The Weight of the World (Pete Wentz)
Based On the Request: Dad!Pete imagine where you sneak out to see your girlfriend and he catches you and you refuse to tell him why (bc you don't know if he'd accept you) and then maybe a week later (angsty af comin ur way)he sees you crying and you break down and tell him everything and then he gives you back your phone or whatever and your girlfriend gets to talk to you and tell you everything is alright. Thx love ya!
I send one last text to Rachel, telling her I’m leaving the house right now, before I brace myself to sneak out. I turn the doorknob slowly, cautiously peeking my head through the doorway, double checking that everyone in the house is still asleep. I’m met only with quiet darkness, so I open my door all the way and slip out, closing it softly behind me. I slide my hand along the railing as I attempt to walk down the stairs quietly, avoiding the second from the last step, and avoiding it’s inevitable squeak.
After what seems like an eternity, I make it to the front door. I slowly unlock it, take a breath, and start to turn the knob. The knob turns silently, but once I turned it, the sound of a truck horn blares behind me as the lights flash on all at once, practically stopping my heart and forcing a scream out of me. I spin around towards the source of the noise and see my very angry, very awake Dad, holding a bull horn.
“Are you trying to scare me to death?” I whisper shout at him
He raises a single eyebrow, glaring at me, “You wanna try that again in a different tone young lady? Because last time I checked, you’re the one sneaking out of the house at ONE IN THE MORNING”
I blanch at his yelling, look down at my feet, and say nothing.
“Well?” he asks, moving forward and standing right in front of me, crossing his arms, “ Are you gonna tell me why you need to leave the house, in secret, right now?”
I pale, panic flaring in my chest, “I.. just.. um..” I stutter out.
“I was just going to see some friends” I say quietly, hoping he’ll buy the lie.
“Sure you were” he says sarcastically, “ but what’s the real reason?”
Okay, so he’s not buying it. “That is the real reason” I repeat, avoiding his accusatory eyes.
“Alright, fine, if this is how it’s gonna be,” Dad say angrily, holding out his hand, “Phone, now.”
“What?” I reply, panicked, “You can’t do that!”
“Um yeah, I can, I’m your father remember? You broke the rules, with no good reason, so I’m taking your phone. Oh, and also, you’re grounded for two weeks”
“That’s not fair! The boys can come and go whenever they want without getting in trouble!”
“The boys are older, and always tell your mom or I where they're going, you are neither of those things, and unless you have a legitimate reason for sneaking out, you’re grounded”
My mouth opens as I consider telling him everything. About Rachel, my wonderful, beautiful girlfriend who makes me happier than I ever thought possible, yet can’t seem to be happy herself. All I want in the world is to be with her right now, but my fear and shame chokes me, and the words die in my throat.
“Alright, you’re choosing this. No electronics for the next week, you’ll work and come home and that's it, no friends, no nothing. Phone, now!” Dad yells as his patience runs out.
Glaring at him I pull my phone and slap it into his hand, and when he points back up to my room, I stomp up the stairs, slamming the door for good measure. It isn't until I drop into bed that the tears start falling.
It’s one week into being grounded, and it’s hell. I do nothing but work, and when I do come home, Dad puts me to work, cleaning, sorting, literally anything and everything that could be done around the house. Every night he asks me again why I was sneaking out, clearly aware that I’m hiding something, but every night my fear of judgement stops me from telling him.
Today, devoid of any electronics, I received a letter from Rachel, written three days ago. I settle into my bed to read it, not surprised to find it's more than three pages long.
It starts out normal, her telling me she knows I’m grounded and not just ignoring her, that she’s sorry. But then it takes a turn. She apologizes for being needy and annoying, saying she knows how bad she can be. She tells me that she switched depression meds, but they're not working. She’s feeling worse, and she’s scared to be alone, but she doesn't want to bother her parents about it, so she hasn't told anyone. As I read about her continuing worsening of depression, dread grows inside of me. I jump up from the bed and pull on the nearest shoes, grabbing my purse and racing downstairs. She needs me, and she needs me now.
I pound down the stairs, loud enough to draw my Dad out of the kitchen. Unfortunately, he grabs my arm as I move towards the door.
“Woah, woah, woah, where do you think you’re going?” he asks, forcing me to look at him.
“I have to go to Rachel’s, right now” I say yanking my arm out of his grasp.
“You’re grounded remember? You’re not going anywhere” He states firmly, crossing to stand in front of the door.
“I have to!” I yell, to no reaction. “Please” I beg, my voice cracking. He looks at me concerned, but doesn't move. Frustrated, I spin around and rush back up to my room. I make it to my room and slam the door shut. Spotting the letter on the bed, I finally break down, and tears rush down my face. Unable to hold back my sobs, I clutch the letter to my chest and weep. I hear movement outside my door, but I don’t even attempt to be quiet.
The door opens slowly, and Dad sticks his head in, face crumpling in concern when he sees me in a heap on the bed.
He immediately crosses the room to the side of my bed, dropping to his knees to be at my level. He runs his hand over my hair before taking both of my hands in his, waiting for me to look at him. I momentarily compose myself and look at him, but my face crumples again when I meet his eyes.
“Oh honey,” he says, kissing my forehead, “ will you talk to me please? I want to help, I promise. Can you tell me why you need to see Rachel?”
I take a few deep breaths, struggling to compose myself again. After several seconds, I’ve calmed down enough to talk. “She’s been depressed lately, and she just switched to new meds but they're not working, she won’t tell her parents she’s having problems, but they're out of town right now and I’m terrified of what’s going to happen if she’s a-all alone” I blurt everything out in one long, rambling sentence, my voice cracking at the end.
“Oh (Y/N), I’m so sorry, she’s one of your best friends this must be so rough for you, and I had no idea” he says sadly, squeezing my hands. “Is that why you were sneaking out the other night?”
Sniffing, I nod my head shakily.
“Oh honey, why didn’t you just tell me?” He asks me, pleading for understanding.
The shame pools in my stomach as I sit up, pulling my hands out of his. “Because, she’s not just my friend, Dad, she’s my girlfriend” I whisper, ashamed.
A slight look of surprise flits across his face, quickly places by confusion. “So? What does that matter? Wouldn’t that make it more urgent?”
“Yea, but, I,” I respond,looking back at him confused, “I thought-”
“What? You thought I would love you less, or not support you, because you love a girl?” he asks, sadly.
“Maybe” I say, eyes filling with tears as I look away.
“Oh honey, you couldn’t be more wrong” he says, rising from the floor and sitting next to me, pulling me into a hug. I cling on to him and bury my face in his shoulder. “(Y/N), you are my daughter, and one of the most important people in the world to me, and nothing you could ever do can change that.” He pulls away and looks into my eyes. “Loving who you love is not a crime, okay? You can be with whoever you want, as long as it makes you happy. You know that, don’t you?”
Smiling, I nod my head,relieved, and hug him again. “ I love you, Dad” I say, voice muffled by his shirt.
“I love you too, sweetheart” He says back, pressing a kiss onto the top of my head. “Now, you are officially ungrounded, so let’s go, you have a girlfriend to get to right?”
“Right, let’s go” I say happily, jumping up from my bed and rushing out of the room, pulling Dad with me.
Finally, I feel like I no longer have the weight of the world on my shoulders, because no matter what, Dad will always be there to help carry the load.
