Alan would have to be blind not to see what’s obvious.

I scrunch my mouth. I start to shake my head, flipping my hair, and fight to hold my emotions in check.

“Go get your stuff. I’ll drive you home.”

I look away from him. “I don’t have to go anywhere with you. You’re not my father.”

The second I say father my stomach shudders.

He stares at me, shaking his head.

“I suggest you get moving. Now, Kaley.”

My fingers curl around the counter until my knuckles turn white. “I should have wrecked the fucking car!”

Crap, I showed my anger first.

I look at him.

Black eyes rapidly search my face as if he’s trying to figure out what’s going with me and can’t.

My stomach does another painful somersault.

“I don’t give a damn about the car, Kaley.” He leans across the counter, removes a rolling pin from a kitchen countertop utensil set, and holds it out to me. “Wreck away. Destroy the car if you think it will help you. Then maybe you’ll be ready to talk to me and you can explain to me why you’re angry.”

Really?

Why I’m angry?

Are you cruel?

Stupid?

Or just dense like everyone says?

You’re my fucking father; why shouldn’t I be angry?

“I don’t want to talk to you,” I murmur in an embarrassingly weak voice. “It’s pointless. It always has been. I’m not leaving here with you. Call the cops if you want to. I don’t care.”

The second I say those words my insides go cold because I realize they’re true; it is pointless. I won’t ever get the truth by talking to him.

“I’m trying to cut you a break here, Kaley.”

Is that what you call this?

Cutting me a break?

“You’re not cutting me a break,” I snap with more emotion than I want to show. “That’s not what you’re doing here. Denial may be a terminal addiction for you, but even you should be able to figure out that I’m not a child anymore and I’m not stupid.”

He rakes a hand through his hair again. “I know you’re not a child. I’ve never thought you were stupid. I know you’ve been through a lot lately. It’s why I’m willing to let this go and take you home.”

“Now you’re just being patronizing and stupid.”

I push away from the counter and run from the room. I dropped to my knees beside the bed, grab my tote, and lift out the box Zoe and I bought at the pharmacy last night. GeneSys Home Paternity Test. Try being fucking clueless with this shoved in your face.

I go back into the kitchen, stare at him, and slam it down on the counter in front of him.

Alan’s face pales. “Where did you get that?”

“You can buy more than condoms at the drug store.”

He grimaces, and I can feel that internally he’s as chaotic as I am now. Getting the picture at last, Dad? Even as frightened as I am, something akin to crippling relief floods my veins, a sensation that this part of my life will be over soon, and that my dad might finally just talk straight to me and explain to me why—

“I’m not going to take that.” Alan’s furious voice pulls me from my thought. “You’re being ridiculous. You’ve embarrassed me. Are you happy?”

I gape at him.

Embarrassed?

Happy?

I fight not to throw the box at him, and instead calmly remove and then unwrap one long Q-tip looking instrument.

I hold it out to him. “Touch it inside your cheek and give it back to me. I can do the rest myself.”

His eyes move so rapidly as he studies me I can’t tell what he’s thinking or how this is hitting him or what direction this is going to go.

“This is about Khloe,” he announces as if a lightbulb just turned on in his head.

Infuriating and wrong.

“Your constant anger at me, everything you’ve done this morning, it is about your sister,” he continues in disbelief. He meets my gaze directly, unwaveringly. “Yes, she’s my daughter, you are going to have to figure out a way to be OK with that, and I don’t need to take a DNA test, Kaley. There is no doubt in my mind and I won’t do it. I would never hurt your mother that way. Your mother’s word is enough for me. It should be enough for you, too.”

Oh God, Alan, there’s only two of us talking here. Why am I not even the focus of this discussion for you? Why is it always my mother? Only now it’s Khloe also and not me.

The tears are pushing upward.

I have to get out of the room.

I won’t let him see me cry.

“God, you’re an idiot,” I scream, startling everyone, before I grab the box off the counter.

I hurry down the hallway to Zoe’s room. My thoughts and emotions are spinning. I shoved a DNA test in his face, and even after that, for him, it wasn’t about me.

The tears erupt and I sink down on the bed.

I feel arms around me.

I turn into Zoe.

“I’m sorry, Kaley. I know that was awful for you. But Alan is here. I know you missed it. But he was trying. He just didn’t get it. You shouldn’t have run. Why didn’t you just ask him if he’s your dad? Why didn’t you talk to him? Demand the truth.”

I lift my face, frantically brushing at the streaming wetness on my cheeks. “Because I could see it in his eyes. He is never going to tell me the truth. He would have lied to me. I didn’t want to hear him say the words to my face. I don’t think I could take that.”

*  *  *

When I pull into my garage, Mom’s car is gone. Perfect.

I unbuckle my seat belt and grab my bag.

“Kaley, you’re not really going to do it, are you?”

My mouth drops as I look at Zoe, nervous crinkle in her brow and ridiculously fretful. Can she really wonder that after the scene in her kitchen this morning?

“Yep. I’m doing it,” I announce, opening the car door. “I don’t know why you are still freaked out. Nothing bad happened. Jeez, Alan didn’t even call my mom. My phone would have blown up hours ago if he had. He never gets mad. He never tells on me. It’s all good. Can you stop worrying? Are you coming?”

Zoe lets out a shuddering breath. “Yes. I’m coming. I’m hoping you’ll change your mind. I don’t think this is the way to do it. It feels kind of wrong to me.”

I slam shut my door and wait as she climbs from the passenger seat.

I stare at her across the roof. “I won’t get the truth any other way.”

Her pale brows crinkle more. “Just promise me you won’t do anything crazy after you get it or I won’t help you.”

I roll my eyes. “Way to have my back, Zoe.”

She crosses her arms.

I widen my eyes. “I promise.”

I open the door into the house and the sound hits me like a brick. Twins running wild. Someone has turned on the audio system all through the rooms. Katy Perry. Gag me.

I go into the kitchen and find Aarsi and Krystal sitting together like besties on the family room floor, with Khloe in a bouncer between them.

“Where’s Mom?”

Aarsi clicks off the music. “Out with Lourdes.”

I go down the hall into my bedroom and close the door behind Zoe. I sink down on the bed, pull the box out of the bag, and start reading the instructions.

Kinship DNA test.

Designed to test siblings.

I can’t believe Zoe thought of this.

Why is she panicking now?

Why are there five sticks included? Are there really families that fucked up in the world? Directions look simple enough. Swab inside of cheek. Return tester to foil pouch. Seal. Mail. Six to eight weeks for results.

Easy beans.

What’s this form?

I pull it out and start reading. Oh shit. Why can’t they just give me the results by e-mail?

I turn to Zoe. She’s leaning back against my headboard, phone in hand and rapidly texting.

My eyes narrow. “What are you doing? You better not be telling Bobby about any of this.”

Her face snaps up and her cheeks redden. “No. I’m not. I promised I wouldn’t. But I probably should tell him everything. And by the way, I do have a life other than you, Kaley. I’m texting Jake, if you must know.”