Yeah, but only for like three seconds. Scared the shit out of me.
Indie:
How did they even get away with that? Didn’t the flight attendants stop them?
Galaxy Rider:
It was a private plane.
Indie:
Okay, really? Talk about first-world problems. You’re not getting any more sympathy from me.
Galaxy Rider:
Because you were being so sympathetic to begin with?
I was so preoccupied by my conversation with Xander that I didn’t realize there was anyone else in the room.
“Indie,” said an uncharacteristically stern voice.
I startled, nearly dropping my phone, and glanced around. Dad was seated at the breakfast nook with only a mug of coffee positioned in front of him, no laptop or his usual spread of papers in sight. Even his Bluetooth headset was nowhere to be found. That the table was empty felt wrong somehow, like my father was missing one of his limbs. Why wasn’t he working?
“Oh, hey,” I said, giving him a puzzled once-over. “What are you doing out here?”
“Waiting for you.” His mouth set into a thin, white line, and he pointed to the spot opposite him. “Sit down, please. We need to talk.”
“Okay?” I dropped onto the bench even though every muscle in my body was twitching with the urge to flee. We hadn’t seen each other since our fight at the theater, and I had a bad feeling this conversation wouldn’t go my way.
“I received a call from your guidance counselor this morning.” He paused and gave me a hard look. “Why did you skip school last Friday?”
Oh shit.
My mouth opened and closed as I searched for an answer to explain my absence. There was always the classic sick excuse, but I couldn’t bring myself to lie. I ran a hand through my hair and sighed. “Does it matter? I was home the entire time.”
“Of course it matters, Indigo. This is completely out of character for you.”
“I wasn’t drinking, doing drugs, or anything else diabolical,” I replied, my palms raised in defense. “There was a project I had to get done, that’s all.”
“If you’re struggling to finish your schoolwork, then you need to start budgeting your time more carefully,” he told me. “You can’t be so careless in college, or you’ll fall behind in your classes.”
A needle of annoyance pricked at me. Why was he blowing this situation out of proportion? Truancy wasn’t a hobby of mine. I’d never received a detention before, and on top of that, I was a straight A student. “Dad,” I said as calmly as possible, “I only missed one day.”
“This isn’t just about Friday. Violet told me you abandoned her at Comic Con, and you did the same thing to me the night of the premiere. That’s not a one-time offense, it’s a pattern, so I want to make myself very clear: the kind of irresponsible behavior you’ve been exhibiting lately is unacceptable. You’re grounded until Thanksgiving.” He said this firmly, his decision already made.“From now on, you go to school, come home, and that’s it. No hanging out with Sofia or watching TV. Am I clear?”
I gaped at him, my jaw on the brink of unhinging. This was a joke, right? Mom had always taken a hands-on approach to parenting. She packed my lunches, helped me with homework, and enforced my curfew. But when she moved out, Dad never stepped up to the plate. Living with him was more like having an invisible roommate than a parental figure. And now, after years of being too busy to be present in my life, he was lecturingmeon irresponsible behavior?
“Indie, am I clear?” he repeated.
Crossing my arms, I slumped against the back of the bench. “Crystal.”
Dad’s nostrils flared. “Do you think this is funny?”
In an effort not to snap, I sucked my lips between my teeth and silently counted to five. “No, I’m sorry,” I told him in what I hoped was a regretful tone.
He studied me for a moment, but my performance must have been believable, because the livid expression disappeared from his face, and he inclined his head. “Thank you, Indie. I appreciate that. Now why don’t we talk about something more pleasant?”
Oh, goodie!“Like what?”
