"How do you explain this, Rhianna?" My dad slammed my report card down on the kitchen counter with a fierce look in his eyes. "This is unacceptable and extremely irresponsible. I expected more from you!" He rubbed his temple with his left hand and shook his head.
"I'm sorry Dad... I really don't know how it happened, I tried my best-"
"Well obviously your best isn't good enough! Try harder next time! I'm very disappointed with you, little girl." He was screaming at me, and I turned away from him and rolled my eyes.
"Dad, I'm not a little girl! I'm in senior year, so stop calling me your little girl! And I'll do better next time, God. I'm going upstairs to figure out plans for next week with Vanessa." I started walking up the stairs, plugging my ears to ignore his rambling.
"No, you aren't. Starting tomorrow, you aren't using your phone, the computer or the television until you get your grades up. And not to mention that you aren't going on your big trip with Vanessa, either." I stopped in my tracks and turned around, my eyes open wide.
"What do you mean, I'm not going on that trip? We've been planning this big shopping trip for years! You can't just take that away from me!"
"Oh yes, I can. I'm taking your car keys as well, so you can't run away after school to a friends' house. Sorry, but until you get your grades up, you aren't going anywhere."
"That is so unfair! Why are you so mean to me all of a sudden? It feels like the only thing you ever do is yell at me! What's your problem?"
"Rhianna, I have lots going on at work, not to mention trying to deal with you and your stubbornness lately. If you want me to treat you like an adult, then start acting like one! And you can begin that by doing the dishes for me." No way was I going to do the dishes, not after how he had been talking to me.
"But-"
"NO BUTS, little miss. End of discussion." Dad walked away, and I heard his cell phone ringing. I heard him talking about a new employee named Paul, and I groaned with anger. My closest friend Vanessa and I had been planning a big shopping trip in the USA for years. We dreamed that once one of us got our license, we would escape to the United States of America together and go shopping for a whole weekend. But now that my Dad was being a total ass, I guess it was cancelled. I ran up the rest of the stairs two-at-a-time into my bedroom and slammed the door shut before I flopped on my bed. I grabbed my cell phone and speed-dialed Vanessa's number.
"Hey babe, what's up?" I heard Vanessa's bubbly voice from the other end of the line. I explained everything that my Dad had told me, and realized that I was pacing around my room and violently scribbling on a notepad with a purple pen.
"What the hell? That's so dumb! Your Dad is usually super chill about this kinda stuff."
"I know. I'm so angry." I was close to tears. It wasn't that I was sad we couldn't go, I was just super angry and felt like punching something or screaming at him.
"You know what, Rhi? It's fine. We can go some other time!" How was Vanessa blowing this off so easily?
"Yeah I know... I was just really looking forward to this trip for a long time."
"Me too, but maybe its for the best. Maybe its fate! Maybe the stores are going to be really busy this weekend so its better that we don't go..."
"Vanessa, how are you not so upset about this? Is something going on?"
"Well... possibly, some guy asked me out this weekend... and that guy possibly being Mark Katz..." I could tell that Vanessa was blushing by the way her voice shuddered and got higher-pitched.
