Veronica's mother and father had been divorced for as long as she could remember. She was just a baby when it happened. She didn't really know why they ever got divorced or any of the details, but it seemed normal to her because it was all she'd ever known. For awhile, she would go back and forth between her mother and father's homes in the suburbs in North Carolina, but five years ago, her father had received a job offer from a large corporation. It was an offer he couldn't refuse, more than triple the salary he earned. But to get the job would mean he would have to move out of the suburbs and out to L.A. Veronica was devastated, for she adored her father, but he chose to accept the offer and move.
Over the next five years, Veronica only saw her father a handful of times when he would come to North Carolina on business. He'd take her shopping and buy her ice cream and she hated it every time he left. She begged her mother to let her go visit him. She kept asking, and asking, and asking, until one day, finally, her mother gave in. She got on the phone with Veronica's father and made the arrangement for her to fly out to L.A. and be picked up at the airport by him. Veronica was bursting with excitement.
The day finally came and she was all packed and ready to go, standing at the front door at seven a.m. Her mother sighed and hustled her out into the family minivan and they made their way out to the airport. Today was a very special day because it wasn't just the day she'd get to go visit her father, but it was also her birthday. She was eighteen today and had almost forgotten because she was so excited about the trip. Her mother had bought her new pink suitcases for the occasion. Veronica dragged her mother to get her a pass so she could see her off at the gate and talk to the flight attendants about the arrangements. Then, they hugged and waved goodbye and a nice flight attendant took Veronica by the hand and led her to her seat. She was exhausted from staying up all night, too excited to sleep, that she quickly fell into a slumber on the plane.
Before she knew it, the nice flight attendant from before was softly nudging her awake and helping her with her bags. She led her through the cabin and into the airport where Veronica frantically searched the crowd for her father. She spotted him and let out a squeal, taking off to jump into his arms and startling the flight attendant. Her father was a very good looking man. Her mother said he still looked exactly the same as the day she married him. He was tall, over six foot, dark brown hair with just a touch of grey, and brilliant, blue eyes that shone like diamonds. He wore old, softly worn jeans, brown, leather boots, and a blue, button up shirt that matched his eyes, looking handsome without even trying. Veronica breathed in his familiar scent, a hint of spice that she felt she knew from somewhere else a long time ago, but that she could never quite put her finger on.
Veronica was so proud to be meeting her father on her birthday and had gotten all dressed up. She was wearing her brand new, pink miniskirt, a white tank top and jean jacket, and new flip flops. She had grown quite a bit over the last year and was ahead of the other girls in her class, making her feel awkward and out of place. She felt different and wasn't sure what to do with herself. Her mother had tied her hair up in pigtails and put pink ribbons in to match her skirt. She looked absolutely perfect, young and innocent, and ready to take on a world full of adventure.
There had been a problem though. The trip had almost been cancelled because Veronica had been getting into trouble at school. She was hanging out with older girls that her mother didn't approve of and her grades were slipping. Her mother warned her that she had had a talk with her father and he was going to handle things and straighten everything out when she got there. She was a little frightened, but mostly just thrilled to finally be with her father.
