The judge denied my suit after the last counseling session. She saw me as nothing but a spoiled brat who couldn't see how good he had it, and because there was no proof of neglect on my parents' part, she couldn't grant me separation. That was my judgement day and I had never been so angry before it. I had never wanted to scream and curse at somebody so badly before. Seeing my father's smug little smile at court didn't help. I knew he was paying me back for all the grief I caused the family, and for forcing us all into counselling. Being there was a chore for him, and after a while, he stopped making eye contact during the sessions.
My mother on the other hand was more willing to talk things through. She even admitted to signing all my college and university application forms—this stirred things up pretty badly between her and my father. She said she did it because she thought my curiosity was just a phase. She thought at the end of the day, I wouldn't to go against her word. She made it sound like she was giving me the freedom to see what else was out there, all while planning to chain me down to the Wilson legacy. It was all so nauseating.
It took me some time to come to terms with my new reality. I wasn't allowed to divorce my parents. Legally, I was sixteen years old, so I could run away if I wanted to but because of my age, I wouldn't be able to get very far. I would need someone to sign a lease to my apartment. I would need someone to co-sign papers to any school I wanted to attend. The truth of the matter was, I was helpless. My original plan was to graduate from Jackheights, apply to a university of my own choice, and then tell my parents off. Things backfired because of Neal Dobberman. If he hadn't intervened then I would still be at the academy, I would still be dating Arisa Hoffman and I would still be able to watch over my baby sister.
Tomasia.
My heart broke for her. The things she went through were far worse than anything I ever had, and yet, she chose to stay by my controlling parents. She was so desperate for their approval, she was willing to sacrifice her own mental health for them. I knew there wasn't much I could say to change her mind. Similar to how there wasn't much she could say to change mine. Having said that, learning about her secret relationship with Zander Easton didn't phase me. Tomasia never did things on a whim or because of peer pressure, she always made cold and calculated decisions. And I always knew she had a soft spot for him, no matter how hard she tried to deny it.
Zander though? He had a lot of explaining to do. I asked him to meet me at the Matsunaga household over the long weekend. I told my sister I wanted to speak with him privately but she insisted on tagging along. They arrived on the doorstep together, holding hands, and openly declaring their union. It was a little late for that, I wanted to say, but I decided to hold my tongue. Hino was eager for answers too, but he gave us privacy and disappeared into the basement. I wanted to text Khaleel to come over, but Hino said he made plans with Arisa Hoffman. I begrudgingly retracted my invite after hearing that.
"I know you're pissed," Zander said, standing in the open living room. He insisted on holding my sister's hand. I didn't know whether to call him out on it or to pretend I didn't care. "But you know how I feel about her. I never tried to hide it."
He wasn't lying. That was good. "Did you sleep with anyone while you were pretending to be single?" I asked anyway.
"Of course not!" Zander glared. "I would never do that to Tommy!"
Tomasia squeezed his hand to punish him for calling her that. "Ow," Zander complained. His eyes softened when he spoke to her. "I promise I didn't fool around with anyone."
"I know you didn't," Tomasia rolled her eyes.
Zander composed himself. "Look," he said to me. "I love your sister, with all my fucking heart, and I'm not about to lose her to anyone. Not even you!"
"I don't doubt that you love her," I replied calmly. "I'm not against you dating her either, I'm just pissed that you lied about it."
"You're not against me dating her?" Zander beamed. "Aw, man! That's so great to hear! What does the rest of it matter then? Let's move past this shit."
I stared at him until his smile subdued.
"I already told you I made him lie," Tomasia spoke up. "I was the one who wanted to keep things a secret, Loyal. Stop making it into a big deal."
"It is a big deal," I said sternly. "There's a target on your back now or did you forget? Your affair was posted on the school administration board which means someone's trying to hurt you on purpose. I'm not going to sit back and let that happen."
"No one's put a target on my back," Tomasia said, letting go of her boyfriend's hand. "Everything's been fine at school."
Zander surprised her with his words. "Everything's not been fine," he frowned.