“And he’s noticed you, huh?” Mom tries to look impressed, but it’s so freaking fake.
Whatever, Mom. You don’t have to do this, you know? Nothing you say will change my mind about him.
“Is he a senior?”
We inch forward, and I end up hissing, “Yes. Do you have a problem with that?”
“A little.” She tips her head. “That’s kind of a big age gap.”
“No, it’s not,” I bite back. “It’s four years. That’s nothing.”
“When you’re older, sure. But right now, you’re fourteen and he’s eighteen…”
“And what?” I snap, glancing at her before scanning my boarding pass and following Dad and my brothers down the concourse.
“Well, he’s legal. You’re not.”
“What is that supposed to mean?” I frown at her.
“I just want you to be aware of the dynamic here. And I want to make sure thatCurryis aware of the fact that you’re an underage girl. An inexperienced one.”
“Well, maybe I’m lucky, then, because he can give me all of the experiences I need.”
“Excuse me?” Mom balks. “Zoey, no. I’m saying that you don’t need experiences yet. You need to be careful about what his expectations are. I don’t want you getting into a situation that you’re not mature enough to handle.”
“Oh, so you’re saying I’m immature now?”
“No.” Mom closes her eyes, looking worn out by this conversation already.
Good. Maybe we can stop having it, then!
I move ahead, flashing my boarding pass at the flight attendant before walking down to my seat with a huff.
God, please don’t let Mom sit next to me for the flight!
Reaching my business-class row, I check my ticket again, then pull off my bag, placing it in the overhead bin. Dad’s just in front of me, organizing the boys, and Mom comes up behind me, relentlessly continuing her stupid lecture.
“I know you might not like it, but youareonly fourteen. And I’m not saying you can’t hang out with this guy. I’m just saying you need to check yourself before you go kissing him. You need to be mindful of the impressions you give and the expectationsyou unwittingly set. He might think you’re offering him a lot more than you’re actually willing to give. Mindless flirting can be fun, sure. And it’s all well and good until he thinks you mean more and then things get out of hand.”
“Oh, please. Just stop!” I spin around, my voice rising for a second before I quickly lower it and bark at her, “I’m not stupid, okay? As if I would let some guy cross a line that I don’t want him to. What the hell do you think I’m gonna do? Get myself knocked up in high school? What kind of idiot would do that!”
Okay, so my voice has risen again, and now Mom’s going really pale and… oh…oh shit.
What did I just say?
I just…
Oh fuck me!
Mom’s blue eyes glass, and she can’t hide her wounded expression fast enough.
Instant regret washes through me, but I don’t have a chance to say anything, because Dad is grabbing my arm and spinning me around to face him.
His look is so freaking thunderous it’s actually kind of terrifying.
His nostrils flare as he glares down at me and whisper-barks, “That is enough! You do not speak to her that way. Give me your phone.”
“What?”
