TWENTY FOUR - LEXXIE

Lexie Samantha's dad looked visibly upset. I felt like a cat thrown into water and then swiftly thrown out again. His expression shifted from bewildered to shocked to enraged in mere seconds. Despite this, our communication was becoming easier, resembling our conversations when we first started college. As he slid his phone back into his coat pocket, he approached me. "Apologies, Lexie. I didn't see you when I looked," he said, though I knew he had. Call it intuition, but I could sense someone's gaze on me, even if I couldn't identify the person. In an attempt to regain my composure, I replied, "No, I should apologize. I should have taken a taxi instead of driving myself." I didn't dare admit that the idea made me nervous because of my embarrassment. I felt overwhelmed. Maybe I would have been happier if I had just rescheduled my trip to Ohio and spent the summer there instead. He effortlessly picked up my luggage, making it seem as light as air, and calmly remarked, "No, you shouldn't