Porcelain doll.

At the risk of sounding foolish, she gently spoke out to the brooding man.
Not with contempt or cheek. She would never do that. Nor had she ever had the desire to do so.
For she wanted something else. Something so much more frightening than getting in trouble for being smart.

His words resonate through her mind before the conversation has even taken place.
She is mentally preparing herself for heartache.
"What do you want?"
For you to look at me when you speak.
"Nothing, I just came to see what you were doing."
"Then we're doing the same thing; nothing. What's your excuse?" he asked her smugly as he took another mouthful of his beer, before settling back into his seat; alluding superiority which left her feeling like an outsider.
What's my excuse? I don't know? I don't know anything when it comes to you. Maybe, I thought we could have spent the day together. 
"Oh, I don't know." She said with a fake laugh as she turned shyly.
She had hoped that her laugh had sufficiently covered the silent sound of her fragile heart being crushed into a million pieces. She knew that was a bad answer, yet it was the only sentence that she could pucker up the courage to let exit her trembling mouth.  She's ruined it again.
"That sounds about right. You sound pretty stupid, if you ask me."

Once more she turned away, only this time, vacant.
No overwhelming emotions; supression truly was one of her finest qualities. If only it were something to be proud of.
Her feet shuffled quietly in the opposite direction, carrying not only her physical weight but the huge and overwhelming pressure that was confining her; a burden that not only loomed in her every shadow but also winded her in the stomach regularly, just to remind her of its presence.

Not all days were like that. Some days, she was able to avoid his burning glare all together. Those days were generally the easiest. If she didn't see him, she could pretend things were different.

The situation confused her young mind. For she would often see him with others from afar. He was happy and carefree. She followed him to work sometimes. He did well, worked hard, made an effort. If he could do that job, why couldn't he do his god-given one?

"He loves you. He just doesn't know how to show it." Others would say, on occassion.
"I know he does." she nodded submissively. There was no point arguing, for she didn't have the emotional capacity to defend herself. Her spirit had been crushed. Deep down she knew she was right. However, she had lived the life of a porcelain doll; standing beautifully and smiling gracefully, observing everything, only for it to fester in her fragile glass skin. And because she had never been touched or admired up close, never had she been taken down from the shelf to risk damage; those observations just hardened the fragile glass. Supression truly was one of her finest qualities.

She would wake crying because of nightmares.
She could never figure out which was worse, the monsters in the dream, or him ignoring her screams for help.
The screams got louder and louder.
HELP!
Other people would run to her aid. They were no use to her.
 She needed a special kind of superhero to fight those monsters away. The monsters with the cunning smiles and protruding hands. The monsters who knew better than she did and made her feel like she couldn't escape. The worst kind of monsters, that should only ever exist in a dream; the monsters who could hurt you and get away with it without consequence; the monsters who could leave you feeling as though you had brought it all on yourself and you deserved it.
It scared her to think that her superhero might not exist.
It scared her more to think, that he did, but instead just didn't care.

Years passed, no superhero eventuated from past experiences.
Never had there been a sense of contentment for the girl.
Too much had happened for that to occur, at least in the sense that other people believe it's portrayed.
But rather she developed a disposition of independence. No longer did she yearn for that man's affection. She lost him a long time before. Never did she go looking for him, nor did she ever try to replace him.

She simply occupied the role of a daughter. It was not and never was her responsibility to look after or please her father.