The President's Daughter by David Dower (if you liked this book txt) 📕

his black SUV and took off towards the gates. The three minute drive to where Gavin usually drops me off was silent. When we were on Pennsylvania Avenue, a minute into out drive I noticed Gavin’s rusty truck parked on the curb.

“There he is!” I said pointing to the truck. Ricky nodded his head pulling over to the side, and stopping the car. “Thanks so much!” I said, unbuckling my seatbelt and opening the door.

“No problem, just do me one favor, Alice.”

“Yeah, sure what is it?”

“Get your drivers license. I am bodyguard not a taxi.” He said in a somewhat serious matter. Nevertheless, I nodded my head closing the door waving as Ricky did a U-turn driving back towards the house.

I rolled my eyes at his remark, “Whatever.” I muttered turning off my phone and shoving it into my back pocket. I looked down at the clothes I was wearing, a pair of skinny jeans and a loose white and blue striped jersey, I didn’t play any sports but I found this when Holly and I went shopping and thought it looked cute.

My dark brown hair was beginning to fade and it was starting to grow longer. I made a mental note to remind my mother to take me back to get a haircut. Once my hair is grown out, it usually goes back to its usual waviness and not its straightness when it is short.

Grabbing my handbag from the chair, walking out of my bedroom, I headed down the stairs. I ran my fingers through my hair a couple of times. I at least wanted to look presentable, and it wasn’t because I liked him, it’s because I’d rather not go outside looking like I don’t know how to brush my hair.

“Hey do you happen to know where my mother is?” I asked, one of the guards stopping him just as he was about to pass me.

He pointed to the direction of the red room, it was called that because of its color. I didn’t really understand to why we couldn’t have just called it a living or dining room, like my bedroom is painted white. Does that make it named the white room?

I walked into the red room, as I saw my mom sitting on the couch with a bunch of sketches of clothes scattered all over the table. My eyes then wandered over to Thomas who was on my mother’s laptop, just because we were the President’s kids doesn’t mean we were allowed to get all the fancy electronics. Thomas has a computer in his room, but it was so old, I don’t understand how he uses it.

“Hey mom?” I called out, to her.

She looked up briefly, looking me in the eyes before looking back down. “Hmm?”

“Can I go out with one of my friends?”

“In the middle of the week? On a school night?”

I sighed, I kind of knew this was going to happen. “Please? It will only be for a couple of hours.”

“Who are you going out with Ben? Holly?”

“Um,” I said, scratching my head. “It’s actually another friend, you don’t know him.”

“Him?” She asked, looking up from her sketches giving me her full attention. “Who’s this him?”

I groaned, taking a seat on the chair. “You’re beginning to act like dad, minus the part where you actually seem excited that I am hanging out with a boy.”

“Stop avoiding the subject, Alice!” She said, looking generally interested. “What is his name?”

“His name is Gavin Storm.” Piped Thomas, his eyes trained to the laptop.

“How do you know his name?” I asked, kind of shocked.

“I do my research, plus I already knew his first name so finding out his last name wasn’t that hard.” Thomas, replied looking up from the laptop.

“That’s not what I asked,” I told him, getting kind of peeved off.

“Well deal with it, because that’s all I am telling you.”

“Tell me where you got this research, or else I tell mom about your interesting hobbies.” I seethed, to him.

His light eyes narrowed at me, “You wouldn’t?”

“Try me.” Thomas, challenged.

We heard a throat clearing as Thomas and I broke of eye contact looking back at our mother who was looking at us confused. She had her hand raised, “Um excuse me? But I would like to know two things.” My mother stated, “First, I would like to know what Thomas’ interesting habits is, besides the usual eating like a pig and being gross.”

“Why are you apologizing?”

“Because, I realized that you are growing older. And you are wise and mature enough to make your own decisions, besides even when you do make bad decisions, and they do happen regularly. I will just have to learn to accept that they are your decisions and I should stick by you, no matter what.”

I crossed my arms over my chest, “Mom made you apologize to me, didn’t she?”

“What? You don’t believe that I actually have a heart and can apologize? Alice I raised you!”

I rolled my eyes, “Mom gave you the lecture on how she was always right and you were wrong, didn’t she?”

He nodded solemnly, “She also said if I didn’t fix the problem with you I will be sleeping in the rose bushes.”

I let out a chuckle that was such a mom thing to say. “Okay, and I am sorry to you too.”

“Now, that we got all that out of the way, could you please leave? I have a country to run.” My dad said, sitting back down on his chair, beginning to go through the piles of work papers he had scattered on his desk.

I rolled my eyes walking out of the room, “And he’s back…” I muttered, under my breath walking towards the door and closing it softly behind me.

*

Can you meet me in twenty minutes?-A

I texted on my phone to Gavin. I wanted to tell him about the news about the demolition project my dad is looking at. Of course I won’t tell him who my father is but if he does ask, I won’t really tell him anything.

Why?-G

A few minutes later Gavin responded with that, I guess he was still kind of cold to me since the whole drama dance.

I want to tell you something.-A

A few minutes later Gavin’s reply lit up my phone.

Fine, where do you want to meet?-G

How about the Starbucks?-A

A few minutes later his response vibrated my phone.

I think you are forgetting that we are banned from there…-G

“Oh,” I muttered, realizing my stupidity. I didn’t know where to meet at, the park was way too overrated anyways we’ve met their way too many times to count and it was starting to get old.

How about I pick you up? I know a perfect place to go.-G

I narrowed my eyes at the screen, I was kind of wary about Gavin’s definition of a perfect place.

It’s not a somewhere illegal is it?-A

A few moments late his respond vibrated through my phone.

No… Why would you think that?-G

I quickly texted my response to Gavin.

Well… it’s you… so I am just trying to take precautions and not come home in pieces.-A

When Gavin didn’t respond his usual time which was less than a minute, is when he would usually respond back to me. I began to get worried, I hope what I had said wasn’t too mean…

Nerd, if you were in pieces you wouldn’t be able to even walk, let alone get home. I’ll meet you where I usually drop you off in twenty.-G Chapter Thirty-Six: Family Secret

“Could you please shut up?” I moaned, rolling over in my bed and cuddling into the warm hard object on my bed. I woke up the next day groaning and complaining. It wasn’t really anything new since I would usually wake up like this.

I snuggled in closer to the object the sounds of a bird chirping, getting me even more agitated. “Please could you shut it off, Melinda? Only five more minutes, I promise.”

When the alarm didn’t shut off or when I didn’t hear our housecleaner say anything in response, I opened up my eyes, as I found myself looking at Gavin’s sleeping face. “What the heck?”

I got up from my position, yesterday’s memories hitting me like a ton of bricks. I jammed my elbow into Gavin’s stomach hoping, by doing this it would get him awake.

When I got no response, I leaned over him climbing on top of him. As if I was straddling him, when I leaned over cupping my hands together, over his ears I opened my mouth, screaming at the top of my lungs.

Gavin jumped awake, pushing me off him as I landed on the hard cold floor of the back of the truck with a thud. “Ow…” I muttered.

I looked over at Gavin whose eyes were darting everywhere. “Why the heck would you wake someone up like that?” He asked, angrily.

“Seemed like the best idea considering you sleep like a rock.”

He narrowed his eyes at me, “I do not sleep like a rock.”

“Fine do you prefer a stone? Or better yet, do you prefer the comparison to Patrick the starfish?”

Gavin’s face scrunched up as he stood up, “Do you mean that pink idiot on SpongeBob?”

I gasped, “Who are you calling an idiot? Patrick is one of kind.”

Gavin nodded his head, “Yup. Definitely, one of a kind.” He muttered. “Kind of like another idiot I know.” He mumbled, to himself.

I narrowed my eyes at him, sticking out my tongue childishly.” I hope you are talking about yourself.”

Gavin just stared at me blankly, “I really need to find you a better nickname rather than nerd.”

“Why?”

“Because a) you don’t mind the name; b) you read and c) I was wrong you are nowhere near a nerd.” He said, grabbing the pillows and blankets and placing them back in the truck.

I raised my eyebrows, confused, “I hope you realize you just contradicted yourself with b and c, and reading doesn’t make someone a nerd.”

“Yeah, big glasses, braces and weird clothes do.” He responded, clearing off all the materials we used for yesterday.

“You are a judgemental asshole,” I muttered, to myself. Even though I said it, I did not want him to hear it because he will just pick a fight with me, and that isn’t something I needed at the moment.

I slid off the truck, pulling out my phone from my pocket as I unlocked it, looking through the ten text messages from my father asking my whereabouts, and one message from my mother saying be safe, adding a winky face at the end of the message.

I rolled my eyes, I found my mom so happy when I asked to hang out with a boy. She always seemed to hand me off immediately or fire questions at me, but because she was generally interested in my non-existent love life. But it wasn’t like I was going out with Ben or Gavin, considering those are the only two guys I actually went somewhere with alone…

I had no idea what he was doing here. Yes, his parents worked here but I didn’t know why he was here… We haven’t talked since the phone call and I doubted he wanted to talk to me.

Once Ben’s car pulled thought the gates, I quickly picked up my pace as I waved to the guards who quickly allowed me in once they noticed