𝒃𝒂𝒃𝒚 𝒈𝒊𝒓𝒍 ➳ 𝒃.𝒖

fifty seven

I sigh, applying a final layer of glitter onto my eyelids. Today's the day I meet Brendon's family - the day I've been dreading for months. I've already met one of his brothers, but other than that, I've had no contact with his family whatsoever.

"If they ask me how old I am, I'm 21, okay?"

"Okay, Em. Calm down, though. My parents are really understanding if you just get to know them."

"They're going to hate me."

"No they won't. They'll love you... almost as much as I do." He gives me a reassuring smile.

"They're going to hate me." I repeat, rolling my eyes.

"They won't. Just calm down, okay?" He laughs.

We arrive in his hometown in Utah after a two hour drive. It's a large city - and as we drive he points out some of his favourite places. He makes a few cheesy jokes as he always does, but none of them seem to soothe my anxiety. I was never good at meeting people - and meeting his parents was going to be the literal death of me.

"We're here." He chuckles, pulling into a driveway of a large house. It's made of bricks, with lots of bright flowers at the front. There's ever a small swing as well, that's swinging from side to side because of the light breeze in the air. I look at my reflection one more time in the car window, sucking my stomach in gently try and get the best figure possible in the tight knee length red dress Brendon insisted I wore.

"You look fine." He grabs my hand, dragging me to the front door. "You look fucking hot, actually."

"Wow thanks. Totally just lifted my mood." I chuckle.

Brendon smiles at me, pressing the doorbell and I hear some shuffling from inside and some mutters. A middle aged woman opens the door, a cheerful smile on her face. "Brendon!" She giggles, wrapping her arms around her son.

Brendon laughs in response, pulling away to pull me closer to him. "Mom, this is my girlfriend."

"Aren't you just beautiful? You must be Emma - Brendon talks a lot about you on the phone!" She jokes, and Brendon blushes a deep red.

"Mom..." He says awkwardly. "Is dad home?"

"Yeah. Just in the kitchen. Dinner should be ready in a few minutes."

Brendon looks at me, taking my hand and forcefully pulling me inside his childhood home. It's warm and smells of hot chocolate and vanilla, and it's neatly furnished. "Boyd, are you finished with the heating up there?" His mom yells up the stairs, earning a grunt in response.

"Almost done! Is Emma here?"

"Yep! Hurry up, dinner's ready!"

His dad walks down the stairs, eyeing me up and down. He nods, giving me a small smile. "You must be Emma."

"That's me." I smile.

We all sit down at the dining table, and Brendon's mom hurriedly rushes in, placing lots of different plates on the table. I stand up to help her, but she ushers me down. "Don't worry about it, sweetie."

"So, Emma. Brendon tells me you're studying English at university?" His dad says.

"Yeah, I'm really enjoying it. I've always loved the reading so I grew up to love the subject."

"I can tell why he's so fond of you them - he's always been a bookworm himself." 

I could see coldness through his attempts at being kind, his dad certainly wasn't happy about me being with his son. "Yeah, he was great at teaching it as well! Always an inspiration."

"So, he was your teacher, uh, a few years back?"

"Uh- yeah."

"Right." He nods, raising his eyebrows slightly. Brendon's mom slaps him on the arm lightly, muttering something. He once again attempts to make small talk with me as we eat, but I could tell by each second he just grew less and less patient with me.

"So, Emma. How old are you?"

"I'm-"

"She's 18." Brendon says, making me widen my eyes.

"Oh- that's a bit young."

"Yeah-"

"She's more mature than most girls her age."

"Girls? Brendon, we knew this girl was young but this is just-"

"Dad-"

"And you teach at her university! That's most definitely against the rules!" His dad points out, his words slowly breaking me.

"I don't want to argue right now-"

I shake my head, standing up from the table before taking the long walk of shame to the bathroom upstairs (hopefully, I barely knew this house). Everyone goes silent as I do, and I feel my chest tighten and eyes water.  I reluctantly close the door behind, grasping onto the cold sink to try and regain some balance. I hear some yelling downstairs, and my head begins to hurt, and a few seconds later there's a knock on the door.

"Are you okay, Em?" Brendon sulks.

"No." I respond simply, wipe any mascara under my eyes and open the door. Brendon immediately engulfs me in a hug, kissing my head as I let out a unsteady breath. "Your dad hates me."

"He doesn't. He's just a bit harder to convince - but you shouldn't worry, you know. You're so kind and beautiful and smart and I don't understand how anyone couldn't like you."

"This night has been a nightmare, B."

"I know. But I promise everything will be okay. Do you want to go home?"

"Yeah."

"Okay. I love you."

"I love you too."

-
honestly am I even alive anymore I don't ever update
okay anyway 50K JESUS CHRIST ILYSM
jesus take the wheel omg tysm
- m