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“You are not fine, young lady,” her mother said. “This is so far from fine I barely recognize you. Let’s go. We’ll discuss it on the car ride home.”
“I can take her home,” I said.
“You stay out of this!” she snapped. “You and your family have done quite enough.” Her furious gaze swung to my dad. “Undermining us at every turn with Colin. Letting her spend the night with your son. I’d ask if you have any decency, but obviously,” she gestured to Cassidy, “you don’t.”
Mrs. Novak’s statement was a bomb detonating. Cassidy and Sydney gasped at the same time fire exploded inside me, and it burned so hot, the only thing I could move was my hands. My fingers curled into tense fists.
My dad’s reaction was similar. The muscles corded in his arms, and his face took on a dark cast that was so scary, Mrs. Novak literally took a step back. She exchanged a glance with her husband, like she was worried my dad might take a swing at her.
Thankfully, he didn’t.
His hands were balled into fists so tight, his knuckles were white, but as a man used to dealing with life and death pressure, he knew how to stay calm. His voice was as icy and deliberate as his scalpel. “You’re no longer welcome in my home. Leave.”
She sneered. “With pleasure.” Her focus turned back to her daughter. “Let’s go.”
Sydney was frozen in place, and her conflicted gaze bounced between me and her parents, which only angered them more. I reached out and curled my hand around hers, wanting to offer support. I didn’t do it to send them over the edge, because I didn’t give a fuck about them, but her dad’s face turned an ugly shade of purple.
“You come home with us right now,” he said, “or you don’t come home at all.”
All the air left her lungs in a sharp punch, and she pressed her free hand to her chest, as if she needed to protect her heart.
“Is that what you want?” Her question was soft, but as she spoke, she gathered strength. “To give me the same ultimatum you gave Colin? Cut us off and pretend we don’t exist because we couldn’t live up to your perfect expectations?”
Mrs. Novak had the nerve to look at her daughter like she was being unreasonable. “We never expected you to be perfect, but what we do expect is for you—”
“I’ve done everything you ever wanted,” Sydney said. “Followed every rule, and until last night, I’d never made a mistake. That’s what you demand from me. Perfection, and nothing less, because this is the very first time I’ve fallen short, and you’re threatening to kick me out. No room for error and no second chance.”
Her mother’s mouth opened, maybe to defend herself, but nothing came out. Her brow furrowed as she searched her brain for any other time Sydney hadn’t been perfect, and it looked like she was coming up emptyhanded.
“You let me think I need you,” Sydney’s tone was full of indignation, “but I’m realizing it’s the other way around, and I’m done living my life how you want me to. So, the ultimatum is this. Either I come home with you now, and you learn to deal with that, or . . . I go stay with Colin, and you’ll have driven both your kids away forever.”
I was so fucking proud of her for standing up for herself. It had to be hard enough to do alone, but she’d done it this morning with an audience. Mrs. Novak’s hard expression faltered as she realized she didn’t have the leverage she thought she did, and I could read the thoughts running through her head clear on her face. This had been a bluff.
They’d never expected their good girl to walk away from them.
“You can make your decision on the porch,” my dad quipped to the couple. “Because I’d like you to get the fuck out of our house.”
Mr. and Mrs. Novak bristled at his profanity, which gave me dark satisfaction. They had a lot of balls coming in here and disrespecting my dad and Cassidy like that.
“You’re a terrible father,” she said.
“Are you fucking kidding?” I blurted. “He’s a better parent than you’ll ever be.”
Every pair of eyes snapped to me in surprise, but no one looked more caught off guard than my father. Maybe he never expected me to defend him after the mistakes he’d made, but what I’d said was true.
Everyone waited on edge for her to move or say something, and Mrs. Novak’s discomfort visibly grew. She chose to ignore me, and her focus went to her daughter, even though I was still holding Sydney’s hand.
“I didn’t sleep at all last night, so I’m not at my best right now,” Mrs. Novak said, like it was a good enough substitute for an apology. “We were crazy with worry for you, and maybe we let our emotions get the better of us. It’s hard to think straight.” Her gaze flicked to my dad for a second before returning to her daughter. “Can we discuss this in the car?”
Sydney took a deep breath, squeezed my hand, and when I squeezed it back, she nodded.
No one spoke as the Novak family shuffled toward the front door. I followed closely behind, but stopped at the threshold, fighting the urge to stay glued to her side. Once again, I knew she didn’t need rescue, but I wanted to be there for her. To help however I could.
I was no stranger to messy family drama, after all.
“I’ll text you later,” she said and brushed her lips against mine in something almost too short to be called a kiss, but I understood why. She was trying not to wind up her folks any more than they already were.
“You better,” I teased, although I was entirely serious.
