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“You say it like I trust Lorenzo. He is the dumbest, most oblivious person I’ve seen in my life. If it weren’t for his dad controlling the city’s banking, I wouldn’t let you hang out with him either.” His voice is rough and pressing.
A sardonic grin appears on my face. “If it were up to you, I’d be isolated in my room for the rest of my life, watching videos about why I should be a rich snob,” I point at him, a small chuckle in my words.
“Hey, I am your father. You need to respect me!” he yells, glaring at me. I exhale, straightening my posture. My body calms down, as does the tension in my voice.
“Oh. Okay,Father. What do you want me to do?” I ask calmly. He also straightens his body, adapting to my change in mood.
“Stop hanging out with her,” he orders, his tone calmer but still filled with rage.
“No,” I reply. He can’t just tell me not to breathe the same air as someone because they’re not rich and successful. He can tell me to do his repetitive courses, he can stop me from going out, he can force me to his dumb meetings, but this is where I draw the line.
“It wasn’t a question.” His voice rises again.
“Neither was mine. You cannot control my every move. Might as well buy a robot for a son then.”
“You are my son, and I can tell you to do whatever I want!” He yells, the words echoing in the hall, slightly startling me. I gulp, trying to keep calm and still.
“And I’ll deny it. I am not going to go over the same argument every time I decide to plan my own life instead ofletting you plan it,” I argue. We’ve had the same argument so many times, I’m bored of it. Anytime I so much as interact with someone he thinks is lower class, he riots like I’m talking with some criminal or murderer.
His nostrils flare, his brown eyes burning in frustration. I see the deep breaths he’s taking, his chest heaving slowly. “Fine. You want to disrespect me, do it. But you will not be doing it here.”
“What do you mean?” I ask, squinting my eyes.
“We’re moving to New York,” he announces, moving toward the stairs on the left. What? New York? Is he insane? New York has a nine-hour time difference from here, how is he going to keep up with the business and everything? He has clients here. He knows people here.
“What? But your whole business is here,” I point out, following behind him. He begins to climb the set of stairs. I stop, waiting for his reply.
“I don’t care if I have to lose half my clients. When my son disobeys me and doesn’t do what he’s told, he will move to the other side of the country whether he likes it or not!” He states, continuing up the stairs without even a glance at me. I rush up the stairs to catch him.
“Are you serious right now? All this over a girl I hang out with occasionally!” I yell at him, trying to get him to stop. He freezes and turns around.
“Over a leaf. Next time, learn to respect me.” His words echo the hall again, and he turns back to continue upward. I stay in my place, halfway up the arc of stairs.
“I do everything for you. Everything you ask me to do. I do this one thing, and suddenly I’m ruining everything. You’re just going to move all the way to New York, and lose half of your work, because I didn’t listen to this one absurd order of yours?” I ask incredulously, waiting for something out of him. He doesn’treply, finally reaching the top of the stairs. “I don’t get it. I don’t get how you could just do stuff like this over nothing.”
“Elias! We’ll be moving to New York by the middle of next month whether you like it or not. End of discussion.” The announcement repeats in my head. He twists his head slightly, only so that I see a section of his face. “And if I have to tell you to do those things, then maybe you’re not doing enough.” His last words pierce through my heart, sending a cold shudder across my whole body.Then maybe you’re not doing enough.And suddenly, all the anger and rage fade into ashes. A wave of misery hits me. Of course. Of course it isn’t enough.Of course I’m not enough.
He starts to head to his room, when my mouth opens. I don’t know what comes over me, and I don’t know why I say it, but the words come out of my mouth. “I guess now I know why Lucas is so distant these days.”
My father stops in his tracks, standing completely still. That’s the moment I knew I shouldn’t have said anything, shouldn’t have mentioned Lucas. Whatever I said obviously meant something different to him. Something way more serious. Because his response is something I never thought I’d hear from him.
“The argument between Lucas and I is never any of your business.” He doesn’t yell, but his tone is deep and rough. His feet stomp into one of the rooms, slamming the door closed with a thud. I wince at the sound, staring at the spot he was standing.
Is he seriously going to move to another state? Just because of something as small as this? I don’t get it. I don’t get why his attitude toward me keeps getting worse and worse.
Chapter 24 – Sessantuno
Val
Today is officially the fourth day since Lorenzo and I fixed things between us. I don’t think I knew how much weight it had put on me until it had finally dissolved. No one else really knows what the problem was about, and it’s better that way. Lorenzo would rather it stays secret, and I would, too.
Other than that, everything else runs smoothly. I have been speaking to some people around the school as I’m walking through the hallways, or even some classmates, but it doesn’t seem like many people are looking for a new person to hang out with. Aurora isn’t an official winner, but she’s taking the place of the first event winner as of now, which means now I need a second. I never realized how hard it would be to actually make friends with people mid-school year. But I’m keeping my hopes high, I still have around a month.
I have to see Elias again after lunch today, so there isn’t much of a reason to avoid him. Even after the messages weexchanged, I’m still skeptical on the issue. I don’t fully trust him yet, so I’m taking his words with a grain of salt. But I can’t deny that his messages did something to me, and that maybe, just maybe, I trust him a tiny bit more. But I won’t admit that out loud.
Lorenzo and I walk through the school halls, heading toward our usual spot. We pass by the classrooms, silence consuming the area. Only a few students pass us, though I’m not surprised, given the hour. I still don’t know why we arrive at school so early. It’s not like we don’t see them any other time.
We come to a stop when we notice the two. Elias is sitting down, cross-legged on the school’s white tiled floors. His head is leaning back onto the wall, and his eyes are dark. Most surprisingly, he’s wearing a hoodie. A plain, black hoodie with three random logos in the middle. I don’t believe my eyes. Aurora is seated next to him, her lips moving, though the sound is inaudible from over here. Her brown hair is tied up today, only her curtain bangs are loose, swinging away from her face. Even from here, I can see how annoyed she looks, her face tense.
