She stiffened. “Ending?”
“When you go to NYU.”
Ice trickled down her spine. “Well, that’s the thing, Dad. I’ve decided... I’ve, ah. . .”
His hands tightened around hers.
Somehow, the pressure steadied her. “I’m deferring. For a year. I’m not going to New York without him.”
There. She’d said it. At the worst possible moment, but anything less would have been a betrayal.
Her father dropped her hands as if stung. “What? No. Absolutely not.”
“Yes. I’m staying in Henderson for another year to save up, and then we’re leaving together. We’re going to move in—”
“No,” he thundered. A vein in his temple throbbed. “Absolutely not.You haven’t told NYU this yet, have you?”
“No, but it’s not up for discussion.”
“Everything is up for discussion.” He rose and paced. A red mottle rose in his cheeks, brighter than the one he’d worn in the kitchen. “And you’ve worked too hard to defer. You have a plan. I’m not letting you throw it away for someboyfriend.”
“He’s not just a boyfriend!”
The conversation quickly spun out of control, degenerating to a cacophony of raised voices and impassioned pleas.
“Pack a bag,” her father said, when Aubrey started crying. “We’re going away for a few days. Somewhere where you can think about this. I meanreallythink, away from that boy. You need to approach this with a clear head.”
“I don’t want to go away. And I don’t need to think about it.”
“I’m not asking.”
“I don’t care. You can’t force me.”
His eyes flashed. “Think about this, Aubrey. It’s inertia. Simple physics. If you stay in Henderson, it’ll only get harder and harder to leave. And I know that’s not what you want for yourself. It’s not what I want for you, either.”
She sniffled. She had no doubt his heart was in the right place, but he didn’t understand.
She struggled to her feet, her hands flexing into fists. His eyes had hardened to chunks of jade, and as she wiped away her tears, she imagined hers had done the same.
“Look, Dad, I love you, but this isn’t your call. I’m eighteen now. An adult. And I know what I want. So if you put something in my way, I’ll just go around you. If you knock me down, I’ll get right back up. If you—”
“Donotfinish that sentence,” he half-shouted. “Not to me.”
She took a step. “Yes, to you. You taught me to never give up, and guess what? You don’t get to pick and choose when that applies. So yeah, if you stick me between a rock and a hard place, I’ll split the difference and aim straight down the middle.And that’s what this is. The middle. The path that gets me where I want to go.”
He gaped, but a subtle gleam undercut his fury. Aubrey dared to hope she’d impressed him, if only a bit.
“We’re going,” he said. The knot of his tie hung askew. “And that’s final.”
“You know what?” she snapped. “Fine.Ifyou agree that when we get back, that’s the end of it. If I still want to stay, I’m staying, and we’re not discussing this again.”
His jaw worked. “Fine. But onlyifyou make an honest and open-minded effort to reevaluate your decision.”
As angry and affronted as she was, a rush of love shot through her. “Okay. Yes. Thank you.”
“Now go pack. We’re leaving tomorrow. For a week.”
He stormed off to make some phone calls, no doubt rearranging his work schedule. Aubrey retreated to her bedroom to do as she was told.
