ALL THE LOVE WE LEAVE BEHIND

Chapter 35

~Dylan~

11:58 pm

[Sunday]

Blair's light breath emanated as I gently tapped on my Macbook keys to finish the horrifying grid work that came with managing an organization.

I didn't particularly mind it, but I had been putting it off for so long and with the deadline already passing, I was in a fluster. It was something all of the team heads had to compile but I had managed to get an extension to submit my part, a few days late. Let's just say I was Maya's favorite and she was aware of my habit of procrastinating. I was also able to use 'almost being sent to prison' to my advantage, and so in a way- Tyler did me a favor. Though, this was the last favor I'd ever want him to do for me.

My mac buzzed as it snapped me out of my thoughts, and made me read a text from none other than my mother. It was a typical checking up message, and I sighed as I decided to ignore it.

My relationship with my parents wasn't something I took pride in. After being the closest thing to my father for years, he one day decided that it was following his path, or nothing. It was right after school ended, and we were filling in uni apps- that's when I told my parents that I wanted to pursue criminal law.

I assumed they'd take it like any other parents would, but that wasn't the case. My dad flipped as he saw it as a sign of betrayal from his family company. My mother tried to take my side but like every rich household- ours met its downfall and they raged at me- which ended with me leaving and throwing a crazy party. Still, things weren't as bad then- as they got later on.

The tension eventually cooled down, I applied and got into The University of London. That's when things took a turn from bad to worse, and the only reason I accepted my father's punishment was because, in the end, I caused him to distrust me.

I had just gotten the offer letter, but instead of running to my parents, I went for a drive with 3 of my friends. The night seemed young and I was ecstatic over leaving, so we took a road trip out of town. Let's just say that when we got back, it wasn't pretty. The car we had taken got wrecked, and my dad had to drive all the way to come pick us up. He also found a damaged trunk full of drinks- we were under the legal age- and to top it all off, neither of us were sober when he found us. Naturally, he lost his cool and grounded me. While I accepted that, I didn't expect him to give me the ultimatum of pursuing business with him and studying in the field he did, or doing nothing at all.

I was a bit of an egomaniac back then, so I challenged him that I'd make it on my own. Of Course, that led to more fights and him throwing me out. I also heard my mother say that he would have sent you had you not gone on that insane road trip in the first place, but I didn't buy that, because he had made his choice clear from the very beginning- there was even a point where he told me to kill msyelf but that fight was way back. My year ended with me getting in touch with the uni, and convincing them to offer me half a scholarship, and with a little help from my trust fund, I got by and moved to London.

I wasn't going to lie; It wasn't easy, but I was grateful, because I probably would not have managed to get where I am, had it not been for the money left behind for me. Still, moving to another country had its disadvantages. I no longer saw my best friends- that included Blair- had no easy way to get out of things, and entirely had to build myself from scratch. Yet trouble followed me in London too- but that's a story for a later time.

Things got better though, really fast, and as time went on, my relationship with my parents grew somewhat stable. I still visited them when I could, and a few months in, my dad caved- that, or my mom convinced him- and sent cash my way. I guess you can say that in a way, things worked out in the end, but till today, every single time I saw them, they- he- my father- looked at me with disappointment- as though he'd lost his only son. But that was a consequence I chose to live with everyday- because if I had to ask myself, the answer is yes: I'd do it again in a heartbeat. I love where I am now, and as selfish as that may sound, I wouldn't give it up for anything. London became home without me even realizing it, and everything from the kids at the volunteer center, to the campus my university had, to the people here, the food and the buildings were all phenomenal- it was home and nothing would change my mind.