The Revelation

Oh honey

We sat there silently, waiting for Mike to leave but he wasn't budging.

Finally I said, "Uh, alright, Mike. If I hear from her, I'll be sure to pass along your message. Ok?"

"Thank you, darlin'." Mike smiled at us. "Carry on then," he quipped in a light-hearted tone, before retreating into the hall.

Once Mike was safely out of earshot, I held my phone up and asked, "Did you get all that, cuz?"

"Yeah, I heard him," she replied, in a less than jovial tone.

"What did you do?" Lisa asked Julie, as she sat close enough to me to see my screen.

"Honestly, I'm not sure exactly how much Mike knows but I'm guessing he got the notification letter from the Dean of Students indicating there was an alcohol sanction imposed," Julie replied, slightly embarrassed as indicated by her cheeks flushing bright red.

Carrie came in close on my right side so she could see Julie on my screen. We waited patiently for about ten seconds for Julie to offer further details on the bombshell she just dropped.

"OH MY GOD, JULIE, TELL US WHAT HAPPENED!" Lisa blurted out loudly.

"It's not that big a deal," Julie said, perhaps trying to convince herself more than us. "The R.A. came by one night to tell us to turn the music down cuz it was quiet hours or some bullshit and she saw our bottle of Malibu on my desk so she fined me two hundred bucks, which I had to pay with the credit card and I have to complete some stupid drug and alcohol education program and the dean sends some stupid letter to your parents. So not that deep. Right? Just some stupid b.s. ya know."

The three of us were utterly speechless. My cousin is so fucked and I'm damn well certain she knows it.

"You're joking, right?" I asked. "You have to know you're screwed, cuz."

"Don't say that. It's not that bad. Right?" Julie sounded worried despite trying to brush this off as inconsequential. "I mean, you getting pregnant is a way bigger deal."

"Yeah, but Mike and Shane can't spank me while I'm pregnant because it could hurt the baby," I said matter of factly.

"So Mike's gonna annihilate your ass, Julie, especially since he can't take Stacey over his knee. You know that right?" Lisa asked, seriously starting to question our sister's mental status.

"I can't believe Mike's not at your school right now," Carrie said.

"Yeah, beating your ass," Lisa added.

"Thanks guys," Julie quipped sarcastically. "Look, I gotta go. Congrats again, cuz, on the little bun in the oven and I'll probably be seein' ya all real soon since I'd rather have my butt beat in the confines of my own home rather than on campus. Later, bitches." Julie ended our FaceTime call.

Mike's pov

I sincerely hope Julie has the good sense to call me so we can deal with this situation before I'm forced to go to her school and sort her out. Shane and I were really worried about letting Julie go to a school almost three hours away because of the bouts of age regression she's been experiencing as a means to cope with stressful situations. Turns out our fears were quite unfounded as Julie's been very comfortable living in the dorms and being so far from home. A little too comfortable, judging by the letter we received from her dean. Shane and I were afraid if she acted like a three-year-old while on campus, both her academic and social life would suffer. We should have been focused, however, on the problems she'd have acting like a twenty-one-year-old, even though she's only eighteen.

Julie's pov

I stared at my phone for awhile, debating what to do. Should I call Mike and just get this over with? Should I just text him and tell him I'll come home next weekend? Or should I just wait for him to contact me again? I sighed and tossed my phone down next to me as I collapsed on my bed. Staring at the ceiling, hands behind my head, I waited for divine inspiration to guide me.

Closing my eyes, I said a silent prayer, asking God to advise me on my best course of action. Not even thirty seconds later, my phone rang. Incoming call from Mike. Taking a deep breath, I swiped to answer.

Sitting up, I hesitantly greeted him, "Hello."

I heard Mike sigh softly before responding, "I'm glad you finally decided to take my call, darlin'. We have a lot to talk about now. Don't we?"

Despite wanting to downplay the seriousness of my recent transgressions, I knew I was in a shitload of trouble and hearing Mike's stern tone, interlaced with unmistakable disappointment, made it incredibly obvious.

"Yes sir," I responded, with tears in my eyes.

"I received the letter from your Dean and we saw the $200 charge on the credit card statement. I think it'd be best to have this conversation in person, in private, with Shane present. Don't you?"

Mike sounded so defeated, it broke my heart. I knew without a shadow of a doubt, he was so disappointed in me right now that he wasn't even letting his anger show. I wiped the tears from my eyes but I couldn't find my voice. I sniffled and swallowed hard.

"Julie?" Mike was waiting for me to respond.

"Do you want me to come home on Friday?" I asked timidly, trying to steady my nerves.

"You know I do, young lady. I expect you to be on the five o'clock bus and I'll pick you up at the station at 8:30pm. Understand?" Mike spoke with authority but there was definitely a hint of sadness in his tone as well.

"Yes sir." I choked up. My heart ached knowing how much I disappointed Mike. I was expecting him to be furious but this was so much worse. His anger is always understandable but when he's hurt by something I've done, it becomes personal and heart wrenching.

"Julie, I love you and I'll see you Friday. Take care, sweetheart. Goodbye."

I managed to squeak out, "Bye," before Mike ended the call. I am not looking forward to going home this weekend, not in the least.