Emancipated | ✓

five: threaten

     Claire even came over and brought home-made peppermint cookies as an I'm sorry gift one week after they'd banished her from my house.

     I saw her car pull over while doing my homework, then I quickly slipped on decent-looking jeans and hurried downstairs to open the door.

     Too bad my father beat me to it. When Dad looked through the peephole and saw Claire, he didn't even bother to open the door; he just yelled, "Get the fuck out of my house!"

     He even glared at me when he saw me standing by the stairs, threatening me, "You better not open that goddamned door, or I will throw you out of the house with her."

     I was so hurt, so frustrated, so angry with him that I almost punched him in the face. Claire didn't deserve to be treated that way. He didn't even know her that well! When Mom came into view and tried lighten up the mood, I shrugged out of her grip when she touched my shoulders.

     I heard the door open and my mother's faint voice in the background as I made my way back to my room, but this time, I didn't know what happened or what they talked about because I tried to drown them out by listening to rock music and putting the volume on max.

     I saw Claire's car on my driveway for two straight weeks, then she stopped. I didn't know what was going on because Dad took my phone and laptop away. It was so obvious that my parents were absolutely thrilled and relieved that she had stopped trying to win their trust and attention.

     And I was downright petrified.

     What if Claire grew tired of the shitty situation we were in and left me for good?

     What if she already found somebody else?

     What if they threatened to make her life miserable because she loved me?