The Academy In My Head

They're Only 15

Owen shifted uncomfortably on his chair at her kitchen table. He was unaccustomed to seeing Erica Lee be anything less than cheerful.

To be completely honest, she could put Mrs. Midori's Tiger mom tendencies to shame and he half wanted to see an angry Mama bear take on a stubborn Tiger mom.

It could be entertaining.

Or terrifying.

At this point, he was going to pick terrifying.

He thought she was mad enough she could probably spit nails. Or chew him up and spit him out for breakfast. He didn't dare blink because her eyes were laser focused and he thought he saw steam coming out of her ears and her hair was starting to stand on end and looked to be electrified enough to electrocute him if he was to touch her right now. "Look, Mrs. Lee..." He trailed off when she scowled hard enough at him that he honestly thought he was going to die. "Erica." He said softly, changing his method as he held a hand out to her to hold her off.

"I'm disappointed in you, Owen Blackbourne." Her tone was cold as ice and laced with steel and he wondered if it was possible to get her to teach him how to do that.

His brain registered the comment and he frowned back at her. "I'm sorry...?"

She pursed her lips and crossed her arms across her chest as she stared at him, pinning him in his chair. "I said, I'm disappointed in you. You and Sean."

"Why?" He recoiled from the anger in her face when she slammed her hands down on the table in front of him and got in his face.

"You don't know why I'm disappointed in the two of you or you don't wish to acknowledge that I have a reason to be disappointed and upset with you?" Her gaze narrowed with such a sharpness that Owen knew the end was coming soon.

"I don't know why you're disappointed in us." He murmured. "Please tell me what's happened. I ... I can't fix anything if I don't know... don't understand what's wrong."

She drew back, surprise filling her face and she straightened up and took up pacing the length of the kitchen for a moment before she leaned up against the counters and looked at him again. "I'd like to know who the hell thinks it's okay to tell 15-year-old boys that they can get a vasectomy instead of simply telling them that they need to think before they jump into that sort of a relationship."

"Oh." He said, shifting slightly on his chair and running his hand over the back of his head. "It's the Academy way..." He shrugged. "At 15, boys are offered a vasectomy and girls are offered birth control." He said.

Erica's scowl deepened, and she swore softly under her breath and paced the kitchen again, pausing every few turns to glare at him before she paced again. She exhaled slowly before pulling up a chair next to him. "Owen, dear... have you and Sean had vasectomies?"

He shook his head. "No, ma'am."

She tilted her head and studied him. "Okay. So, think about our boys here, your younger brothers." He looked her in the eye and inclined his head slightly. "Do you honestly think that those boys are ready to have intimate relationships? They're 15, for Pete's sake. Luke still climbs trees at any sign of trouble and heaven knows we can't get him to eat a vegetable. Who do I have to talk to in order to make them understand that these are not decisions a 15-year-old can make on their own. My child is still mine, and he's not old enough to make this decision. He's not old enough to be sleeping with girls." Her voice raised up a decibel or two. "They should be keeping it in their pants for the next few years or ten. Any girl who is willing to take advantage of a boy like them is not the girl for them." Her scowl was back. "Who the hell does the Academy think they are to provide these options to kids this age. They aren't old enough to be consenting partners in a sexual relationship." She snapped at him when he opened his mouth. "Good God, Owen. This is playing with fate. The potential to end family lines..."

He reached out and touched her arm. "I know." he said softly, mind racing frantically to try and figure out what to say to her. "The girls, well, it's better to be safe than sorry because they won't always run into Academy boys. And for the record, it is absolutely drilled into them that no means no and just because you both said yes, it isn't advisable until you're old enough."

She arched an eyebrow at him. "Go on."

He shrugged slightly. "I'm not sure I fully understand the reason behind offering vasectomies to the boys, myself." He admitted. "I guess it's to make sure that they don't have to worry about things if they choose to be intimate."

"But that doesn't solve anything, Owen." Erica said. "They're not 100% effective, birth control isn't, condoms aren't. And there are other things to be protected against so it's not a get out of jail free card either. This is seriously encouraging bad behavior and habits."

He nodded slightly. "I know. I'm sorry. I wish I knew more to tell you."

"Did any of them agree to it?"

"Not as far as I know." He said, hesitating. "I... I actually do know some of the reasoning." He said.

"Do go on then..."

"A lot, okay, most, of the boys that join the Academy have issues with their parents. Most of the time it's their fathers, yes." He said, seeing the look in her eye. "I think they want to partially ease the minds of the boys that never want to risk passing anything about their fathers down to someone else." He said.

"Oh, Owen." She reached out and touched his arm. "I guess I can understand how that would be attractive to some people." He nodded. "But the issues that the boys have with their dads, issues that you have with your father..." She paused. "You're not your father. None of you are your fathers. And you know you're not and you can be sure that you won't be because you can all keep yourselves accountable. I think you'd be doing the next generation a disservice if any of you go through with it."

Owen gave her a slight smile. "You make very valid points and yes, I can understand that there is a lot of room and a lot of time before any of us would need to really worry that we were turning in to our fathers." He admitted.

"Can you please ask them to talk to me or someone before they make any choices like that? I don't understand how the Academy can do a medical procedure like that without parental consent."

"I'll tell them." Owen nodded. "It's in the paperwork you signed. There's a clause that gives the Academy medical power of attorney over your child." He said.

"WHAT?!?!" She yelped. "There was nothing of the sort. I read every page of that application form."

He paled. "Uh. It's supposed to be there. I can have the paperwork looked at." he said, hurriedly.

Her gaze narrowed again. "You do that, Owen. And I want it known to whoever your main contact is, that I don't approve at all of parental control being taken over. This is not up front. I understand the need for secrecy and I won't pretend to know everything that I'm not supposed to have noticed but this is wrong." She sighed. "So wrong." she murmured.

"I'll check into it and tell the boys that they should consider waiting and if they don't really want to wait, that you would like to speak to them in depth about it." He smiled.

She laughed softly. "I'm sure that will scare them into keeping their pants on." She teased.

"It might." He said.

"Tell Luke that I won't make him chocolate chip pancakes anymore. That'll fix that."

"That would send him into a tree." Owen scoffed.

She huffed a sigh. "Probably." she muttered before rubbing her hand over her eyes. "Just... keep them from doing anything rash, okay?"

"I'll do my best, Erica." He promised.

~ Fade ~