She bites down on her bottom lip and gives me a look. I can see agony behind her gaze, which makes my heart stop dead in my chest. Something bad has happened, now it’s up to me to figure out what it is.
“I’m sorry,” she mutters at me, almost silently. “I didn’t have anything to do with this.”
Oh God, that means my dad has been meddling about in my life again. It’s not the first time and I’m sure it won’t be the last either, but it still makes me groan internally. I hate it when he does anything, it’s never what I want. I rack through my brains, trying to work out where he could be meddling, but I can’t figure it out.
Then I sense his shadow behind me. His looming, unwelcome presence that’s here to destroy my day.
“Ah, son, you’re home.” He sounds much too self-satisfied for my liking. That isn’t going to work out well for me. “Good, there are certain things that I want to talk to you about.”
I roll my eyes before slowly turning to face him. I know that he’s a powerful man in his company, and he’s known for being ruthless and stamping over everyone to get to where he needs to be, but I don’t think that he needs to be that way at home too. I think he could let it go if he really wanted to, but he never does.
“What’s that, Dad? Because I have somewhere that I need to be tonight, if you don’t mind?”
“Oh, you aren’t going anywhere tonight.” He indicates for me to sit down, and annoyingly I actually do it. “We have a lot to discuss and since it involves your future I think it’s best if you just sit there and listen.”
“You don’t need to worry about my future, thank you very much, I have it sorted.”
“Oh yeah?” Dad folds his arms across his chest and I see Mom behind him shrinking in on herself. “Please, enlighten me with this wonderful plan that you have. I’m sure that we’re all dying to hear it.”
I part my lips, desperate for an amazing idea to come out, but truth be told I haven’t thought much about it. I know what I want to do, I want to work with bikes, but as for a laid out idea, I don’t have one.
“Yes, that’s what I thought.” Dad nods, happy with himself. “So, since you don’t have an amazing idea, I’m going to tell you what you’re going to do. Luckily for you, I have a lot of pull at some of the top colleges in the country, and I’ve managed to get you a place on a medical course in California…”
“Medical course?” I screw my nose up in disgust. “I can’t do a medical course. I don’t even have any interest in medicine, and isn’t that something that you need really good grades for? That’s just not happening.”
“Son, you are smart, we all know that. You just don’t apply yourself, and I don’t know if you remember, but you dreamt when you were about eight years old being a doctor, so now I’m making that dream come true.”
“Are you kidding?” I leap up so quickly that something falls to the ground with a thud. I don’t even bother to look what it is. “When I was eight? That’s the most insane thing I’ve ever heard. Do you even listen to yourself?”
“Well, you haven’t had any good ideas since, so why not go with this one?” He offers me a one shouldered shrug. “It’s certainly the smartest thing that I’ve ever heard you say so we’re going with it. Also, this course I have you on is perfect for you. You’ll do a one year foundation course to make up for the lack of grades that we all know that you’re going to end up with after high school, especially if you sabotage yourself, and then you will be given the chance to do something productive with your life. Does that not sound like a good idea?”
“No, it doesn’t!” I throw my hands above my head in shock. “I can’t believe you are even suggesting this, Dad. I’m in control of my own future. I’m an adult now. This is nothing to do with you.”
I break off panting, anger tearing violently through my system. I knew that my dad was a control freak, he’s always been like that, but this is one step too far, this is utterly unforgivable.
“You intend to send me away. Just to get rid of me, in a way that makes you feel better about yourself. Do you not understand that I don’t want anything to do with your plan? I have my own ideas.”
“You have nothing.” My dad explodes in temper, slamming his fists on the table. “If you are left to your own devices then you’ll end up doing absolutely nothing. Don’t you understand that I’m doing this because I love you? I want what’s best for you. I want you to have it all. I’m willing to pay for your education, I want to fund you while you’re getting your education, and I’ll support you through your medical career too.”
I try to picture myself in a medical career. Much as I know it’ll be worthwhile and it’ll be a great job, all I can see is the sadness in my eyes. It won’t be me, I won’t be happy. I need to be myself.
“Mom?” I glance behind Dad’s back and give her a pleading look. “Help me?”
She refuses to look at me, it’s almost as if she can’t drag her eyes off the ground. Dad has gotten to her. He’s under her skin and there’s no way she can climb out of it. “Son, we both want what’s best for you. I think this might be a good thing for you to do. You need to get away from here, to try a different life, to see if it’s better.”
Urgh, this is killer. I want to get away, I really do, but it’s them I want to escape. And I want to do it on my terms, not theirs. I don’t want them to have any effect on my future.
“See? We both think that this is for the best.” Again, with the smug voice, Dad smiles at me. “Your mother understands that this is for the best and I think it’s time for you to grow up and see it too.”
Rage bubbles, I can’t contain it any longer. I’m not a violent person but I can feel myself about to punch a wall or something in frustration. I walked in this house tonight with a positive attitude and they’ve just sucked it right out of me. How the hell am I supposed to deal with this? It’s a nightmare and one that I’ve just had flung on me. The terrible thing about my father is that he always ends up getting his own way. That’s just his nature.
“So, that’s it?” I ask, needing clarification. “This is what’s happening now? I’m doing what you want, forgetting what I want, and becoming… what? Something in the medical industry just because?”
“It’s not ‘just because’. It’s because I know what’s best for you and one day you’ll thank me.”
I let out a grunt of frustration and storm from the room. There’s no way I’m standing around here and listening to another moment of this. I need to get out of this claustrophobic environment so I can finally breathe. I’m supposed to be headed to Brandon’s house, we have this whole night planned, but I don’t think I can face him. I’m afraid that he might agree with my dad and he might assume that I’d be better off at college. He hasn’t ever commented on my future plans before but I suppose we haven’t really discussed it. I haven’t ever brought it up and nor has he. This might be the chance for him to finally air out his feelings.
I sit atop my bike and grab out my cell phone. I scroll through the numbers until I find Rosa’s name. She might be annoying and the tattoo might be a bit creepy, but I just need someone tonight and she’ll do. She’s definitely still more than up for it and as long as I don’t let her talk then it’ll be just fine.