I shake my head frantically. “No, no. This is a mistake. She was just picking me up.”
“Yeah, yeah. Sure, lady.” He continues to drag Willow to the police car.
Willow’s eyes are like saucers. She’s petrified.
“W-what are you doing with her?” I stammer.
“Taking her to the police station.” My eyes widen. “What for?”
“She’s under arrest. Her parents will have to come get her.”
I shake my head. “I’m her parent. I’ll take her home now.”
He pushes her into the back of the police car and takes out his cell phone to call the number on Willow’s identification.
Oh my fucking God.
“Hello, this is detective Rogers. Do you know a Willow Masters?” he asks.
He listens for a moment.
“No, she’s fine,” he snaps. “You’ll have to come down to the police station and collect her.”
“What for?” I hear Julian asking, as clear as day through the phone.
“She’s just been caught underage in a gay nightclub.”
The blood drains from my face.
Holy.
Fucking.
Shit.
I sit in the police station waiting room feeling nauseous. A sense of dread hangs over me like a storm cloud.
I fucked up. I fucked up bad. I’m supposed to be the adult here. What a stupid mistake to make.
Why did I go inside that club? And why did Willow follow me? I would never have gone in there if I’d thought for one moment that she was going to come after me.
This is one big fucking nightmare. The door opens and Julian comes into sight. His eyes find mine across the room and he glares at me.
My stomach sinks. God.
“Hello, I’m here to collect my daughter, Willow Masters,” he announces.
“Ah, yes,” the policeman answers over the reception desk. His eyes rise up to Julian. “Judge Masters. This is unexpected.”
Julian glares at the policeman and I slump farther into my seat. Fuck, the policeman knows who he is.
“Has she been charged with anything?” Julian asks.
“No, but she was found underage in a gay nightclub. It’s mandatory that she be brought back here until a parent can collect her. You can sign her out now and take her home.”
Julian’s jaw clenches. “I see.” His angry eyes flick to mine and I sink into my seat again.
Fuck.
I twist my hands together in front of me.
He signs the paperwork in silence and the policeman disappears.
I peer up to see Julian is staring at me with his two hands tucked in his suit pockets, his face stony.
I stand and walk out the front door. I’m just going to wait outside for them both. It’s dark, cold, quiet, and I stare at the pavement beneath my feet.
The door opens and Julian strides to the car. “This way,” he barks.
He opens the passenger door and I hang back. “Willow can sit in the front.”
“It’s you I want to speak to,” he says as his cold eyes hold mine.
“Thought you might.” I swallow the lump in my throat, and Willow and I exchange glances.
I slide into the seat and gently close the door. Willow climbs into the back seat of the SUV.
He pulls out into the traffic and his furious eyes flick over to me. “What the fuck, Brielle?” he shouts at the top of his voice as he hits the steering wheel with his open hand.
I jump in fright at the bang as his hand connects and my eyes instantly fill with tears. “I’m sorry.” I shake my head.
“This isn’t her fault,” Willow cries. “I followed her in. She didn’t know I was coming behind her.”
His eyes find his daughter’s in the rear-view mirror. “I thought you were going to the movies? What happened to the fucking movies, Willow?” he yells.
“Don’t you swear at her!” I cry.
His furious eyes come back to me. “I will speak to my daughter, however, the fuck I want.” He sneers.
Oh God, I’ve never seen him this angry. We drive in silence for a little while.
“What in the hell were you two doing in a gay bar?”
I close my eyes. Dear god.
“We were looking for Lola,” Willow tells him softly.
Julian frowns and his eyes rise to the mirror, back to his daughter. “Why would Lola be there?”
I drop my head.
“Because she’s gay,” Willow answers.
I roll my lips.
Julian’s confused eyes turn to me, but I stay looking down at my hands in my lap. “Did you know this?”
I stay silent.
“Brielle!” he bellows. “Did you know this?”
“Yes,” I admit.
“Why are you hanging out with a gay eighteen-year-old, Willow?” His concentration flickers between the road and the rear-view mirror.
“Because I think I’m gay, too.”
I squeeze my eyes closed.
He hits the steering wheel with force. “You are not gay! You are fucking sixteen,” he shouts.
Tears fill my eyes as I hear the hurt in his voice.
His looks at me again. “Did you know about this?”
I stare at him through tears.
“Did you… know?” he growls.
I nod.
He punches the steering wheel again. “You are not gay, Will. You are a child. You’re just confused!” He turns his attention back to me. “How dare you not tell me this?”
I close my eyes, wishing this was over.
“Don’t you blame her. She’s the only one who supports me,” Willow cries.
“I am your father!”
Tears roll down my face and I wipe them away as discreetly as I can.
“So, let me get this straight. My daughter confides in you with some ridiculous pubescent revelation, and you decide the best way to handle it is to lie to me and take her to a gay nightclub.”
I shake my head quickly. “It wasn’t like that.”
“That’s exactly how it is,” he screams like a madman.
“We weren’t even going there, Dad. It was just near the car and I wanted to see if Lola was in there. Brielle went in to find her for me. I was supposed to wait in the car, but the doorman left, so I snuck in,” Willow blurts out. The stress begins to get to her and she starts to cry.
Julian grips the steering wheel, staring straight ahead, and his eyes fill with tears.
Oh, he’s hurt.
“Julian,” I whisper.
He shakes his head. “Don’t.”
Willow begins to sob in the backseat.
“It wasn’t my secret to tell you,” I whisper.
“She’s not. Your. Daughter.” He hits the wheel again. “Get it through your thick head. She will never be your daughter.”
I watch him as we drive in complete silence. Sadness hits me like a freight train.
“You’re right,” I whisper. “She’s not.”
I stare through the front windscreen with my heart in my throat. Willow’s soft sobs can be heard through the car.
What am I doing here?
This isn’t my family, and no matter how much I love them, I will always be an outsider.
He was right. We are on different paths.
Love just isn’t enough. I can’t change what I want and he can’t change what doesn’t want. This is never going to work.
The tears roll down my face as we pull into the driveway.
Willow gets out of the car and slams the door. She disappears into the house and starts up the stairs before either of us can chase her.