I give Todd a nervous glance, which I hope he reads as “don’t say anything,” but he doesn’t.
“One night that happens to be my senior homecoming dance.” Todd raises his voice to match his dad’s.
I grab his hand and squeeze it.
“You should have thought about that last night.” The look his dad gives him completes the rest of his sentence.
Todd looks down at our hands locked together, his still bruised from the fight, and he takes a deep breath to calm down.
“I’m sorry, Dad. I know it was wrong. All of it,” he says more to the ground.
My dad reenters the conversation, this one directed at me. “Do you know what time it is?”
“Late,” I answer, digging my fingernails into Todd’s hand.
“Well, you can say that again, considering I picked you up at school at ten o’clock and thought you were in your room. To find out not only were you not in your room, you were not in this house … I had no idea where you were. Do you know how scary that was for me and your mom?” He looks over at my mom who won’t even make eye contact with me.
“No,” I say to the ground.
“You’re damn right you don’t!” he screams, losing all form of control.
With no idea what to say, I say nothing.
“This is my fault, sir. I’m sorry. Please don’t blame Ashley. This is all my fault, not hers.”
“Oh, I know,” my dad says with venom. “Ashley’s been making a lot of bad decisions lately, and there is one person to blame.” My dad doesn’t need to say who it is; his glare says it all.
“Dad,” Ry and I both cut in at the same time.
When Ryan eyes me, I make it clear I have this one as I step forward.
“Dad,” I repeat, “that’s not true. I made the choice to go. This is not Todd’s fault. It’s mine. Mr. H., Todd is an amazing person, and I know you know that. He was sticking up for me, and that’s why he got into a fight last night. So, if it’s anyone’s fault, it’s mine. Mine,” I repeat, staring down my dad.
Todd’s dad gives me a small smile, but it’s filled with sorrow. He seems to be hiding something. Then Dad and Mr. H. exchange glances while my mom grabs the sleeve of my dad’s sweater, as if she needs it for support to stand.
“No.” My dad shakes his head. “It’s been decided. It’s done.” He looks back and forth at both of us, and then his gaze locks with mine. “It’s over. You two are good kids who make bad decisions together.”
I squeeze Todd’s hand so tightly I must be drawing blood with my nails, while I feel him stiffen next to me. I look at Ryan whose face must mirror mine, because it’s draped with shock. I need his help, someone’s help.
“This is crazy.” Todd is the first one to speak up. “You can’t make us break up.” He looks at me, his expression filled with disbelief, and then he quickly goes back to our parents. “We love each other.”
“That is precisely the problem,” my dad says as he clears his throat then looks to Todd’s dad for reassurance. Mr. H. nods his head, but there is some reservation. Maybe this is more my parents than his.
“What does that mean?” I finally find my voice. “It’s a problem that we love each other?” I look up at Todd. “He is the best thing that’s ever happened to me. He protects me; he saved my life at the pool; he was the one person who helped me through Brian and Gretchen’s accident; and he got into a fight to defend me.”
Ryan is motioning for me to stop from behind my parents. “You are not helping,” he mouths to me.
With that, I lose whatever strength I have, and I feel my tears start to well up. Todd pulls me in closer to both comfort me and give our parents a sign that we are unbreakable. Then I feel his hand slide down my arm, and my dad’s eyes zero in on that action.
“Maybe we were unclear the first time. This is not a question; this is a command,” my dad says through gritted teeth.
“Dad, don’t you think you’re being unreasonable?” Ryan speaks up, and in this moment, I couldn’t love him more. Please, listen to Ryan.
Dad slowly turns to face Ryan. “Excuse me? This does not concern you, Ryan.”
“It does, Dad. She’s my sister, and he’s my best friend. I know she broke curfew and rules tonight, and I know Todd shouldn’t have gotten into a fight with Casey last night.”
At that name, Mr. H. stiffens, and my mom gasps. She loves Casey.
“You didn’t tell me that’s who it was. Have you lost your mind? You know what his family tried to do the last time.”
My mom and dad glance at each other with questioning looks. They don’t know much about the Casey situation. To them, he’s the boy who got me to swim again, and that’s it.
Todd notices my parents’ reaction and immediately shuts down the conversation. It took him forever to tell me the whole story; therefore, I know he doesn’t want to get into it with my parents, especially since they are currently not his biggest fans.
“Not now, Dad. It doesn’t matter. It’s not important.”
Mr. H. reads his son perfectly and stops the questioning, for which I am grateful.
“My point is,” Ryan jumps back in, “I hated the idea of them together, but they are good together. Great even. They are better together. And trust me; it pains me to say this.” He smiles.
I quickly try to wipe my tears away while all eyes are on Ryan.
“They are teenagers; they are going to make ‘bad decisions’,” Ryan quotes our parents, “but they protect each other and love each other, and that’s hard to find”—his smile deepens—“especially in high school.” I can tell he’s proud of himself. I half expect him to jump up on our coffee table to add extra emphasis to his speech.
I give him a head nod and a smile.
“Thank you for that, but…” my dad says, and the parents all glance at each other. Todd’s dad shrugs and nods, my mom turns away, and my dad turns his full attention back to us. “…that doesn’t change our decision. I’m sorry, but it’s over. Todd needs to concentrate on colleges and scholarships, and you need to concentrate on school and swimming. Ashley, you are too young for this relationship, to be this serious with a boy. It’s done.”
I feel my heart literally break. My chest feels like it’s caving in. Todd’s hand skims my arm, and then he pulls it away without saying anything. He doesn’t look at me, his dad, my parents, or even Ryan. He only turns and walks away, pushing through my front door and slamming it harder than I think anyone ever has, rattling all the pictures on the wall.
I can’t make eye contact with anyone. My eyes are so filled with tears I can barely see through them. I don’t know what to say, what to do. I want to run after Todd, but I know that won’t solve anything; just get us in more trouble.
I push past my parents, and I’m almost to the stairs when Ryan grabs my arm.
“Ashley …”
I pull away. “Don’t!” I scream at him for no reason other than he’s the only person in the room I actually can scream at.
I hate everyone.
I hear Ryan shout at my parents, “What do you think I was doing when I was fifteen? This is crazy!” Then the front door slams again.
TODD
I’m so mad I can’t see straight. I feel blindsided. Sure, I knew I would get in trouble, maybe grounded, but to force us to break up? That thought never even crossed my mind.
I’m in my car, unaware of how I got here. I can’t look at my father without punching or screaming at him, so my car is probably the safest place right now.
I slam my fist into the steering wheel since I can’t slam it into my dad’s face, but I instantly regret it as searing pain slices through my hand. It’s still bruised and scabbed from last night, and I’m pretty sure I just re-opened the wounds. I see my blood, but it doesn’t register; I don’t feel it. I can’t feel anything. I vowed I would never hurt Ashley again, would never leave her, and now I’m being forced to do just that. It doesn’t make sense. Nothing makes sense.
Every time I close my eyes, I see Ashley’s face and the tears in her eyes. I knew I had to get out of there, or I was going to lose it. I wish I held her, kissed her, did something to prove they can’t separate us. They won’t separate us, no matter what stupid rules they put in place.