Читать книгу No Stopping Her - Rebecca Elswick - Страница 7

CHAPTER 2

When Brittany got to the parking lot, it was vacant except for her ugly yellow piece of junk. She unlocked it and slid inside. Her hands clenched the steering wheel. When had it happened? And why had her father changed his mind? She struggled to fit all the pieces together. She remembered her excitement the day she had gotten her driver’s license, and how strangely her father had acted. He didn’t seem the least bit happy for her, and when she asked if he was going to buy her a car, he had said, “Yes, and if you are old enough to drive, then you are old enough to respect my judgment.” Brittany remembered thinking that it was a strange thing to say, but now his words made sense.

Brittany balled her hands into fists and banged them on the steering wheel. She couldn’t believe she had been so clueless! Her father was always spouting out what he called his “words of wisdom.” The day she got her license, she had thought he was just doing it again. She remembered smiling at him and saying her usual, “I know, Daddy.” She hadn’t even realized anything was wrong when he said, “Part of growing up is learning what is important in life. Things that are earned build character.”

Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! Brittany rested her forehead on the steering wheel. Her shoulders slumped forward as though a weight had been dropped on her neck. Her father had known she was going to freak out when she saw this hunk of junk on wheels, so he was trying to justify it in advance! He couldn’t use money as an excuse. Brittany knew he had the money. He always, always bought her what she wanted, but things had changed since he married Lynn. In the past year, her father had slowly turned away from her. It was like he didn’t even love her anymore.

Brittany laid her head back against the seat and closed her eyes. She let memories of happier times wash over her. She could see her father, driving her and Annie to the movies, making them laugh with his silly jokes. When the movie was over, he would be waiting in the parking lot to take them for burgers and milkshakes. She thought about their shopping trips together, and how he used to make a big deal about back-to-school shopping. Last year on her birthday, he had bought her the three-hundred-dollar boots she wanted, and every summer they had taken vacations wherever she wanted to go, to places like Disney World and New York City.

Brittany started the car and pulled out of the parking lot. There was one reason why her father had stopped giving her what she asked for—one reason only. It was her fault. She did it! She made him do it. Anger spread over Brittany like a raging fire. It had been almost a year since her father had married Lynn, and in that year, everything had changed. Now, all their father-daughter talks centered on her need to “grow up,” something Lynn had said to her a million times. And Brittany was certain it was Lynn’s idea to buy her a used car. That woman had ruined her life.

Brittany remembered the night her father and Lynn announced they were getting married. She pinched her nose together with her fingers and mimicked Lynn’s voice. “‘I don’t ever want to come between you and your father.’”

Brittany took the last turn before her driveway. She could see her house—her house! Not Lynn’s! “You liar!” Brittany screamed. “You lied about everything!”

From the minute they were married, Lynn had set out to turn her father against her. It was Lynn who had talked her father into taking away her credit card and replacing it with a weekly allowance of just twenty dollars. It was her stepmother’s idea to supervise her when she went clothes shopping—meaning she refused to buy the designer clothes Brittany wanted, even though Lynn wore the same brands. For that matter, she refused to buy anything that Brittany wanted. Instead she tried to get her to wear knockoff brands and department-store crap. When Brittany pointed out that Lynn bought herself expensive clothes, she had dared to say, “When you can pay for them yourself, you can buy whatever you want. Until then, I will decide what you can buy.”

“We’ll see about that,” Brittany muttered. She parked her car and got out, leaving the keys in the ignition on purpose. Nothing would make her happier than to come out in the morning and find it gone.