Crowded Room

42. Confrontation

The professor talking endlessly about something Camila should be paying attention to is not enough to take her mind off things, not even the notebook in front of her waiting to be filled with words. Her phone’s screen lights up and she notices a missed call and a couple of texts from Shawn. She shouldn’t be avoiding him, but the longer she waits, the harder it seems to tell him what his father told her.

 “ Can I borrow your notes? I swear I’ll give it back by tomorrow.” Camila asks Hailee as they prepare to leave the classroom.

 “ Sure.” Hailee says with a worried expression. “ But are you sure you’re okay? You didn’t write down a single word and we both know that’s not like you. And you seem a little off since we left the dorm.”

 “ It’s just something with Shawn.” Camila confesses as they walk down the hallway. “ Don’t worry. I’ll figure that out.”

 “ Are you sure? You know you can tell-” Hailee is immediately cut off by their blonde friend, who shows up out of nowhere.

 “ What happened?” Taylor asks, stopping in front of Camila with a serious expression.

 “ What? Nothing.” Camila looks at her in confusion.

 “ Come on, Baby C.” Taylor rolls her eyes. “ Shawn knows you’re avoiding him and he keeps asking me if I know anything. Do I really need to fix everything around here?”

 “ I’m talking to him later, okay?” Camila sighs, but Taylor has that look in her face that Camila knows well. She’s not letting it go. “ It’s just something with his dad.”

 “ His dad?” Taylor sounds worried.

 “ His dad talked to me yesterday and let’s just say Shawn is not going to be happy about what he told me.” Camila knew Taylor wouldn’t leave her alone until she knew what was happening, so she tried to keep it short and vague. She was going to talk to Shawn later anyway.

 Taylor is about to say something when Camila hears Shawn’s voice coming from behind her, making all three of them turn around to look at him.

 “ What did he do this time?” Shawn asked, stopping next to Camila with anger in his eyes.

 “ Shawn, I-”

 “ You know what? Don’t tell me.” His voice cuts her off. “ If he’s up to something he better say it to my face instead of pulling you into this.”

 “ Shawn, please! Just let me explain.” Camila yelled as he walked out of the hallway in anger. She tried to go after him, but he was already out in the street and she lost him in the crowd.

 Camila sighed in frustration, knowing nothing good could come from Shawn confronting his father. He didn’t even know what exactly had happened and he was already furious, she couldn’t even imagine his reaction when he found out the truth.

•☆•☆•☆•

 The floor to his father’s office wasn’t crowded, just two people in the waiting area besides Amy, sitting behind her desk. He walked out of the elevator and didn’t even bother stopping at her desk, going straight to his office.

 “ Shawn!” Amy called him, but he kept walking. “ Your father is in a meeting. Let me tell him you’re here. I’m sure he’ll talk to you in a few minutes.”

 “ I’m sorry, Amy. But this can’t wait.” Shawn said over his shoulder, opening the door to his father’s office and finding him sitting behind his desk. There was a man around his age shaking his hand and for the looks of it his meeting had just finished.

 “ Shawn! You remember Ted, right?” His father said while the man extended his hand for Shawn to shake. For him this was just one more of the boring businessmen his father kept introducing to him, they all looked the same to be honest.

 “ Sure.” Shawn shook the man’s hand and looked at his father, who noticed his anger.

 “ Amy, why don’t you walk Ted out?” He says, not taking his eyes off his son as they hear the door close. “ What do I owe the pleasure of having my son pay me a visit?”

 “ What did you tell her?” Shawn asks, walking closer to him.

 His father lets out a small laugh and shakes his head in disbelief.

 “ I really thought she was smarter than that.” He says. “ Stupid girl. She couldn’t hold it in for even a day.”

 “ She didn’t need to tell me anything, avoiding me was enough to know something was wrong.” Shawn walks even closer until they’re face to face. “ What the fuck did you do?”

 “ I didn’t do anything, son.” He says calmly. “ We just had a chat. I was trying to protect you.”

 “ Protect me? Oh, please!” Shawn has to hold himself back not to punch the man in front of him.

 “ You’re taking over part of the company in a few months, Shawn. You don’t need a distraction like her.”

 “ I’m not doing shit for this company and you know that.” Shawn says with disgust.

 “ Well, you can say goodbye to your comfortable lifestyle in a few months then.”

 Shawn stares at him, finally putting it together in his head what had happened with Camila.

 “ Don’t tell me you fucking threatened her!” Shawn couldn’t hold himself back and before he realized what he’s done his fist was meeting his father’s face.

 “ Look at you all brave now.” His father laughs with disgust, backing Shawn against the wall as his nose bleeds. “ Who would have thought that scared little boy was capable of this?”

 “ Leave Camila alone! I’m warning you!” Shawn tries to get off his grip, but the man holds him there, his hand almost shocking him.

 “ Be careful with what you say, son. You could end up like your mother.”

 The simple mention of his mother is enough to set Shawn off and suddenly, his father is on the floor as he throws punch after punch. He doesn’t even want to stop, he just wants to give back all the pain this man caused him and his mother, and now Camila. He’s not even sure how long he was there, beating up his father, until he felt two security guards holding him and Amy screaming desperately. Next thing he knows he’s out in the street, trying to breath while passing by all the people walking, not really sure where he’s going.