It was close to midnight now, and everyone seemed to be having the time of their lives. I was glad the entire Max debacle was sorted off silently, thanks to Tyler, and none of my friends knew anything about it. I'll probably tell them everything eventually, but it won't be tonight. 

I cleared my throat and looked around our group. "Guys, It's getting late. I really should get home now."

"We should get going too, guys." Tyler straightened up from the wall he was leaning on. "We have an early morning practice tomorrow."

Both Jace and Neil groaned at that.  Jace opened his mouth to say something but Tyler interrupted him, "No skipping. No turning up late. We can't afford that with the semi-finals so close."

Jace frowned and nodded reluctantly. "Fine, Bossman."

"Sucks to be you," I grinned. "We don't have classes tomorrow and I'm going to sleep in."

"Whoa!" Ash looked at me with wide eyes. "You do remember we're going shopping tomorrow, right? We have to find our dresses for the dance."

It was my turn to sulk now and Neil chuckled. Ashley took the phrase 'Shop till you drop' very seriously and I was so not ready for it.

"Sucks to be you." Neil snickered and I scowled.

We were saying our goodbyes to Courtney when Julian yawned for the second time in the last ten minutes. I chuckled and said, "Let's get out of here before Julian falls asleep on us."

"True, it's way past his bedtime, " Tyler teased and slung an arm around his shoulders.

We walked out of the house and into the quiet night, the icy air more than welcome. It had been a long ass day and I craved the comfort of my bed.

"I'll drop Avi home, he is kinda drunk, though he won't admit that." Neil rolled his eyes, and I looked over to where Avi was standing, with the other guys, slightly swaying at his feet and laughing loudly at something.

Yep definitely drunk. I grinned. It was a rare sight.

"Will you girls be okay?" Neil asked me and Ashley.

"Yeah, no problem. We'll be fine." Ash nodded and leaned into Ryan, who had not left her side for a minute.

"Drive safe, alright? Both of you." Neil looked at us, before turning around to walk away. "Bye, see you tomorrow."

"Bye to you too, rude ass, " Avi called out to him, as he, Tyler, Julian, and Jace came over to stand with us.

Neil turned around and grinned. "Aww, did you want a kiss?"

"Piss off," Avi muttered, making us chuckle.

"I'll be dropping you home asshole. Wait here, I'll get my car around," Neil said before walking away.

"How did you get here? Do you need a ride?" Tyler asked me.

"Dude, we are all painfully aware of how much you want to give Veronica a ride." Jace smirked. "But this is not the time."

"Jackass," Tyler muttered, flipping him off and I laughed.

"I've got my car." I pointed to my old rusty car, parked across the street. "I'll be fine." I smiled.

When I got home, the first thing I noticed was my dad's car parked in front of the house. Nervous excitement bubbled up inside me as I pulled up beside his car and jogged up the driveway. I unlocked the front door and let myself in, quietly.

My gaze fell on the couch and I found my dad fast asleep with his mouth slightly parted. I smiled at the sight.
He always stayed up and waited for me until I was back home. While my mom was the liberal parent, my dad was the protective one.

"Hey," I whispered, slightly shaking him. "Pa, wake up!"

He woke up with a start, his sleepy eyes blinking in confusion before they focused on me.

"Why are you sleeping on the couch?"

"I was waiting for you...I don't know when I fell asleep."

I smiled and sat down beside him. "You didn't have to do that. I'm a grownup now."

"You'll always be a kid to me." He ruffled my hair, fondly. "Where were you? Its past midnight."

"At a friend's house. It was her birthday so there was a party."

"Your phone was switched off, I had no way of contacting you, I was starting to getting worried."

I opened my mouth to apologize but stopped, abruptly. "Hey! You come home after two freaking days and I am the one who is being questioned here?"

He raised his hands defensively and said, "I'm sorry. You're right."

"It'd be nice if you'd back that up with an explanation."

"Alright." He sighed and leaned back on the couch, rubbing his eyes. He looked tired and completely worn out. He had dark circles beneath those brown eyes that were so identical to mine. His dark hair was sticking out in every direction and he looked like he hadn't slept for days. He was the picture of disheveled. I was not used to seeing this ragged version of my Dad, and it made my heart hurt.

"Two days ago, your mom and I had a fight when you were at school. It was really bad, nothing like the fights we've ever had so far." He shook his head. "I figured we needed some space to clear our heads and calm down, so I left the house and went over to Victor's place."

Victor was one of my dad's oldest friends. An unmarried retired army officer, who was also my self-defense trainer, last summer. He had stepped up to partner with my dad in this new venture he had taken up.

"The owner of the property I wanted for the restaurant had been giving me a hell of a time with all the legalities of the purchase, which was one of the main reasons why the entire project was being delayed. After spending an entire night alone, it was clear to me that I had to get this deal to some conclusion, either back off or finish it, once and for all. Chasing a dream that was tearing my marriage apart was not worth it."

I simply nodded, not knowing what to say, and waited for him to continue.

"Today morning I and Victor drove over to the site to meet the owner. He made us wait for hours, but when he finally did meet us, the guy was speaking in an entirely different tune. He said he will do everything he can to help us out and he even offered a pretty great concession on the price for the land. It was really surprising." He shook his head in disbelief.

"That's great right? So, did you take up the offer?" I asked.

"No." He shook his head and I frowned. "I wanted to discuss it with you and your mom first. To make sure this is what all of us want. I will be putting all of our futures at stake here by spending our savings on it."

"You don't even have to ask me Pa! I'm okay with anything as long as it makes you happy."

"It's not that simple, I still have a lot to think about. You're going to college next year, and if this fails, I don't know how..." He trailed off.

"Don't worry, your daughter is pretty smart. I'll work my ass off to get a scholarship." I gave him a bright smile, and put my arms around him in a hug.

"I know you're smart, and I'm so proud of you, my little star." He kissed the top of my head. "But I don't want to add that kind of pressure on you, I want your future to be secure no matter what."

"We'll work it out," I mumbled. "What did Ma say?"

"I didn't get a chance to talk to her, she was already asleep when I got home." He sighed and rested his head on top of mine. "How is she?"

"She was a wreck the night you left, but now she is better."

"I'm sorry." His arms tightened around me. "I'm so sorry. I love you both so much, never forget that."

It felt so damn good to hear that. "Never leave us again," I murmured into his chest.

"Never. I'm going to do everything in my power to get us back on track. I promise you," he said and I nodded.

I believed him. No matter what happens in the future, I knew things were going to change for the better from now on and that was enough for me.

My parents and their love for me had always been the most potent moral force in my life. I snuggled closer into my dad's embrace, glad to have him back.