Mom turns back to the front, her shoulders shaking.
"This was a mistake," Dad says quieter, with certainty. "You moving here, being out on your own. You're not prepared."
"And whose fault is that?"
He cuts me another look in the mirror. "All we have ever done is try and protect you, young lady."
"To the point I can't take care of myself? How do you ever expect me to make it on my own if I never even try?"
But he shakes his head again. "It was a mistake, Molly. You should have stayed home with us."
My stomach drops. I know what's coming. "Don't--"
"Come home," he says, softer. "Just for a little while. Let things settle--"
"No!" The word echoes in the cab. “This ismyhouse,mylife, and I'm not leaving him."
"Just…just come and take some time to think. That's all we're asking." Mom says.
Liar.
"Get some perspective. It's so much easier to see everything clearly from a distance."
"I can see just fine."
We pull up to my house, my little island that they managed to turn into a cage.
Slam. Slam. Slam. We exit the car, enter the house--I barely register the door is once again unlocked. I just blow through it and turn on the lights, standing stupidly in my living room.
Grey. My phone is in my hand, and I'm calling him--no answer--texting him.
Molly: Are you okay? What happened?
I stare at the screen, my mind begging,,Please answer, please.
Dad's pacing. "He's going to come here."
"Should we--"…Mom trails off.
What? Leave? Lock the door?It's not even their house.
My phone buzzes in my hand and I draw a breath of thanks.
Grey: I'm okay. I'm sorry. Be there soon. You ok?
The relief is so intense, I could cry.
Molly: I'm okay, but hurry.
Grey: On my way.
"He's okay," I tell my parents. "He's coming over."
Dad's face is colored with dread, his brow beaded with sweat and skin pale. "No, We're leaving before he gets here."
Fury almost devours me. "I'm not going anywhere. This is my home."
"This isn't your home," he snaps, already moving toward my bedroom.
