Chapter 3-The House in the Country
"Y-yes, Dad?" I stammer as I cautiously walk towards him.
"Sit down," he says.
I obey, sitting down in the armchair across from the couch. I'm sitting on the very edge, poised and ready for what he's about to dump on me.
I wait. He doesn't seem to know where to start. He scratches the back of his head and stares at the ceiling, comtemplating something. I can almost see the wheels in his head turning. I wait impatiently, tapping my foot on the ground, crossing my arms.
"Well, what is it?!" I finally cry, throwing my hands up in the air.
He looks shocked at my sudden outburst. Usually I'm a very patient person. But today, I was stressed out.
"Well, you know how you were planning to go to Rayment Staser University, the one in the city?" he says cautiously.
"Yeah...," I say, wondering where he's going with this.
Where IS he going with this?
"Well, sweety, this is hard to say... Well.... I can't really...provide for you here, me working and all and you losing Mom. It's over an hour's drive to get here and back anyway, on weekends and such, so....," he stopped, scratching his head.
"So....what? What is it? Where am I going?" I ask, suddenly afraid.
Where will I go if he doesn't want me here? We don't have any family in Virginia, and RSU isn't really close enough to the borders for me to stay at one of their houses. So, what was he planning to do with me?! My heart thumped so loudly in my chest I thought he could hear it.
"Well, I was at the university, looking for a boarding house, when a woman comes up to me and says that she'll gladly take you, let you live in her house and such while you're in college, you would visit on spring break and whatnot," he said, getting it all out in a rush.
Wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a minute... I'm going to live, with a STRANGER?! Someone I dont' KNOW?! Dad's just shipping me off to some random person's house for FOUR STRAIGHT YEARS?! WTF?!
"Ok, listen!" I yell, standing up. "Do you even KNOW these people?! You're just shipping me off to some random STRANGER'S house?! Do you even know what they're like?! Let me tell you something, I AM NOT GOING!!!!!!"
He's on his feet too now. He scowls at me. Usually I'm afriad when my dad gets like this, but today I have had it up to HERE with him!!!! I want answers, and I WANT THEM NOW.
"I DO know them, the husbands a college...urm....acquaintance type... We had a falling out, nice people, eleven kids, all boys, most your age...," he says, his anger dying down by the end of the sentence.
"ELEVEN BOYS?! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT THAT'S GOING TO BE LIKE?! I'LL BE A VULNERABLE TEENAGE GIRL!!!" I yell.
This has gotta be the worsr day of my life! Meeting people I don't know!! ELEVEN BOYS!
"Well, you're going, so go and pack up your stuff or I'm calling Ma where she is in rehab," he said, a dangerous glint in his eye.
Uh oh. Ma's probably still drunk. She gets REALLY mad when she's drunk. I better back down. Slowly, now... Don't startle the beast... Back away slooowly...
"Fine, fine...," I say, retreating upstairs.
Dad: 1, Elle: 0
I go upstairs and open my closet doors. As I'm opening it one of the doors falls off from it's hinges. As I'm opening the other one, that one falls off, too. Just PERFECT. I throw both doors on the floor and grab all the suitcases in my closet. I bought quite a few over the years, determined I would run away. I never did.
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Trying Not to Strangle the Bradley Boys
RandomMargarita Noelle Wilson had a pretty normal life. If you can call an alcoholic mother and being shipped off to some house in the country normal. Elle, as she is preferred to be called, doesn't even KNOW these people. And guess what? ALL THEIR CH...
