“You’ll not tell me who I can have under my roof,” roared her father.
She stared at her father. “Fine. If you want to believe him over your own daughter, that’s your choice. I’m not being a victim one moment longer.” She spun around and headed for the door.
“Emily, please. Evan, you better leave,” said her mother.
“Okay, Mrs. D. I’ll call you later.”
Emily stopped and stomped back into the living room, glaring at Evan as he left. She couldn’t believe that ass-hat had the nerve to show up at her parents’ house and fill them in on lies. She felt like she was eighteen years old all over again. This was ridiculous!
“So, are you going to tell us what the hell is going on?” Her father had stood when she moved to leave and now was pacing.
“No.” They weren’t going to believe her anyways.
“No? Emily Rose I’m warning you—”
“What? That you’ll ground me for months at a time so I can’t see my boyfriend? That you’ll take away my college money if I don’t do what you say?” Emily couldn’t believe she was so angry that she brought up old hurts. She couldn’t believe her parents would side with Evan without hearing her side! It tore away the bandage she kept over her heart. The frustrated fury of her teenage years, the strangled truce she kept with her parents after, welled into deep and dark places of her heart unleashing the old hurts.
“Is that what this is about?” Her mother shook her head in disbelief. “What happened with that Wade boy? That was a decade ago.”
“A d
ay, a decade, it hardly matters. What matters is that you’re interfering with my life! Again. Without even thinking for one moment I’m on the right side of truth!”
“Evan told us you were with some biker last night.” Her father shook his head, disgusted. “Was it that Wade boy?”
“Luke! His name’s Luke! And he’s hardly a boy. He’s a man, with his own business!” She couldn’t believe she was defending him. He hadn’t done anything wrong. Evan was the one who had created this massive problem in her life!
“I knew it!” Her mother moved to stand by her father. “He’s the one that got her into trouble!”
“For heaven’s sake, no!” Emily’s breath came out in ragged gasps. “I’m only going to tell you once. I want nothing to do with Evan Waters! And if you know what’s good for you, you will have nothing more to do with him either!” Screw them! Angela could tell them what had happened! She was done. Twenty-eight-years-and-a-decade-too-late done!
Emily grabbed her handbag and stormed out of the house.
“EMILY?” IT WAS ANGELA at the other end of the line. “What happened? Mom’s beside herself. She’s crying, Em.”
Emily sat in her living room, her knees clutched to her chest. She had been crying, too. “Evan filled their heads with a bunch of garbage. He told them about the speeding and reckless endangerment charges, but didn’t bother to tell them about the grand theft auto charges he instigated. Or that he was continuing all this shit in court.”
“Emily, you need to tell them.”
“Why?” she scoffed, her voice breaking as she fought to control the tears. “If they don’t trust me now, they never will. No matter what explanations they get, they think I’m wreckless. It’s ridiculous. The one time I do something stupid, I get caught and it turns into a massive nightmare.” She sighed. “Let’s be realistic here, Ang. I’ve done everything they wanted. I went to college, got a degree, heck, I even have my CPA license, and they still think I’m some sort of fuck-up.” Unlike their perfect daughter, Angela. Emily bit back the last comment. This was not her sister’s fault and she’d never been anything but supportive to her.
“They don’t, Em.”
“You should have heard them talk to me, Ang! It was like I was in high school again. And Evan.” She made a noise in the back of her throat to bite back the anger. “I’m so mad I can’t even think! You know what he did? He called mom and dad to tell them I didn’t come home last night! Like, what the hell! It’s none of his business!”
“What? Where were you?”
Emily rubbed her temple. “I had a date, Angela. You know, the things grown women do?”
“Really?” Angela sounded genuinely interested. It made Emily smile. “With who?”
“Never mind.” All she needed to do was open her mouth and say Luke’s name and someone else was going to curse him. “It’s none of your business.” She didn’t mean to snap at her sister, but she couldn’t take the words back.
“Now wait a minute! That’s no way to speak to me, especially how I’ve helped you.”
Oh shit! She really was spinning out of control. “I’m sorry, Ang, it’s just all this stuff—”
“I know. I don’t know how you are dealing with it.”