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“Yes, yes. I understand” said Ace somberly as he ended the call.

He pulled his smartphone from his ears and put it in his pockets.

“Aletha! Aletha, my girl, come over here!”.

Ace looked towards the door patiently. Soon she walked sluggishly into the room. Her short dark hair was untidy and sweaty. Dark circles had formed under her ocean blue eyes and she looked at her father with contempt.  

“What do you want?” she said hastily.

Ghrr, Listen to the tone of her voice!

Ace ignored the thought and tried to be as nice and fatherly as he could. As any good parent should act.  

“Your teacher called me. He told me about the little show you pulled off on lecture today”

Immediately her eyes rolled in its sockets.

“Yeah, what about it?” said Aletha with a thug-like tone.

The girl’s manners were enough to make Ace’s pent up anger to explode.  

“What about it?! Can’t you just study and do what your teachers tell you to do without causing trouble? Ugh, this is infuriating!”

Ace got up to his feet and looked at his girl with rage. His body tightened and his face reddened. Seeing that his father was about to blast out within a moment, Aletha took a step backward. Seeing the fear in the girl’s eyes, Ace realized that he was doing something horribly wrong. He tried to push all his frustration and rage down.

Calm down. You must not be angry. You’re a man of the people. A role model

He straightened the red tie on his collar and spoke.

“Aletha, my dear. Do you know how much it costs for you to change universities?”

“It costs much only because you’re not allowing me to go to cheaper schools” grumbled Aletha.

“Cheap schools? Come on, Aletha. You are my daughter, my flesh and blood. You know that I can’t let you study with those other children from the middle class” said Ace with a painted smile.

“Why? Aren’t all people equals? That’s what your so-called democracy stands for, right? And who knows, maybe your campaign might even go more smoothly if people knew you let your girl study with other not so rich and not so exceptional schools”

She formed a satisfactory smile on her face and peered at his father maliciously.

“You know I can’t do that. I love you, my daughter. How can I let you hang around with those ugly barbarous girls and boys”.

“They’re ugly and barbarous because you’re not doing your job as a minister properly, right?” said Aletha sarcastically. 

Ace frowned.

“Why do you think I am responsible for all the wrongdoings of this country, HUH? I’m not superman. I’m just your pops”

“Well…you said you were gonna build more schools and universities that were much cheaper yet sufficient in their tutoring. And the idiots also wanted more schools. That’s the reason they picked you, right?”

Ace fiddled with his thumbs. It was true that he did say that. His research team concluded that the majority of voters were concerned about the education system’s corruption and student loan debts. How the American teenagers weren’t studying properly and falling behind the students of Asia despite the enormous amount of money their parents were pouring into their children’s study. 

But of course, the state money wouldn’t be used for improving the education system. Since lots of money was to be poured into health insurance as well as paying the corporations who financed his campaign in the first place. Building schools was one of the promises he had knowingly lied about.       

“That’s not entirely true. There were other reasons” said Ace

But Aletha ignored him and continued:  

“Which is pretty dumb because schools aren’t necessary anyway. I mean come on, the only promise they give the children and the parents is that they teach teenagers how to make a living. Which is bullshit considering it’s impossible for a school to give practical knowledge to a child about the workplace anyway. As for true knowledge, it is something that you strive to get yourself. It’s not something you learn by just sitting in a classroom and waiting for others to dump their bullshit on you”

This girl!

Ace jumped up to his feet and arrived in front of her with a frown and a hot red face.

“You wouldn’t even know how to write, how to sit silently and how to be obedient if it weren’t for the good darned schools of this society. But seeing how you talk shit out of your venomous mouth, I suppose the schools didn’t teach you some discipline”.

“Maybe I don’t need your discipline! You think I’ll do every shitty homework your teachers give out to me just cause I’m afraid of getting a fucking F grade? I’m not a wuss like the others!”

Ace’s arm moved on its own and slapped her. It was too late when he realized what he had done. Her cheeks were swollen red and tears started to appear on her eyes. Immediately she ran out of the room while sobbing and crying. Ace sighed and walked back to his chair with exhaustion.

He looked at the ceiling blankly.

Damn it, that girl. And damn me and my violent impulses…I hurt her again