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As opposed to too much money and being squashed under your thumb.I stare down at my plate, my appetite completely gone.
Ellie admonishes our father, shaking her head. “Dad, Jasper is almost twenty-two years old. His actions are a reflection of him, no one else. Especially not Conrad.”
I glance over at her and offer a sad smile. I appreciate her effort, but it won’t make a difference. Nothing I ever do is going to be good enough.
Mum sighs. “Bill, it’s Christmas. Do we need to do this today?”
“All that drama over thatgirlcost the team their finals run,” Dad continues as if Mum and Ellie didn’t even exist. “Wes knew how to lead by example, didn’t you, son?”
My brother answers with a oh-so dignified grunt as he shovels more food into his mouth. He and Ryker had both liked Jasper, so I’m guessing that’s why he’s not piling it on.
When Jasper and I joined the BHU team in our first year, Wes and Ryker had helped us out with extra training and weight sessions. We worked our asses off during the week, so we felt entitled to a bit of fun on the weekends. We weren’t the only ones, but of course, my brothers were laser focussed on getting recruited, so they ducked out of parties early.
I love the game, but I don’t have any interest in the NRL. I’m more interested in being behind the scenes–I want to be an agent. I’m hoping a double degree in sports management and business will help me start up my own recruitment firm. There’s no telling Dad that though. I’d be disowned.
“Can I be excused?” I mumble, unable to look at my father.
“You haven’t finished your food,” Dad says in that disappointing tone that hits me like a kick in the gut.
“Not hungry.”
“Your mother and sister spent hours cooking this meal for you,” Grandad scolds. “You’ll show them your appreciation by finishing what’s on your plate.”
“Yes, sir,” I say, stabbing a piece of meat–maybe with a little more force than necessary.
“Grandad, did Dad tell you I got accepted into the four-week summer program working with underprivileged kids in the Northern Territory?”
God bless my sister for trying to diffuse the tension.
Grandad beams at her. “You’ve got a heart of gold. Just like your gran, God rest her soul.”
Ellie smiles back at him. “My friend, Ivy, did it last year. She said it was so rewarding.”
At the mention of that little vixen, my body seems to forget how to function, and I choke on my food, earning a glare from my father.
Mum pays neither of us any mind, reaching over to give Ellie’s hand a squeeze. “Teaching is a very rewarding job.”
“She’ll make a great teacher, our Ellie,” Dad agrees. “The students will be lucky to have her to guide them. Maybe she’ll become a principal like her old man one day, hey?”
He gives a proud chuckle and I shrink down in my seat, trying to swallow down the rest of my meal over the lump in my throat. My stomach feels like lead. I’m starting to think Uncle Richard had the right idea by moving away. He’s the only one who ever understood what it was like to be stuck in the shadows of our “perfect” siblings.
I don’t even know what my dad has to brag about. He’s the principal of a small-town high school, for Christ’s sake. The only reason he didn’t go pro was because he blew out his shoulder in university, leaving him with just a teaching degree to fall back on. All our money comes from Mum’s inheritance from Nan and Pops, and her hard work as an intellectual property lawyer at a private firm in Ballina. He got lucky he found someone willing to put up with his pompous bullshit.
When I’m finally allowed to leave the table, I disappear into the gym, needing to work off some of my frustration. I connect my phone to the sound system and crank it loud, grateful for the soundproof walls. Lord knows, he’s got enough grievances with me without adding noise complaints to the list.
In the middle of a set of crunches, the volume of the music drops and Ellie plops onto the floor next to me. I sit up, wiping the sweat off my brow.
“What do you want, El?” I grunt out, panting to catch my breath.
“I just wanted to check that you’re okay.” Out of the corner of my eye I can see her nervously toying with the hem of her shirt.
I give her a humourless laugh. “Peachy.”
“Dad shouldn’t have said that. What happened with Jasper wasn’t your fault.”
I arch a brow. “What makes you so sure of that?”
Ellie blinks. “You’re not exactly the easiest person to get along with, Connie, but you don’t deserve all the pressure Dad puts on you. I know you’re a good person–you just make some shit decisions sometimes.”
