"I'm going to help her," Daniel explained, holding onto his wife Rachel's hands.
"Ever since her mother died she's needed help, and a camping trip, away from any parties or clubs could help clear her mind."
Rachel scoffed. "Do you know how many men that sexual deviant has let fuck her? She seduced my own brother! She's too far gone."
"She's my daughter," Daniel said through gritted teeth, pulling away from his wife, "And she's my responsibility. I'm taking her camping, just like we used to do, and that's that.
He left in a huff, his camping equipment and spare clothes already in the car, and drove to the local rehabilitation center. He knew the place fairly well, unfortunately, as Amanda had become something of a regular in the past few years. Her mother dying when she was only 16, followed by her father remarrying only three years later could really mess a kid up. Daniel only wished he had been closer to her through the whole thing.
Daniel parked and walked into the rehab center to sign Amanda out. She was waiting in the lobby, guard standing next to her, as she chat him up. She was wearing her normal attire of a far too small tank top, the clear outline of her nipples poking through and the majority of her flat stomach show to the world. She also had on her favorite pair of ripped jeans, the pair with a large hole at the bottom of her ass, showing off her curves. She got that ass from her mother, Daniel thought, watching his daughter talk with the officer.
"So, when do you get off?" Amanda asked, her voice bubbly and her chest forward, exposing even more cleavage.
"Well, uh, I actually..." the man's voice trailed off as Daniel approached.
"I got it from here, Officer uh... Evans, is it? Thanks." The man nodded, his face gone pale, and marched back down the corridor and out of sight.
"You're no fun," Amanda puffed, leaning back in her chair.
"I'm trying to help you," Daniel said, looking down at his daughter. "Come on, get in the car. I know what'll cheer you up."
Amanda squinted, hesitant at first, but ultimately followed her father back to the car and climbed in. She recognized the camping tents and firewood in the back.
"Camping? Seriously? What, you think that'll bring mom back?"
Daniel paused for a while after that. Amanda hunched back in her seat, trying to vanish. The pair of them drove silently through the winding roads and dense forest.
"I've been your age before Amanda, I know what it's like to sleep around," Daniel finally piped up.
"It's not the same thing, and you know it," Amanda replied, almost in a whisper. "You've never been institutionalized before, for starters."
"You're right," Daniel admitted, placing a hand over hers. "But I just want to help. I thought... I thought maybe we could do that together, and remember your mother in the process."
Amanda considered what he said for a moment, before taking his hand in hers.
"Ok. I'll give it a shot." Then, Amanda took Daniel's hand and placed it on her thigh, right over another hole in her jeans. Her skin was silky smooth, and just like the rest of her it seemed flawless. Daniel was caught off guard for a moment, admiring the touch of her skin, thinking about how similar it felt to her mothers, before he yanked his hand back to the steering wheel.
"Stop that," he said, blushing and keeping his eyes forward. Amanda laughed.
"This'll be a fun trip," she said, lying back in her chair and enjoying the dry, hot air.
They arrived at their old site at sundown, and Daniel began pitching their tents, with little help from Amanda. She was fiddling with her phone.
"We probably won't have time for a fire," Daniel noted, watching the sun slide down the trees. "We both had a pretty late lunch, so we should get to bed. I packed some PJs for you in your tent."
They both went into their respective tents, murmured good nights, and Daniel laid down on his bed, flashlight in hand. If there was anything he knew about his daughter, it was that she would try something dumb when his guard was down. He waited, dozing off every once in a while, but always jolting back to consciousness at the slightest sound. Being a light sleeper had its perks after all, it seemed.