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He scoffs, “Are you kidding? A jock?” I don’t tell him he’s coming from a different coast.
“He and his best friend are coming here to go to the prom with us.” Part of that’s true.
Then my mom adds, “And then the boys are staying with family friends. It’s all fine.”
My father stands and puts his hands on his hips. “It’s fine, is it? I guess it’s all sorted, then.” His tone is cruel. I can’t have him talk to Mom like that when it’s my fault.
I stand and face him. “Dad. It is fine. I’m eighteen.”
“You’re still a child under my roof.”
“I’ll get to make all my own decisions next year when I’m not under your roof.”
He laughs but it’s cold and creepy. He’s cracking and the monster is leaking out. He keeps him locked up most of the time, but I see the look in his eyes and it’s time for the monster to surface. I’m ready.
“You can think that. I’ll be right on campus. I’ll see everything that goes on. I’ll know all. I’ve never steered you wrong, smart girl. You don’t need to lie and cheat. That’s your mother’s game.”
“DAD! Leave Mom alone. I did this. My choices. I asked for her help.”
He rounds on me while my mother straightens up in the corner. He won’t hurt us, but he’ll remind us of who’s in charge.
“You and your flighty mother would be nowhere without me. Your mother would be humping it at a community college if I hadn’t found her and molded her into the perfect scholastically superior history teacher. And you, well, I’ve seen what girls in your generation are like; I’m constantly stunned you’ve accomplished anything with that scattered brain of yours. Boys are not the answer. No prom. This weekend we’ll tour Stanford. You have an appointment with your adviser to discuss what you should be doing this summer to get ahead. And we’ll spend the night at your grandmother’s on Saturday.”
My body lights up with a fire I’ve never let out. But it’s there. I may be punished for the rest of my life. What else can he do to me? I secured a scholarship to Boston College. I’ve saved plenty of money for fall and a plane ticket to Boston. I’ll pack a bag and go to Kris’s tonight. He can’t make me come home unless he makes a scene, and he won’t do that because then the world will know he’s not a nice guy.
My mother’s crying as my father cleans up our dishes from our bland healthy snack. A voice comes out of my body that scares the hell out of me but shocks the fuck out of him.
“Not one more second. NO.”
He towers over me and I’m not intimidated one bit. “What? What else could you possibly say in that tone of voice? You’ve become a classless, belligerent, ordinary teenager. I let you out of my sight for three months, and now you need to be reminded how things work around here. Next year you’ll report to my office every day after your classes, and we’ll review your work and notes like we do now. You will be superior again.”
“NO. All of this is NO. And you know what, I’M NOT GOING TO STANFORD. AND I AM GOING TO PROM. Deal with it, Dad.”
My father stumbles. I am the girl Danny thought I could be.
“What are you talking about? Young lady, that’s not a tone you take with me.”
I sputter back, “Why not?” He’s in my face. I’m not afraid for the first time in my life. He has no power over me anymore. My phone vibrates like Danny knew I needed him.
“Why what?” he yells.
“Why can’t I talk to you like that? You taught me to stand up to bullies with counter arguments and dazzling vocabulary. You taught me to be a critical and careful thinker. You raised me to be a responsible and mature adult who can make thoughtful and important decisions. That’s exactly what I’m doing. I’m going to prom with Danny. And in the fall, I’m flying my adult ass to Boston for college. There’s nothing to weigh in about. Nothing to debate or get up to speed on. It’s happening. I’ve withdrawn from Stanford, returned the money and enrolled elsewhere. Consider this all the waves you’ve ever warned me not to make.”
He screams louder than I’ve ever heard him. And somehow, I don’t react. I am steel and determination.
“I FORBID YOU FROM LEAVING THIS HOUSE. You’ll miss graduation if I say you do. You’ll go nowhere without me or your useless mother. Who apparently can’t stop you from rebelling. But I’m involved now. And I’m the one in charge. Go to your room.”
“Cool, that’s where I wanted to go anyway.”
“Leave your phone.”
“No. You’ve made me pay for it since I was eleven by working odd jobs, babysitting, and walking dogs. I own it. It’s mine. There’s NOTHING you can take away from me anymore.”
“You’re on our plan,” he says smugly.
“And I can get myself off it. I’m eighteen, Dad. You have exactly zero authority over me.”
“What the hell happened to you in Paris?”
