Free Teardrop by Lauren Kate

Rhoda that day. She was conscious of it now.
    “Hey, Dad.”
    His dark blue eyes shot open and Eureka registered the fear in them when he startled, as if he’d been released from the same nightmare she’d been having for the past four months. But they didn’t speak about those things.
    “I think I fell asleep,” he mumbled, sitting up and rubbing his eyes. He reached for the bowl of popcorn, handed it to her as if it were a greeting, as if it were a hug.
    “I noticed,” she said, tossing a handful into her mouth. Most days Dad worked ten-hour shifts at the restaurant, starting at six in the morning.
    “You called earlier,” he said. “Sorry I missed you. I tried you soon as I got off work.” He blinked. “What happened to your face?”
    “It’s nothing. Just a scratch.” Eureka avoided his eyes and crossed the den to dig her phone from her bag. She had two missed calls from Dad, one from Brooks, and five from Rhoda.
    She was as tired as if she had run the race this afternoon. The last thing she wanted to do was relive today’s accident for Dad. He’d always been protective, but since Diana’s death, he’d crossed the line into overly.
    To call Dad’s attention to the fact that there were people out there who drove like Ander might cause him to permanently revoke her use of any car. She knew she had to broach the subject, but she had to handle it just right.
    Dad followed her into the foyer. He stood a few feet away and shuffled William’s deck of cards, leaning against one of the columns that held up the faux-frescoed ceiling neither one of them could stand.
    His name was Trenton Michel Boudreaux the Third. He had a defining slimness that he’d passed on to all three of his kids. He was tall, with wiry, dark blond hair and a smile that could charm a copperhead. You’d have to be blind not to notice how women flirted with him. Maybe Dad was trying to be blind to it—he always closed his eyes when he laughed off their advances.
    “Track meet rained out?”
    Eureka nodded.
    “I know you were looking forward to it. I’m sorry.”
    Eureka rolled her eyes, because ever since Dad had married Rhoda he knew basically nothing about her. “Looking forward to it” was not a phrase Eureka would use about anything anymore. He’d never understand why she had to quit the team.
    “How was your”—Dad glanced over his shoulder at the twins, who were absorbed in Bob Barker’s description of the obsolete motor boat his contestant might win—“your … appointment today?”
    Eureka thought about the crap she’d sat through in Dr. Landry’s office, including Dad’s
tough nut to crack
. It was another betrayal; everything with Dad was, now. How could he have married that woman?
    But Eureka also understood: Rhoda was the opposite of Diana. She was stable, grounded, not going anywhere. Diana had loved him but not needed him. Rhoda needed him so much maybe it became a kind of love. Dad seemed lighter with Rhoda than he had without her. Eureka wondered if he ever noticed it had cost him his daughter’s trust.
    “Tell me the truth,” Dad said.
    “Why? It’s not like complaining to you will get me out of going. Not in this Rhodeo.”
    “Was it that bad?”
    “Suddenly you care?” she snapped.
    “Baby, of course I care.” He reached out but she jerked away.
    “Baby
them
.” Eureka waved a hand toward the twins. “I can take care of myself.”
    He handed her the cards. It was a stress killer, and he knew she could make them sail like birds between her hands. The deck was flexible from years of use and warm from his shuffling. Without her realizing, cards began to whir through Eureka’s fingers.
    “Your face.” Dad studied the abrasions on her cheekbones.
    “It’s nothing.”
    He touched her cheek.
    She calmed the flying cards. “I got in an accident on the way back to school.”
    “Eureka.” Dad’s voice rose and he folded her into his arms. He didn’t seem angry. “Are you all