“She’s my guest, dad,” Mason snarls dangerously. “And she’s not going anywhere.”
Carl laughs coldly. “So is this what you got kicked out of school for? To come back here and sleep with the used-up trash from next door?”
Mason’s entire body stiffens, and his shoulder flexes. “Watch your mouth,” he snarls viciously. “Dad, I’m warning you once, you keep your fucking mouth shut if you plan on speaking to her like that again.”
“Well she is!” Vanessa snaps. “Mason, honey, she sells panties, like a fucking stripper, or worse.” She pales. “Oh my God, sweetheart, you’re not paying her, are you!? Carl! Call Dr. Khan. We’re getting Mason tested for everything, tod—”
“Yeah, hi,” I finally hiss. I pull the sheet around me and sit up behind Mason. “I’m right here, and I’m not a fucking prostitute, but thanks.”
She sneers at me and turns back to her son. “So, you get yourself kicked out of Stanford for not being able to hack it, which is bullshit since we paid that college applications coach a fortune! To come home and do this?”
Fury boils over inside of me. I barely know Carl and Vanessa, but Jesus Christ, this is the sort of shit Mason gets here?
“He didn’t get kicked out because he ‘couldn’t hack it,’” I growl at them. “Yeah, he stepped over a line, and they kicked him out. But your son is genius, you know.”
Carl laughs coldly. “What, his stupid coding projects? The video game stuff?”
Mason pinches the bridge of his nose. “Dad, it’s not for fucking video games, we’ve been over this.”
“Well it’s a waste of time is what it is!”
“It’s actually not,” I mutter.
“I’m sorry, why are you still here?” Carl spits at me. He turns back to his son and snarls. “You know what? We’re done with you insisting on being a failure to yourself and your family, Mason. You either man up, go back to school for law, and come to the firm, which I’m handing you on a silver fucking platter—”
“Dad,” Mason growls. “For the very, very last time, I am not going to be a lawyer.”
“You are,” Carl mutters darkly. “Or you’ll be joining the Navy.”
I scowl, and I stand, whipping the sheets around myself.
“Look, I’m sorry, but your son is an adult, you know. He’s twenty-one, Carl, you can’t force him to join the Navy.”
“Watch me!” Carl roars. “You want to stay in this family, Mason.”
“That’s up for discussion right now,” Mason growls back.
Carl bristles but he keeps going. “Let me phrase it this way. Do you want to stay in this family’s will? Because if you do, you’ll damn well do as I say, and thank me later.”
“I mean honestly, Mason,” Vanessa seethes. “It’s like you’re hell bent on being a loser! You can’t hack it at school, you come back here and work for a fucking pool company, and now you’re sleeping with desperate, trashy housewives?”
Mason whirls on her, and she gasps as his growl fills the room.
“That’s enough,” he hisses.
“Oh I’m just getting started, mister!” his mother snaps. “You worthless, ungrateful, lazy little—”
“Oh fuck this,” I snap. Like, seriously fuck this. I’m not standing here watching Mason’s godawful parents shit on him for another fucking second. I was impressed with him before, but now that I see what home is like for him, I’m blown away. I reach out, take his hand, and squeeze.
“Want to get out of here?”
He grins, ignoring his mother, who’s somehow still talking. “Definitely.”
“Uh-uh! Nope!” Carl roars. He jumps in front of us and jabs a finger at his son. “You walk out of this, Mason, and you are not coming back!”
Mason’s jaw clenches, and I squeeze his hand.
“That’s okay,” I say sweetly, smiling at his parents. “He can always come stay in my trashy lingerie brothel.” I turn to him, desperately trying to keep the laugh in check. “Does that sound good, Mason? You can help me clean out the crack pipes and wash out the reusable condoms!”