The Cohens

05} Thursday

I stood up from my seat at the table, having come to the conclusion of my lost appetite. As I attempted to storm out of the room and upstairs, Dad got up and stood in my way.

"Sit down!" he yelled, making the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. "Don't take that tone with me. See, he's already influencing you. You're supposed to be a responsible role model for your sister."

"You're supposed to be a role model for us, Dad, but I couldn't be more ashamed. You're judging a boy over mistakes he made when he was thirteen. Do you understand how ridiculous that sounds?" I wailed, feeling a foreshadowing lump rise in my throat. "Let me pass. Please."

He looked so disappointed with me, but what for? After a moment, he stepped aside and I ran up the stairs as fast as I could, into my bedroom and slammed shut my door. I couldn't resist the urge to cry any longer, and before I knew it, I was drowning in my own tears. I wasn't so much mad about what Dad thought of Wade, because that was inevitable and expected, but the fact that he was so mad at me infuriated me. What had I really done wrong? It wasn't just Dad, it was Logan too. He, as well, seemed to be against the idea of me and Wade even being friends, but why?

I was also mad at myself. Why would I get so defensive about Wade? I mean, before a week ago I was being judgemental about him too. Why did I put myself on the line for Wade? I could have easily not brought him back that night, especially knowing how distraught my dad would get. Heck, I didn't even want to. I was lying to myself. When Wade got beaten up, I didn't want to help him, but I did because I knew Logan would have. The truth was, Wade didn't need me. But he needed a friend, I could see it yesterday when I stopped by at his house. He was broken, and I knew it wasn't my job to fix him but I could at least be there for him. Why did my Dad and Logan have such a problem with that?

After about ten minutes of non-stop crying, I willed myself to the bathroom. I undressed myself before stepping into the shower. I turned the tap, and instantly felt the hot gushing water pounding on my back. It felt relieving, like all of my upset was being washed down the drain. I thought maybe it wasn't such a good idea to bring Wade with me to collect Logan. Once I was composed, I climbed out of the shower and wrapped a towel around my body and made my way back to my bedroom.

Once in my bedroom, I picked out an outfit for school today. It was pretty simple - merely a pair of blue jeans and a grey sweater. I threw on my white sneakers, grabbed my schoolbag, phone and keys and headed out. To avoid Dad, I decided it was best to wait for Annabeth in my car. Before leaving, I peered into her bedroom, and she jumped.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," I apologised to her, still in the doorway. "I'll wait in the car, okay?"

She nodded and gave me a sorry smile, as if apologising for making the argument with Dad worse, but I didn't blame her. After reassuring her with a smile, I made my way downstairs, avoiding any eye contact of my dad, who was still sat on the dining room table. I gave my mum a kiss on the cheek before leaving the house, and heading on over to my car.

Once inside my car, I started up the engine to warm it up. Then, I switched on my phone, revealing one new message. It was another picture message from Wade. I smiled down at the picture of a ginger kid face palming, which the caption: when you scare people away with your problems.

Me: I don't scare easy

Wade: see you later, Princess

It was then that I decided that I couldn't back out on bringing Wade to the airport now, but there was also no reason to. Logan should be happy to see his cousin pick him up, and my dad was completely out of order. I was seventeen and old enough to decide for myself who I can and can't be friends with. It wasn't as if Wade was gonna hurt me, or get me into trouble. If anything, I'd only be getting him out of it.