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“Please, Mom, you don’t understand. I just need to make sure he’s okay,” I plead with my mom in the middle of the police station lobby, refusing to leave until I get to see Sebastian.
It’s been nearly three hours since we were pulled over and Sebastian was stuck in the back of that police car, and I swear it’s been the most agonizing three hours of my life.
“I just had to leave in the middle of my shift to come pick my daughter up from the police station. Forgive me, Tess, but I don’t really care what you feel like youneed,” my mom retorts in a tone I’ve only heard her use a handful of times in my entire life. “I thought I raised you better than this. Getting into a car with someone you knew had been drinking. God, how could you have been so irresponsible?” She scolds me, not caring that we’re on full display for anyone who cares to watch.
“You weren’t there,” I snap. “I was trying to stop him.” Tears re-boil to the surface, and it takes everything in me to fight them down.
The words no more than leave my mouth when an officer appears through a door along the back wall leading Sebastian into the lobby with Jonathan Baxter following closely behind.
“Sebastian.” My feet are moving before I even process the action, but my effort to get to him is quickly cut off when my mom grabs my arm and pulls me backward.
“It’s time to go, Tess.” She attempts to pull me toward the door, but I’m having none of it, fighting her the entire way.
“Sebastian,” I call to him, but he doesn’t look up, his head turned to the floor, hands locked in front of himself. “Sebastian!” I raise my voice, my tone pleading and desperate.
My mom quickly steps around me, placing herself directly in the path between us, which also happens to put her face to face with Jonathan Baxter who looks down at her with a scowl on his face.
“Perhaps you should learn to control that daughter of yours,” he suggests, his tone dripping with distaste as he moves to make his way past us, Sebastian on his heels.
“Me?” My mom whips around. “Your son is the one who got into a car drunk and put both his life and the life of my daughter in danger. I don’t think you have any room to tell me what to do withmychild.”
“Well maybe hadyourdaughter not pushed my son to his breaking point, he wouldn’t have been drinking to begin with.”
“What?” This time it’s my voice that breaks the surface. “You’re the one who pushed him to his breaking point!” I scream, the floodgates opening and tears now streaking down my cheeks. “You. No one else. So don’t pretend like you give a shit about Sebastian because we both know you don’t.”
“I can see the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree,” he quips, his gaze bouncing between me and my mother. “Stay away from my son. I think you’ve done enough damage.” This statement is thrown directly at me.
“Oh, you don’t need to worry about that. There’s not a chance in hell I would ever allow my daughter nearyourprecious son ever again.” My mom’s voice cracks.
“Mom!” I object, my stomach bottoming out.
“I mean it, Tess. I trusted that boy.” She points to where Sebastian is standing next to his father, his gaze still turned downward. “I trusted him with your life, and he repays me by putting you directly in harm’s way. I won’t have it. Never again.” She takes a deep breath. “This is over.” She gestures between me and Sebastian.
“You can’t be serious!” I scream, feeling like I’m coming apart at the seams.
“Oh, I’m very serious.” She turns back toward Sebastian who chooses this moment to look up.
One glimpse of his red swollen eyes and sullen expression, and I nearly hit the floor. I can feel my heart splintering off into a thousand pieces, and there’s nothing I can do to stop it.
“We’re done here,” Jonathan says firmly, pushing the door open, and swiftly exiting the police station. Sebastian hesitates just long enough that my mother has time to say one last thing.
“You stay away from my daughter.”
He nods only once and without saying a word, quickly turns and follows his father outside.
“Mom.” I’m at my breaking point, the emotion so thick in my throat I can barely manage to get the word out.
“My decision is final,” she says matter of fact. “Now, let’s go.”
***
“It’s for the best, Tess,” my mom says, shoving the car into park and shifting in her seat to face me. “I know it may not feel like it right now but it is.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about.” I refuse to look at her, keeping my gaze locked out the passenger side window.
“Yes, I do, honey. You think I don’t know what young love feels like?” She softens her approach. “I know how much you care for that boy, Tess, but after what happened tonight, there’s no way I can continue to allow you to see him. He put your life in danger. Does that not say anything to you?”
“You don’t know the situation, and you don’t know Sebastian.” I refuse to look at her.
