Brooks POV
"I know Mom, I know." I huff. "I had no idea she was going to go and talk to Dad...Yes, I'm telling the truth! Listen, I've got to go to class. I'll call you later." And I click the phone off, shoving it back into my front pocket.
Heat rushed to my cheeks, my palms are coated in a sheen of sweat and I swear every hair on my body is standing straight up. I cannot believe Sydney went to go speak with my dad, without telling me first...without even asking me if it was okay! I know she has good intentions and she thinks she is helping but she is most definitely not. My parents are nothing like hers, conversation and reason don't get you very far. Agreeability and submission are more of their style.
She made things so much worse by going to him, she is just proving him right with her "unpredictability and dramatics".
Damn it Sydney! I clench my fists at my sides while a rush of frustration washes over me.
The voice in my head sounds way too similar to my father's.
"See, I told you, she's always gonna be unpredictable."
"You're never gonna know what she's gonna do next"
"Drama is gonna follow that girl everywhere."
"You need a nice girl, simple, happy, not a spitfire..."
I shake the thoughts away, hating myself for even letting them in even for the briefest of seconds.
I need to know what she said and what the hell she was thinking, why she didn't even mention it while we were texting last night before bed? She should have been the one to tell me so I wasn't bombarded by my mother's ridiculous notions that I put her up to it.
She claims it's my intention to completely get under my father's skin just to prove to him I'm a man! I rolled my eyes at the replay of her words that were coming through the phone. She acts like I enjoy fighting with them, trust me it's something I've avoided for 20 years.
People are rushing into the building I'm standing outside of, the chill of the air prominent around us. My first class of the day is getting ready to start so I guess the conversation I need to have with Syd will have to wait. I take a deep breath of the cold air and as it fills my lungs the fire I feel somewhat settles. Maybe between now and then, I can get my Dad on the phone to do some damage control or this situation is going to continue to spiral.
I pull my phone back out as I walk through the doors of the tall stone building.
We need to talk -B
I press send and hold my breath. I kept my message to her simple because I'm really unsure of what else I needed to say. I've never been so upset with her before. Doubt surfaces in the back of my mind about if we're really worth all this turmoil with my family and once again I'm shaking the doubts from my mind.
Of course, it's worth it, you idiot. She's everything you need in your life, her fire, her courage, the way she follows her heart and can pierce your soul with one look from those blue eyes. She's always going to be worth it.
Sydney's POV
I was so emotionally tattered after speaking with Mr. Dawson I barely texted Brooks back last night.
I didn't know how to tell him, I didn't know what to say.
His father's opinion means so much to him even if he doesn't want to admit it right now and his opinion of me is far from what anyone would want their parent to think of a significant other.
How are we supposed to find happiness together long term if he has to disregard what his parents think? More specifically why do they think so negatively about me? I'm barely an adult and they have already categorized me as a wild child with no direction. Isn't that what kids are supposed to be? Wild while they still can be? Before the responsibilities of the world take control of their life and they are forced into the mundane existence of bills, work, and routine? I never thought that wanting to experience the aspects of life without a direct plan was going to cause strife in my life at such a young age, let alone in my first real relationship.
Despite the arguments with my mother they never tried to force me to be anyone other than who I was no matter how much it drove them crazy most days. Even when my mom was trying to control aspects of my life she still let me be me, she never pushed me into a corner to cower, she fought fire with fire, and even if that didn't lead to the most productive conversations it helped me to learn to stand my ground and be brave. I guess I should have appreciated that more in all those times I hated her for it.
Walking to lunch I checked my phone and saw a text from Brooks. We need to talk.... the words struck my heart like an arrow. Piercing the ache of dread that I knew was coming when his mom or dad filled him in on my little field trip.
Damn it Sydney! I clench my phone in my fists as I fought back the tears.
Why must I always be so impulsive? Nervousness strumming through my veins and apparently showing up on my face as walk towards our table. Layla sat there unpacking her lunch from its carrier looking up at me with wide eyes.
"I'm guessing that look on your face has to do with the yelling I heard coming from the kitchen this morning?" Her eyebrows rose on her forehead, looking at me like I had some explaining to do.
"Yeah...I think I fucked up..." I sit down and the words come out quickly as I hurriedly tell her about my visit to her father's office and the fact I hadn't told Brooks, but am assuming he now knows because of his ominous text message.
She doesn't say much, just takes it all in nodding as my explanation spills from my lips. Before we can talk anymore the others join us at the table so we shove the conversation away for later. Quinn eyes me knowing something is wrong and I give her a slight nod, my way of saying I'll tell her later, luckily she picks up on my cues and doesn't ask any questions. The last thing I need is any more wary looks from my friends as I confess to my spontaneous stupidity.
All I was trying to do was help...obviously, it did not go as planned. It's wrong because it wasn't my place, I'm the problem not the answer and I may have just made things worse by not really thinking about my actions...once again I let my heart lead without using my head.
My brain hurts from the swirling confusion of my thoughts and I stare at the screen of my phone, rereading the text message over and over... no good morning beautiful, no don't forget to smile, no love you...
Nothing like the normal sweet words I anxiously await... and I've never been more afraid of what conversation lies behind those words. Everyone is talking around me and I can barely hear the words they are saying, my eyes and mind transfixed on the text on the screen.
Will he end it? Did I go too far? Prove his Dad right? My hands shake and my stomach churns at the thought. A knot forms in the back of my throat and my legs feel tingling with uneasiness. My breath hitches as I very quickly excuse myself from the table, Quinn, Maddie, and Kelsey looking at me with confusion and Layla knowingly understands my abrupt absence.
I can't spend the day like this, not knowing what he's going to say and if this is it for us... I stride towards the girl's restroom phone in hand and begin to dial if this is going to happen it needs to happen now or I'll spend the next several hours feeling like I'm struggling to breathe. Fear fills my body and my heart flutters as it rings through the speaker.
It rings and rings and rings...
No answer, only his voicemail...and even his prerecorded voice message makes my heart ache.
My stomach drops and the lump in my throat causes me to hiccup, a tear sliding down my cheek as I look at my reflection in the mirror.
I drop my face in my hands and my shoulders shudder when I suddenly feel the warmth on my arm. Quinn wraps me in her embrace as Layla joins on the other side of me, towering over our bodies as she settles herself around us.
Without any explanation my two best friends let me release the tears, frustration, and fear as it all washed over me. It escaped me in small waves as I curled into their arms and we stood there in that bathroom until the bell rang. They helped me wipe the snot from my face and the mascara from my cheeks. Layla placed a hand on my shoulder and gave me her best understanding smile. She knows wholeheartedly the pressure her parents have put on the lives of their children and she also knows the gut-wrenching realization that their unattainable idea of perfection is always going to be out of reach. She walks out and leaves Quinn and me as she reaches for me once more, kissing my forehead.
"You're braver than you think Sydney. Don't let anyone take that from you. Love is scary and hard but if it's real you guys will get through whatever this is. The first big fight is always the worst because it's the first real test of your love."
I don't say anything as she pulls me into another hug as we step out into the hall of scattering students as the late bell rings.