Shameless (1*+) (Book 1)

Chapter 2 : Tantrums and Unspoken Apologies

Bianca self-consciously sank into her chair as the man's dark brown eyes bored into hers, as if detecting her well hidden anxiety. Not knowing what to do with herself, she mindlessly tapped her finger on the chair's solid armrest and lowered her eyes to her exposed thighs.

This was beyond awkward.

Seeing as the thick tension clouding the spacy office wasn't going to dissipate any time soon, Bianca began to ponder on what to say, but luckily enough, the man took it upon himself to put an end to the bothering silence by speaking,

"Did he know that the meeting was today?" The formally dressed man leaned back into his chair and unbuttoned his blue blazer.

Bianca's eyes rose to meet his and she gave a small smile, "Yes Principal Ambrose, he's fully aware that the meeting is today...umm.." she smiled awkwardly. " let me to go check how far he is." She excused before rising to her feet and walking out of the office.

No amount of words would do justice in showing just how enraged she was at that moment. Her father had stood her up, he'd promised to come, promised not to forget that the performance assessment meeting with the Principal was today but clearly he was keen on breaking those promises like he did the rest.

Frustrated, embarrassed and angry, Bianca furiously scrambled through her contacts and called him. It went straight to voicemail, enraging her even more.

"Dad where are you? You are ten minutes late for my meeting!" She took a calming whiff of air before grunting out," you better have a very,very good reason for being late."

The man hadn't changed one bit. Her father was still as neglectful as always. This wasn't the first time he'd not showed up for an important event of hers and Bianca was certain it wasn't the last. That's how it's always been- work and all other insignificant matter always came first, she'd always been on the very bottom of his priority list. It hurt a lot to mean so little to somebody and Bianca had thought that being starved of attention for so long would have made her invincible to that stinging pain in her heart, but it hadn't, instead his neglect had birthed a pain that would only grow more and more over the years. All those missed parents meeting, all those missed sporting events,all those missed matches, all those missed Doctor's appointments,all those many times he'd failed to pick her up from school- had really eaten into her soul and left her damaged and bitter. The memory of her as a little, innocent girl waiting outside of the school gates, with fear etched on her face and worry harbored in her blue eyes as she waited and waited for her father to arrive, crawled into her mind. She remembered how gruelling the moment had been as the sun began to set and her father was nowhere to be seen, she remembered how embarrassed she'd been when a teacher approached her and offered her a ride home, came to her rescue as though she were a pathetic damsel in distress. She'd never said a word to him about that horrible day, but it remained carved into her memories.

Thinking about it alone had left a bitter taste in her mouth. She hated it when her emotions pulled the strings and she obeyed like a mindless puppet, that wasn't her at all. Taking a few deep breaths to cool down her simmering rage, she quickly walked back into the office, cleared her throat and sat back in her chair.

"I couldn't reach him." She told truthfully, after contemplating lying and saying he was on his way.

The man nodded his head and stared at her almost pitifully. " it's okay Bianca." He cooed." I'm sure he's on his way, he probably got held up. We'll wait a few more minutes, i still have time to spare before the conference. "

"Thank you sir, i'm really sorry for being such an inconvenience." Bianca muttered with a small smile, the biggest she could give in the light of such an aggravating situation.

The man chuckled softly as he ran his hand over his neatly trimmed beards. " oh no, you don't need to apologize Bianca, you are not inconveniencing me, not even the slightest. "

"It just that..i thou- you could be preparing yourself for the conference right now instead of sitting here waiting for some-"

"I said it's okay Bianca. It's my responsibility as a Principal to put my students first." The man cut in, putting her sputtering to a halt.

"And that's why you're such a fantastic Principal Mr Ambrose. " Bianca complimented, thankful for the small chat that made her wait a little less daunting.

" Thank you. " The man smiled at her. "Tell me, how is training coming along?"

"I'm a bit rusty but I'll get back into it in no time,doing mixed martial arts is my passion. "

"And nothing advocates for that more than your impressive record, you're the best fighter this school will probably ever have. " The man stated confidently, making her blush.

"Oh stop it." She found herself waving a playfully dismissive hand while grinning like a fool. She then began to wonder if the man was doing more than throwing around very generous compliments. It was no secret that he had a soft spot for her, but he'd never acted out of character or showed any romantic interest in her- but to her, the possibility of him having "ulterior" motives, could not be ruled out.

He is a man after all.

"Four pm is quickly approaching," the man said, taking a read of his wristwatch," Do you think he's still coming?" He asked skeptically.

Bianca sighed before getting to her feet again, " let me go check with him one last time. " she silently pleaded with her gorgeous blue eyes, which the man took notice of as he nodded.

Soon she was out of the office again and calling her father- who was more than thirty minutes late. It went straight to voicemail again, making her growl like a ferocious canine.

"You forgot didn't you?" She quietly snarled into the speaker. " where the f**k are you? I told you about this meeting just this morning but- i'm so f*****g pissed! Do you know how embarrassing it is to- I've been sitting in that office, looking like a f*****g fool and you- why do i even bother." She clucked her tongue before roughly shoving the phone in her blazer pocket.

Walking back into the office, there was no disguising how upset she was. Her Principal picked up her frustration and rose up from his chair and settled on the desk table, right in front of her." Tell you what, I'm going to reschedule the meeting for tomorrow since he can't make it today." The man laid a comforting hand on her shoulder.

Bianca only nodded her head and gave him a smile of appreciation before picking up her bag from the floor and swinging its loop over her shoulder. "Thank you Principal Ambrose, I'll see you tomorrow. "

The man ambled back to his chair. "See you tomorrow Bianca. " He waved a dismissive hand.

■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■

Bianca carelessly flipped the page of the Chemistry textbook as a yawn crept up to her. Realizing just how tired she was, she closed the book, deciding to take a break from cracking her head in assembling a control experiment worthy of an A+. She lazily slid off her bed and faltered to the kitchen.

Damn I'm hungry . Her stomach rumbled as she scoured through the packed fridge for something to eat- or at least something she could turn into a meal quickly enough to accommodate her ravenous stomach. She grabbed some frozen fish cakes, a block of cheddar , some bacon and her favorite sandwich spread. With some slices of bread in the toaster, she then placed the fish cakes and bacon in the microwave and set the timer on.

Just then she heard the front door click open and quickly, mildly cringe shut. Before she knew it, her father entered the kitchen and placed his keys and phone on the marble countertop before staring up at her apologetically. He opened his mouth to speak, but Bianca quickly cut in,

"Save it." She held up her hand and attended to the toaster.

"Sweetheart, i know you must be angry at me right now an- at least let me explain. " Her father spoke lowly, which surprisingly angered her even more.

"Explain what eh? Explain What? Explain how you forgot about the meeting i told you about countless times? You must think i have time. " Bianca laughed dryly and sardonically.

"I did not forget," her father defended, " i just didn't find the time, i was under a lot of constrain. I was working on a high profile murder case and i had to follow a promising lead three hours away and after i got back Stephanie texted me, telling me that her car wouldn't start so i had to-"

"Of course! Of course  - little Stefwanniee had to be involved. " Bianca bellowed, trying her hardest to refrain from throwing the nearest object to her across the room. How she hated that woman- her father's crass girlfriend. Hearing her name alone evoked steel melting fury inside of her, so hearing that she had once again taken top priority while remained dry of attention and miserable- had her seething with murderous rage.

"Of course you just had to come to her rescue, because little princess Stephanie is so brainless that she couldn't call her insurance for roadside assistance, no! she had to call you coz you're a mechanic right!" She snorted in mocking sarcasm. "And you had to come running after the bloody w***e while your daughter waits for you."

"Don't use that tone with me," Michael warned, " i am your father, show me some respect. "

Bianca broke out in forced, scoffing laughter, "Respect you say? Well maybe I'll show you some respect once you start f*****g acting like a father."

"Don't talk to me like that! I explained my situation to you, have some manners."

"Well maybe if you were actually around to teach me some, I'd f*****g have them!" Bianca shot back harshly before storming out of the room and bolting upstairs to her bedroom.

She had gotten so worked up that her chest heaved and dropped rapidly to accommodate her labored breathing. Before she could contain herself, she'd let out a loud scream and had tossed her pillows and decorative cushions around the room. As she launched herself on top of the bed, she chose to ignore the burning tears stinging her eyes.

She didn't have time for this.

Springing to her feet, Bianca marched to the shower and took a short bath, straying aside from her long bathing routine. She then picked out a provocative outfit- a short, silk red dress with thin straps and a low neckline that accentuated her prominent bust and showed a suggestive glimpse of her plump breast. She put on her black, strapped heels, some red lipstick and straightened her enviable raven black hair over her shoulders. She then grabbed her small purse and phone and went downstairs.

Walking into the living room, she spotted her father sitting on the leather couch, his attention solely on his flashing laptop screen. Passing behind that couch, her eyes caught the profile of a suspect that was displayed on the screen. She irritatingly  rolled her eyes before sauntering pass him and nearly making the exit before his deep, gruff, disapproving voice stopped her in her tracks.

"Where are you going dressed like that?" His eyes flickered over her body before they met hers.

"That's none of your business- daddy." She rolled her eyes before turning her back and walking out of the room, ignoring his stern voice telling her to "come back here."

She tossed some gum into her mouth before opening the front door and fiercely slamming it shut just for the effect.