Overprotective Two

Overprotective 2


“Garrett... are you fracking serious right now?  Put me down!” I shouted at the top of my lungs.  I struggled to get out of my stupid father's pocket but of course it wasn't happening.  Instead, my father led Luke to the family room and pointed out a chair to him.

“Have a seat, son,” he said, motioning and then taking a seat of his own.  “You'll have to excuse my daughter—”

“Not a problem,” Luke said.  It was obvious that this was awkward.  He shifted uncomfortably on the chair and looked around.  “You have a nice place Mr. Nicholas.”  He chuckled to himself.  “Much smaller than a lot of the homes I go to.”

“Come again?” my dad asked, arching a suspicious brow.  “You go to a lot of human houses?”

He nodded, shifting again in his chair.  “I have a few human friends.”

“I see...”

“Dad!” I squealed.  “Let me out.”  Red faced and annoyed, I turned to look at Luke who was watching me with a curious expression – almost amused.  It was almost too much to take.  “Dammit!  Take me out of here, right now!”

My father ignored me.  “So...” he went on, leaning back a bit in his chair and taking me along with him for the right.  “Luke, right?  Luke Walters?”

He nodded.  “Yes, sir?”

“I've heard about you,” he muttered.

“Ugh, seriously, dad!  Will you stop interrogating him?  Luke!” I shouted, reaching over the lip of the pocket.  “Are you ready to go?”

“I'm ready to go,” Luke said, putting on an easy-going smile.  “But uh... your eh... step father...”

“Father,” Garrett clarified.  For some reason his heart started to pound harder and it grew warmer in the pocket.  Oh God.  I was humiliated.  I was going to die – just die from embarrassment.  How could this actually be happening to me?  “I'm her father.  I became her father the moment I married her mother.”

Luke nodded.  “Of course, of course,” he said, shifting again.  “I just thought... it's rare for a human to have a giant for a parent.  I wasn't expecting it.”  His eyes shifted away and he started to look annoyed.

“Garrett, please!” I shouted.  “I'm begging you!  Just let me out of here!  It's hot!”

“Maybe... maybe you should let her out?” Luke offered.  “I swear I won't runaway with her.”

My father didn't laugh, but instead looked down at me from that terribly awkward and humiliating angle.  I hated pockets.  Hated them.  I didn't like being in his and I didn't like being in Isabelle's.  Hell, I didn't even think I'd want to be in Luke's, but I was starting to wonder if that was really true.  Being stranded in your father's pocket is just too damn... humiliating.

“Just a moment,” my dad said, turning his attention back to Luke.  “Why did you ask out my daughter?”

“Daaaaaadddd,” I groaned. “Come onnnn...”

“It's alright, Maya,” Luke's voice called over from across the coffee table.  He sat up straighter.  “I guess I should have been more prepared for this.  Usually—eh,” he stopped himself short and leaned forward on the couch.  “I was walking down the hallway with my friends the other day and I spotted Maya also using our hallway—”

“The ground, Maya?” Garrett interrupted with a hiss.  “You were walking on the ground?”

“It was fine!”

“What about the tunnels?  What is my tax money paying for at that school if you won't use the tunnels?”

“They're optional, dad!” I shouted.

“You could have been hurt.”

“She was very careful,” Luke gracefully intervened.  “She kept to the walls like a champ.  Honestly, I almost didn't see her—”

“See?” My father crowed like a proud rooster.  “You could have been—”

“And that's when I first noticed her,” Luke went on.  “She looked so brave, walking around on the ground floor like that.  Like you said, not many humans do.  They use the tunnels because so many humans look at us like we're monsters.  But Maya... she was different.”  He shot a charming smile towards me and then my father.  “I knew I had to take her out.”  His brow furrowed for a moment.  “I guess I knew where her brevity comes from.  I didn't think... I didn't think your father was a giant, Maya.  Not until you gave me the address.”

“It's not a big deal,” I said softly, growing shy under his attention.  “He's... he's Garrett.”

“I'm your father,” he clarified.  His eyes narrowed and took Luke in for a few more silent moments until he jolted in his chair.  I glanced up and his eyes were widened as though he just realized something.

“Sir?” Luke croaked.  Even he sounded a little nervous.

“And that... that's all it is?” Garrett asked.  “There's no other reason why you asked out my daughter?”  His voice sounded dark and cold suddenly.

Luke gave a nervous shrug of his shoulders.  “I guess so, sir.  What... what can I say?  I was hooked.”

“I bet you were.”

“Garrett?”  My voice must have sounded soft and hesitant in his ears.  I could hardly hear myself over the loud pounding behind me.  I had never seen Garret like this.  So cold.  So stoic.  So intimidating.  I was glad Luke wasn't a human.  He would have been running for the hills by now.  “Are you alright, Garrett?” I tried again, tapping his chest.

He jolted again, almost coming out from a trance.  “Mr. Walters,” he said stiffly, standing up from his chair.

It was about damn time.

“I'm afraid that tonight is just not a good night for Maya.  I'm sorry, but you're going to have to reschedule.”

“What?” Luke asked, croaking out a disbelieving laugh.

“What?” I wailed.  “Garrett, are you fracking serious?”

“Uh... yes, sir.  With all due respect—”

“I said it's not a good night,” my father snapped again.  “I'm going to have to ask you to leave.  It's been a pleasure, Mr. Walters but it's just not a good night.  My sincerest apologies.”

“Garrett!  You have to be kidding!” I screamed.

This was not happening.

This couldn't be happening.

Luke stood up from his chair, shocked as I was.

This was totally happening.

“Stop, Garrett!  That's not fair!”  I never felt so helpless as when my father led Luke to the door and there was nothing I could do about it.  Honestly, he looked as pissed as I did with a red face and a flicker of annoyance across his blue eyes.

“Sir, please,” Luke said.  “I'll have her back anytime you want.  Eleven, ten, nine... hell, eight.  I just need to take her out—”

“That's enough,” my dad said, opening the door wide and ushering him out.  “My daughter will talk to you at school, but it's not a good night.  Enjoy your evening, Mr. Walters.”

“Garrett, no!” I started to try and climb out from the pocket again.  “You can't be serious.”

“Alright,” Luke said, hardening his gaze slightly.  “I'll go.  But you can't keep her cooped up like this, sir.  If you don't mind me saying.”

“I do mind,” Garrett said as he started to close the door.

Luke stuck his foot in the jam.  “I'll ask her out again.  And again and again until she can finally go out with me.  She has to.”

“Dad, seriously.  Just let me go,” I shouted.

“Not if I can help it,” Garrett said in a hard edged voice, before slamming the door shut.

“Luke wait!” I shouted.  “Luke please!  Get on Skype when you get home!  I'll explain.”  Footsteps trailed away.

And then I exploded.

“Are.  You.  SERIOUS??” I shouted at the top of my lungs.  “Seriously, Garrett.  Are your trying to ruin my life?”

“He's not good for you,” Garrett said simply as he locked the door and strode back to my room.  “I didn't like him.”

“So don't you go out with him!  Dad, he's one of the most popular kids at my school!  And he asked me out!  How could you... why would you...” I couldn't form coherent words as my dad's steps rumbled below me and brought me back to my room.  My eyes started to water as he reached in and set me on my bed next to my computer.

“You can Skype with him if you'd like,” he said, trying his best to ignore my tears.  I knew, that as a giant, it was damn near impossible not to cave to a human you caved about.  My mother had won many an argument with Garrett because of this fact and I knew Garrett viewed me as someone just as important to him.  He stiffened back into a standing position for a moment before his jaw squared and he crouched down to be closer to my level.

“Maya, you have to understand.  He didn't have good vibes.”

“Leave me alone,” I croaked out.  “I hate you.  I can't believe you just did that to me!  You humiliated me... just... just because you could.  Because you're a giant.”

“Honey, you know that's not true...”

“It is!” I wailed through my tears.  “What?  Do you think that's normal?  Do you think if I had a normal dad that he would put me in his pocket and make me go through something like that?  No!  No, he wouldn't.  Because he would be normal.  He couldn't do that.  But you did... and you embarrassed me.”  I shook my head hard.  “You... you humiliated me, Garrett.”

His face crumbled slightly.  “That... that was never my intent, Maya.”

“Well it doesn't matter now, does it?  Luke's gone and he's probably going to tell everyone what happened.  I'll be the laughing stock of the whole school.”

“Sweetheart, you don't understand.  His vibes—”

“I don't care!” I shouted over him.  He flinched back, but remained crouched.  I pulled my knees up to my chest and hide my face.  “Seriously, Garrett.  Just go away.  Leave me alone.”  I sniffed hard into my knees and mom's blazer.  It smelled like her even through my tears.

“Come on, Maya... we could watch a movie...”  Something started to touch my back.

“Just go away!” I shouted again, as loud as I could.  The warmth against my back quickly left again.  Fabric rustled and loud steps started to thunder heavily on the hardwood floor.  I pulled myself into a tighter ball and willed my body to just eat itself.

“Maya... once again... I'm so sorry.  I didn't think...”

“Just go,” I croaked out.  “Leave me alone.”

Steps pounded even further away.

Humiliated.  I was just humiliated.