Things between Drew and I are far from great and now I’m having issues at home with my dad. To say he doesn’t like Drew would be an understatement, he hates him with a passion because Drew called the cops on him. And whenever the Taylor’s come over for our weekly get together my dad is rude to him.
This has led to several arguments between Drew and I. Drew doesn’t like the fact that my dad has so much control over me and we can never do anything. If you ask me, it’s yet another way they seemed to be exactly alike. My dad didn’t like how controlling and manipulative Drew was to me either.
I went over to Drew’s one day after school and after being there for less than ten minutes, my dad came to get me because he didn’t like that he couldn’t see what we were doing. He ended up insulting Drew, they got into an argument about the night Drew called the cops on him, and if it weren’t for Mr. Taylor, they probably would have come to blows. I was banned from seeing Drew for a week after that.
“Your dad and I wanted to talk to you about what happened with Drew.” Mom seems nervous.
“I don’t want to talk about it. That’s between Drew and dad.”
“Well humor us Sidney.”
“Fine,” I sighed, sitting down on the couch.
“It’s no secret that your father and Drew aren’t getting along right now.”
“I don’t have to get along with him, he’s a child,” Dad interjected.
Mom ignores him and focuses on me, “Sid, your relationship with Drew…it’s a problem for us.”
Is she serious? My relationship with Drew didn’t have to be a problem! They’re making it one by putting themselves in our relationship!
“No, you mean it’s a problem for dad.”
“Are you talking back?” Dad snapped at me.
“No sir,” I folded my arms across my chest.
“He’s cheating on you, he’s rude, and he’s a bad influence,” Mom continues.
“He’s not cheating on me. We have an open relationship because he wants to have sex and I don’t. This is such a crock of sh…crap,” I sighed.
“Watch it.” Dad gave me a warning glance.
“Your father and I think it’s best that you and Drew stop seeing each other. He’s not good for you Sid.”
“How would you know?” I scoffed, “We love each other and my relationship with Drew is none of your business. You don’t see me trying to tell you and dad how to be married.”
“Drew isn’t the only boy you’re going to fall in love with Sidney.”
“I’m not breaking up with Drew no matter what you say, so save your breath.”
I knew damn well this wasn’t her talking. The only thing missing from this picture was my father’s hand up her you-know-what, making her talk. He didn’t want me seeing Drew because Drew got underneath his skin, hurt his pride and she’s going along with what he wants because its what she does.
“We’re not asking you, we’re telling you,” Dad lays down the law.
“I’m not breaking up with Drew,” I shook my head.
“I’m not giving you a choice. You will do it.”
“Mom, please,” I turned to her for help, “Don’t let him do this to me.”
“Your father is the head of this house and what he says goes.”
“I can’t believe this! We haven’t done anything wrong! The only reason you don’t like Drew is because he had the gall to stand up to you!”
“Stand up to me? Sid, he was disrespectful,” Dad huffed.
“Disrespectful? At least he doesn’t abuse the people he claims to love.”
This time I saw it coming before I felt it. This was the third time in less than three months he’s slapped me. I know I have a flip-mouth, but I liked to call a spade-a spade, and his issues with Drew are obvious. He didn’t want to save me from Drew he wanted to show him who’s in control.
I recovered quickly and narrowed my eyes at him. This time I’m not backing down. He’s wrong! “My GPA is 4.0 dad. I do my chores, and I’m not having sex. When will it be enough for you to let me have a little freedom?”
“When you’re eighteen and on your own,” he replied.
“We’re doing what’s best for you,” Mom added.
“No, you’re doing what’s best for dads ego,” I corrected her.
Dad went to hit me again, but surprisingly, she stopped him. She dismissed me to my room, which is fine because I need to finish getting ready for school anyway. I don’t care what they say. I’m not about to break up with Drew.
“You ready to go?” Trisha and Em asked.
“Yep, let’s go.”
We hurried off to school and I couldn’t wait to talk to Drew. My parents are crazy to think they can stop me from seeing him. I’m not going to, and I don’t care if I have to sneak out of the house to do it. They have no right to try and break us up.
“What’s wrong?” Asked Drew, sitting next to me in first period.
“My parents don’t want me to see you anymore.”
“What? I thought they said you could date. Now they’re taking it back?”
“No. I can still date, I just can’t date you.”
“So they just don’t want you seeing me?”
“Not they…my dad.”
“He can’t just force me out of your life like that.”
“It won’t matter, trust me. He’s just mad that you stood up to him.”
“So what now?”
“He can’t stop me from seeing you. I won’t let him.”
“Yeah, but won’t he send you to boarding school if you don’t?”
“I don’t care.”
“Okay…you may not care, but I do. Sid, I just got you back I’m not trying to lose you again.”
“What are you saying?”
“I’m saying maybe I should talk to him and apologize.”
“What? No. You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“I know that, but it’s not about that. Right now all I care about is keeping you here. If that means swallowing my pride to apologize, then so be it.”
“It won’t matter Drew,” I sighed.
“Then lets cool it for a little while.”
Who is this guy and what has he done with Drew? What’s going on with him? Why is he willing to just end things between us? Is there something he’s not telling me? Is there someone else?
Glaring at him, I quietly walk away. I have no idea how this whole situation is going to play out, but I don’t want to stop seeing Drew because dad’s pride got hurt.
I’m in a lose-lose situation. Either I can disobey my dad and my life will be over, or I can end things with Drew and my life will be over. Ugh. This is so not fair. I know what I have to do but I don’t want to do it. It bothers me that Drew is okay with it and I’m not buying his reasons why. The more I think about it, the more I think he’s okay with it because it leaves him free to be with Kimberly.
My mind went wild thinking about Drew wanting to be with Kimberly. I’m literally driving myself crazy thinking about it and I need to talk to Drew. I texted him to tell him I wanted to finish our conversation during lunch and he agreed to meet me in the cafeteria.
Drew tried kissing me when he made it over to my table, but I turned away from him. Kissing him would only deter me from the task at hand.
“What is that about?”
“We need to talk Drew.”
“If this is about what you told me earlier I already told you how I felt.”
“And you’re okay with that?”
“I kind of have to be, don’t I? I don’t want you going back to boarding school.”
“Are you sure that’s the reason?”
He stares at me like he has no idea what I’m talking about, “Um…what else would there be?” Drew frowns.
“I don’t know, maybe the fact that you have strong feelings for Kimberly.”
I expected him to deny it until he was blue in the face. I expected him to turn the tables on me to make me feel like crap for even thinking it, but none of that ever happened. He sighed and looked away.
WTF! Oh no…no, no, no, NO…
“What do you want from me Sid?”
“Your heart.”
“You have that.”
“Do I?”
He glances over at me then looks away yet again. This is worse than I could of ever imagined. Drew isn’t just playing around with Kimberly like he does every other girl he comes into contact with…he’s into her.
His silence tells me everything I need to know. He’s falling for her, which means I can’t afford to be banned from seeing him right now. If I stopped seeing him, there would be nothing standing in the way of Drew and Kimberly. Nothing.
“Can we talk about this later?” Drew asks. He hates being put on the spot. If I want answers, I’m never going to get them as long as we have an audience.
“Sure.”
Drew left the table and joined his friends. He glanced over at me a few times and offered me a warm smile. A smile that felt like betrayal because I think we both knew what was happening.
“That went well,” Nicole broke through the silence.
“Look, I know you’re upset right now, but maybe he should move on,” Josh chimes in, “Drew’s a player Sid. All he wants to do is sleep with as many girls as possible, you included.”
“Yeah well maybe I should just let him so everyone can mind their own business and leave us alone.”
“That’s not funny.”
“Who’s laughing? Dad doesn’t ride you or Em, and the two of you do more dirt than I do. He didn’t stop you from living your life so why can’t he stay the hell out of mine.”
“Dad doesn’t like Drew and I don’t blame him.”
“Well I do. So why don’t you both just…back off.”
“Josh, she’s right,” Trisha came to my rescue.
GOD I love her…
“Last time I checked I was talking to Sid, not you.”
“I’m just saying. We’ve made mistakes too.”
“Trisha this is my sister. Not some random girl I got pregnant,” Josh snaps.
A hurt expression spread across Trisha’s face and Josh sighed. Unintentionally he’d just stuck his foot in his mouth.
“Random girl…wow, at least now I know where I stand.”
Trisha stormed off and Josh went after her. Good. I’m done talking to him. Trisha is around eight months pregnant, and thanks to him, I’m pretty sure she’s suffering major heartache right now. He could be such a jerk sometimes.
“I’m really sorry dad picks on you so much,” Says Em.
“I just don’t get it,” I shrug, “I’ve always been a daddy’s girl and everything was fine until I turned seven. I don’t get what changed or…or why they changed.”
“Well, I overheard him talking to mom and they were talking about Grandma.”
“What does that have to do with anything?”
“Sid, you look a lot like grandma. Something happened between her and dad when he was younger, but we don’t know what it is,” Em explains, “Maybe that’s why he rides you so hard.”
What Em said actually made sense. I’m being punished because I look like my grandmother. She did something to my dad. That had to be it because nothing else made sense.
After school I headed to practice and Drew kept looking over at me like he’d just been found guilty of something. I tried not to dwell on what this all meant, but it’s hard. I feel like if I don’t do something I’m going to lose him, and I don’t know why.
After practice I went straight home. I wanted to talk to dad alone and settle things between us once and for all.
“Mom, where’s dad?”
“His office, why?”
“I just want to talk to him.”
“Sidney that’s not a good idea?”
“I won’t provoke him, I promise.”
I went into my dad’s office and he was sitting behind his desk staring at the computer. He looked up and gave me his full attention.
“What is it Sidney?”
“I want to talk to you about Drew.”
“Look, you need to focus on your education, not some boy,” Dad sighs, “with that being said…I’m sorry I’ve been so hostile with you lately. It honestly has nothing to do with you and everything to do with me and I’m sorry if I hurt you.”
“Is it because of what grandma did? Is it because I look like her?”
For the first time in my life I saw my dad tear up. I had no idea asking him that would open the floodgates. “It’s okay dad, I know you love me.”
“I’ve been a horrible father to you and it’s not your fault.”
“What did she do dad?”
“I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Okay, you don’t have to,” I smiled.
“I do love you Sidney and I hope you believe that.”
“I do now.”
“I won’t make you break up with Drew but he needs to learn his place.”
“He does, I promise. You won’t have anymore trouble out of him.”
“Good,” he smiles, “Now go find out what your mom is making for dinner.”
“Okay.”
Mom made smothered steak, candied yams, mashed potatoes and spinach for dinner. It’s my favorite meal and dads too. When I told him he was just as excited as I was for dinner. Now all I had to do was talk to Drew.
I headed over to his house and his mom sent me out to the backyard. I knew I would find him on that hammock staring up at the sky because that was his favorite place to be when he was home.
“Is there room for one more?” I asked.
He sat up surprised to see me, “Did you get your probation officer’s permission?”
“As a matter of fact I did.”
“Really? You got your father to lift his sanction?”
“Yes, but we’re going to have to follow his rules Drew.”
“I don’t have a problem with them as long as they’re reasonable. I just want to be able to take you out to eat or skating without the third degree.”
“I know,” I sighed.
“You’d think he’d be happy I’m taking you out. At least we’re not locked in my bedroom alone.”
“Give him time.”
“How much time? I don’t know how much longer I can keep doing this.”
“Doing what?”
“Look, I love you to death but I have stress coming from every direction and I don’t need it coming from you. This thing with you and your dad is affecting my game and I have to think about my future.”
“What are you saying Drew?”
“I’m saying that if things continue to go the way they’ve been then I’m going to have to let you go,” he explains. There’s a lot of pressure on the both of us, but I wouldn’t leave him over it. I’m crazy about him. To have him mention leaving me like it was that easy for him…it only fueled my growing suspicions of him and Kimberly.
“Your feelings are hurt,” Drew quickly realizes.
“I can’t control the things he does Drew. What if he goes on one of his tirades again, are you just gonna call it quits? Are you just gonna leave me?”
“I don’t know,” he shrugs, “But part of me wonders if maybe he’s right. Maybe we should breakup.”
Is this a joke? I stared into his eyes praying this was a joke, but he was serious. Why is he so gung-ho about breaking up all of a sudden?
“What are you thinking about?” Drew asks.
“How much I don’t want to lose you…I love you.”
“I love you too, but as long as you’re under your fathers thumb we’re never gonna be able to have a normal relationship.”
“I’ll be eighteen in a year. Can’t we just see each other until then?”
“Yes, but I don’t want to do so under his rules. I just want to date a girl who doesn’t have to ask for her fathers permission to breathe.”
Drew meant the world to me. I don’t even want to think about what losing him would do to me. Feeling the onset of an anxiety attack, I pushed the thought of losing him to the back of my head. He’s still here, we’re still trying to work things out and that’s all that mattered.
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