Page 130 of You + Me – Against the World

“You don’t know what you’re talking about. You have no idea who he is!”

“Alma, I’m choosing to trust the word of the person who has been responsible for taking care of him for years—”

“And my word? Doesn’t that mean anything to you? You’re blinded by your prejudices, Dad! You know what? I preferred it when you only cared about yourself!”

I jump to my feet and storm upstairs, where I lock myself in my room. Below, I can still hear my father’s deep, booming voice. It’s clear he’s instructing my mother not to come and comfort me. And he’s probably justifying his appalling behavior by saying everything he does is out of the unconditional love he has for his children.

Yeah, right.

My world is crumbling again, just like it did seven months ago, in the early days of You + Me. When the whole world was trying to tear us apart.

But this time, it’s different.

This time, they can keep trying. I’ll see Vadim in secret. I’ll run away. We’ll move thousands of miles from here.

Anything, but being deprived of him.

[I need to talk to you right now.

Can you come online?]

[Can I call you? Can I come see you?

What’s going on?]

[No, message me on the platform. Hurry.]

I dry my tears with the back of my hand, turn on my computer, and wait, biting my thumbnail.

Arcadius: I’m here.

Alma_from_paris: My dad met with Keith…

Arcadius: Seriously? What for?

Alma_from_paris: To find out more about you.

Arcadius: I don’t like that. And?

Alma_from_paris: He trashed you.

Arcadius: Really?

Alma_from_paris: You’re supposedly a lost cause, unpredictable, unmanageable… You get the picture.

Arcadius: Are we talking about the same Keith? About my Keith?

When he writes those words, my heart aches for him.

Alma_from_paris: I’m sorry, Vadim. You don’t deserve this. I know who you are…

Arcadius: I’m going to kill him.

Alma_from_paris: He also claimed that you were still in trouble with the law.

Arcadius: I swear I’m going to kill him!

Alma_from_paris: Why is he doing this? Doesn’t he want things to go well for you? I don’t understand…