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By the time Mom and Dean sat down, the trip to Boston was practically all I could think about. I played along with their small talk for a few minutes, sipping my soup and eating quietly.
“Kristin, what’s on your mind?” Dean passed me the bread basket and I took a small roll, toying with it in my fingers. “You’ve been awfully quiet this evening.”
“Oh, not much,” I said, trying to keep my voice as casual as possible. “Just…my friend, Megan, from school emailed me. She’s going to Boston and wanted to know if I could come with her.”
“That sounds nice,” Mom said mildly. My heart soared as she looked at me. “When?”
“This weekend,” I said, buttering a piece of my roll. My stomach was churning but I knew I had to keep up the pretense of at least looking hungry.
“Well, I don’t see why not,” Mom said. Just as I was about to leap out of my chair and jump for joy, the other foot came crashing down.
“Just as long as you’re home for supper,” Dean said. He passed me the green beans and I took them numbly.
I licked my lips. I knew it was now or never.
“Well, that’s the thing,” I said carefully. “Megan doesn’t really like driving at night – it’s dangerous, you know – and she’s going to stay over with her cousin Amanda. She invited me to spend the night, too.”
“Oh, I don’t know about that,” Mom said. She frowned. “Boston is a big city, Kristin. Where does Amanda live?”
My mind buzzed and whirred and finally, I spat out the name of the first neighborhood I could think of.
“Jamaica Plain.”
Mom frowned. “That neighborhood has a lot of crime activity,” she said. “I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to go.”
Something snapped inside of me. I knew I shouldn’t argue with my parents, but I’d had enough. It felt like every time something good happened to me, Mom and Dean had to step in and snatch it away.
“That’s not fair,” I said hotly, standing up from the table. Mom and Dean both looked at me in shock.
“Kristin, sit down,” Mom said sharply. “We’re still eating.”
“I’m an adult!” I said loudly, crossing my arms over my chest. “I’m twenty-two years old! I’m not a little kid anymore!”
Mom’s eyes burned with anger. “Yes, and you’re living under this roof,” she said hotly. “You don’t get to make demands like this.”
“But I’m not a child! You can’t keep me here!”
“Well, Kristin, if you feel that way, you’re welcome to move out,” Dean said. “You’ll need to find a job so you can pay for school, and housing, and your cell phone, and utilities, and insurance, and all of your other bills.” His calm smile infuriated me. “And as soon as you do that, you’re free to do things like visit Boston for the weekend. But until then, it’s our rules.”
I stared at him, my mouth hanging open in shock.
“This is why Andrew acted out,” I cried loudly. “You didn’t give him any room to breathe!”
Before Mom and Dean could say anything else, I spun around and stomped up the stairs. Hot tears leaked from my eyes and I slammed my bedroom door behind me, throwing myself on the bed and sobbing.
It’s not fair, I thought angrily. I hate them for doing this to me! The tears burned my eyes as they streamed down my face and my nose was filled with gluey, wet snot.
Eventually, I cried myself to sleep.
The next week dragged by. Christmas was the usual family affair – we went to Mom’s parents’ house first, then to Dean’s father’s for a second dinner. Both events were full of cousins whom I’d rarely spoken with before, and I didn’t exactly have high hopes for gifts. I’d worked hard to knit Mom and Dean scarves. They seemed to like them okay, but honestly, I was still angry over the whole Boston thing. I was starting to realize that being sheltered wasn’t exactly a good thing.
Andrew hadn’t come home. I hadn’t exactly expected him to do so, but it still felt like a loss. When we were at Dean’s father’s house, I snuck into the hallway and looked at pictures of Andrew as a little kid. With his big eyes and curly dark hair, he gave every indication that he’d grow up to be a real devil.
When class started up again, Megan was in my biology seminar. After class, we got coffee in the student union. It was the first time I’d seen her since the previous semester, and I felt like we had loads to talk about. Or at least, she had loads to talk about. The most exciting thing I’d done all break was help Mom bake cookies for the annual church bake sale.
“Oh my god,” I gushed when I saw Megan. She’d cut her butt-length straight red hair into a chic bob that showed off her jawline. She was wearing a black leather jacket and sleek leggings – she looked at least five years older.
“Santa really hooked me up this year,” Megan said with a smirk. “How was your Christmas?”
