Jayden
Dad stood up, slamming his hands on the table in anger. “Are you insane? You’re in love with your sister!” he yelled.
I took a deep breath, trying to calm him down or more like correct him. “She’s not my sister, she’s my stepsister. And besides, you and Mom aren’t together anymore, so that means Allison isn’t even related to us in any way, right?”
Instead, his face turned red with rage. “That’s not the point! You’ve been living in the same house as her for years. Were you… were you developing feelings for her even before the divorce?”
I sighed, running my other hand through my hair. “I couldn’t help it. I didn’t think I’d fall in love with her this way.”
Allison was staring at me, her eyes wide with innocence, as if she couldn’t even utter a word.
I turned to Liz, who was sitting there, looking stunned and confused. Her eyes were wide, and her mouth was slightly open.
Before I could even utter a word, she suddenly stood up, her voice shaking. “I… I’ll head upstairs first. You all can continue… whatever you’re discussing.”
With that, she quickly walked upstairs and slammed the door shut behind her.
I turned to Dad, who was still staring, his eyes widened and so red-rimmed.
“Dad…” I whispered, my voice trailing off.
“Start packing up, Jayden, immediately!” he ordered, his voice thunderous.
“But, Dad, I-”
“Fast, Jayden! I won’t repeat myself again. We’re going home,” he said, his voice firm.
“Home?” I asked, my brows furrowing.
“Yes, you heard me right – we’re going home,” he said, his voice low and furious. “I thought staying close by would be a great idea, but I was foolish. Maybe we should move far away from here. I’ll start making plans for that, but for now, we’re leaving. Right now.”
Have I ever seen him mad like this before? I can’t even remember because my head was all over the plan, and I couldn’t even think properly.
Dad interrupted my thoughts sharply, “Jayden, just pack up and meet me outside.”
He headed upstairs, probably to pack his things. I let out a deep sigh and turned to Allison, who had been quiet until now.
She pulled her hand away from mine. “Why would you do that?” she asked, her voice laced with confusion and hurt.
“What do you mean?” I asked, taken aback.
“Why did you confess your feelings to them without talking to me first?” Allison asked, tears welling up in her eyes. “You didn’t even pick the right time nor did you speak with me first.”
“Isn’t this what you wanted?” I asked, shaking my head.
“And do you really think this was a good idea?” she asked, almost yelling. “Now, should I clap my hands for you because you confessed your feelings? Couldn’t you just wait?!
“I felt frustration rising up. “Wait for how long, Allison? I didn’t think twice before telling them.”
Her voice trembled. “You asked me to wait for you, and you never told me you loved me. What was the point of declaring your feelings to my mom without even discussing it with me? How am I supposed to fix things with her now? You need to fix this, Jayden.”
With that, she turned and headed upstairs to her room, leaving me feeling stunned and uncertain. I bit my bottom lip, hard, and soon tasted the metallic tang of blood. But I didn’t care; the pain was negligible.
But there, I remained frozen, unsure of what to do. My mind was a blank, consumed by thoughts of Allison. A year’s worth of emotions had been building up, and now I felt lost.
My father’s voice jerked me back to reality. “Are you going to keep staying there? Pack up your things already!”
I looked up to see him standing with a bag, already ready to leave. I sighed, feeling a mix of emotions, and headed upstairs to pack my things.
After grabbing my belongings, I wanted to say goodbye to Allison. I knocked on her door, but there was no response.
“So you’re going to ignore me, right?” I asked, feeling a pang of hurt. “I’m actually leaving right now.”
Still, there was no response. I wanted to open the door, but it was locked. “Are you going to keep ignoring me?” I asked again.
Finally, Allison spoke up, her voice firm but trembling with emotion. “Just leave, Jayden. Please. I need to figure out how to face my mom right now. You should have talked to me about this first. I don’t want to see you right now, seriously.”
I felt a sting from her words, but I knew I had to leave. “Fine, goodbye.”
Then, I turned and headed downstairs, feeling a sense of emptiness. Outside, my father was already waiting in the car.
“Come on, son,” he said, as I entered the vehicle.
The car started moving, and I looked back at the house one last time. “Goodbye,” I whispered, feeling a sense of uncertainty about what the future held.
As we drove, Dad asked abruptly, “Since when?” I met his gaze, his eyes fixed on the road, a deep frown etched on his face. “I don’t know, it just happened suddenly,” I replied, my voice trembling. Tears pricked at the corners of my eyes.
“I just had this feeling, and I tried to control it, Dad, but I couldn’t,” I continued, desperation creeping into my voice. “What do I do? How do I make it right?”
“We need to get rid of those feelings of yours,” he responded sternly.
“But, Dad, I can’t help it,” I protested. “I’m truly in love with Allison.”
His grip on the steering wheel tightened, his knuckles white. “What about the people? What about what they’ll say?
“Do you think about other people’s thoughts? Shouldn’t you not care?” I asked, my voice shaking in mad rage.
He sighed, his expression unyielding. “If you want me to be honest, fine. So, I think about the people, Jayden. I have to.”
My anger flared. “So you want me to just get rid of my feelings? Stop the car!” I shouted. Dad hesitated, but I was already opening the door.
“Stop the fucking car, or I’ll jump out!” I yelled.
“Jayden, please,” Dad said, alarm creeping into his voice.
My words spilled out in a rush. “Maybe you should stop being my dad. You’ve already divorced two wives maybe it’s time to disown me too.”
With that, I pushed the door open fully and jumped out of the moving car, and I could hear my Dad’s loud, pathetic scream.