.

Why was he so rude?

That was all I could think about as Mi Yun drove us back to her house. For the first time, I agreed with Mi Yun.

Brice Abrams was a class-A douchebag.

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* What do you guys think about Estella and her father's talk? Mi Yun and Estella making up? That last scene with Brice? Any predictions why he reacted like that?