Page 129 of You + Me – Against the World

“Thanks for the advice. I’ve got some for you, too: I know you like to act like you’re not afraid of anything, but perhaps you’d find your own soulmate if you tried to be a little less intimidating.”

I smile at her one last time, get up, and walk away without looking back. I leave her there, lying in the grass, and tell myself that I might have just opened a crack in her armor. Made her think. Softened her. It’s probably not true, but it’s good for my pride.

44

I arrive home just in time for dinner, surprised to hear my father’s voice echoing through the dining room. It’s been ages since he’s come home from work this early and joined us for a family meal.

“Alma, we don’t just come home to sit down and have dinner served to us. You could help your mother from time to time.”

My mother’s eyes tell me not to take the bait. Basile and Lily, already at the table, seem as nervous as I am. There is something in the air. I take a seat, and my father immediately starts speaking again.

“Your mother—who is an angel, as everyone here knows—has asked me to bring this family back together. So, your presence is required at every single dinner, unless—in exceptional circumstances—you have been given permission to be absent.”

Edward Lancaster, expert in “do as I say, not as I do.”

“Furthermore, I have decided to take a closer interest in your lives. Basile and Alma, you’re practically adults. You can make your own choices, as long as they respect the values we’ve instilled in you. Lily, my darling, your turn will come. For now, you do what Mom says.”

I suppose he thinks he can bring us closer together by being a tyrant.

“Basile, I took the liberty of calling Isaac Sanders’s parents so that we can meet them soon.”

“Dad!” Basile exclaims, horrified.

“No need to raise your voice. They were delighted by my invitation. They’re coming here for dinner on Thursday evening. With Isaac, of course.”

“Lily, I swear I’m going to cut your tongue out,” my brother mutters.

But I can see that Basile is trying not to smile. He is probably silently thanking our little sister, who always has her ears pricked up and can never manage to keep a secret. If Lily knows the truth, she can’t help but shout it from the rooftops. For better or for worse.

“And lastly,” my father continues, “I met with Keith Johnson, Vadim’s caseworker, to find out a little more about the long-haired rebel in a leather jacket who seems determined to steal my daughter away from me.”

My whole body tenses up.

“He was extremely honest, and unfortunately, it seems that your boyfriend is a lost cause, Alma.”

I must have misheard.

“According to his own caseworker, he is unpredictable, impossible to manage, unable to handle any kind of structure, and still has pending issues with the law.”

“That’s a load of crap. He was innocent!” Lily butts in, confirming that she basically knows everything about everyone.

My blood is boiling. I feel a wave surging inside me, but I try to hold it back.

“It is out of the question for my eldest daughter to date a young man who does not respect the law and who is capable of putting her in danger. I will not tolerate such a thing.”

The wave gathers speed.

“Your mother might have been charmed by his charisma and pretty face, but that won’t fly with me.”

It threatens to flood everything…

“Alma, I hope I make myself clear when I say that I forbid you from seeing him.”

…wash everything away.

“And my decision is final.”

The tears come straight away, along with an anguished scream.