A Forbidden Romance

Chapter Twenty Eight

Reader's POV:

"Well?" Your mum pushed, trying to keep her voice level even though deep down she was a boiling pot of anger, threatening to explode any minute. "You have some explaining to do." Your dad chimed in, folding his arms across his chest as he waited (not so patiently) for a response. Unlike your mother it was difficult for him to keep his cool in situations like this.

"I.. uhm.." you choked out, mind blanking, mouth opening and closing; failing to produce words. You could hardly tell them you'd spent the weekend with your English teacher who you just so happened to be in love with, but you couldn't think of a plausible explanation as to where you'd been all weekend and why you had lied to them and (unintentionally) ignored their calls and texts.

"I was.. with friends.. at a party." You tried again hoping this lame excuse would suffice but the look on their faces said otherwise.

"With friends at a party?" Your mum repeated, eyebrow arched as she gave you a look that said she didn't believe a word you were saying. "All weekend?" She then added as an after thought.

You nodded your head dumbly, avoiding their penetrating gazes as you awkwardly shuffled from foot to foot, itching to get away from their interrogation. "Why lie about it and say you were at Stella's? And why didn't you answer any of our calls or texts? A simple "I'm alive and not dead in a ditch somewhere" would have sufficed. Have you any idea what you put us through?"

Guilt immediately enveloped you like a blanket, suffocating you on a hot summers day. "I'm sorry.. I should have called but I.. I forgot." It was a pathetic excuse but it was all your brain could come up with right now.

"Forgot? Are you being serious right now? Me and your mother have been going out of our minds!" Anger simmered unsteadily on the surface in your dads voice enough to startle you to lift your gaze, and immediately your fight or flight response kicked in. You didn't appreciate being yelled at even if you were in the wrong.

"Jeez dad, I've apologised what more do you want from me?"

"A little bit of respect for a start!" He yelled back twice as loud. All this fuss just because you didn't answer your phone or reply to a few texts, it was just a little bit dramatic. "I don't think you understand the severity of the situation. We called the police for crying out loud, reported you as missing. Doesn't that register with you? Don't you feel the least bit guilty?"

"Calling the police was a little bit much. I'm 18, not a child." You retorted moodily.

"Until you have children of your own you'll never understand what goes through a parents mind when they don't hear from them for 2 days!" Your mum added, voice slightly shaky as she held back tears, greatly influencing the guilt that already consumed you.

"Is that it? Can I go now?" You asked a little too brusquely as you directed your gaze somewhere else, too stubborn to show them a sliver of remorse.

Neither one of your parents looked impressed, with your mum blinking away tears and your dad staring at you wide eyed as though you'd just murdered his entire family. When neither one of them spoke, you took that as your cue to leave, but just as you made it to the bottom of the stairs your dad spoke up. "Hang on a minute."

Heaving out a heavy sigh you turned to face him, his palm was face up in front of you as though he was expecting you to give him something and you shot him a questioning look. "Phone. Now." He demanded.

You looked at him as though he'd just grown another head. "You've got to be joking!"

"Do I look like I'm joking?"

Shooting your mum a bewildered glance, she just simply shrugged before going to answer the phone that was incessantly ringing. You stared your father down, silently challenging him but you knew more than anyone, your father wasn't one to back down. "Now! I won't tell you again." He was a heavily built man who stood tall at 6ft, and was rather intimidating when an argument or disagreement were to occur. You had no choice but to hand over your phone.

Your mums voice could be heard from the kitchen, clearly talking about you as you picked up her side of the conversation. "Yeah she just turned up now."

"Yeah, me too. Although she's not the least bit apologetic for what she put me and her father through."

Exhaling slowly, followed by gentle coughing as she tried to clear her throat she replied; "I will, thanks for calling Harper. Bye." Stella's mum. Great, now I'm going to have Stella on my case tomorrow, just what I need.

"Come on then, hand it over." Your dad spoke, disrupting you from your thoughts.

Reluctantly pulling the device from your pocket, you discreetly glanced at the screen to see a new text from Billie. Panic slowly rose within you and quickly swiping the text away you turned off the device just in case Billie were to call or text again. Then you felt a pang of sadness that you weren't able to reply and that you wouldn't get to talk to her until the following day; which to anybody else wouldn't seem that big of a deal but when you'd spent the past 2 days joint at the hip, it was more than a big deal. "It's dead anyway." You lied, silently praying that one of your parents wouldn't invade your privacy and go snooping.

"You'll get it back before school tomorrow but I'll be taking it again once you get home, and I'll be doing that for the next 2 weeks." What was this, school? You tried to look disinterested, shrugging dismissively like you couldn't care less which only made your dad add to the punishment. "And the only place you'll be going for the next fortnight is school, at 4:00pm you come straight home, do you understand?" You were about to offer another nonchalant shrug before realisation kicked in. You wouldn't be able to see Billie for an hour after school if you were having to come straight home.

"But I have my tutoring sessions till 5!" You exclaimed.

Your dad furrowed his brows, narrowing his eyes as he regarded you for a moment. Probably shocked at the fact you were arguing against missing your tutoring sessions, when the old you couldn't have gotten out of school quick enough. He obviously was not party to the fact you did anything but schoolwork in those sessions, but he didn't need to know that.

"Tutoring?" He questioned, his posture visibly relaxing. "Is this the same girl who used to skip last period or come home at lunch time pretending she'd been sick? Or up until now had actually refused the extra help she was offered?" There was just the hint of amusement to his voice, he almost sounded incredulous, but you thanked god that his anger had momentarily subsided.

"Well.. I need the extra tuition, and school isn't that bad." Or in other words you actually had a reason to enjoy school now, and it didn't involve "studying". Your lips twitched, threatening to curl up into a smirk but you quickly pressed them together as you shot a pleading glance at your father hoping he'd relent and allow it seen as it was school after all.

"Fine. But I want you home at 5:30 and no later, and I'm still confiscating your phone." He said.

Sighing softly you nodded, a sense of relief washing over you and before your dad had a chance to change his mind you retreated up the stairs after informing him that you'd already had dinner and that you were going to take a quick shower before getting an early night.

The sooner you went to sleep, the sooner you'd be able to see Billie again. But since it was only 8:00pm and you were wide awake with thoughts of the blonde circling your mind, that would prove to be quite a challenge.

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Hi guys! This was supposed to be published on Thursday but I had the worst migraine (literally thought I was dying) and pretty much slept the entire day. Anyway this was longer than I expected so thought I'd leave it there. Hope you enjoyed!
~T ♡~