Tate dropped me off in front of my house. I could already feel my skin grow warm where my skin had gotten sunburned.

I unlocked the door. There was a figure sitting on my couch in the dark. Tate? I had just left him.

I flicked on the light.

Dad?

What's up with people sitting in the dark in my house?

"Why are you here?" My voice was strained.

"Luna, my baby girl!" He smiled at me. He stood up and took a step towards me.

I help up my hand. "No. Don't walk closer to me. Why are you here?" I asked again.

"I have so much to tell you. Where's your mother?" When I looked at him, I couldn't help but see the man who raised me. Memories of him teaching me to ride a bike and how to throw a punch flooded my mind.

But all that was tainted. Every single good memory of him was tarnished on the one act that changed everything for me. The day he left me ruined me.

"I don't want to hear anything you have to say! I want you to leave." My voice shook.

He sighed and sat back on the couch. "Let's just talk. I know you're hurt, but I am still your father."

Fine. If he wanted to talk, I'll let him talk. I'll listen to his lies and if he tells me anything significant, I'll tell Tate or Jackson.

I sat down on an armchair across from him. "Go ahead. Tell me whatever excuse you deemed important enough to leave your only child."

"I live a complicated life. It's a high risk, high reward lifestyle. I've broken some laws that have enabled me to give you the savings account that you deserve." He tried to explain.

"And I didn't deserve to have my father in my life? I can tell you right now, I would have rather had you over any amount of money." I spat at him.

"That's why I'm here." He ran a hand through his hair. "I came back for you. I want you to join the family business. You were too young when I left."

I took a deep breath to try to calm myself down. "It's too late. You have no idea how bad you messed me up. I can't trust people, Dad! I walk on glass around everyone I care about because I'm afraid they'll leave me just like you did! I'm scared to be alone. When you left, I was forced to grow up. Mom was drunk most of the time. I had to take care of her, the bills, and myself."

"If I had stayed, I would be in prison! Maybe even dead!"

"You could have explained that to me. You could have told me that you didn't want to go. You could have taken me with you. Hell, you could have just grown a pair and accepted your punishment!" I wanted to hurt him. He abandoned his child to avoid the police.

He looked me in the eye. "Luna, I'm not trying to understate what you went through after I left, but I'm trying to make up for it. I'm here now. Tell me what you need, and it will be yours. Do you need more money? A new car? A new house? Do you want to uproot your entire life and move? You're my daughter and I want to be back in your life."

What if I only wanted a father? What if I just wanted him to be there for me? Would he leave his job behind if I asked him to? Probably not.

"You don't get to choose when you want to be a father. The only thing I want from you is for you to leave me alone." I said quietly.

"I'm going to give you some time to think. I love you. I want you to join me. I won't give you all the details now, but I can tell you that my life isn't glamorous. You need to be able to get your hands dirty, but I have faith in you. We can work together. I won't have to leave you again." He stood up. "Just think about it. When you've made up your mind, tell Salvatore at school."

I stared straight ahead as he left me for the second time.

Honestly, I don't know what to think. Why would he want to get me involved in whatever drug business he's in? If he really cared about me wouldn't he want to keep me safe? Wouldn't he want to protect me? I'm confused.

Is that why Sal was trying to be with me a few months ago? Because I'm the boss's daughter?

I refuse to be involved in any gang activity. I'm not going to lie though, a very small part of me just wants to run into my Dad's arms and beg him to never leave again, but that's not what's going to happen. He should not be trying to involve me in such a dangerous world.

I thought about calling Marie, but even if she wasn't ignoring me, she doesn't know about any of this gang business.

So, I called the only person left that I might be able to trust.

"Tate? My dad was here."

*

A week passed and nothing happened.

Sal never approached me. My dad didn't break into my house again. My mom never showed up.

The only person keeping me sane was Tate.

Jackson noticed something was wrong, but backed off when Tate told him to. Josh just shot me worried looks when he thought I wasn't paying attention.

Tate came up to my room every night. Tate could kill a man with one hand tied behind his back, but for some reason he made me feel safe. He would leave after I fell asleep and be back to drive me to school in the morning.

"Do you have that English homework?" Tate asked me during homeroom.

"Nope." I answered.

He reached into his backpack and pulled out a paper. He slid it on the desk. "Now, you do."

"Wow, Tate. Doing a girl's homework is a really interesting way to get her to date you." I joked.

"Luna." His voice grew soft. "You cannot fail out of high school because your life sucks."

Tate cared about me. It's the little things like this that make me want to care about him too.

I wish we were both normal. I wish he had two normal parents that raised him to be some kind of football star. I wish my dad never left me. I wish I was never exposed to any kind of gang activity. I wish I could just be the nerdy girl that the football star falls in love with. I wish we could have a normal relationship and go on mundane dates. I wish we could have 2.5 kids and live in a house with a white Pickett fence. I wish I could be what he wants.

But I can't. We can't.

"Thanks Tate." I have to accept things the way they are. We could never be more than friends. It's not safe.

I would be lying if I didn't say that when he looks at me and his hard, dangerous eyes go soft, I fall just a little more in love with him.